(PS7-B28) I Belong: Queer Students’ Positive Perceptions of Campus Climate Protect Against PTSD Following Sexual Assault

I Belong: Queer Students’ Positive Perceptions of Campus Climate Protect Against PTSD Following Sexual Assault

Natalie Bilal and Dr. Joanna Herres

Sexual assault (SA) is a widespread problem in the U.S. with 20% of college women (Muehlenhard et al., 2017) and 6.9% of college men (Cantor et al., 2020) experiencing victimization. Queer (non-cisgender and/or non-heterosexual) students are especially vulnerable to experiencing SA (Kammer-Kerwick et al., 2021) and its negative consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Smith & Freyd, 2016). It is vital to examine factors that may protect this population from these effects. A sense of connectedness, belonging, and community support can protect victims of sexual assault from PTSD (Tirone et al., 2021); however, no study has examined whether positive perceptions of the campus climate protect Queer victims, in particular, from developing more severe PTSD symptoms. We hypothesized that Queer victims would experience higher rates of PTSD but that positive perceptions of the campus climate would moderate and protect them from this effect. 

Undergraduate students (N = 1,060) from a public liberal arts college on the east coast participated in an online survey about their history of SA and emotional well-being. Participants were given the Sexual Contact Scale, the PTSD Checklist from the DSM-5, and two sub-scales from the Campus Climate Survey. Participants were mostly freshmen (29.6%), women (71.2%), heterosexual (84%), and White (70.8%). Queer students (n = 343, 31.1% of sample) were more likely to experience SA (n = 91) than non-Queer students (n = 98, ꭓ² = 29.01, p < .05), and Queer victims of SA reported more severe PTSD symptoms (M = 33.27, SD = 19.90) than non-Queer victims (M = 25.07, SD = 19.46), t (150) = -2.56, d = 19.73, p < .05. Queer students also reported lower perceptions of campus climate (M = 3.28, SD = .81) than non-Queer students (M = 3.58, SD = .90), t (144) = 2.15, d = .86, p < .05, but a significant interaction showed that better perceptions of climate protected Queer students from experiencing more severe PTSD (b = 24.70, p < .05). 

These findings inform more inclusive support programs and treatment for college students. Campus authorities and mental health professionals should focus on the particular needs of Queer victims of SA. As members of high-impact positions, these individuals have the opportunity to foster a positive environment for historically minoritized students through campus-wide initiatives and treatment that considers the unique experiences of people with minoritized intersecting identities. In doing so, campuses could reduce the burden of PTSD symptomology for Queer students following SA and contribute to overall improvements in Queer student well-being.