University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2022 Aug;37(15-16):NP14716-NP14745. doi: 10.1177/08862605211016343. Epub 2021 May 11.
Within the current study, we examined themes of college students' reasons for choosing not to formally disclose (report) sexual assault. To complete this objective, we examined tweets ( = 1,297) that used the WhyIDidntReport hashtag in which a user also made reference (within the same thread) to being enrolled at a college or university during the time (and aftermath) of the assault. We deemed Twitter a particularly valuable platform, offering insight into the hidden figure of crime, as users described events, feelings, and perceptions the event that led to them not formally disclosing. Further, it provides a large sample of cases of women and men who recognize their assault as an assault (at least in hindsight), while also providing open-ended, unstructured explanations of their rationales and motivations. Using an inductive approach, we established broad themes that were then refocused into common barriers of formal disclosure or the continuation of formal disclosure. Subthemes included anticipated social reactions (stemming from vicarious and direct experiences), internalized emotions, often stemming from social reactions (normalization, shame, and blame), victim and offender status, and victim-offender relationship. Three overarching premises were developed from the analysis including (a) victims' internalizations of experiences and observations, (b) the interaction of social factors of the victim, offender, and the victim-offender relationship, and (c) the continual and compounded decision-making process of formal disclosure. These conclusions were then examined within theoretical models, including Black's Behavior of Law Theory (specifically morphology and stratification), Overstreet and Quinn's intimate partner violence stigmatization model, and Chaudoir and Fisher's disclosure process model. Lastly, we provide programmatic recommendations, which includes retailoring current bystander intervention curricula to include more focus on social reactions and social support in anticipation of college students being recipients of sexual assault disclosures by friends and acquaintances.
在当前的研究中，我们考察了大学生选择不正式披露（报告）性侵犯的原因。为了完成这一目标，我们研究了使用“WhyIDidntReport”标签的推文（= 1,297 条），其中用户还提到了在攻击发生时（和之后）在一所学院或大学注册。我们认为 Twitter 是一个特别有价值的平台，它深入了解了隐藏的犯罪现象，因为用户描述了导致他们不正式披露的事件、感受和看法。此外，它提供了大量的案例，这些案例中的女性和男性认识到他们的攻击是一种攻击（至少事后看来），同时还提供了对其理由和动机的开放式、非结构化解释。我们采用归纳法建立了广泛的主题，然后将其重新聚焦到正式披露或继续正式披露的常见障碍上。子主题包括预期的社会反应（源自间接和直接经验）、内化的情绪，通常源自社会反应（正常化、羞耻和责备）、受害者和罪犯身份以及受害者-罪犯关系。从分析中得出了三个总体前提，包括（a）受害者对经历和观察的内化，（b）受害者、罪犯和受害者-罪犯关系的社会因素的相互作用，以及（c）正式披露的持续和复合决策过程。然后，我们在理论模型中检验了这些结论，包括 Black 的法律行为理论（特别是形态学和分层）、Overstreet 和 Quinn 的亲密伴侣暴力污名化模型以及 Chaudoir 和 Fisher 的披露过程模型。最后，我们提供了项目建议，包括对当前旁观者干预课程进行调整，更加关注大学生作为朋友和熟人收到性侵犯披露时的社会反应和社会支持。
