A mixed-methods study of campus supports and institutional betrayal after sexual violence: Findings from a population-representative sample of U.S. college students.

Abstract

Objective: This mixed-methods study examined associations among campus sexual violence (CSV) experiences, mental health and substance misuse outcomes, service utilization (medical, mental health, advocacy, reporting), and feelings of institutional betrayal (IB), which refers to an institution's failure to adequately address CSV.

Method: Drawn from a random sample of 3,000 undergraduates, 683 students (22.7%) participated in a web-based survey of college student sexual experiences and service seeking/utilization. Students also provided open-ended responses about how services could be improved.

Results: One in four students (n = 167; 24.5%) reported CSV (33.1% of cisgender women; 10.9% of cisgender men, and 21.1% of gender-expansive students). CSV survivors had higher posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and alcohol symptoms compared with nonsurvivors, but only 23.4% sought any services. Contrary to expectations, CSV survivors with IB were more likely to have sought a campus service for violence compared with those without IB. In open-ended questions, students suggested that increased transparency about available services, including reporting options, increased availability and quality of services, and enhanced communications between systems, could improve student perceptions of the institution's response to sexual violence.

Conclusions: Institutional courage in the form of a transparent and proactive plan to prevent and respond to CSV, which includes increasing access to high-quality, trauma-responsive, and culturally tailored services, is paramount to reducing IB. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).