The abstract is kind of non-descript and only one paragraph so adding 3 paragraphs from the Background to give better understanding of the study. Here is the non link url if that helps, also you could search for it if that feels safer. If there's a specific subsection you are interested in let me know. I included a listed of sections at the bottom of this.
ABSTRACT
Whilst prevalence rates of unwanted sexual experiences (USEs) and their association on Higher Education Institution students have been extensively researched for decades in the United States of America (US), there is a dearth of published studies on this topic in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. The current study reviewed existing peer-reviewed and specific grey literature on USEs from these countries between 2000 and January 2023 (n = 48) to determine (1) prevalence rates, (2) most prevalent act, and (3) impacts of USEs on higher education students. It is evident from the included studies that prevalence rates of USE are wide ranging, with rates from 7% to 86% (Coulter & Rankin. (2020). College sexual assault and campus climate for sexual- and gender-minority undergraduate students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35(5-6), 1351–1366; Lorenz et al. (2019). Graduate student experiences with sexual harassment and academic and social (Dis)engagement in higher education. Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education, 12(2), 205–223). However, findings were difficult to synthesise due to variations in definitions and measurements utilised. Students report mental health and substance use following a USE. The review concludes by providing recommendations for future research, practice, and policy.
Background
Unwanted sexual experiences (USEs) are defined as non-consensual sexual acts, including sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, rape, and sexual assault (Pinchevsky et al., Citation2019). USEs pose significant public health and safety risks for students at higher education institutions (HEI) and in recent years, have garnered media attention, thus becoming a major topic of conversation among student activists, researchers, and universities (Sabri et al., Citation2019). Within US literature, it has been reported that USEs are associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms among student populations (Frazier et al., Citation2009; Tansill et al., Citation2012). Depression has been linked with men (Larimer et al., Citation1999) and women students who have had a USE (Carey et al., Citation2018; Sabina & Straus, Citation2008), and anxiety has been associated with women students’ experience (Carey et al., Citation2018; Sabina & Straus, Citation2008). Additionally, the link between USEs and alcohol use, both as an outcome and risk factor (i.e. alcohol is used by perpetrators to target incapacitated individual(s) [Klein et al., Citation2018]), has also been extensively documented (Barrick et al., Citation2012; Kaysen et al., Citation2006).
The impacts of this experience are extensive and therefore understanding the rate and frequency of such experiences has been a major focus within the field, with much of the knowledge base originating from the US. While research investigating the prevalence and impacts of USEs within the higher education or college context has been steadily reported over the past two decades (e.g. Banyard et al., Citation2005; Larimer et al., Citation1999), the topic attracted national attention (Fedina et al., Citation2018) from 2014 to present. Notably, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault (Pritchard et al., Citation2019) was established as well as the premiere of the “The Hunting Ground” documentary about sexual misconduct across college campuses. Thus, the accumulation of decades of scholarly research addressing USEs in HEI since the 1980s, the continued efforts of legislators and new campus campaigns, as well as media attention, led to a proliferation of data driven research known as campus climate surveys, to assess prevalence rates of USEs across HEI (McMahon et al., Citation2019). These surveys represent an important step change in the research agenda, moving from individual experiences to gathering data on a broader variety of factors such as campus safety, student attitudes and perceptions of institutional services (McMahon et al., Citation2017; Wolff et al., Citation2017).
Despite these focused efforts in the US, prevalence rates have not changed significantly (Cantor et al., Citation2015). Several studies have found that between 20%–25% of college women and 5%–8% of college men (Banyard et al., Citation2007; Cantor et al., Citation2015) reported some form of USE despite a multitude of prevention efforts. Research emerging from the UK and Ireland, support that USEs among students are pervasive, although much of this work remains in its infancy, lacking in standardisation of measurement tools as well as conceptualisation of USEs and non-consent. To date, there is limited information relating to the impacts of these experiences within the British and Irish context. Indeed, it appears that the main sources of knowledge on prevalence rates stems from research reports conducted by student unions, sometimes in collaboration with academics and non-government organisations [for example, Hidden Marks Report (National Union of Students [NUS], Citation2010), SCORE (Haughey et al., Citation2016), Say Something Report (The Union of Students in Ireland [USI], Citation2013) and Sexual Experiences Survey (Burke et al., Citation2020)]. These reports are helpful as they provide sufficient detail when there is a dearth of information or data on USE in these regions, but ideally, implementing and publishing results following peer review would allow for greater representation and comparisons within and across these countries.
Prevalence rates of USEs
Findings on prevalence rates of USEs among HEI students varied significantly among studies, which made it difficult to synthesise results across the 48 studies included in this review. Studies ranged from measuring USEs as a group of behaviours to only investigating specific types of USEs, such as sexual assault. In addition, inconsistencies of definitions within the included studies, also made it increasingly difficult to synthesise prevalence findings, these inconsistencies contribute to the variety in prevalence rates (Rennison & Addington, Citation2014). It was, however, possible to synthesise findings from studies that reported prevalence findings for similar behaviours. Thus, prevalence findings are presented below that corresponds with form of USEs that were investigated among studies.
Summary of Subsections
Abstract
Background
Current Study
Methods
Results
Characteristics of Studies
Characteristics of Participants
Main Prevalence Categories
Prevalence rates of USEs
Unwanted sexual experiences (USEs)
Sexual violence/sexual victimisation (SV)
Intimate partner violence (IPV)
Unwanted sexual contact/unwanted sexual touching
Sexual coercion
Sexual harassment
Sexual assault
Forced sexual assault
Incapacitated sexual assault
Rape (including incapacitated rape)
Most prevalent form of USEs
Impacts of USEs
Mental health
Substance abuse (Alcohol)
Impacts of USEs (Summary overview)
Discussion Section
Country of studies
Prevalence rates of USEs varied widely
Inconsistency of definitions
Inconsistency of measurements
Lack of participant diversity
Review Implications
Review implications (Main section)
Research (subsection)
Policy (subsection)
Final Sections
Strengths and limitations
Conclusion
Geolocation information
Supplemental material
Disclosure statement
References
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