Jamie Nguyen: Sexual Victimization, Sexual Orientation, and Engagement in Hookups among College Women

Sexual victimization (SV) is a major concern on college campuses in the United States (US), and sexual minority college women are particularly at risk. Unfortunately, little is known about what contributes to the disparity in SV rates between sexual minority and heterosexual women. Engagement in the hookup scene may be one factor that can help account for this disparity. The current study examined associations among SV, sexual orientation, and engagement in hookups in a sample of 977 college women from 12 campuses across the US. Based on previous research suggesting that banning alcohol on campus may reduce the risk of SV, the study also investigated whether campus alcohol policy influenced the associations. Weighted regression analyses indicated that comfort with and engagement in hookups accounted for 32% of the association between sexual orientation and SV. Regarding campus alcohol policy, sexual minority women on alcohol-free campuses were more likely than heterosexual peers to report SV. Future research should seek to replicate and extend these findings in order to understand why engaging in hookups matters and investigate if it is possible to mitigate those underlying mechanisms. Additional research is necessary to better understand the disparity in SV rates between sexual minority and heterosexual college women and how campus alcohol policy can affect SV in general.