Out and in Harm’s Way: Sexual Minority Students’ Psychological and Physical Health after Institutional Betrayal and Sexual Assault

Isn’t high school bad enough already? Rates of gender harassment and institutional betrayal in high school and their association with trauma-related symptoms

“…Institutional betrayal is characterized by the failure of an institution, such as a school, to protect individuals dependent on the institution [11]. Germinal studies have documented the occurrence of institutional betrayal across diverse contexts, including health care, the military, and college campuses [12][13][14]. These studies suggest that institutional betrayal may exacerbate the deleterious effects of stressful events.…”

“Title IX isn’t for you, it’s for the university”: Sexual violence survivors’ experiences of institutional betrayal in Title IX investigations

“…LGBTQIA+ Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), person with disabilities, etc.) to be treated differently, or when there are structural barriers within the institution that make it difficult for them to seek support (Smidt et al, 2019). It is common for Title IX investigators to be undertrained and burdened with competing responsibilities which can contribute to inactions such as those outlined above, but this is also indicative of structural issues in how sexual misconduct complaints are handled by the HEI (Wiersma-Mosley & DiLoreto, 2018).…”

“…Research concerning Title IX student experiences imply that Title IX is not practiced in ways that protect student survivors, but are instead actively harmful to their wellbeing (Hayes et al, under review;Know Your IX, 2021;Lorenz et al, under review;Smith & Freyd, 2013;Stader & Williams-Cunningham, 2017;Smidt et al, 2019).…”

“…Institutional betrayal is associated with an increase in post-traumatic symptoms such as lack of memory about the abuse, physical health consequences, delays in reporting and help seeking, increased anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction, and dissociation and disengagement from formerly valued institutions (Freyd, 1996;Platt et al, 2009;Smith & Freyd, 2013, 2014Sadler et al, 2004). LGB students are more likely than heterosexual students to experience institutional betrayal and subsequent negative psychological and physical health outcomes (Smidt et al, 2019;Smith et al, 2016).…”

“…This may be due to low Title IX reporting overall, particularly among students of color (Lindquist et al, 2016). Regarding sexual orientation, we hoped to build on previous research (Smith et al, 2016;Smidt et al, 2019) examining Title IX experiences among LGBTQ students, but we lacked adequate representation in this sample. One participant mentioned feeling treated differently based on their identity as an international student, and we failed to have adequate representation of international students who may be at risk for experiencing institutional betrayal given their precarious student status.…”