An exploration of institutional betrayal following gender-based violence among college students

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a prevalent public health concern across the United States. Survivors of GBV may rely on the institutions they are members of to provide guidance and support after their experiences to mitigate negative mental and physical health outcomes. This is especially true for students at academic institutions, which contain both barriers and avenues to support. Institutional betrayal reflects the failure of institutions to provide support to the individuals they serve, and this betrayal may be an additional challenge in survivor help-seeking. The current study aims to explore institutional betrayal among a population of undergraduate students (N = 191) who have experienced GBV in their time at the university. Sociodemographic differences in experiences with institutional betrayal were explored, and associations were examined between institutional betrayal and academic and mental health outcomes. Participants were in their first and second year of college, and were demographically diverse (e.g., 59.2% cisgender female, 37.7% cisgender male, 3.1% gender minority; 75% heterosexual; 54.5% White, 25.1%5 Asian or Asian American, 13.1% Black or African American, 16.2% Hispanic/Latinx). Of students who experienced GBV, 25.7% reported experiencing a form of institutional betrayal. Individuals with sexual minority identities were more likely to endorse institutional betrayal. Results also demonstrated a significant association between the endorsement of institutional betrayal and negative academic adjustment. These findings bring awareness to potential implications for a lack of institutional support to student survivors of GBV, and they highlight areas of particular attention for future interventions in university settings.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Griffin, Breana Camille Pauline

Contributors dc:contributor

• Garthe, Rachel C
• Allen, Nicole E

• Institutional Betrayal
• Gender-based Violence
• Sexual Minority
• University
• Academic Adjustment

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2023 Breana Griffin

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/122054

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F122054