Dyadic effects of minority stress and problematic alcohol use on sexual intimate partner violence in same sex couples.

Little is known about the factors that facilitate the perpetration of sexual violence within the context of same-sex romantic relationships (sexual intimate partner violence perpetration [S-IPV]). The present study sought to identify the effects of external and internal minority stress and problematic drinking on perpetration of S-IPV within a dyadic framework. A community-based sample of 137 sexual and gender minority (SGM) couples (N = 274; 59 male assigned at birth and 78 female assigned at birth couples) completed self-report surveys about minority stressors, alcohol use, and S-IPV perpetration. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted within an actor-partner interdependence framework. This approach accounted for both actor effects (e.g., how much one's S-IPV perpetration is predicted by their own risk factors) and partner effects (e.g., how much one's S-IPV perpetration is influenced by their partner's risk factors). Both Actor external minority stress and internal minority stress were positively associated with Actor S-IPV perpetration. Actor problematic drinking was not associated with Actor S-IPV perpetration; however, Partner problematic drinking was positively associated with Actor S-IPV perpetration. Observed effects were robust above the addition of other risk factors. This research innovatively extricates S-IPV perpetration from other forms of IPV and indicates that Actor minority stress and Partner problematic drinking increase S-IPV likelihood. Results serve as a starting point for development of etiological models to inform the design of culturally-informed interventions to reduce S-IPV among SGM couples.

Rapid initiation of nasal saline irrigation to reduce severity in high-risk COVID+ outpatients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether initiating saline nasal irrigation after COVID-19 diagnosis reduces hospitalization and death in high-risk outpatients compared with observational controls, and if irrigant composition impacts severity. METHODS: Participants 55 and older were enrolled within 24 hours of a + PCR COVID-19 test between September 24 and December 21, 2020. Among 826 screened, 79 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to add 2.5 mL povidone-iodine 10% or 2.5 mL sodium bicarbonate to 240 mL of isotonic nasal irrigation twice daily for 14 days. The primary outcome was hospitalization or death from COVID-19 within 28 days of enrollment by daily self-report confirmed with phone calls and hospital records, compared to the CDC Surveillance Dataset covering the same time. Secondary outcomes compared symptom resolution by irrigant additive. RESULTS: Seventy-nine high-risk participants were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 64 [8] years; 36 [46%] women; 71% Non-Hispanic White), with mean BMI 30.3. Analyzed by intention-to-treat, by day 28, COVID-19 symptoms resulted in one ED visit and no hospitalizations in 42 irrigating with alkalinization, one hospitalization of 37 in the povidone-iodine group, (1.27%) and no deaths. Of nearly three million CDC cases, 9.47% were known to be hospitalized, with an additional 1.5% mortality in those without hospitalization data. Age, sex, and percentage with pre-existing conditions did not significantly differ by exact binomial test from the CDC dataset, while reported race and hospitalization rate did. The total risk of hospitalization or death (11%) was 8.57 times that of enrolled nasal irrigation participants (SE = 2.74; P = .006). Sixty-two participants completed daily surveys (78%), averaging 1.8 irrigations/day. Eleven reported irrigation-related complaints and four discontinued use. Symptom resolution was more likely for those reporting twice daily irrigation (X2 = 8.728, P = .0031) regardless of additive. CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2+ participants initiating nasal irrigation were over 8 times less likely to be hospitalized than the national rate.

College-level perceptions of drinking, binge drinking, and sexual violence perpetration: A multilevel mediation model.

Objective: To determine whether college men's perceptions of campus drinking norms, aggregated at the institution-level, predicted heavy episodic drinking and sexual violence perpetration. Participants: Data were collected from a sample of 1144 first-year male college freshmen enrolled at one of thirty four-year institutions in the state of Georgia. Methods: Four waves of online survey data were collected as part of a longitudinal cohort study completed in 2016. Results: Perceptions of campus drinking norms aggregated at the institution-level significantly predicted college men's heavy episodic drinking. Heavy episodic drinking mediated the relationship between perceptions of the typical students' drinking behavior and perpetration of sexual violence, such that participants at institutions with higher levels of perceived drinking norms reported more heavy episodic drinking and sexual violence perpetration. Conclusions: Findings from this study provide further support for the inclusion of broader campus-level prevention strategies as part of a comprehensive approach to preventing sexual violence.

The Scope of Rape Victimization and Perpetration Among National Samples of College Students Across 30 years.

Research Questions: Rape prevention practice and policy have roots in data from 1985. This study uses 2015 national data to project recent prevalence, assesses whether rates now differ from those of 30 years ago, and disaggregates 2015 prevalence into rape of alcohol incapacitated victims, rapes combining both alcohol and physical tactics, and violent rape. Methods: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted comparing two national samples. The first was collected in 1984-85 (Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987); the second was collected 30 years later in 2014-2015. Both surveys used in-person administration and measurement by the most current version at the time of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES). Prevalence rates were compared using Bayesian binomial tests. Results: In 2015, 33.4% (1 in 3) of women reported experiencing rape or attempted rape and 12.7% of men reported perpetration (1 in 8). Using Jeffreys' label for effect size of the Bayes binomial (1961), both results are "decisively" greater than expected given the 1985 benchmarks of 27.9% for victimization and 7.7% for perpetration. Victimization when incapacitated characterized approximately 75% of incidents in 2015 up from 50% in 1985. Cautions apply as cross-sectional data does not establish causality and the recent data set involved the revised SES. Conclusions: Across 30 years, neither containment nor reduction of rape was demonstrated and the increasingly prominent association with alcohol was apparent. Among the men who disclosed raping, 9 of 10 incidents were alcohol-involved. Prevention focus might profitably be directed to constraining alcohol environments and policies that facilitate rape of incapacitated persons and on misconduct responses that are proportional to the harm caused to rape victims, thereby raising the perceived risks of perpetration.

Cognitive and Affective Mediators of Alcohol-Facilitated Intimate Partner Aggression.

This multisite study examined whether aggressive cognitions and facial displays of negative affect and anger experienced during provocation mediated the association between alcohol intoxication and intimate partner aggression (IPA). Participants were 249 heavy drinkers (148 men, 101 women) with a recent history of IPA perpetration. Participants were randomly assigned to an Alcohol or No-Alcohol Control beverage condition and completed a shock-based aggression task involving apparent provocation by their intimate partner. During provocation, a hidden camera recorded participants' facial expressions and verbal articulations, which were later coded using the Facial Action Coding System and the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations paradigm. Results indicated that the positive association between alcohol intoxication and partner-directed physical aggression was mediated by participants' aggressive cognitions, but not by negative affect or anger facial expressions. These findings implicate aggressogenic cognitions as a mediating mechanism underlying the association between the acute effects of alcohol and IPA perpetration.

Exploring the relationship between strip clubs and rates of sexual violence and violent crime.

AIMS: We examined whether (a) the number of strip clubs per capita and (b) the proportion of clubs with "high-risk characteristics" were significantly associated with rates of sexual violence (SV) and other violent crime at the county level. METHODS: Using large, public data sets, we tested effects across 926 counties (13 U.S. states), controlling for percent below the poverty line and alcohol outlets per capita. RESULTS: We found that rates of strip clubs were significantly associated with violent crime, but not SV, in all but one model (accounting for Saturday hours). Counties with greater proportions of "high-risk" strip clubs (i.e., greater days and hours of operation, drink specials, full-nudity policies, or private rooms) have higher rates of SV. All models, except the full-nudity policy model, demonstrated increased rates of violent crime. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide information for community-level violence prevention and equips stakeholders with information to create safer communities.

Childhood Neglect History, Depressive Symptoms, and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration by College Students.

College students experience intimate partner violence (IPV) at an alarming rate, and preventing such violence depends on identifying factors that contribute to perpetration. Although there is extensive research that has established a link between childhood neglect and later physical IPV perpetration, less is known about the specific mechanisms through which childhood neglect leads to IPV perpetration. In the present study, we examined potential mediators of the relationship between childhood neglect and IPV perpetration by college students, with special emphasis on the role of depressive symptoms and IPV victimization. A total of 302 college students reported on their experiences of childhood maltreatment, depressive symptoms, and IPV victimization and perpetration. Results indicate that increasing levels of childhood emotional and physical neglect correspond with increasing rates of IPV perpetration, after accounting for the effect of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. This effect between childhood neglect and IPV perpetration was fully mediated by the combination of IPV victimization and depressive symptoms for the overall sample. However, when examining the model for men and women separately, only the indirect effect through victimization remained statistically significant for men. Our findings suggest that research on the link between childhood neglect and IPV perpetration should also consider the impact of IPV victimization, as neglect may lead to IPV perpetration within the context of a mutually aggressive relationship. Furthermore, these findings indicate that childhood neglect leads to long-term emotional consequences that contribute to later IPV perpetration, and treating depressive symptoms may help prevent IPV perpetration against college students who experienced childhood neglect.

Sexual Violence Among Gender and Sexual Minority College Students: The Risk and Extent of Victimization and Related Health and Educational Outcomes.

A multisite survey conducted at eight campuses of a southwestern university system provides the data for the present study, total N = 17,039 with 1,869 gender and sexual minority (GSM) students. Sexual violence was measured using the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES), and analysis included both the participant's risk of experiencing sexual violence and the extent (or total count) of sexual violence experienced. This study poses the following research questions: What effects do gender identity and sexual orientation have on the risk and extent of sexual violence among students and, among victims, what is the relationship between gender identity/sexual orientation and mental health (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression) and academic environment (disengagement and safety) outcomes for university students? Multilevel, random effect hurdle models captured this sequential victimization dynamic. GSM and cisgender heterosexual (CH) female students are predicted to be 2.6 and 3 times, respectively, as likely to experience sexual violence compared with CH male students. In addition, GSM students experiencing sexual violence are also expected to experience a greater number of sexually violent acts (74% more) over their college career compared with victimized CH male students. The models confirm that the risk of victimization increases over time (13% per year for CH male students), but GSM students are expected to experience an additional (10%) increase in risk of victimization per year compared with CH male students. GSM and CH female students are also predicted to be more likely to have PTSD and experience more severe depression symptoms than CH male students. GSM students are expected to experience significantly higher rates of PTSD, worse depressive symptoms, and greater disengagement than CH female students. The discussion explores how institutions of higher education might recognize the resilience of GSM students and consider the protective potential of social and community support when developing programs or interventions for diverse populations.

Responding to Campus Climate Data: Developing an Action Plan to Reduce Campus Sexual Misconduct.

Hundreds of U.S. institutions of higher education have conducted campus climate surveys recently to assess students' experiences with sexual misconduct and perceptions of institutions' related policies and procedures. Many of these surveys were implemented in response to the recommendation by the 2014 White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. The several options for campus climate surveys, ranging from free measures campuses can implement themselves to full-service survey implementation packages, have streamlined and facilitated the climate data collection process. Unfortunately, there is little guidance on how institutions can use and respond to their climate data. This article presents a framework that institutions could use to develop an action plan based on findings from their campus climate survey, predicated on a process that begins before the survey is implemented and lasts long after data collection concludes. Each institution of higher education is different, and individual campus action plans can vary based on campus structure, dynamics, and climate survey findings.

Speak Up! Prosocial Intervention Verbalizations Predict Successful Bystander Intervention for a Laboratory Analogue of Sexual Aggression.

This study evaluated a mechanism by which men's self-efficacy to intervene increases their likelihood of preventing a laboratory analogue of sexual aggression (SA) via specific verbalizations and whether alcohol inhibits this mechanism. A sample of 78 male peer dyads were randomly assigned to consume an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage and complete a laboratory paradigm to assess bystander intervention to prevent SA toward a female who had ostensibly consumed an alcoholic or nonalcoholic beverage. Participants' verbalizations during the task were subjected to quantitative analysis. Regardless of alcohol use, bystander self-efficacy increased the likelihood of successful bystander intervention via participants' use of more prosocial verbalizations. Findings highlight prosocial verbalizations within the male peer context that may effectively prevent SA.

Exploring gender differences in sexual and reproductive health literacy among young people from refugee backgrounds.

Young refugees often have limited access to sexual health information and resources in their places of resettlement. However, there is currently little research examining differences in sexual health literacy between young refugee men and women. Consequently, this study employed qualitative research methods to better understand sexual health literacy, sources of information and perceived barriers to access across groups of refugee men and women between the ages of 18 and 24 years old. Three focus groups and 12 interviews were conducted with 25 refugee men and women living in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Both men and women appeared to have limited knowledge about sexual health. School was their primary source of information; women also talked with their parents, whereas men preferred to reach out to teachers, peers and online sources. For both groups, barriers to access included language difficulties and lack of money, insurance and transport. Men also stressed concerns about confidentiality, whereas women focused on shame and embarrassment when discussing sexual health. Overall, study findings emphasise the need for sexual health education as part of resettlement services. Moreover, programmes need to be independently designed for men and women to address gender differences in sexual health literacy and concerns.

Evidence for Multiple Classes of Sexually-Violent College Men.

OBJECTIVE: Research on college sexual violence perpetration suggests there are multiple groups of male perpetrators. It is important to understand the distinctions between perpetrator subgroups to determine appropriate prevention strategies, as multiple strategies may be necessary to address multiple types of perpetrators. However, previous studies on subgroups of sexually-violent college men have relied on theoretically based distinctions, and there is currently no consensus on how to best classify perpetrators based on their sexually violent behaviors. The purpose of the current study was to take a data-driven approach to identifying subgroups of sexually-violent college men to help clarify: 1) the number and size of cohesive subgroups of sexually-violent college men, and 2) the types of behaviors that characterize each group. METHODS: 1,982 college men across five universities in the U.S. self-reported their past sexually-violent behaviors, using the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES; Koss et al., 2007). RESULTS: Latent class analysis uncovered evidence for three groups: (1) a group unlikely to perpetrate any SV (88.6%); (2) a group likely to perpetrate SV using coercive tactics (verbal coercion or victim intoxication), but unlikely to use physical force (9.8%); and (3) a group likely to perpetrate the full range of SV (1.5%). Although the coercive tactics group was composed of men unlikely to use forceful tactics, it included the majority who attempted or completed rape based on legal definitions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there are multiple, distinct perpetrator subgroups and signal the need for multiple prevention approaches, including approaches that address campus social norms.

Measuring campus sexual misconduct and its context: The Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Consortium (ARC3) survey.

OBJECTIVE: In response to The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault's recommendations, the Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) has curated an empirically sound, no-cost campus climate survey for U.S. institutions of higher education. The ARC3 survey contains 19 modules that assess a range of Title IX violations, including sexual harassment, dating violence, and sexual misconduct victimization and perpetration; sexual misconduct prevention efforts, resources, and responses; and key predictors and possible outcomes of sexual misconduct. This article describes the ARC3 survey development and pilot test psychometric data. METHOD: A total of 909 students attending one of three U.S. universities responded to the survey; 85% of students who began the survey completed it. Students completed the ARC3 survey in slightly less than 30 min, on average. RESULTS: The majority of measures produced evidence for at least acceptable internal consistency levels (α > .70), with only two short item sets having marginal reliability (α = .65-.70). Correlations among scales matched expectations set by the research literature. Students generally did not find the survey distressing; in fact, students viewed the climate assessment as important and personally meaningful. CONCLUSION: The survey performed sufficiently well in pilot testing to recommend its use with U.S. college populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Precollege Sexual Violence Perpetration and Associated Risk and Protective Factors Among Male College Freshmen in Georgia.

PURPOSE: Sexual violence (SV) perpetration on college campuses is a serious and prevalent public health issue in the U.S. In response, incoming male freshmen are mandated to receive SV prevention programming. To provide a more effective response, however, we need to understand the SV behaviors of male freshmen before they arrive on campus and the associated factors that contribute to risk and that afford protection, areas that have received limited attention. METHODS: Male freshmen (N = 1,133) across 30 selected 4-year colleges and universities throughout the state of Georgia were recruited for a longitudinal study on SV perpetration. Levels of precollege SV as well as a range of covariates were assessed at baseline. Self-reported SV perpetrators were compared with nonperpetrators on demographic and hypothesized covariates deemed either risk or protective; then risk and protective models were analyzed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Weighted analyses revealed that 19.3% self-reported perpetrating SV before college. Before starting college, young men who reported more sexual media consumption, heavy episodic drinking, hypermasculine beliefs, and peers who endorsed SV were more likely to have a history of SV perpetration at college matriculation. Alternatively, men with more knowledge of effective sexual consent and stronger family functioning were less likely to arrive to college with an SV perpetration history. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of incoming male freshmen have perpetrated SV previously. Colleges and universities need to assess incoming freshmen for risk behaviors and negative beliefs and to offer both primary and secondary preventions to more effectively reduce further perpetration.

Sexual misconduct policies and administrator perceptions among 4-year colleges and universities in Georgia.

OBJECTIVES: Following changes in federal regulations, the current study was an examination of differences in institutional responses to sexual violence among Georgia colleges and universities during 2013 and 2014. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 24 four-year institutions located in the state of Georgia were included. METHOD: Data were collected from various sources in phases from March 2013 to December 2015 and included institutional characteristics from each college website, a content analysis of college annual security reports and sexual misconduct policies, and a college administrator online survey. RESULTS: Seventy percent of the institutions were deemed "Clery compliant" in 2013 but only 12%, in 2014. There was substantial variability in definitions used in sexual misconduct policies and with respect to the description of investigation and adjudication procedures. CONCLUSIONS: There is extensive variability in institutional responses to sexual violence across universities and colleges despite recent media attention and federal guidance.

A Qualitative Analysis of Offenders' Emotional Responses to Perpetrating Sexual Assault.

The purpose of this study was to understand sexual assault perpetrators' emotional responses to perpetration to facilitate treatment development and to better understand processes that may give rise to repeat perpetration. Sixty-one firsthand narratives of sexual assault perpetration, posted on Reddit.com , were analyzed using qualitative text analysis. The analysis revealed four primary emotional responses to perpetrating sexual assault: shame, guilt, depression, and anger. Each emotional response was associated with different contextual features that appeared in the narratives. Shame co-occurred with perpetrator alcohol use and consent confusion, guilt co-occurred with perpetrators' stated self-growth, anger co-occurred with denial of responsibility and hostility toward women, and depressed affect co-occurred with social isolation following perpetration. The findings indicate certain emotional responses may be more adaptive than others for protecting against repeat perpetration. This research has important implications for the treatment of perpetrators and supports the idea that self-image and perceived social context may be important treatment targets.

Burnout in Nurses Working With Youth With Chronic Pain: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Objective: Nursing is a rewarding but also challenging profession. Nurses are at risk for burnout and premature exit from the profession, which is detrimental to them, their patients, and the healthcare system. There are few studies examining the unique correlates of burnout in nurses working with pediatric populations. The current 2-study project used mixed-methods (qualitative and then quantitative) analysis to explore burnout in nurses working in an inpatient unit with youth with chronic pain. Method: Study I participants included all of the 32 nurses who worked in an inpatient pediatric unit, which admits patients with chronic pain. Qualitative analyses of focus groups were used to extract themes. These themes were examined via a quantitative battery completed by 41 nurses from 2 inpatient pediatric units with youth with chronic pain. Results: The themes were burnout, moral distress, negative beliefs about chronic pain, barriers to pain management, fear of losing compassion, coworker support as a coping method, time worked in the unit, professional self-efficacy, and negative views of the hospital environment. Quantitative results supported most of the qualitative findings, and taken together, the findings supported a model of burnout in nurses working with youth with chronic pain. Conclusions: Conclusions We integrated qualitative and quantitative findings to develop a model of nurse burnout. This model provides a framework for evaluating and targeting burnout in nurses working with pediatric patients with chronic pain.

Deconstructing the associations between executive functioning, problematic alcohol use and intimate partner aggression: A dyadic analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Problematic drinking and executive functioning deficits are two known risk factors for intimate partner aggression (IPA). However, executive functioning is a multifaceted construct, and it is not clear whether deficits in specific components of executive functioning are differentially associated with IPA perpetration generally and within the context of problematic alcohol use. To address this question, the present study investigated the effects of problematic drinking and components of executive functioning on physical IPA perpetration within a dyadic framework. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants were 582 heavy drinking couples (total n = 1164) with a recent history of psychological and/or physical IPA recruited from two metropolitan cities in the USA. Multilevel models were used to examine effects within an actor-partner interdependence framework. RESULTS: The highest levels of physical IPA were observed among actors who reported everyday consequences of executive functioning deficits related to emotional dysregulation whose partners were problematic drinkers. However, the association between executive functioning deficits related to emotional dysregulation and IPA was stronger towards partners who were non-problematic drinkers relative to partners who were problematic drinkers. No such effect was found for executive functioning deficits related to behavioural regulation. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Results provide insight into how problematic drinking and specific executive functioning deficits interact dyadically in relation to physical IPA perpetration. [Parrott DJ, Swartout KM, Eckhardt CI, Subramani OS. Deconstructing the associations between executive functioning, problematic alcohol use and intimate partner aggression: A dyadic analysis. Drug Alcohol Rev 2017;36:88-96].

Masculinity and Bystander Attitudes: Moderating Effects of Masculine Gender Role Stress.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study was to examine the bystander decision-making process as a mechanism by which men's adherence to various dimensions of traditional masculinity is associated with their confidence to intervene in sexually aggressive events. Further, this study examined the stress men experience from their attempts to adhere to traditional male gender roles as a moderator of this mediational path. METHOD: Participants (n = 252) completed measures of traditional masculinity, decisional balance (i.e., weighing the pros and cons) for intervening, masculine gender roles stress, and bystander efficacy. RESULTS: The belief that men must attain social status was associated with more confidence in men's ability to intervene. This effect was mediated by greater perceived positive consequences for intervention among men high, but not low, in masculine gender role stress. The belief that men should be tough and aggressive was associated with greater perceived negative consequences for intervention and less confidence to intervene. The belief that men should not act in stereotypically feminine ways was directly associated with less confidence for intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of examining masculinity from a multidimensional perspective to better understand how adherence to various norms differentially influences bystander behavior. These findings may help to inform bystander intervention programming.