University-based sexual aggression is an international public health issue; however, to date, there have been no formal assessments of the prevalence or psychological indicators associated with the proabuse behaviors of the most common perpetrators at UK universities: heterosexual male students. To facilitate the development of effective primary prevention interventions for domestic students who have sexually harmed, we assess across two empirical studies ( Ns = 259 and 295) the psychological risk factors associated with recent sexual aggression amongst two distinct samples of UK male university students. Cumulatively, results highlighted that one in nine participants (11.4%) self-reported recent sexual aggression. These participants could be statistically differentiated from their non-offending peers on various established indicators of general sexual offending, of which logistic regression analyses highlighted atypical sexual fantasies, general aggression, hostility toward women, and rape myth acceptance as being the most reliable predictors. Our data extend the international evidence base by providing the first detailed overview of sexual aggression amongst UK male university students, as well as the psychological risk factors associated with their proabuse behaviors. We discuss the importance of our findings for the development of more effective evidence-based reduction strategies and primary prevention interventions for male students who have sexually harmed.
For over thirty years, ATSA’s Annual Conference has brought together experts from across the globe to discuss best practices in sexual abuse prevention. The landmark four-day event offers various symposia, roundtables, clinics, and workshops relating to the treatment of individuals who have engaged in sexually offending behaviours, and is considered one of the most prolific regular mass-gatherings of sexual violence prevention advocates internationally. In this article, we review our experiences of ATSA’s 2019 Conference in Atlanta, Georgia and reflect on the key take-home lessons we learned from our first international conference.
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