Date of Completion

4-20-2020

Embargo Period

4-20-2020

Keywords

sexual assault, sexual assault prevention, bystander intentions, awareness of school policies and resources, student-athletes, intercollegiate athletics

Major Advisor

Cristina Mogro-Wilson

Associate Advisor

Caitlin Elsaesser

Associate Advisor

Sarah McMahon

Field of Study

Social Work

Open Access

Open Access

Abstract

Student-athletes have been identified as an at-risk population for sexual assault victimization and perpetration. While sexual assault prevention has been effective in increasing student-athlete awareness and response to sexual assault, student-athletes are less likely to see the importance of sexual assault prevention compared to non-athletes. This dissertation seeks to understand student-athlete knowledge and attitudes toward sexual assault prevention. Using the three-article dissertation format, this research is divided into three empirical articles that examine the following: student-athlete barriers to respond to post-sexual assault as prosocial bystanders; student-athlete perceptions of the campus climate and their awareness of sexual assault policies and resources; and the role of college coaches in discussing sexual assault with their teams and promoting student-athletes to take action in campus sexual assault prevention as proactive bystanders. Data for Chapters Two and Three were collected from a cross-sectional web-based survey to five NCAA schools in the United States. In Chapter Four, data was collected from a larger online campus climate survey distributed to college students at a NCAA Division I school in the Northeast. Findings from this dissertation underscore the importance of implementing sexual assault prevention in intercollegiate athletics to promote the safety and well-being of student-athletes.

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