Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra Stith / Sexual assault is a serious problem on college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that are associated with sexual assault survivors reporting their assault. The sample included 266 individuals who had experienced a sexual assault since enrolling in their university. A multinomial regression was tested to predict the odds of whether or not the survivor made a formal report of the assault, an informal report to friends or family members, or if the survivor told no one about the assault. The type of assault, the survivor’s relationship to the perpetrator, whether or not the survivor was drinking alcohol at the time of the assault, whether or not the survivor received sexual assault training, and the survivor’s perception of the overall campus climate were added as predictors of the odds of making a report. The participant’s belief that the university would handle the assault appropriately was used as a moderator of those associations. Race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation were used as control variables. It was found that if the survivor had received sexual assault training, if the assault was vaginal or anal sex, and if the survivor had a positive perception of the overall campus climate, they were more likely to formally report the assault. If the perpetrator was an acquaintance, friend, or dating partner, survivors were less likely to formally report the assault. If the survivor was a racial or ethnic minority, they were less likely to formally or informally report the assault. Our findings suggest that there are ways universities can aid in survivors reporting their sexual assault through education, training, and improving the overall campus climate.

Thesis advisor: Celeste Wells / This study analyzes female students’ perceptions of sexual assault at Boston College. These perceptions are interpreted and understood using the theory of framework and organizational communication. The goal of this study is to effectively illustrate how female students form perceptions of sexual assault, and to understand why they are often hesitant to engage in conversations about it. Through the use of framing devices, this study explains how the administration and campus culture influence the way students view the issue of sexual assault. 135 female students at Boston College participated in an online survey, and their responses indicate that a culture of silence emerges from the perceptions of sexual assault on campus. While the culture of silence influences most female students to refrain from talking about sexual assault, a new framing device emerged from the data, which I refer to as the frame of defiance. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Communication.

Thesis advisor: Paul Gray / The prevalence of sexual assaults on college campuses has been gaining more attention in recent years. Through 16 undergraduate interviews with both male and female students, college students’ attitudes about hookup culture, the role of sexual consent, and issues that they see surrounding college campus sexual assault were explored. Students felt as though they were not responsible for their own decisions; failed to empathize with, and often objectified, fellow students; expressed a problematic distinction between sexual assault and rape; and voiced a pressure to act in accordance with traditional gender norms. There needs to be a shift in the way college students are introduced to college including frank conversation among students about the impact their actions can have on their peers and themselves. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of three sperm elution methods on sexual assault swabs; factors such as solvent type, solvent volume, sperm concentration, and duration of extraction and elution method were evaluated with respect to observed sperm recovery. Swabs containing dilutions of semen ranging from 1:10 to 1:1,000 and simulated post-coital swabs were extracted via the traditional tube extraction, as well as two direct slide elution techniques, tapping and swirling. For the slide elution techniques, a swab cutting was placed directly onto a microscope slide, a small volume of water or buffer was added, and sperm were eluted by either tapping the sample with a stirring stick or swirling it around the slide with metal forceps. The tube method requires a minimum of one and one half hours for extraction, while the slide elution techniques require only ten seconds for extraction. The average sperm counts from 1:10 dilutions processed with the tapping elution method were statistically higher than the 1:10 dilutions samples processed with tube and swirling methods. Elution by tapping also recovered a significantly higher amount of sperm cells from the 1:1,000 dilution compared to the tube extraction of the same dilution. The tapping elution method consistently resulted in the greatest number of spermatozoa observed, followed by the swirling method and then tube extraction; additionally, incidents of false negatives (no sperm observed) were observed with the tube and swirling methods. Simulated post-coital samples produced similar results to the semen samples; however, vaginal swabs from one donor resulted in an extremely high ratio of exfoliated epithelial cells that obscured the spermatozoa, especially with the direct slide elution methods. The slide elution methods resulted in similar and consistent relative standard deviations between dilutions in samples, while the tube extraction results suggest an increase in variance as the dilution increases. Overall, slide elution methods yielded the most observed sperm cells in a significantly shorter amount of time.

The purpose of this study was to expand current literature regarding police officers’ perceptions on false accusations of sexual assault; specifically, focusing on perceptions of the frequency of false accusations, rape myths and behavior displayed by women reporting sexual assault. Police officers’ perceptions on false accusations of sexual assault were examined by administering a 21-question survey consisting of close-ended and open-ended questions. The survey included questions about police perceptions, false accusations, rape myths, training, and behaviors of women reporting sexual assault. The sample consisted of 40 sworn law enforcement officers from different municipal police departments in Tennessee. The results showed that, despite empirical evidence, police officers were more likely to perceive high rates of false accusations of sexual assault, as well as endorse certain rape myths. Findings also showed a number of police officers perceived different behaviors of women making a false report than those not making a false report.

A study will be conducted to determine whether Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), improves the sexual well-being of survivors of sexual assault by decreasing experiential avoidance. The hypotheses for this study are that 1) Levels of reported sexual well-being will increase in participants in the ACT condition; 2) Based on ACT’s explicit emphasis on reduction of experiential avoidance (Hayes, 1999; Hayes, 2016), it is hypothesized that levels of reported avoidance will decrease in participants in the ACT condition; 3) Due to the link between avoidance and sexual problems in female survivors of sexual assault proposed by Ensink & Van Berlo (2000), it is hypothesized that avoidance will act as a mediator in the relationship between ACT and sexual well-being such that lower levels of avoidance will be correlated with higher levels of sexual well-being. A minimum of 128 female college students who have survived sexual violence will be recruited and randomly assigned to receive either the ACT condition or the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) condition, which will serve as a control. Prior to experiencing therapy, participants will take the Demographic and Sexual History Questionnaire, adapted from Byers & Lemieux, 2008. After going through therapy, participants will take a survey measuring sexual well-being and avoidance. Since there are no established measures for sexual well-being, it will be measured by creating a composite score from three measures: sexual self-esteem, sexual functioning, and sexual anxiety.

Campus sexual assault is a prominent social problem that has gained traction within recent years. It is prevalent among college students, with 26.1% women and 6.1% of men reporting experiencing an attempted or completed rape at some point during their college career (Graham et al., 2017). The purpose of this study is to help college students define and understand rape and consent to potentially lower sexual assault incidents. A quantitative research design was utilized with this research study. The study design used an online self-administered survey, with measures from established questionnaires and surveys. Towards the end of the survey, research applied sexual misconduct scenarios, to address student retention of sexual assault prevention knowledge. By making sexual assault an area of focus within social work practice, it would provide social work students with knowledgeable information on sexual assault prevention programs. Which they can use to educate and empower clients whom have been assaulted. Finding suggest, that there is no significant difference between undergraduate students participating in SA prevention program in being able to correctly identify consent and rape.

Sexual victimization is experienced by about 20% of women and two percent of men (Black et al., 2011). Disclosure of these incidences is high, with about 90% of survivors speaking out at least once about their assault (Ullman & Peter-Hagene, 2014). Though disclosure rates appear high, common reactions given by formal (e.g. law enforcement) and informal (e.g. a friend) sources are negative and counterintuitive to survivor growth (Ullman & Brecklin, 2002). Often studied with military veterans and suicide, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belonging are tied to social disconnect and perceived rejection from interpersonal support systems, and often follow stressful life events such as trauma (Hill & Pettit, 2014; Ford & Collins, 2010; Van Orden, Cukrowicz, Witte, & Joiner, 2012). Negative reactions to disclosures, and the consequent rejection, can lead to diminished mental health, including depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Ullman & Peter-Hagene, 2014; Starzynski, Ullman, Filipas, & Townsend, 2005). Furthermore, shame has been researched as a possible emotional response to experiencing a traumatic event (La Bash & Papa, 2014), and this may play a role in people’s likelihood of experiencing distress following the receipt of negative social reactions. To explore the underlying processes and outcomes related to negative social reactions upon disclosure, the following hypotheses were proposed. First, the five negative social reactions (i.e., control, blaming, distracting, egocentric, and treating differently) would be positively associated with psychological distress (i.e., depression and PTSD symptoms). Next, the five negative social reactions subscales were predicted to be positively associated with state shame, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belonging. Finally, it was predicted that the relationships between the five negative social reaction subscales and psychological distress would be mediated by state shame, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belonging. Though all five negative reactions were associated with PTSD, blame and distraction were not associated with depression. Further, blame and treating differently were associated with perceived burdensomeness, however the other negative reactions and outcome associations varied. Surprisingly, an intervening relationship of the five negative reactions, shame, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belonging, and psychological distress was not established. Implications of this study may provide important insight into relationships previously not examined with sexual assault and mental health outcomes.

Trauma due to sexual assault becomes a life changing event during a child's critical developmental years. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory outlines the process of understanding an individual's environment and how disruptions in one level may affect other levels. This study determined if gender and ethnicity among sexually traumatized children diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) predict symptom severity as measured by the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) after controlling for the socioeconomic level and home environment. The population consisted of 126 children aged 8 through 16 with at least a second-grade reading level. Multiple regression examined whether male and female children were significantly different concerning the magnitude of PTSD symptom presentation. Multiple regression was also used to test whether gender and ethnicity played a significant role in predicting specific symptoms. Female gender had statistically significant predictive power concerning anger and sexual concern. Age at intake was associated with significantly higher scores for anxiety, anger, and dissociation. Home environment was a statistically significant predictor for anxiety, depression, PTSD, and sexual concern with children living in a foster home having significantly higher symptom severity in these domains. Socioeconomic status was the strongest predictor variable. The addition of sexual assault in the diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD with the adoption of DSM-5 indicate a justification for further research. Increased awareness of inefficiencies in identification of symptoms and inadequacies in training trauma providers are indicative of social change. Further knowledge of PTSD symptom expression propagates a new protocol when treating traumatized children.

Typically, semen testing involves presumptive and confirmatory tests to determine the region in which a semen stain has been deposited prior to initiating DNA analysis. However, previous research showed that the soluble components of seminal fluid, but not spermatozoa, migrated from their original location on cotton cloth upon exposure to porcine decomposition fluids and rainfall/dew6. This indicates that preliminary testing and detection techniques may result in areas being sampled that will not yield a successful DNA profile. The present study assesses how various amounts of water or blood affect migration patterns of seminal fluid components using traditional serological screening methods as well as DNA analysis. The effects of exposing a semen stain to water over the course of several days are also investigated. The final component of the study evaluates whether the presence of acid phosphatase (AP) Spot reagent had any detrimental effects on subsequent antigen P30 (P30) testing, Kernechtrot Picroindigocarmine (KPIC) sperm staining or DNA analysis. Neat semen was deposited onto swatches from cotton sheets and allowed to dry before being sprayed with 2 mL, 5 mL, or 10 mL of water or blood. The swatches were allowed to dry while lying flat, at 45°, or at 90°. Three of the swatches were sprayed directly with AP Spot reagent to determine any potential interference with subsequent P30 and DNA testing. After the water or blood was dry, the swatches were viewed with an alternate light source (ALS) at 450 nm using orange barrier filter goggles. Three-millimeter fabric punches were collected from each swatch in at least thirteen locations (one from the center of the stain and four at 1 cm, 4 cm, and 7 cm from the perimeter of the stain in multiple directions), and were extracted for two hours prior to testing for the presence of P30. Additional fabric punches were collected from each P30 positive location to be used for DNA analysis. AP testing showed positive results beyond the original semen stain with an average distance of 1-3 cm from the perimeter of the original region of deposition (ORD) for all swatches except those moistened with blood. AP mapping was performed on the swatches moistened with blood and negative results were obtained. Positive P30 results were obtained for all swatches with an average distance of 1-3 cm from the ORD. The angle at which the swatch was positioned influenced the direction(s) that the soluble components migrated; however the amount of water (or blood) the swatch was exposed to had a much greater effect on the distance of migration. Microscopic examination of slides made from the extracts of each fabric punch revealed minimal spermatozoa migration for all swatches; the majority of the samples outside of the ORD showed no spermatozoa, although a few showed a single sperm cell. These findings demonstrate that the soluble components of semen stains that often aid in detection migrated when exposed to moisture, while sperm cells containing genetic material largely remained in their original location. The DNA analysis results confirmed the lack of spermatozoa migration. Full DNA profiles were obtained from within the ORD of the flat and 90° swatches. The samples from outside of the ORD produced either partial profiles (maximum dropout rate of 97%) or no profile. If case circumstances suggest that evidence has been exposed to water, multiple regions should be tested in order to maximize the possibility of identifying semen and obtaining a DNA profile. AP Spot reagent was not found to have detrimental effects on P30 testing, sperm staining or DNA analysis. Therefore, direct application of AP Spot reagent could be used for larger pieces of evidence where the location of a stain is unknown. This would eliminate the careful documentation needed for chemical mapping and the reliance on the transfer of acid phosphatase from one substrate to another.