Purpose While awareness of sexual assaults on college campuses has increased, the majority of efforts to address it are focused on female victims. The relative neglect of male victims may be due in part to problematic rape myths that suggest men cannot be sexually assaulted, especially by women. The purpose of this paper is to compare rates of different types of sexual assault between male and female undergraduates, and explore the relationship between acceptance of traditional rape myths focused on female victims, and rape myths surrounding male victims. Design/methodology/approach Students at a mid-sized university in Pennsylvania (n=526) answered an online questionnaire about their own experiences of sexual assault since coming to college, as well as their endorsement of male and female rape myths. Findings While women experienced more sexual assault overall, men were just as likely to have experienced rape (i.e. forced penetration) or attempted rape. Acceptance of male and female rape myths was significantly correlated and men were more likely than women to endorse both. Participants were also more likely to endorse female than male rape myths. Research limitations/implications By analyzing sexual assaults in terms of distinct behaviors instead of one composite score, the authors can get a more nuanced picture of how men and women experience assault. Practical implications Campus-based efforts to address sexual assault need to be aware that male students also experience assault and that myths surrounding men as victims may impede their ability to access services. Originality/value This paper contributes to our knowledge of a relatively understudied topic: undergraduate male victims of sexual assault.

Group mentoring is an increasingly popular intervention, but is still understudied. This article reports findings from a qualitative study of the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP), a combined group and one-on-one mentoring program for early adolescent girls. Protégés (n = 113) were interviewed post-program about changes they made as a result of the program and mechanisms of those changes. Girls reported making changes in four major domains as a result of YWLP: (a) Academics (e.g., study habits), (b) Relational Development (e.g., trusting people), (c) Self-Regulation (e.g., thinking before acting), and (d) Self-Understanding (e.g., being yourself). Relational

The wide variation in statutory rape and consent laws across states demonstrates a lack of consensus regarding adolescents’ competency to make sexual decisions. This study investigated perceptions of adolescents’ sexual relationships with older partners from 2 different samples: a sample of young adults and a sample of parents of teenagers. Younger partner age and partner age difference were varied across 15 vignettes. Participants (N = 229) read each vignette, and then rated the younger partner’s maturity and both partners’ responsibility for the sexual relationship. Though young adults rated the younger partner as more mature and responsible than the parents did, both young adults and parents viewed adolescents as more able to consent and more responsible for sexual relationships as the age of the younger partner increased and partner age difference decreased. These results suggest that statutory rape and consent laws that consider factors such as partner age difference may be viewed more legitimately than those with strict ages of consent.

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We examined the effects of victim and perpetrator alcohol intoxication on perceptions of campus sexual assault. Participants ( N = 276) read a campus assault vignette; both perpetrator and victim intoxication levels were manipulated. Participants reported attitudes toward both parties and perceptions of responsibility, blame, and criminal and civil liability. Contrary to some past research, participants blamed victims less—and more strongly considered the incident rape or sexual assault—when victims were highly intoxicated. Perceptions were most punitive toward sober perpetrators with highly intoxicated victims. Results suggest possible shifts in perceptions of consent, further discussed in the context of historical and population factors.