Development of and Preliminary Evidence for a Psychological Service Barriers Measure Among College Sexual Assault Survivors

Violence Against Women. 2021 Nov;27(14):2791-2814. doi: 10.1177/1077801221996467. Epub 2021 Aug 3.

Abstract

Sexual assault is a widespread problem on college campuses, and survivors rarely use campus supports. However, there is no established measure of service barriers for this population. This study develops and provides preliminary evidence for a measure of psychological service barriers. Data were collected from 100 college sexual assault survivors. Results provide evidence for three factors: social-emotional barriers, negative treatment barriers, and minimization barriers. Additional tests offer evidence for consistency and reliability in these factors over time and across campus supports. This work offers preliminary evidence for the psychometric properties of this measure and lays the groundwork for future validation research.

Keywords: college students; higher education; measure; service barriers; sexual assault.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Crime Victims* / psychology
  • Humans
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sex Offenses* / psychology
  • Students / psychology
  • Survivors / psychology
  • Universities