Tonic Immobility as a Defensive Trauma Response to Rape: Bridging Public Health and Law.

There is widespread scientific evidence that validates tonic immobility (TI) as part of the trauma response in victims of rape, and criminal justice practitioners are increasingly trained in trauma-informed approaches. Yet, legal and policy definitions of consent do not fully recognize TI during the incident as evidence of nonconsent. Using a systematic review of U.S. law and policy regarding sexual violence and consent, this paper analyzes the substantial legal reform of rape law and definitions of consent, suggesting ways to further integrate TI into existing law and legal practices to improve public health approaches and justice responses for victims.

Pornography, Masculinity, and Sexual Aggression on College Campuses.

Past research has indicated that there is a relationship between pornography consumption and sexually aggressive behavior. This study sought to expand an understanding of that relationship by examining measures of masculinity among a sample of undergraduate heterosexual males (N = 152) along with pornography consumption variables to assess the predictive value that both pornography consumption and varying levels of masculinity have on sexual aggression. Linear regression analyses indicate that males who had higher scores on the Likelihood of Sexual Force (LSF) measure consumed pornography more often and were more likely to watch male-dominant pornography. In addition, males who had higher scores on LSF exhibited higher masculinity scores on two scales. Results are discussed in the context of the complexities of masculinity and pornography consumption and the implications for prevention programs on college campuses.

Women's Pornography Consumption, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Victimization.

While research in recent years has investigated the influence of pornography consumption on sexually aggressive behavior, research on the relationship between pornography and experienced victimization is sparse. The current study sought to explore female sexual victimization and its relationship with pornography consumption and alcohol use at two universities (N = 483). Binary logistic regression analyses indicate that both pornography and alcohol consumption were unique predictors of self-reported victimization for college females and that the combined effect of pornography and alcohol dramatically increases the odds of victimization. Results are discussed in the context of pornography's impact on the minimization of sexually aggressive acts in real life and campus rape culture.

A Community-Based Evaluation of a Culturally Grounded, American Indian After-School Prevention Program: The Value of Practitioner-Researcher Collaboration.

Programs serving American Indian (AI) youth are an important component of maintaining cultural identity and healthy lifestyles. The current research took a community-engaged approach to evaluate an urban AI youth after-school program that has transitioned into a culturally grounded prevention program. Ways to create a successful research collaboration between AI communities and academics is discussed as well as implications for understanding the importance of culturally-grounded programs for AI youth who reside in urban areas. Overall, the cultural and health components that are integrated into the after-school program were highlighted as primary strengths because they help foster a healthy lifestyle and deeper connection to the heritage/culture for the youth who participated.

A National Epidemiologic Profile of Physical Intimate Partner Violence, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Supportive Childhood Relationships: Group Differences in Predicted Trends and Associations.

INTRODUCTION: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are common in the USA and associated with multiple health sequelae. Physical intimate partner violence (IPV) is a type of revictimization that some adults with ACEs may be more prone to. Positive and supportive childhood environments may buffer the effects of ACEs, but little is known about the differential associations between physical IPV and ACEs and supportive childhood environments. We sought to illustrate racial/ethnic and gender differences in the adjusted predicted probability of physical IPV across multiple ACE and supportive childhood scores. METHODS: We used multivariate linear regression to model the predicted probability of experiencing physical IPV across ACE (physical, psychological, sexual, household environment, mother's abuse) and supportive childhood scores in a national sample (National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III, 2012-2013, n = 35,614). Data analyses were conducted in 2019. RESULTS: American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women demonstrated the highest proportion of experiencing physical IPV (21%). AI/AN men had the highest mean physical ACE score (1.6/4), while AI/AN women had the highest mean scores for all other ACE typologies. ACE scores were positively associated with predicted physical IPV among women, and among AI/AN women in particular. Supportive childhood scores were negatively associated with predicted physical IPV primarily among women. CONCLUSION: Physical IPV and ACEs are exceedingly high among AI/AN women. A better understanding of differential associations between childhood experiences and IPV is needed to more effectively tailor childhood and family-based health promotion strategies among multiple diverse communities.

Investigating the Self-Protective Potential of Immobility in Victims of Rape.

Using a nationwide sample of reported rape cases collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI; 389 victims; 89% stranger rapes), this study investigates assumptions about self-protective behaviors for rape victims. Past research on victim resistance strategies often specifies active resistance as self-protective, inadvertently underestimating the potential for biologically based reactions, such as tonic immobility, to be self-protective as well. Results confirm that rape victims who were verbally and physically immobile during the attack were less likely to be injured and have force used against them. In addition, victims who were verbally immobile suffered a less severe attack. The results indicate that immobility may protect the victim from increased injury, force, and severity of the attack. Implications for the legal and public definition of consent are discussed.

A Snapshot of Serial Rape: An Investigation of Criminal Sophistication and Use of Force on Victim Injury and Severity of the Assault.

Prior research on rapes reported to law enforcement has identified criminal sophistication and the use of force against the victim as possible unique identifiers to serial rape versus one-time rape. This study sought to contribute to the current literature on reported serial rape by investigating how the level of criminal sophistication of the rapist and use of force used were associated with two important outcomes of rape: victim injury and overall severity of the assault. In addition, it was evaluated whether rapist and victim ethnicity affected these relationships. A nation-wide sample of serial rape cases reported to law enforcement collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was analyzed (108 rapists, 543 victims). Results indicated that serial rapists typically used a limited amount of force against the victim and displayed a high degree of criminal sophistication. In addition, the more criminally sophisticated the perpetrator was, the more sexual acts he performed on his victim. Finally, rapes between a White rapist and White victim were found to exhibit higher levels of criminal sophistication and were more severe in terms of number and types of sexual acts committed. These findings provide a more in-depth understanding of serial rape that can inform both academics and practitioners in the field about contributors to victim injury and severity of the assault.