Prevalence of Sexual Aggression Victimization and Perpetration in a German University Student Sample

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of sexual aggression perpetration and victimization in a sample of 1,172 students (755 female, 417 male) from four universities in Germany. All participants were asked about both victimization by, and perpetration of, sexual aggression since the age of 14 years, using the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S). Prevalence rates were established for different coercive strategies, sexual acts, and victim–perpetrator relationships. Both same-sex and opposite-sex victim–perpetrator constellations were examined. The overall victimization rate was 62.1% for women and 37.5% for men. The overall perpetration rate was 17.7% for men and 9.4% for women. Prevalence rates of both victimization and perpetration were higher for participants who had sexual contacts with both opposite-sex and same-sex partners than for participants with exclusively opposite-sex partners. Significant overlap was found between victim and perpetrator status for men and women as well as for participants with only opposite-sex and both opposite-sex and same-sex partners. A disparity between (higher) victimization and (lower) perpetration reports was found for both men and women, suggesting a general underreporting of perpetration rather than a gendered explanation in terms of social desirability or the perception of consent cues. The findings are placed in the international research literature on the prevalence of sexual aggression before and after the #metoo campaign, and their implications for prevention efforts are discussed.

Prevalence of teen dating violence in Europe: A systematic review of studies since 2010

“…Although this review demonstrated that most of the studies followed a gender inclusive approach examining TDV among female and male adolescents from both the victim and perpetrator perspective, there is a lack of studies addressing sexual minorities and studies including different gender identities. Given that previous evidence has shown that young adults who have same‐sex or both same‐ and opposite‐sex sexual contacts or those who self‐identify as sexual minorities, are more vulnerable to experience or/and to perpetrate sexual aggression (e.g., Canan et al., 2019; Krahé et al., 2021), more research addressing violence in these groups is needed. Furthermore, future research on violence in adolescent relationships should also pay more attention to other vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, or refugees, because in these groups, even higher prevalence rates of violence might be expected (e.g., Basile et al., 2016; De Schrijver et al., 2018).…”

Physical teen dating violence in high school students in Slovenia: Prevalence and correlates

“…Similarly, Lavoie et al. (2002) have demonstrated that in a sample of male adolescents, perceived parental monitoring at late childhood was indirectly negatively associated with dating violence perpetration at the age 16–17 via antisocial behavior at the age of 15. Moreover, based on a recent meta‐analysis provided by Spencer et al.…”

“…Finally, different aspects of family influence have been studied in connection to TDV victimization and perpetration until now (see Hébert et al., 2019; Spencer et al., 2020, 2021, for meta‐analyses). Based on the Social Control Theory (Hirschi, 1969), one of the important predictors for TDV is parental monitoring , which has been confirmed in many studies (e.g., Foshee et al., 2012; Lavoie et al., 2002; Leadbeater et al., 2008; Miller et al., 2009).…”

“…Fourth, this study did not assess sexual orientation and the percentage of participants who had dating experiences with same-sex partners. As documented in international evidence, young adults with same-sex or both same-and opposite-sex sexual contacts are particularly vulnerable and have been identified as a risky group in terms of experiencing and committing sexual aggression (e.g., Eisenberg, Lust, Mathiason, & Porta, 2021;Krahé et al, 2021). Fifth, while the present study examined several important predictors addressing multiple settings of adolescents (Spencer et al, 2020(Spencer et al, , 2021, other variables, including attitudinal factors or and personality traits (see Malhi et al, 2020;Vagi et al, 2013, for reviews), have not been considered.…”

Sexual Aggression among Women and Men in an Iranian Sample: Prevalence and Correlates

“…Most research on sexual aggression perpetration has focused on men (e.g., Abrahams et al, 2014), although sexual aggression is also perpetrated by women (see Fisher & Pina, 2013). In a large sample of college students in Germany, 9.4% of women reported sexual aggression perpetration towards men (Krahé et al, 2021). Studies using the same methodology in Turkey and Chile revealed female perpetration rates of 14.2% and 16.5%, respectively (Schuster et al, 2016a, b).…”