Extending the Shadow of Sexual Assault Hypothesis: Fear of Sexual Violence and Hate Crimes among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons.

Women's fear has been explained as rooted in fears of sexual assault-a phenomenon known as the shadow of sexual assault hypothesis. The current study extends this hypothesis to examine whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons' fear of hate crimes is shadowed by fears of sexual assault. Results indicate that bisexual and transgender persons express greater fear of hate crimes relative to others. This fear is explained by their fear of sexual assault-supporting the shadow hypothesis for bisexual and transgender persons. Findings suggest the importance of fear of sexual assault in explaining sexual and gender minorities' fear of hate crimes.

Victimization, Disability Status, and Fear Among U.S. College Students.

Levels of fear of crime are high in the United States, though they differ across groups. Researchers have identified characteristics associated with high levels of fear of crime, often noting that those most fearful also have vulnerabilities that increase their risk of experiencing victimization. Thus, having a vulnerability and experiencing victimization may exacerbate fear of crime. One such characteristic that may impact fear of crime is having a disability. The current study uses data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment Spring 2021 survey to investigate how disability interacts with victimization to impact fear of crime among college students. To do so, assessments of personal safety in multiple contexts are used: at night, during the day, on campus, and in the community. Results show that disability increases the odds of feeling unsafe across contexts, as does having a history of victimization. Nonetheless, disability does not significantly interact with victimization. It may be that having a disability is such a strong risk factor for feeling unsafe that being a victim does not significantly further increase this assessment. Institutions of higher learning should use their offices of accommodation as well as victim services to assist students in reducing their feelings of being unsafe.

A Systematic Review of Lifestyle-Routine Activity Theory in the Context of Direct-Contact Sexual Victimization.

Studies have extended and applied lifestyle-routine activity theory (L-RAT) to direct-contact sexual violence (SV). Yet, operationalizations of theoretical concepts-exposure, proximity, target suitability, and guardianship-have not been consistent across studies within this context, and therefore the ultimate conclusions on the robustness of the theory remain an open empirical question. In this systematic review, we compile scholarship on the application of L-RAT to direct-contact SV to identify how core concepts have been operationalized as well as their association with SV. Studies met the inclusion criteria if they were published before February 2022, examined direct-contact sexual victimization, and explicitly categorized measures into one of the aforementioned theoretical concepts. Overall, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria. Certain factors, such as alcohol and substance use as well as sex behaviors, emerged as consistent operationalizations of exposure, proximity, target suitability, and guardianship across studies. Alcohol and substance use, sexual orientation, relationship status, and behavioral health conditions were common correlates of SV. Nevertheless, there was considerable variability in measurement and significance, clouding how these factors affect risk of SV. In addition, several operationalizations were unique to single studies, reflecting context-specific operationalizations about the population and research question at hand. Conclusions drawn from this work have implications for the generalizability of the body of knowledge related to the application of L-RAT to SV and identify the need for systematic replication efforts. Implications for future research, especially as it relates to replication efforts and claims around generalizability, are discussed.

Reproductive Coercion Among College Students: An Extension and Test of Routine Activity Theory.

The current study is guided by routine activity theory to explore the risk of experiencing reproductive coercion among a sample of sexually active college students (N = 1,515). Findings indicate that being in an exclusive relationship was associated with lower odds of reproductive coercion, yet prior victimization, including emotional abuse and sexual violence, was associated with higher odds of reproductive coercion. This study supports other research that finds reproductive coercion does not occur in isolation from other victimization experiences, and multifaceted prevention strategies are needed. Implications relating to autonomous reproductive decision-making are discussed.

Association Between Disabilities, Educational Attainment, Literacy, and Intimate Partner Violence: Findings from the Indian National Family Health Surveys.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is widespread across the Global South, including India, due to cultural and patriarchal norms that encourage and facilitate such behaviors. These include age at marriage, community- and individual-level encouragement of IPV, and limited access to education across the Global South, particularly for women. Despite this, little research has sought to disentangle the role that disabilities play in affecting women's risk of IPV in India. The current study analyzes a sample of currently married women (N = 114,901) from the nationally representative 2015-2016 and 2019-2021 National Family Health Surveys (NFHS) to assess whether a relationship exists between these dimensions, while controlling for well-known IPV correlates, with physical IPV and controlling behaviors. Logistic regression analyses revealed that persons with cognitive/intellectual disabilities as well as blind respondents were more likely to experience physical IPV. Blind respondents were also more likely to experience controlling behavior. Further, findings indicate that those with no or some education were more likely to experience physical IPV relative to those with higher education. Findings from the current study demonstrate the need for IPV reduction policies to ensure that adequate accommodations are available to facilitate help-seeking behaviors among persons with disabilities. Tailored prevention policies are also needed which consider both context- and location-specific factors associated with risk.