The Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and Characteristics of Sexual Victimization Experiences in College Men

Estimates of the rate of sexual victimization in college men vary wildly, likely because of the lack of validated measures. This study provides psychometric data on the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) and basic descriptive characteristics of sexual victimization of college men via the SES-SFV. Participants (n = 405) completed a web survey containing the study measures; a subset of 69 participants completed the SES-SFV again 1-3 weeks later. Convergent validity correlations were consistent but modest in size. Two-week test-retest reliability estimates varied widely by the type of sexual victimization assessed and scoring format used; dichotomous scores were the most reliable and category scores the worst. More than 1 in 4 participants (28%) reported experiencing sexual victimization at Time 1; most reported victimization frequencies greater than 1 (22.8% of sample). Using behaviorally specific items, 1 in 7 reported experiencing rape (14.1%). The most common type of sexual victimization experienced was unwanted sexual contact. Rape acknowledgment among men who experienced rape (12.2%) was much lower than has been observed in women. Our results indicate mixed evidence for the reliability and validity of the SES-SFV in college men, highlight important characteristics of sexual victimization in college men, and demonstrate the need for further research on the best strategies for the assessment of sexual victimization in college men.