"I Could Never Tell My Parents": Barriers to Queer Women's College Sexual Assault Disclosure to Family Members

Conducting Virtual Interviews With Sexual Assault Survivors and Their Informal Supports During COVID-19 and Beyond

The current paper describes the author's experience conducting virtual interviews with sexual assault survivors and their informal supports (e.g., family, friend, partner) during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on past and present interviewing experiences with this population, and the recent literature on best practices for virtual interviewing and survivor/trauma-informed research methods. The experience of pivoting from past projects using face-to-face interview methods to doing virtual interviews with this population is presented and critically analyzed. Potential advantages and drawbacks of various methods and adaptations for doing virtual interviews in a dyadic sample of survivors and their informal supports are described to facilitate future research using virtual methods with sexual assault survivors and their informal supporters. Issues related to access (e.g., e.g., age, gender, race, ability, poverty) to interview participation are also noted as in need of more consideration. Finally, the impact on interviewers of doing this work in virtual versus face-to-face contexts is discussed.

Reluctance to Make a "Blind Faith Jump": LGBTQ+ College Students' Perspectives on Allies' Barriers to Preventing Sexual Assault

Campus sexual assault is a significant problem across the United States, and research has indicated LGBTQ+ students are at a greater risk of victimization than their straight-cisgender peers. Furthermore, LGBTQ+ students face unique barriers to help-seeking following an assault, including fear of stigmatizing the LGBTQ+ community. We propose that straight-cisgender allies may act as vigilant bystanders who notice signs of sexual assault and offer assistance to prevent assault from happening to LGBTQ+ students and/or to offer support after an assault occurs. Yet, research on the role of bystanders in preventing and alleviating sexual assault has largely overlooked experiences and perspectives of LGBTQ+ students. In this study, we explored LGBTQ+ students' perceptions of the roles straight-cisgender allies may play in alleviating the problem of sexual assault of LGBTQ+ students. We conducted group interviews with 30 LGBTQ+ college students from 19 campuses across the United States, paying attention to what they perceived as barriers to allies' help. Findings illustrate ways that boundaries between LGBTQ+ insiders and outsiders can leave both groups reluctant to make a "blind faith jump" to seek or offer help. We propose suggestions for how sexual assault prevention programming may bridge this gap between LGBTQ+ students and straight-cisgender allies.

Preventing sexual violence in sexual orientation and gender diverse communities: A call to action

Background: Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual orientation and gender diverse (SOGD) communities are at disproportionately higher risk for sexual violence compared to cisgender heterosexual people. Despite this elevated risk, relatively few sexual violence prevention efforts effectively reduce these victimization disparities based on sexual orientation or gender identity.Objective: This narrative review provides an overview of the prevalence of sexual violence in the SOGD communities, delineates risk factors for sexual victimization among SOGD community members, and reviews and evaluates existing prevention efforts for the SOGD communities. We outline specific recommendations for ensuring that prevention efforts meet the needs of the SOGD communities.Method: Drawing on ecological systems theory and public health approaches to sexual violence prevention, we outline current approaches and opportunities for preventionists and scholars to push the field forward.Results: There have been promising prevention programmes designed to be implemented within SOGD communities specifically; however, it is important that general primary prevention programmes endeavour to specifically address sexual violence perpetrated against SOGD people. While many packaged programmes that endeavour to prevent sexual violence across all gender identities and sexual orientations are inclusive of SOGD participants, more programming is needed that integrates anti-oppression training to target social norms that perpetuate SOGD-specific rape myths and normalize sexual violence against SOGD community members.Conclusion: Ecological prevention strategies in line with a public health approach for primary prevention may be particularly valuable for reducing victimization disparities based on SOGD status and identity. Comprehensive sexual education and anti-discrimination policies should be considered front-line prevention programming. To assess if these strategies are effective, the implementation of large-scale surveillance surveys that use comprehensive assessments of sexual orientation, gender identity, and sexual violence are needed. Using theoretically grounded implementation strategies for prevention programmes can ensure effective programme delivery.

Aspects of Selective Sexual Assault Disclosure: Qualitative Interviews With Survivors and Their Informal Supports

Two-thirds of survivors typically disclose their experience to informal supports (e.g., friends, family, partners) at some point following sexual assault, but little in-depth research has addressed specific aspects of disclosure. In the current study, a diverse sample of 45 sexual assault survivors and their informal support providers (SP; e.g., family, friends, romantic partners) were interviewed separately about experiences of disclosure, social reactions, and help-seeking following the assault. Narrative data on the overarching thematic category of selective disclosure were analyzed using thematic analysis methods. Several subthemes emerged specific to (a) the circumstances of disclosure (prompted or coerced), (b) withholding details (framing disclosures to avoid rape myths and blame, strategic use of language, protecting others by not disclosing or limiting details), and (c) sharing details (selecting who was told, selecting trusted others for disclosure, selective details told to specific people, sharing with strangers easier). Implications are drawn for future research on aspects of selective disclosure of sexual assault and clinical practice implications for supporting survivors and their informal support networks.