“A victim/survivor needs agency”: Sexual assault survivors’ perceptions of university mandatory reporting policies

Holland, Kathryn J.; Cipriano, Allison E.; Huit, T. Zachary

doi:10.1111/asap.12226

Cited by 22 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 28 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…All procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board. Currently, there are four publications using these data (Holland et al., 2021a; 2020; 2021b; in press), and this paper contributes novel information about survivors’ interactions with the Title IX Office. The Title IX Office at the institution where the current study was conducted was overseen by a Title IX Coordinator and staffed several Title IX Investigators.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Does a report = support? A qualitative analysis of college sexual assault survivors’ Title IX Office knowledge, perceptions, and experiences

Holland

Cipriano

2021

Anal Soc Iss & Public Policy

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Universities in the United States are required to remedy sexual assault under Title IX. Thus, college sexual assault survivors have the option to report to their university's Title IX Office as a mechanism for seeking sanctions and accommodations. The current study examined what survivors think about the Title IX Office, the possibility of seeking help there, and experiences with the reporting processes. Additionally, we examined the intersection between survivors’ gender and sexual identity in their perceptions and interactions. We conducted qualitative interviews with 40 survivors at a large Midwestern University and analyzed these data using content analysis and thematic analysis. The majority knew about the Title IX Office and its function, but most did not use it. Campus climate often fostered service barriers, including the minimization of sexual assault, fear of negative treatment, and social–emotional concerns. Survivors who reported rarely saw accountability for their perpetrators and frequently experienced negative treatment from investigators. There were substantial inconsistencies in reporting processes across survivors. There were few differences in knowledge and barriers across sexual and gender identities, but only cisgender women reported. Findings suggest the value in reducing barriers fostered by the campus climate and establishing mechanisms for Title IX Office oversight and accountability.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Does a report = support? A qualitative analysis of college sexual assault survivors’ Title IX Office knowledge, perceptions, and experiences

Holland

Cipriano

2021

Anal Soc Iss & Public Policy

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While dichotomizing the options in this way allowed for clear comparison to extant research and examination of participants’ rationale, future research could build on this work by allowing participants additional levels of agreement (e.g., slightly disagree, slightly agree) to gauge the strength of agreement for or against each policy approach. It could also be beneficial to use non‐experimental designs, such as an interview study that asks participants to compare and contrast policy approaches (see, e.g., Holland et al, 2020). Such a design would also allow interviewers to verify participants’ comprehension and interpretation of the policy statements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining Support for University‐to‐Police Reporting Policies for Sexual Assault: The Role of Survivors’ Consent

Holland

Cipriano

Goodman‐Williams

et al. 2021

American J of Comm Psychol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In several states, bills have been introduced that require universities to report sexual assaults to law enforcement. Opponents argue that such policies can compel survivors to disclose against their will, stripping survivors of autonomy and harming campus communities. We used a mixed method approach to examine people’s support for reporting policies that do and do not consider survivor consent: compelled police disclosure (requires a report regardless of victim consent) and consented police disclosure (requires a report if the victim consents). We examined individual characteristics and attitudes associated with support for these approaches (i.e., had experienced sexual assault, trust in police). Participants (1,045 adults in the United States) were randomly assigned to read one of three policy statements, and we collected quantitative and qualitative survey data. Participants were less supportive of compelled police disclosure than consented police disclosure. People who supported compelled disclosure frequently focused on the crime and potential social benefits, were more likely to be non‐victims, and held greater trust in the police. People who supported consented disclosure focused on the victim’s needs, were more likely to be survivors, and held less trust in the police. Survivor consent should be considered in the discussion of university‐to‐police reporting policies for sexual assault.

show abstract

“…This mixed-method approach offers a more complete understanding of a relatively unknown topic (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011), which was ideal for our aims. Currently, there are two publications using these data (Holland et al, 2020; in press).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Serious enough”? A mixed-method examination of the minimization of sexual assault as a service barrier for college sexual assault survivors.

Holland¹,

Cipriano²,

Huit³

et al. 2021

Psychology of Violence

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: Sexual assault is pervasive on college campuses, but survivors rarely use formal supports. A frequent reason that survivors do not use supports is the belief that the assault was not "serious enough." Our convergent parallel mixed method study examined the causes and consequences of minimization as a service barrier. We used qualitative interviews to examine the manifestation and impact of minimization in survivors' lives. We used quantitative surveys to examine whether minimization differed across four formal supports (Campus Police, Title IX Office, Counseling Center, Victim Advocate) and survivor characteristics (assault type, assault acknowledgment, race/ethnicity, sexuality), and the associations between minimization and mental health outcomes. Method: We collected survey data from 93 survivors and 40 semistructured interviews. Results: Our qualitative thematic analysis suggested that minimization does not occur in a vacuum (e.g., minimization of sexual assault by society, peer groups, and resources fosters survivors' own minimization). There were few significant differences in minimization across survivor characteristics or type of formal support, but there was a trend that minimization was somewhat lower among survivors who experienced completed rape (vs. other forms) and labeled the assault (vs. unacknowledged survivors). Minimization occurred even when survivors experienced adverse mental health outcomes. Conclusions: Findings illustrated connections between social and institutional discourse around sexual assault (e.g., what is seen as "severe") and minimization. Survivors' endorsement of minimization as a reason they did not use formal supports does not reflect the consequences of the assault on survivors' wellbeing. Interventions to reduce service barriers should address minimization.

show abstract

“A victim/survivor needs agency”: Sexual assault survivors’ perceptions of university mandatory reporting policies

Cited by 22 publications

References 28 publications

Does a report = support? A qualitative analysis of college sexual assault survivors’ Title IX Office knowledge, perceptions, and experiences

Does a report = support? A qualitative analysis of college sexual assault survivors’ Title IX Office knowledge, perceptions, and experiences

Examining Support for University‐to‐Police Reporting Policies for Sexual Assault: The Role of Survivors’ Consent

“Serious enough”? A mixed-method examination of the minimization of sexual assault as a service barrier for college sexual assault survivors.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About