Abstract
Among college women, sexual minorities are at even greater risk for sexual victimization than their heterosexual counterparts. The current study investigated comfort with hookups as one potential variable that could help explain the increased risk for sexual victimization for sexual minority college women. Additionally, the current study investigated whether campus variables influenced the hypothesized associations among sexual victimization, sexual orientation, and comfort with hookups. Participants (N = 977) completed an anonymous online survey, and two coders independently reviewed campus websites to code campus variables. Sexual orientation no longer predicted sexual victimization when comfort with hookups were considered. Alcohol policy moderated the association between sexual orientation and sexual victimization, such that sexual minority women were more likely than heterosexual women to report sexual victimization on alcohol-free campuses. Results suggest comfort with hookups help explain why sexual minority college women are more likely to experience sexual victimization than their heterosexual peers. Results also suggest campuses that ban alcohol may be higher-risk environments for sexual victimization of sexual minority students.
Degree Date
Fall 12-18-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Ernest Jouriles
Number of Pages
59
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Jamie, "Sexual Victimization, Sexual Orientation, and Comfort With Hookups Among College Women" (2021). Psychology Theses and Dissertations. 33.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_psychology_etds/33
