Sexual violence disclosure in Canadian postsecondary educational institutions: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES: Across Canadian postsecondary educational institutions, sexual violence persists as a serious yet largely undisclosed harm with profound impacts on students' mental, physical and academic well-being. Canadian scholarship has not been systemically synthesised to clarify how sexual violence disclosure processes are framed or experienced within postsecondary contexts despite disclosure often being the primary way students seek support. The aim of this scoping review was to: (1) characterise existing perceptions of disclosure within Canadian postsecondary sexual violence evidence; (2) identify key sources and perspectives informing the Canadian postsecondary sexual violence evidence; (3) synthesise reported impacts of disclosure for students pertaining to Canadian postsecondary sexual violence and (4) highlight gaps and research priorities for Canadian postsecondary sexual violence. DESIGN: A scoping review conducted using Arksey and O'Malley framework, with incorporated enhancements from Levac and colleagues. DATA SOURCES: Documents published between 1 January 2014 and 7 March 2025 were reviewed. These were located through searches in PsycINFO, ERIC, Sociological Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts and SCOPUS, along with targeted searches of organisational and government websites. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Peer-reviewed and grey evidence in English, published from 2014 onward that addressed sexual violence in Canadian postsecondary settings were included. Eligible evidence included empirical studies, theoretical papers, reviews, dissertations, commentaries, books, book chapters and organisational reports. Letters to the editor, book reviews and conference abstracts were excluded. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Extraction and synthesis examined how disclosure is defined, its purpose, associated barriers and outcomes; the role of intersectionality and power relations; and recommendations to improve sexual violence responses. RESULTS: A total of 224 documents (164 peer-reviewed articles and 60 grey literature documents) were included in the review. Results indicate disclosure is a complex, iterative process, shaped by systems of power that differentially affect students across intersecting identities. Barriers to disclosure were most often linked to both institutional and structural inequities that influence students' experiences and outcomes. Findings clarify that advancing the safety of sexual violence response and research depends on centring student perspectives and expertise. CONCLUSIONS: This scoping review provides an overview of the power dynamics and risk involved in sexual violence disclosures among students in Canadian postsecondary institutions. Meaningful and transparent application of intersectional and trauma-informed approaches is critical to supporting epistemic safety and cultivating institutional cultures of care rather than perpetuating further harm for Canadian students.