Sexual violence, weight perception, and eating disorder indicators in college females

Abstract

Findings provide support to the relationship between purging behavior and severity of sexual violence and also to the link between inaccurate body weight perception and being underweight.

Sexual Violence and Mental Health Among College Students in the Era of #MeToo

“…Both the unadjusted and adjusted ORs describing the association between sexual violence and mental health outcomes, specifically anxiety, depression, eating disorders, insomnia, stress, and suicidal ideation, were statistically significant. The results were consistent with other findings that sexual violence has an adverse impact on mental health (Brewer et al 2018;Carey et al 2018;Chang et al 2015;Kelley and Gidycz 2019;Rimsza et al 1988;Stephens and Wilke 2016).…”

“…This effect is attributed to the stigma of sexual violence and subsequent self-blame (Herman 1992;Jordan et al 2014;Resick 1993). Research has examined sexual violence among college students, along with the psychiatric implications, ranging from depression to dietary disorders (Brewer et al 2018;Carey et al 2018;Chang et al 2015;Kelley and Gidycz 2019;Leone and Carroll 2016;Stephens and Wilke 2016). In the past decade, universities have experienced increased sexual violence reporting rates and Title IX complaints, potentially due to the Obama administration's more proactive stance on Title IX enforcement (Musu-Gillette et al 2017;Wilson 2014).…”

Prior Sexual Victimization and Disclosure of Campus Sexual Violence Among College Students

“…Our findings suggest that, among students who are exposed to sexual violence in college, those with prior victimization may in fact access help and support less compared with students with no prior victimization. Considering evidence that revictimization has a unique traumatic impact (Casey & Nurius, 2005;Groff Stephens & Wilke, 2016;Messman-Moore et al, 2000;Zinzow et al, 2011), such underutilization of formal and informal supports may speak to unaddressed needs among this population. For college counselors, outreach targeting students with repeated victimization could help connect vulnerable members of this group to therapeutic services.…”

“…Beyond the trauma associated with campus sexual violence, there is evidence suggesting that survivors with prior experiences of sexual victimization may be especially vulnerable to negative psychosocial sequelae. Repeat sexual violence exposure, especially across developmental stages, has been associated with a number of health concerns, including high levels of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (Messman-Moore, Long, & Siegfried, 2000); increased risk for eating disorders (Groff Stephens & Wilke, 2016); and engagement in more risky behaviors, such as binge drinking and drug use (Casey & Nurius, 2005). Women in college who have been the victim of multiple forcible rapes are far more likely than their peers to rate their general health as poor (Zinzow et al, 2011).…”

Racial/ethnic differences in body weight perception among U.S. college students

“…, as done elsewhere. 27,28 American Indian, Alaskan Native, or Native Hawaiian were not included in this investigation due to small sample size. In addition, 9,133 students with missing data on demographics (e.g., sex and race/ethnicity), BMI, health behaviors (e.g., physical activity), or self-perception of weight were excluded.…”