Sexual interpersonal violence (SIPV) has significant negative impacts on college students yet there is frequent underuse of formal support resources. Consequently, understanding help-seeking for this population is vital. Current research has examined SIPV experiences, rape myth beliefs, and help-seeking barriers in isolation. However, understanding how these factors interact is crucial to understanding how to improve resources for survivors. The present study investigated the relationship among these three constructs in 89 college students who experienced unwanted sexual events after age 18. SIPV experiences, rape myth endorsement, and help-seeking barriers were all positively associated. Regression analysis revealed that four types of SIPV (non-contact, technology-facilitated, physical contact, and verbal pressure) significantly predicted barriers to help-seeking. The model predicting barriers from rape myths that minimize SIPV was also significant. Finally, the model examining the moderating effect of rape myths on the relationship between SIPV experiences and barriers in help-seeking was statistically significant, which demonstrated that experiences and beliefs should be considered together when addressing barriers in help-seeking that students may encounter. These findings highlight the need for colleges and universities to adopt inclusive SIPV definitions and actively disrupt minimizing rape myths to address cognitive/emotional barriers and facilitate survivor support.
","abstract_html":"<p>Sexual interpersonal violence (SIPV) has significant negative impacts on college students yet there is frequent underuse of formal support resources. Consequently, understanding help-seeking for this population is vital. Current research has examined SIPV experiences, rape myth beliefs, and help-seeking barriers in isolation. However, understanding how these factors interact is crucial to understanding how to improve resources for survivors. The present study investigated the relationship among these three constructs in 89 college students who experienced unwanted sexual events after age 18. SIPV experiences, rape myth endorsement, and help-seeking barriers were all positively associated. Regression analysis revealed that four types of SIPV (non-contact, technology-facilitated, physical contact, and verbal pressure) significantly predicted barriers to help-seeking. The model predicting barriers from rape myths that minimize SIPV was also significant. Finally, the model examining the moderating effect of rape myths on the relationship between SIPV experiences and barriers in help-seeking was statistically significant, which demonstrated that experiences and beliefs should be considered together when addressing barriers in help-seeking that students may encounter. These findings highlight the need for colleges and universities to adopt inclusive SIPV definitions and actively disrupt minimizing rape myths to address cognitive/emotional barriers and facilitate survivor support.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Bedard, Caitlin N."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (M.A.)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Thomson Ling"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:07Z","subjects":["sexual violence","sexual exploitation","help-seeking","barriers","rape myths","college students","Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1239","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Thomson Ling"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Bedard, Caitlin N."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-12-08T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["sexual violence","sexual exploitation","help-seeking","barriers","rape myths","college students","Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1239"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Sexual interpersonal violence (SIPV) has significant negative impacts on college students yet there is frequent underuse of formal support resources. Consequently, understanding help-seeking for this population is vital. Current research has examined SIPV experiences, rape myth beliefs, and help-seeking barriers in isolation. However, understanding how these factors interact is crucial to understanding how to improve resources for survivors. The present study investigated the relationship among these three constructs in 89 college students who experienced unwanted sexual events after age 18. SIPV experiences, rape myth endorsement, and help-seeking barriers were all positively associated. Regression analysis revealed that four types of SIPV (non-contact, technology-facilitated, physical contact, and verbal pressure) significantly predicted barriers to help-seeking. The model predicting barriers from rape myths that minimize SIPV was also significant. Finally, the model examining the moderating effect of rape myths on the relationship between SIPV experiences and barriers in help-seeking was statistically significant, which demonstrated that experiences and beliefs should be considered together when addressing barriers in help-seeking that students may encounter. These findings highlight the need for colleges and universities to adopt inclusive SIPV definitions and actively disrupt minimizing rape myths to address cognitive/emotional barriers and facilitate survivor support.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Impact and Influence of Sexual Interpersonal Violence and Beliefs on Barriers in Help-Seeking for College Students"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Thomson Ling"],"dc:creator":["Bedard, Caitlin N."],"dc:date.available":["2025-12-08T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Sexual interpersonal violence (SIPV) has significant negative impacts on college students yet there is frequent underuse of formal support resources. Consequently, understanding help-seeking for this population is vital. Current research has examined SIPV experiences, rape myth beliefs, and help-seeking barriers in isolation. However, understanding how these factors interact is crucial to understanding how to improve resources for survivors. The present study investigated the relationship among these three constructs in 89 college students who experienced unwanted sexual events after age 18. SIPV experiences, rape myth endorsement, and help-seeking barriers were all positively associated. Regression analysis revealed that four types of SIPV (non-contact, technology-facilitated, physical contact, and verbal pressure) significantly predicted barriers to help-seeking. The model predicting barriers from rape myths that minimize SIPV was also significant. Finally, the model examining the moderating effect of rape myths on the relationship between SIPV experiences and barriers in help-seeking was statistically significant, which demonstrated that experiences and beliefs should be considered together when addressing barriers in help-seeking that students may encounter. These findings highlight the need for colleges and universities to adopt inclusive SIPV definitions and actively disrupt minimizing rape myths to address cognitive/emotional barriers and facilitate survivor support.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1239"],"dc:subject":["sexual violence","sexual exploitation","help-seeking","barriers","rape myths","college students","Psychology"],"dc:title":["The Impact and Influence of Sexual Interpersonal Violence and Beliefs on Barriers in Help-Seeking for College Students"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (M.A.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:07Z"}