Campus sexual violence: exploring student perspectives on sexual violence and the effectiveness of university responses

Abstract

Sexual violence is a prevalent problem across North American universities. There is a lack of understanding of students’ sexually violent attitudes and behaviours and the effectiveness of university responses to sexual violence. In the first study, we explored students’ perspectives on and expressions of sexual violence, sexual consent, and rape myths. A number of students reported engaging in or a proclivity for sexual violence, endorsing victim-blaming attitudes and problematic expressions of sexual consent. In the second study, the effectiveness of university responses (e.g., watching a sexual violence prevention workshop, writing an essay on consent) to change problematic attitudes and behaviours was examined over time, in comparison to an unrelated task. University responses were relatively unsuccessful in positively changing students’ attitudes or behaviours. The results suggest the need to improve university responses to adequately address and change the problematic attitudes and behaviours of students, including perpetrators, on campus.