The Cultural Context of Nondisclosure of Alcohol-Involved Acquaintance Rape Among Asian American College Women: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

With high college enrollment and increasing alcohol use, Asian American (AA) college women may be at particular risk for experiencing alcohol-involved acquaintance rape. Although AA women have expressed the weakest intentions to report rape when compared to other ethnic groups, cultural factors influencing these intentions remain unexamined. Guided by grounded theory, 17 self-identified AA college women were interviewed about how the average AA college woman would respond to an alcohol-involved acquaintance rape. Despite awareness of benefits of disclosing rape, participants emphasized that nondisclosure would be the normative response. Three themes emerged from participants: institutional, sociocultural, and psychological contexts of nondisclosure. At an institutional level, nondisclosure referenced mental health and police services, which included Asian stereotypes and mistrust of police. Within a sociocultural context, rape nondisclosure focused on negative consequences on relationships with parents and, to a lesser extent, on friendships. Emotional avoidance and not labeling an acquaintance rape as rape were psychological strategies for rape nondisclosure. Participant's conceptualizations of mental and physical health concerns, specifically post-rape concerns, were framed within sociocultural/macrostructural contexts and may not match that of the more individualistic U.S. mainstream conceptualizations of health. Culturally sensitive rape education may be more effective in increasing rape prevention and support.

The Role of Sex-Related Alcohol Expectancies in Alcohol-Involved Consensual and Nonconsensual Sex Among Women of Asian/Pacific Islander and Women of European Race/Ethnicity

“…Compared to EU women, API women reported less frequent incapacitated sexual assault and less severe pre-college sexual assault histories. Differences in pre-college sexual assault severity explained racial/ethnic differences in current endorsement of incapacitated sexual assault, which is consistent with previous findings (Gilmore et al, 2016; Koo et al, 2015; Nguyen et al, 2010). API women also reported less frequent alcohol-involved sex compared to EU women, which is a novel finding.…”

“…Given that sexual assault was determined via self-report, it is important to note that not all sexual assault victimization experiences are acknowledged in self-report forms (Fisher et al, 2003). Moreover, there are differences across ethnicity in reporting of sexual assault (Koo et al, 2015). The low overall endorsement rate of incapacitated sexual assault has implications for the reliability of study findings.…”

“…Due to a number of cultural factors, rates of endorsing sexual assault differ across racial/ethnic groups, particularly those of Asian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity (Koo, Nguyen, Andrasik, & George, 2015). For example, while some studies have shown that those of European race/ethnicity (EU) and those of Asian/Pacific Islander race/ethnicity (API) report similar rates of sexual assault experiences during college (Crisanti et al, 2011; Gilmore, Granato, Wilson, & George, 2016), recent large scale studies show that API women report lower rates of pre-college sexual assault and college sexual assault compared to EU women (Cantor et al, 2015; Krebs, Lindquist, Warner, Fisher, & Martin, 2007).…”

Sexual violence in the college population: a systematic review of disclosure and campus resources and services

“…, Orchowski & Gidycz , Koo et al . ). Classifications of individuals in a SV survivor's informal network varied and included the following: relatives, romantic partners, mothers, fathers, siblings/other family members, male peers, female peers, roommates and friend/family members combined (Littleton , Walsh et al .…”

“…One study focused specifically on Asian Americans (Koo et al . ), and another study consisted primarily of Hispanic participants (Tsui & Santamaria ). Although some studies included males ( k = 6), the majority of samples consisted of females.…”