Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption

IMPORTANCE:

Rape on college campuses has been addressed recently by a presidential proclamation, federal legislation, advocacy groups, and popular media. Many initiatives assume that most college men who perpetrate rape are serial rapists. The scientific foundation for this perspective is surprisingly limited.

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether a group of serial rapists exists by identifying cohesive groups of young men, indicated by their trajectories of rape likelihood across high school and college.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

Latent class growth analysis of the 2 largest longitudinal data sets of adolescent sexual violence on college campuses using 2 distinct groups of male college students. The first group was used for derivation modeling (n = 847; data collected from August 1990 through April 1995) and the second for validation modeling (n = 795; data collected from March 2008 through May 2011). Final data analyses were conducted from February 16, 2015, through February 20, 2015.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:

Rape perpetration assessed using the Sexual Experiences Survey.

RESULTS:

Across samples, 178 of 1642 participants (10.8%) reported having perpetrated at least 1 rape from 14 years of age through the end of college. A 3-trajectory model best fit both the derivation and validation data sets. Trajectories reflected low or time-limited (92.6% of participants), decreasing (5.3%), and increasing (2.1%) rape patterns. No consistently high trajectory was found. Most men who perpetrated a rape before college were classified in the decreasing trajectory. During college, the increasing trajectory included 14 men (15.2%) who reported having perpetrated a rape, the decreasing trajectory included 30 men (32.6%), and the low or time-limited included 48 men (52.2%). No participant in the low or time-limited trajectory reported perpetrating a rape during more than 1 period. Most men (67 [72.8%]) who committed college rape only perpetrated rape during 1 academic year.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:

Although a small group of men perpetrated rape across multiple college years, they constituted a significant minority of those who committed college rape and did not compose the group at highest risk of perpetrating rape when entering college. Exclusive emphasis on serial predation to guide risk identification, judicial response, and rape-prevention programs is misguided. To deter college rape, prevention should be initiated before, and continue during, college. Child and adolescent health care professionals are well positioned to intervene during the early teenage years by informing parents about the early onset of nonconsensual sexual behavior.

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By:  Swartout KM¹, Koss MP², White JW³, Thompson MP⁴, Abbey A⁵, Bellis AL¹.

¹Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta.

²Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson.

³Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro.

⁴Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina.

⁵Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

JAMA Pediatr. 2015 Dec;169(12):1148-54. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.0707.

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Knowledge of University Students in Szeged, Hungary About Reliable Contraception Methods & Sexually Transmitted Diseases

INTRODUCTION:

Promiscuity and lack of use of reliable contraceptive methods increase the probability of sexually transmitted diseases and the risk of unwanted pregnancies, which are quite common among university students.

AIM:

The aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of university students about reliable contraceptive methods and sexually transmitted diseases, and to assess the effectiveness of the sexual health education in secondary schools, with specific focus on the education held by peers.

METHOD:

An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey was carried out in a randomized sample of students at the University of Szeged (n = 472, 298 women and 174 men, average age 21 years) between 2009 and 2011.

RESULTS:

62.1% of the respondents declared that reproductive health education lessons in high schools held by peers were reliable and authentic source of information, 12.3% considered as a less reliable source, and 25.6% defined the school health education as irrelevant source. Among those, who considered the health education held by peers as a reliable source, there were significantly more females (69.3% vs. 46.6%, p = 0.001), significantly fewer lived in cities (83.6% vs. 94.8%, p = 0.025), and significantly more responders knew that Candida infection can be transmitted through sexual intercourse (79.5% versus 63.9%, p = 0.02) as compared to those who did not consider health education held by peers as a reliable source. The majority of respondents obtained knowledge about sexual issues from the mass media.

CONCLUSIONS:

Young people who considered health educating programs reliable were significantly better informed about Candida disease

Purchase full article [Article in Hungarian] at:  http://goo.gl/SPkzcb

By:  Devosa I1,2, Kozinszky Z1,3, Vanya M1,4,5, Szili K1,4,5, Fáyné Dombi A1,2,6, Barabás K7.

• 1Egészségtudományi és Egészségfejlesztő Kutató Csoport, Kecskeméti Főiskola, Tanítóképző Főiskolai Kar Kecskemét.
• 2Szegedi Akadémiai Bizottság Oktatáselméleti Munkabizottság, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Szeged.
• 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Blekinge Hospital Karlskrona, Svédország.
• 4Szent-Györgyi Albert Klinikai Központ, Szülészeti és Nőgyógyászai Klinika, Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Szeged.
• 5Mediteam Zrt. Szeged.
• 6Tanító- és Óvóképző Intézet, Alkalmazott Pedagógia és Pszichológia Tanszék, Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Juhász Gyula Pedagógusképző Kar Szeged.
• 7Magatartástudományi Intézet, Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Általános Orvostudományi Kar Szeged.
• Orv Hetil. 2016 Apr;157(14):539-46. doi: 10.1556/650.2015.30356.

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Race/Sex Interactions and HIV Testing among College Students

OBJECTIVES:

The primary aim of the study was to examine race/sex interactions and other behavioral and demographic covariates of past-year HIV testing among college students attending a racially diverse historically black university. The relationship between race/sex interactions and engaging with multiple sex partners during the past year was also examined.

PARTICIPANTS:

The sample included 566 students who identified as Black or White and engaged in vaginal, oral, or anal sex during the past 12 months.

METHODS:

A total of 113 undergraduate classes were randomly selected, stratified by time of day. Surveys were administered by project team members who were assisted by peer health educators to increase the cultural competency of the study. The response rate was 94 %.

RESULTS:

The sample of 566 participants included Black women (54 %), Black men (26 %), White women (13 %), and White men (7 %). The mean age was 25 (median = 22 years), and 42 % resided on campus. Nearly half (46 %) reported two or more sex partners in the past year, and 9 % of participants were diagnosed with STD in the past year. Sixty-nine percent reported being tested for HIV, 58 % had been tested in the past year, and 18 % had been tested for HIV on two or more occasions during the past year. In multivariable analysis, 

• Black men, White women, and White men were significantly less likely than Black women to be tested for HIV in the past year. 
• Residing off campus and engaging with two or more sex partners in the past year significantly increased the likelihood of HIV testing in the past year. 
• Students who engaged only with heterosexual partners or were female and bisexual were less likely to be tested for HIV in the past year compared to men who have sex with men/men and women. 
• In a separate model, Black men were significantly more likely than Black women to engage with two or more sex partners during the previous year. 
• Compared to Black women, 
• White women were less likely to report two or more sex partners in the past year. 
• Students involved in a relationship during the past 30 days were less likely than other students to engage with two or more sex partners in the past year.

CONCLUSIONS:

Over half (58%) of the students had been tested for HIV in the past year-a promising outcome. However, 42% of sexually active students had not been tested. Campus prevention initiatives need to reinforce the importance of frequent HIV testing. In particular, targeted prevention efforts need to be focused on heterosexual Black male college students.

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By:   McElrath K1, Stana A2, Taylor A2, Johnson-Arnold L2.

• 1Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC, USA. kmcelra1@uncfsu.edu.
• 2Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, NC, USA. 
• J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2016 Feb 19

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The Role of Negative Mood States & Consequences of Hypersexual Behaviours in Predicting Hypersexuality among University Students

Background and Aims

The issue of whether hypersexual behaviours exist among university students is controversial because many of these individuals engage in sexual exploration during their time at university. To date, little is known about the correlates of hypersexual behaviours among university students in the UK. Therefore, the aims of this exploratory study were two-fold. Firstly, to explore and establish the correlates of hypersexual behaviours, and secondly, to investigate whether hypersexuality among university students can be predicted by variables relating to negative mood states (i.e., emotional dysregulation, loneliness, shame, and life satisfaction) and consequences of hypersexual behaviour.

Methods

Survey data from 165 British university students was analysed using regression analyses.

Results

The full regression model significantly predicted hypersexual behaviours. However, only a small number of predictor variables (i.e., gender, consequences of hypersexual behaviours, life satisfaction and emotional dysregulation) accounted for the significant unique influence on hypersexual behaviours among the sample.

Conclusions

The study empirically supported the concept of hypersexual disorder. The implications of these findings are also discussed...

The findings showed that 19.4% of the sample met the criteria for HD, thus suggesting that hypersexual behaviours have the potential of becoming problematic for some university students. These figures are much higher than in the study conducted by Odlaug et al. (2013), who found that only 2% met the criteria for compulsive sexual behaviours.

There are a number of reasons that may explain the difference. Firstly, the present study’s sample may be biased because of the use of purposive and snowball sampling. Secondly, the proportion of gay and bisexual respondents in the present study was approximately 15%. This population typically reports a broader repertoire of sexual behaviour and practices, and usually present with more hypersexual symptoms. Thirdly, the data were collected in London, and the country’s capital city is often viewed as a ‘cosmopolitan city’ that has more sexually liberal attitudes than other parts of the UK. Finally, the instruments used in the present study to measure hypersexual behaviours differed from that of Odlaug et al. (2013) and may also account for some of the differences in prevalence estimates.

The present study also found that emotional (affect) dysregulation significantly predicted hypersexual behaviours. Previous studies (e.g., Bradley, 2000; Goodman, 1998; Magai, 1999) have examined this relationship. For example, Magai (1999) found that the association between addictive and pre-addictive behaviours helps to regulate affect. The use of sex allows for the distraction or the contraction of negative emotions. This observation may be applicable to participants that met the criteria for HD in the present study...

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/DtZrnB

By:  Manpreet K. Dhuffar,1,* Halley M. Pontes,1 and Mark D. Griffiths1

¹Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK

* Corresponding author: Manpreet Dhuffar; Psychology Division, Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham, NG1 4BU, UK; E-mail:ku.oc.liamtoh@raffuhd_teerpnam

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