(PS10-83) College Students’ Beliefs About Sexual Assault Predict Victimization Experiences: Examination of the Predictive Validity of the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS)

Abstract Text: Sexual assault is highly prevalent among college-aged women and associated with significant mental and physical health consequences. Prospective studies suggest that the cognitive models women use to guide and evaluate sexual interactions— known as sexual assault scripts—are linked to their experiences of sexual victimization (Turchik et al., 2009; Krahé & Berger, 2021). To examine whether college women’s sexual assault scripts were associated prospectively with sexual victimization experiences, SEM was used to assess the predictive validity of the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS) (Yeater et al., 2020). The SASS is a measure of sexual assault scripts developed across three studies using mixed methods; 1031 U.S. undergraduate heterosexual or bisexual women’s sexual assault script narratives were qualitatively coded, and factor analytic models across studies yielded a 27-item measure with four subscales. Stereotypical Assault Scripts (13 items) assesses beliefs about stereotypical assaults (e.g., “How likely is it that he forces you into a situation where you are alone?”); Acquaintance Assault Scripts (4 items) measures beliefs about assaults by acquaintances (e.g., “How likely is it that you are at the place of someone you just met?”); Assault Resistance Scripts (6 items) evaluates beliefs about resistance strategies (e.g., “How likely is it that you go for his vital areas, like his face or groin?”); and Date/Friend Assault Scripts (4 items) examines beliefs about assaults in social settings (e.g., “How likely is it that you are at a small gathering?”). The present study also aimed to replicate the four-factor structure of the SASS. Yeater et al. (2020) found that the subscales were associated with putative risk factors for sexual assault: alcohol use, sexual refusal assertiveness, sociosexuality, number of lifetime sexual partners, and history of sexual assault were incorporated into an SEM model to assess whether the SASS remained a significant predictor of follow-up sexual assault after controlling for these variables. Participants were undergraduate women from a Southwestern university who completed baseline (n = 422) and follow-up assessments (n = 351). The four-factor structure was replicated using CFA, showing adequate model fit, (χ2 (318) = 1043.172, p < .001), RMSEA = .074 (90% CI [.069, .078]), CFI = .918, TLI = .91, and SRMR = .068). SEM was then used to examine relationships between SASS subscales, putative risk factors, and severity of sexual assault at follow-up. The final SEM showed adequate fit, (χ2 (479) = 1290.254, p < .001), RMSEA = .063 (90% CI [.059, .068]), CFI = .913, TLI = .898, and SRMR = .064. At follow-up, greater sexual assault severity was linked to higher Stereotypical Assault Scripts scores (β = .462, p < .001) and lower Date/Friend Assault Scripts scores (β = -.191, p = .021). Greater sexual assault severity at follow-up was associated with greater baseline severity of sexual assault and greater alcohol use. Results support the predictive validity of the SASS as a cost-effective and easily administered screening tool for identifying college women at increased risk of sexual assault.