Document Type

Article

Source Publication Title

Journal of Interpersonal Violence

DOI

10.1177/08862605231198487

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual assault, and stalking are consequential public health and safety issues with wide reaching impacts on emerging adults, including those on college campuses in the United States. In response to high rates of violence among college student populations, universities are developing campus-based advocacy (CBA) programs, which aim to support survivors of interpersonal violence through supportive connections, resource acquisition, and safety planning. However, little data exists related to their impact on key student-survivor outcomes. Thus, this study aims to understand (a) the approach CBA programs use to address safety and academic concerns of student-survivors, and (b) the initial outcomes of CBA programs on safety and academics among students engaged in CBA services at five universities in one Southwestern state. The project used a longitudinal mixed-methods approach, with data collection activities including qualitative interviews with student survivors (n=29) and a longitudinal, web-based, quantitative survey with matched analyses of safety and academic outcome measures from 115 student survivors who participated in an initial survey and follow-up survey after 6months. Findings demonstrate key pathways through which CBA programs support survivors and facilitate positive safety and academic outcomes. These pathways include education, supportive connection, and resource access. Analysis of longitudinal survivor data demonstrate substantial reductions in sexual violence, IPV, stalking, and school sabotage at 6-month follow-up compared to initial survey, as well as significant reductions in academic disengagement for student survivors. The findings of the study powerfully demonstrate the positive impact of CBA programs on survivor and campus outcomes. Furthermore, programs not only enhance individual survivor safety and academic outcomes but also support the overall climate and safety of hosting universities.

Publication Date

1-1-2023

Language

English

Comments

Rachel J. Voth Schrag, PhD, LCSW, is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington. Her research focuses on secondary and tertiary pre-vention strategies for survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault, par-ticularly community-based, survivor-centered services. Elizabeth Baumler, PhD, is a Professor and Director of Biostatistics at the Center for Violence Prevention, UTMB. She is an expert in quantitative methods, experimental designs, and multilevel analysis and has over 20 years of experience in the design and evaluation of health risk and promotion. Dixie Hairston, LMSW, is a Senior Research Coordinator at the Center for Violence Prevention, UTMB. She has experience conducting sex and labor trafficking, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence research, particularly among adolescents and emerging adults. Cynthia Jones, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Director of the Office for Advocacy and Violence Prevention at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She focuses on biomedical ethics as well as issues related to violence, advocacy, and child welfare. Leila Wood, PhD, MSSW, is a Professor at the Center for Violence Prevention, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). Her program of research focuses on community and college-campus-based interpersonal violence intervention and prevention approaches and the health impacts of interpersonal violence, specifically intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault.

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Download

Share

COinS