Year: 2016
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Institutions of higher education have been traditionally viewed as a safe place to explore entry into adulthood. However, sexual assault on college campuses is not uncommon, and awareness of sexual assaults on college campuses has increased tremendously in recent years. It is hypothesized in this paper that the lifestyle and activities associated with college life increase the likelihood of sexual assault on college campuses. Crime is expected to occur when the arrangements of social life place a motivated offender and a suitable victim in a space with no “capable” guardians. This paper uses routine activity theory as a foundational framework to examine the situational and individual characteristics that make college students more likely to offend or be victims of sexual assault. The data used in the present project comes from a 2005-2006 Campus Sexual Assault Survey, which was conducted online at two diverse, large public universities. Logistic regression analysis is used to separately assess patterns of sexual offending and victimization. Findings demonstrate that participation in certain social events increase the likelihood of offending and victimization. While this research is a first-step in attempting to understand why sexual assault occurs at a much higher rate in the college setting, the data indicate that many routine activities are important factors in explaining college campuses as a “hot spots” for sexual assault.
Author: Kristen M. Bethune
Language: English
Subfield: Gender Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2953829531