Alcohol Associated with Sexual Assault in College, Study Finds

Newswise — College campuses need more integrated substance use and sexual victimization risk reduction and prevention programming, according to a study by researchers at RTI International, Bowling Green State University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The study, published in the May/June issue of the Journal of American College Health, found that almost 20 percent of undergraduate women are sexually assaulted during their time in college and that the majority of sexual assaults occur after women consume alcohol and are incapacitated and unable to provide consent.

"The findings support the need for the development and implementation of campus-based sexual assault prevention and risk reduction programming that is integrated with drug and alcohol awareness training," said Chris Krebs, Ph.D., a senior research social scientist at RTI and the study's lead author. "The prevention programs should teach students how to monitor and manage their drug and alcohol use, anticipate when they or their peers may become cognitively or physically impaired, and reduce their risk of being victimized by recognizing situations and persons that could pose a danger."

The researchers surveyed more than 5,000 undergraduate women at two large public universities and found that after entering college more than 11 percent of women had been sexually assaulted while they were incapacitated and unable to provide consent, and that freshman and sophomore women were at a higher risk for sexual assault than their junior and senior counterparts.

Overall, the study showed that almost 30 percent of undergraduate women reported experiencing an attempted or completed sexual assault either before or while in college.

"Our research suggests that limiting alcohol intake and not taking drugs are important sexual assault risk reduction strategies, especially within the context of campus social situations," said Christine Lindquist, Ph.D., a senior research sociologist at RTI and the study's second author. "Developing programs that teach women and men how they can protect themselves and their classmates is an important part of preventing sexual victimization. We believe our research contributes some knowledge on this front, but much more also needs to be done to educate men about what constitutes sexual violence perpetration, when having sexual contact with women is and is not okay, and what they can do to discourage perpetration by their peers."

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

About RTI InternationalRTI International is one of the worlds leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice. Our staff of more than 2,800 provides research and technical expertise to governments and businesses in more than 40 countries in the areas of health and pharmaceuticals, education and training, surveys and statistics, advanced technology, international development, economic and social policy, energy and the environment, and laboratory and chemistry services. For more information, visit www.rti.org.