Sexual Violence Victimization among Undergraduates at a Chilean University

Authors

  • Laura Saldarriaga Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Germany
  • Carolina Rocha Department of Psychology, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • Diego Castro Department of Psychology, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • Gloria Jiménez-Moya Department of Psychology, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • Héctor Carvacho Department of Psychology, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • Gerd Bohner Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, Germany

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4119/ijcv-3776

Keywords:

Chile, prevention, rape, sexual violence, undergraduates

Abstract

As part of a campus-wide prevention program, the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) implemented a cross-sequential survey on sexual violence. In this article, we report data from the first wave (2018; N = 2,046) from three cohorts of undergraduates (Year 1, n = 792; Year 2, n = 601; Year 3, n = 653). We found an overall twelve-month prevalence for victimization experiences of 18.7 percent (4.3 percent by force or threat of force; 12.9 percent while unable to resist; 7.1 percent by verbal pressure; multiple responses allowed). Women (22.9 percent) were victimized more frequently than men (9.7 percent). Among women, victimization rates were highest for Year 1 students (25.7 percent), intermediate for Year 2 (22.3%), and lowest for Year 3 (19.8 percent). Only 10.9 percent of reported incidents happened in a university context. In most cases, perpetrators were male (88.9 percent) and known to the victim (72.1 percent); 24.4 percent were partners, 35.5 percent were friends. We present additional data on risk factors and attitudinal correlates. We also discuss our findings in relation to previous research suggesting higher prevalence rates at Chilean universities, considering differences in methodology and implications for future research.

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Further information

Published

2021-03-03

How to Cite

Saldarriaga, L., Rocha, C., Castro, D., Jiménez-Moya, G., Carvacho, H., & Bohner, G. (2021). Sexual Violence Victimization among Undergraduates at a Chilean University. International Journal of Conflict and Violence (IJCV), 14, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.4119/ijcv-3776

Issue

Section

Focus (1): Political and Religious Extremism and Sexual Aggression