Condom trace evidence must not be overlooked in sexual assault cases; understanding the chemical and physical characteristics of condoms is imperative if condoms are to be useful evidence. Previous research shows that condom identification is possible, but it is equally important to evaluate durability of condom residues versus time. Using FT-IR, this study examined vaginal swabs from subjects who self-sampled at intervals for up to 72 hours after having intercourse with a condom. This study investigated whether age and the stage of the menstrual cycle affected the durability of residues in the vagina over time. This study revealed that condoms containing nonoxynol-9, silicone-based lubricants, and particulates provide valuable information for identification, and that nonoxynol-9 specifically withstands the vaginal environment for up to 72 hours. Additionally, age and menstrual cycle both appeared to have an effect on the durability of residues although larger sample size is desirable.

The inclusion of critical literacy is becoming more prevalent in our curricula, however, while the value of using trauma literature in the English Language Arts classroom has been established, the explicit use of sexual assault narratives sometimes seems too risky or intimidating for educators. This case study research utilizes social constructivism, feminist, gender studies, and queer studies, trauma theory, and reader response theory as lenses for analysis. Further, a narrative methodological framework was employed to explore how reading trauma literature can influence the writing practices, specifically the digitally written responses, of grade ten adolescents. As well, the study examined the usefulness of digital writing platforms and social media as vehicles to use while incorporating such critical literacies into the classroom. The research was carried out in one western Canadian high school and across two grade ten academic English Language Arts classes. Data was collected from 25 student participants for the primary portion of the classroom study and four of those participants also participated in the focus group discussion. The findings suggest that engaging with trauma literature is certainly a valuable form of critical literacy, particularly sexual assault narratives. Students’ responses indicated that they responded angrily and aggressively to the texts presented, they voiced a need to be heard through the use of repetition, they identified the significance of mental health issues, they made personal connections with the literature as well as intertextual connections between other stories, and created significant and telling silences. Perhaps most importantly, this study found that we must continue to work towards finding best practices for teaching these texts because doing so may lead to challenging rape culture and fostering a sense of empowerment, agency, and resiliency in our learners. These qualities were particularly demonstrated through the students’ personal, critical, and creative written responses using digital literacy practices. / Graduate / 0727 Curriculum and Instruction, 0279 Language and Literature, and 0533 Secondary / amberjanellemoore@gmail.com

A qualitative phenomenological design was used to explore the lived experiences of college women who reported sexual assault to law enforcement officials. Utilizing a feminist conceptual framework, the purpose of the present study was to identify the essence of the reporting experience for college women who experienced a sexual assault. Six college women agreed to participate in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with open-ended questions to better understand the experience of the phenomenon under investigation. The Modification of the Stevick-Colaizzi-Keen Method of Analysis of Phenomenological Data (Moustakas, 1994) was utilized for analysis of the data collected in order to identify meaning units and themes. Four common themes emerged from the narratives of the six participants: Making the Decision to Report, Internal Experience of the Reporting Process, Following the Report, and Making the Report. The identified themes contributed to the participant descriptions, which highlighted the essence of the participants’ lived experiences of reporting sexual assault to law enforcement. The identified themes provided insight into how counselors can better serve college women who have reported or are considering reporting sexual assault to law enforcement officials. Implications for counselor educators, college counselors, and campus police and off-campus police officers were also addressed.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / DNA profiling the male specific region on the Y-chromosome is fundamental to forensic practise. Its recognised as a powerful analytical tool for investigation of sexual assault when the DNA evidence is highly admixed. Standard practises for processing sexual assault evidence include physically separate the sperm cell from the female fraction using differential extraction followed by autosomal DNA profiling. However, under specific scenarios of assault physical separation may not be possible due to the nature of the evidence. The research presented in this thesis was focused on the development and validation of the UniQTyper™ Y-10 prototype for male specific DNA profiling. The prototype which contains 10 Y-STR markers was developed and validated to deliver a rapid and cost-effective system while maintaining a forensic applicable level of performance. An allelic ladder is produced with an allele cloning approach for which an overview of the workflow and technicalities presented herein is aimed to assists an efficient bulk production process. In a second component novel sequence variation was reported across 153 sequenced alleles and submitted to Genbank. In this output the Y-STR panel was perused beyond the scope of length polymorphisms. In a proof of concept, its potential to discriminate between shared allele sizes by characterizing sequence structure variations is discussed. In a final component we generate the largest Y-STR survey across South Africa to establish reference data and to comprehensively assess the forensic genetics parameters for the UniQTyper™ Y-10.

Rape has historically been constructed as a women’s issue and, as such, research has focused on female survivors of sexual assault. Current research on the topic indicates that the construction of female rape is structured by stereotypical gender roles and patriarchal/misogynistic structures. However, there is very little research on male rape. This exploratory thesis seeks to fill this gap by exploring how the meaning of male rape is constructed on Twitter posts that contain the hashtag “MaleRape”. Two thousand ninety-two tweets were collected. The final sample was comprised of 840 tweets and qualitative content analysis was the method used to code and organize the data. Preliminary analysis suggested that the constructions varied significantly by region; accordingly, the data were sorted into the following four regions: North America; Europe; Africa; and Asia. The analysis, rooted in critical feminism, explores how male rape is constructed in each region. The findings indicate that there is some consistency across regions, especially with respect to the ways in which patriarchal assumptions led to the denial of male rape and the silencing of survivors. However, there were interesting differences in the various regions. This thesis addresses the influence of heteronormative constructions and calls for more consideration of cultural differences when studying sexual violence.

This thesis shows the creative process that fine artist Taylor Campbell went through while completing a painting show about the sexual assault epidemic on college campuses. Because she has been a victim of both sexual harassment and assault while attending college, she dives deeper into how she and other survivors cope with their trauma and uses her creative outlet to help get conversation started about the epidemic. She hopes with her research and her paintings that other survivors will realize they are not alone in their battles and are surrounded by people who are ready and willing to help. She also hopes that her work will inspire those who have not been affected by sexual violence will be inspired speak up when they see something unusual, and to be open and supportive to those who have been affected.

This research analyzes campus discourse at a university in south central Appalachia in an effort to highlight the role of communication in the prevention of sexual assault and its powerful effects on communities and individuals. Using a critical feminist lens, this qualitative case study identifies the communication goals, interpretations, and strategies of two important speech communities who participate in sexual assault discourse on college campuses—campus professionals who communicate about the issue of sexual assault (issue managers) and sexual assault survivors whose identity is shaped by sexual assault (identity managers). While both groups talk about the problem, the parties diverge on the core function of sexual assault communication. Findings from these speech communities suggest the need for targeted efforts to decimate rape myths on university campuses, as well as the necessity to create safe spaces for survivors to report and talk about sexual assault and form solidarity with other survivors.

Sexual assault is an international problem affecting hundreds of thousands of women each year. Significant psychological, physical, and financial consequences result from sexual assault. The prevalence of sexual assault suggests that nurses frequently encounter survivors yet minimal literature exists focusing on how nurses should adjust their care to meet the needs of this population. The phenomenon of sexual assault has been widely studied from multiple perspectives and across disciplines. Likewise, studies of spiritual and religious beliefs and practices and their impact at the end-of-life and in disease, grief, and loss are extensive in nursing literature. However, a nominal number of studies examine the recovery process following sexual assault, resilience as an aspect of recovery, behaviors to aide in the recovery process, and the role which spirituality and religious beliefs and practices may play in that process. Therefore, a hermeneutical phenomenological study occurred to explore the meaning of the lived experience of sexual assault recovery and to increase understanding of the participants’ experiences of recovery. No other hermeneutical phenomenological study on this subject was present in the literature prior to this study. This method was congruent with the aims and the ultimate goals for the study. The aim of the study was to examine the lived experience of adult female sexual assault survivors while examining the influence of spirituality and religious practices upon the recovery process. After performing a qualitative analysis of the transcripts from nine participant interviews, findings for this phenomenological study resulted in five constitutive patterns: forever changed with fourteen related themes; coping afterwards with five related themes; finding strength through faith and a greater being with six related themes; focusing on what helps with three related themes, and talking is healing with three related themes. This study provides insight into what it means to live as a sexual assault survivor and provides the impetus for multiple future studies potentially impacting future nursing practice.

The present study examined sexual assault victimization and loneliness as predictors of self-harm behaviors in a sample of 224 female college students. Results from conducting regression analysis indicated that both sexual assault victimization and loneliness were unique and significant predictors of self-harm behaviors. This pattern remained even after controlling for concomitant suicidal behaviors. Interestingly, in a post hoc analysis predicting suicidal behaviors, it was found that loneliness, but not sexual assault victimization, was the only unique and significant predictor after controlling for self-harm behaviors. Some implications of the present findings for understanding self-harm behaviors in female college students and the importance of controlling for suicidal behaviors in studies of self-harm behaviors (and vice versa) are discussed.

In this study, authors examined basic psychological needs (namely, competence, autonomy, and relatedness) as potential mediators of the association between sexual assault and depressive symptoms in a sample of 342 college students. Results from conducting a multiple mediation test provided support for partial mediation involving the indirect effects of competence and autonomy. In contrast, no support for mediation was found involving relatedness. It is notable that sexual assault remained a significant predictor of depressive symptoms in students. Therefore, findings indicate how sexual assault may both directly and indirectly (through psychological needs) lead to greater depressive symptoms in students. Authors concluded the article with a discussion of the implications of their findings for expanding the study of basic psychological needs in college students and the need for greater efforts to prevent and treat sexual assault on campus.