Measuring Sexual Victimization and Perpetration in Today’s Society: Modifications to the Sexual Experiences Survey

Abstract

Sexual violence is a major public health problem that has received increasing scientific attention over the years. Prevalence rates, however, remain inconclusive due to inconsistencies in the applied definition of sexual violence. While the development of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) and its popular use among scholars already allowed for greater comparisons between studies, the latest revision dates back from 2006. In the meantime legal definitions have changed and other forms of sexual violence have become more prominent. This paper discusses changes made to the SES in the context of a large-scale national representative study regarding sexual violence among the Belgian population. The rationale indicated that changes to the SES may be necessary to increase its applicability in today’s society. The aim of this paper is to inform future scholars who wish to examine sexual violence and make similar changes, therefore allowing for greater comparability between studies. In addition, we aim to create a platform for future discussions and documentations of changes made to the SES that may eventually be used as a basis for future revisions of the SES tool.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Sexual Victimization: Findings from a National Representative Sample of Belgian Adults Aged 16–69

“…If a respondent experienced some type of victimization but none of the coercive strategies applied, they could not answer that question affirmatively. In our face validity test of survey items, respondents stated that this answer format did not make it clear what to answer when the incident occurred under other circumstances [ 49 ]. Our results, however, support that the circumstances in which sexual violence occurs are more diverse, as proposed by Canan et al [ 25 ].…”

“Breaking the silence”: Sexual victimisation in an old age psychiatry patient population in Flanders

“…Lifetime and past 12-months SV experiences were assessed using behaviourally specific questions (BSQ) based on the Sexual Experience Survey (SES) 20 , the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S) 19 , and the Senperforto questionnaire 21 which were adapted to the Belgian social and legal context. 22 The use of BSQ is recommended in order to provide reliable estimates of both female and male sexual victimisation. 23 Mental health was measured using validated scales: the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 for depression 24 (Cronbach alfa (α) =0·765), the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 for anxiety 25 (α=0·850), the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) for PTSD 26 (α=0·591), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Short version (AUDIT-C) for hazardous alcohol use 27 (α=0·784), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) 28 to assess resilience (α=0·773).…”

‘Breaking the silence’: Sexual victimisation in an old age psychiatry patient population in Flanders

“…Lifetime and past 12-months SV experiences were assessed using behaviourally specific questions (BSQ) based on the Sexual Experience Survey (SES) 20 , the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S) 19 , and the Senperforto questionnaire 21 which were adapted to the Belgian social and legal context. 22 The use of BSQ is recommended in order to provide reliable estimates of both female and male sexual victimisation. 23 Mental health was measured using validated scales: the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 for depression 24 (Cronbach alfa (α) =0•765), the General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)-7 for anxiety 25 (α=0•850), the Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) for PTSD 26 (α=0•591), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Short version (AUDIT-C) for hazardous alcohol use 27 (α=0•784), and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) 28 to assess resilience (α=0•773).…”