A personalised programming approach towards sexual violence risk reduction

The purpose of this study was to examine self-declared victims of sexual abuse and compare victims and non-victims on traits that may identify targets for intervention. 1,548 students were self-selected for the study by completing an interpersonal and sexual assault survey. 6.7% of female students and 1.3% of male students reported having been a victim of sexual violence after starting college. Being white (p<.05), single (p>.05) and living away from campus (p>.05) were risk factors. Females who practiced regular religious services (>1-2 times/month) identified their risk (p=.02) at 5% compared to those females who do not practice religious services at almost double the risk (9.4%). Of those students who were not victimized, 10.7% of males and 17.6% of females reported being stalked or receiving unwanted attention. Only 6% of all respondents thought that sexual abuse was a concern for college students. The literature shows that victimization acknowledgement is frequently underreported. Victims and non-victims recommend the following approaches - advertise campus resources for sexual assault, guest speakers to talk on the topic, skill building sessions for both men and women together and the university should develop a strategic plan to address sexual assault among students. This session will provide an overview of how this information can be used targeting demographic traits of students to develop more effective and personalized programming related to sexual violence risk reduction among students.