Characteristics of precollege sexual violence victimization and associations with sexual violence revictimization during college.

Objective

To examine the prevalence and characteristics of precollege sexual victimization (SV) experiences and associations with revictimization and recent substance use behaviors among a sample of college students who reported precollege SV.

Participants

A sub-sample of 931 college students who reported precollege SV at baseline data collection for an ongoing multi-site clinical trial.

Methods

Data were collected via electronic surveys between September 2015 and March 2017. Measures included precollege and during college SV, recent substance use, and alcohol-related harm reduction behaviors.

Results

Precollege SV characteristics associated with revictimization included: Nonpenile penetration (aOR: 1.51, 95%CI: 1.04-2.19); pressured sex (aOR: 1.46, 95%CI: 1.06-2.01); and stranger assault (aOR: 2.03, 95%CI: 1.22-3.40). Past 30-day binge drinking was also associated with revictimization (aOR: 1.86, 95%CI: 1.36-2.54).

Conclusions

The relationship between precollege SV and alcohol, especially binge drinking, may require a more integrated approach to preventing subsequent revictimization.