What survivors want: Understanding the needs of sexual assault survivors.

OBJECTIVE

Sexual assault is a pervasive crime on our college campuses and many survivors do not seek post-assault resources. This study will explore components of alternative interventions to consider in the development of campus-based interventions for sexual assault survivors.

PARTICIPANTS

Three stakeholder groups including survivors (n = 8), healthcare providers (n = 6), and advocates (n = 19) were recruited from May 2014 to December 2014 from two university campus communities using flyers and purposive sampling.

METHODS

A qualitative study design utilized semi-structured interviews and semi-structured focus groups with survivors, healthcare providers, and advocates.

RESULTS

Five themes emerged to consider for future campus-based sexual assault interventions: (a) culture of caring, (b) one-stop shop, (c) validation, (d) survivor control and agency, and (e) confidentiality.

CONCLUSIONS

Although accessible and effective options for post-assault care do currently exist, participants described alternative future interventions that were either (a) print materials or (b) technology-based.