An Examination of Dating Violence Among College Student-Athletes

Abstract

College students are at increased risk for dating violence (DV) perpetration and victimization. One group of college students who may be at elevated risk is college student-athletes. While levels of athletic involvement range from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I to Division III, there is currently a lack of information about the dating and relationship behaviors of male and female Division III student-athletes. This study identified the frequency of both minor and severe physical, psychological, and sexual DV perpetration and victimization in a sample of NCAA Division III college student-athletes. We also examined hazardous drinking and hostile sexism as risk factors for DV perpetration and victimization among male and female student-athletes. A total of 350 student-athletes from a Division III university participated in this study. In total, 57% of student-athletes reported perpetrating some form of DV in the past year, while 56% reported experiencing some form of DV victimization in the past year. Two negative binomial generalized linear models assessed if hazardous drinking and hostile sexism were associated with sexual assault perpetration and victimization among men and women. Both hostile sexism and hazardous drinking were predictive of DV perpetration and victimization. These findings serve as an important first step in identifying behaviors that contribute to DV among Division III student-athletes and can be used to inform future prevention interventions aimed at decreasing DV among student-athletes.

The Impact of Perceived Sleep, Mood and Alcohol Use on Verbal, Physical and Sexual Assault Experiences among Student Athletes and Student Non-Athletes

“…For student non-athletes, there was no statistical difference between feeling sad or not (16%) for the forced sexual intercourse (rape) outcome. Surprisingly, our results are inconsistent with prior work suggesting that student athletes represent a subgroup that is more susceptible to engaging in dating violence [ 27 , 28 ]. It is estimated that 19% of male student athletes account for all sexual violence cases reported to Judicial Affairs offices [ 29 ].…”

“…It is estimated that 19% of male student athletes account for all sexual violence cases reported to Judicial Affairs offices [ 29 ]. However, it is important to note that research on sexual violent behavior is limited and is highly controversial, with studies drawing different conclusions [ 27 ]. Therefore, our results should be cautiously interpreted given that additional thorough research will be needed to establish with more precision the risk factors differentiating student athletes and student non-athletes.…”

Violencia Psicológica en la relación de noviazgo en estudiantes universitarios que inician la carrera de Psicología. Un estudio cualitativo

“…Si bien se ha reportado que uno de cada cinco estudiantes secundarias mujeres reconocen haber sufrido abuso físico y/o sexual por parte de su pareja (APA, 2015), Cantor et al (2020) consideran que son los alumnos universitarios los que tienen mayor riesgo de perpetrar y padecer violencia en el noviazgo.…”

From Endorsement of Ambivalent Sexism to Psychological IPV Victimization: The Role of Attitudes Supportive of IPV, Legitimating Myths of IPV, and Acceptance of Psychological Aggression

“…For instance, it has been shown that legitimating myths of IPV are linked to a certain reticence to accept IPV as a reality in some sectors of society, justification of the aggression, and victim responsibility (for example, previous insults, infidelity, going out without permission, etc. ), exoneration of the perpetrator, and to nonrecognition of IPV as such ( Taylor and Sorenson, 2005 ; European Commission, 2010 ; Giger et al, 2017 ; Cinquegrana et al, 2018 ; Lelaurain et al, 2018 , 2019 ; Cantor et al, 2021 ; Fakunmoju et al, 2021 ). These findings suggest that, to the extent that they endorse legitimating myths of IPV, the likelihood increases for women to legitimate and justify psychologically abusive behaviors.…”