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Keynote Barbara Krahé, University of Potsdam

Sexual Aggression among College Students in 15 Countries: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Prevention

Evidence on the prevalence and risk factors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration has been accumulated mostly in the United States. Research from other countries remains scarce despite the recognition that sexual aggression is a worldwide problem that is intimately connected to cultural norms and practices. This talk will summarize a program of research conducted in 15 countries from Europe, Asia, and Latin America to examine sexual aggression among college students. The studies are based on a unified methodology, use state-of the-art longitudinal designs, and adopt a gender-inclusive approach, including participants of different sexual orientations and experience backgrounds and collecting both victimization and perpetration reports from all participants. The prevalence data of female and male victimization and perpetration reveal that sexual aggression is widespread, but also shows substantial variation between countries even when the same methodologies are used Longitudinal studies testing prospective predictors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration highlight the key role of sexual scripts for consensual sexual encounters in understanding sexual aggression. The talk will conclude with a presentation of the intervention program "KisS" ("competence in sexual situations") developed and evaluated in our team and discuss perspectives for a research agenda including country-level risk factors of sexual aggression.

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