The Gray Area of Defining Sexual Assault: An Exploratory Study of College Students' Perceptions.

College-age women are disproportionately at risk of experiencing sexual assault. Sexual assault causes tremendous psychological distress for survivors. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the perceptions that affect the perpetration of sexual assault. One of those potential factors is how college students conceptualize and define sexual assault. The current qualitative study demonstrated that college students do not have consistent images of sexual assault and often rely on their own perceptions and experiences to define it. Creating and providing a standard of sexual assault based on the reality of college students can provide a foundation for creating effective prevention strategies.