Further Exploring Sexual and Domestic Abuse on Undergraduates: Correlations between Awareness/Confidence/Positive Action

Bovill, Helen

Abstract

Further exploring sexual and domestic violence on male and female undergraduates.
This paper presents findings from ongoing research exploring sexual/domestic violence on male/female undergraduates. Closed questionnaires were sent to all first year students, September 2018, using evidence based measures: ‘readiness to help’, ‘bystander efficacy’, and ‘bystander behaviour’ scales (Prevention Innovations Research Centre, 2015). 781 questionnaires were returned.
More than 5000 first year students received induction on anti-sexual violence, ‘SpeakUp’ https://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/healthandwellbeing/speakup.aspx. This consisted of a 20 minute talk, and five 30 second films on social norms: ‘unwanted touching’, ‘consent’, ‘inappropriate use of social media’, ‘domestic abuse’, and ‘initiation ceremonies’; identified in previous research (Bovill et. al. 2018). Piloting of a two hour bystander programme (Bovill et. al. 2018) was delivered to 300 first year students, October 2018. In January 2019 qualitative work on sexual/domestic violence will commence with approximately 30 first years. In February 2019 post-questionnaires will be sent to all first years, replicating original questionnaires and additionally asking whether they received SpeakUp or bystander interventions. This should result in a control group not receiving any intervention, students receiving one intervention, and students receiving more than one intervention. The intention will be to compare quantitative questionnaires (September 2018, February 2019) and consider qualitative findings. Previous work from Bovill et. al. has focussed on bystander efficacy (Banyard et. al., 2014; Jouriles et. al. 2018), women’s practices of staying safe(Vera-Gray 2018), neo-liberalism and gender performance (Phipps and Young 2015), atypical sexual violence from women toward men (MacDonald and Charlesworth, 2015), and the dualistic rise of popular feminism and popular misogyny (Banet-Weiser 2015; Manne, 2016 and 2017). Universities are globally considering responses to increased awareness of sexual violence on campus, this paper will consider one university response in the wake of policy and social change (#MeToo; Time’s Up, Everyday Sexism project, University UK).

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Start Date: Jul 8, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 3, 2020
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1640440