2 - (SYM 84) Does Ethnicity Moderate the Effect of Sexual Assault Characteristics on Sexual Assault Acknowledgment?

Many people who have experienced a sexual assault do not label the experience as a sexual assault (i.e., the event is not “acknowledged”). Sexual assault characteristics may be associated with sexual assault acknowledgment because sexual assaults that are consistent with stereotypes are more likely to be acknowledged. However, it is possible that ethnicity may also impact acknowledgment and may also influence the association between sexual assault characteristics and sexual assault acknowledgment due to differences in cultural beliefs. In the present study, 602 college students (85.9% women; 23.4% Hispanic/Latine; 69.9% straight) who experienced a sexual assault since age 14 completed an online questionnaire. In this sample, 37.2% of individuals who experienced a sexual assault were acknowledged, 29.6% indicated the perpetrator used verbal threats, 33.4% indicated the perpetrator used physical violence, 48.5% froze, 61.5% used passive resistance strategies, 57.3% used assertive verbal resistance strategies, 32.7% used assertive physical resistance strategies, and 33.1% were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the sexual assault. Ethnicity was not associated with likelihood of acknowledgment (χ² = 1.66, p = .198). Ethnicity only moderated the association between perpetrator use of physical violence and acknowledgment (OR = .29, p = .006); the positive association between perpetrator use of physical violence and likelihood of acknowledgment was weaker among individuals who identified as Hispanic/Latine compared to individuals who did not identify as Hispanic/Latine. Perpetrator use of threats (OR = 2.52, p < .001), freeze responses (OR = 2.87, p < .001), use of passive resistance strategies (OR = 2.13, p < .001), use of verbal assertive resistance strategies (OR = 2.76, p < .001), and use of physical assertive resistance strategies (OR = 7.12, p < .001) were all associated with increased likelihood of acknowledgment. Substance use by the participant was not associated with likelihood of acknowledgment (OR = 0.78, p = .184). These findings indicate that ethnicity does not influence the impact of most sexual assault characteristics on sexual assault acknowledgment. However, because the impact of perpetrator use of physical violence was weaker among individuals who identified as Hispanic/Latine, future research should examine what cultural factors may account for this difference. Acknowledgment status influences how individuals present their sexual assault history, and clinical implications will be discussed.