Abstract:
Understanding the mental health outcomes of sexual assault among college women is a public health priority. Although research has identified risk factors for the development of mental health problems following an assault, few studies have utilized a strengths-based approach to identify personal and social resources that may mediate the sexual assault-mental health link. Prior studies allude to the role of resilience and perceived campus belonging in explaining the relationship between sexual assault and mental health. This study represents the first application of the stress process model using a large sample of college women to examine (a) the association between sexual assault and mental health (i.e., psychological distress, suicidality, self-harm) and alcohol use problems and (b) the role of resilience and perceived campus belonging as partial mediators of these associations. Data were collected as part of the Spring 2021 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA; n = 31,328, Mean age = 20.26, SD = 1.64, 58.8% White), a cross-sectional, online survey that samples college students from 143 self-selected United States colleges. To test our primary hypothesis, a structural regression model was conducted, which included a latent sexual assault predictor, manifest resilience and campus belonging mediators, a latent mental health outcome, and a manifest alcohol use problems outcome. Mental health and alcohol use problems were positively associated with sexual assault and negatively associated with resilience and campus belonging. Resilience partially mediated the association between sexual assault and mental health. Campus belonging partially mediated the association between sexual assault, mental health, and alcohol use problems. This model explained 23.2% of the variance in mental health and 5.9% of the variance in alcohol use. Resilience and campus belonging may represent modifiable factors that can be targeted in trauma-focused interventions in efforts to improve victimized college women\'s mental health.
摘要:
了解大学女性性侵犯的心理健康结果是公共卫生的优先事项。尽管研究已经确定了袭击后心理健康问题发展的风险因素,很少有研究使用基于优势的方法来确定可能调解性侵犯-心理健康联系的个人和社会资源。先前的研究暗示了韧性和感知的校园归属感在解释性侵犯与心理健康之间关系中的作用。这项研究代表了压力过程模型的首次应用,该模型使用了大量的大学女性样本来检查(a)性侵犯与心理健康之间的关联(即,心理困扰,自杀,自我伤害)和酒精使用问题,以及(b)韧性和感知的校园归属感作为这些协会的部分中介者的作用。数据是作为2021年春季美国大学健康协会国家大学健康评估的一部分收集的(ACHA-NCHA;n=31,328,平均年龄=20.26,SD=1.64,58.8%白人),横截面,在线调查对143所自选美国大学的大学生进行了抽样。为了检验我们的主要假设,进行了结构回归模型,其中包括一个潜在的性侵犯预测因子,明显的复原力和校园归属感中介,潜在的心理健康结果,以及明显的酒精使用问题结果。心理健康和饮酒问题与性侵犯呈正相关,与韧性和校园归属感呈负相关。复原力部分介导了性侵犯与心理健康之间的联系。校园归属部分调解了性侵犯之间的联系,心理健康,酒精使用问题。该模型解释了心理健康差异的23.2%和酒精使用差异的5.9%。复原力和校园归属感可能是可改变的因素,可以作为创伤为重点的干预措施的目标,以改善受害大学生的心理健康。