Sexual Violence in College Students in Chile

29 Pages Posted: 26 Nov 2007

See all articles by Jocelyn A. Lehrer

Jocelyn A. Lehrer

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Vivian L. Lehrer

Urban Justice Center

Evelyn L. Lehrer

University of Illinois at Chicago - Department of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Pamela Oyarzun

University of Chile

Date Written: October 2007

Abstract

Young women's experiences of sexual victimization can have far-reaching consequences, including unwanted pregnancy and increased risk of psychological, sexual, and reproductive health difficulties; these experiences can also limit young women's ability to achieve their educational potential. To date, no quantitative studies have examined sexual violence among college students in Chile. To address this gap, an anonymous survey was administered to students enrolled in General Education courses at a major public university in Santiago (n=455 female students). Rape, attempted rape, and other types of sexual victimization were reported by 9.4%, 6.2%, and 15.6% of respondents, respectively, as the most severe event experienced since age 14; 17.2% reported some form of sexual victimization in the past 12 months alone. Estimates based on ordered logit models show that low parental education, childhood sexual abuse, and witnessing inter-parental violence are associated with increased odds of sexual victimization since age 14; attendance to religious services and living with the parents while attending college have protective effects. The findings indicate a need to further investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for sexual violence in Chilean college students, and to begin to develop and evaluate theory-based programs to prevent and respond to this public health concern.

Keywords: sexual victimization, gender based violence

JEL Classification: J4, J16, I12, I18

Suggested Citation

Lehrer, Jocelyn A. and Lehrer, Vivian L. and Lehrer, Evelyn L. and Oyarzun, Pamela, Sexual Violence in College Students in Chile (October 2007). IZA Discussion Paper No. 3133, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1032115 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1032115

Jocelyn A. Lehrer

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) ( email )

Third Avenue and Parnassus
San Francisco, CA CA 94143
United States

Vivian L. Lehrer

Urban Justice Center ( email )

123 William Street
16th Floor
New York, NY 10038
United States

Evelyn L. Lehrer (Contact Author)

University of Illinois at Chicago - Department of Economics ( email )

725 University Hall (UH)
Chicago, IL 60607-7121
United States

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Pamela Oyarzun

University of Chile ( email )

Pío Nono Nº1, Providencia
Santiago, R. Metropolitana 7520421
Chile

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