Brief Report: Attitudes About Responding to Survey Questions Concerning Childhood Sexual Abuse by Hispanic Female College Students

• NCJ Number: 228601
• Journal: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 18 Issue: 5 Dated: September-October 2009 Pages: 574-581
• Author(s): Frederick A. Ernst; Nancy I. Salinas; Natalie Perez
• Date Published: October 2009
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined attitudes of Hispanic female college students about participating in research in which personal questions and specific questions about childhood sexual abuse (CSA) would be addressed.

Abstract

This study investigated the reluctance of researchers to ask survey questions concerning the history and experience CSA because of misperceptions about the vulnerability of persons with histories of CSA. The lack of data pertaining to the reporting of CSA among Hispanic women is suspected to include widespread underreporting. The study assessed attitudes of Hispanic female college students toward participation in research that includes specific questions about CSA. Data were collected from 302 female students at a predominantly Hispanic university in Texas. Subjects were given a questionnaire preceded by a verbal introduction, and were encouraged to discontinue participation at any time that the survey became too uncomfortable. Participants reported CSA at approximately the same rate as reported by the general population. All CSA subjects elected to complete questions about CSA experience. They reported histories of CSA despite revealing significant discomfort in doing so and when encouraged to withdraw from questions that caused discomfort. Figure and references