Citation

Axinn WG, Bardos ME, West BT. Soc. Sci. Res. 2018; 70: 131-143.

Affiliation

Survey Methodology Program/Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, P.O. Box 1248, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1248, USA. Electronic address: bwest@umich.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssresearch.2017.10.006

PMID

29455739

Abstract

Sexual assault on college campuses is a pervasive problem, recently receiving increased scientific and policy attention. However, the high focus on college student experience ignores general population prevalence, trends, and differences between those with college experience and those without. We analyze measures from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to provide a general population view of experiences with forced intercourse. Forced intercourse is a common experience in the U.S. population, has remained stable in recent years, and varies greatly by gender, age and race. The odds of forced intercourse are also significantly higher among those with less than four years of college. This ubiquitous public health problem is not limited to college campuses. Measures from the NSFG are an important resource for understanding population rates of (and trends in) forced intercourse, providing information to guide interventions and better target scientific investigation.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Forced intercourse; Population trends; Survey methodology