Multisystem Factors Related to Anxiety, Depression, and Stress for Sexual Minority Survivors of College Sexual Assault

Sexual minority college students have a higher prevalence of sexual assault victimization in college, which is associated with negative mental health consequences. Previous research suggests that the circumstances of the assault, campus climate, social support, and perceptions of institutional response to sexual assault are each associated with mental health outcomes for survivors. This study used social media ads to recruit sexual minority college students in the United States. A subsample of 127 participants who had experienced sexual assault at their current college was attained. Three linear regression models were assessed to determine the unique relationship of each independent variable when controlling for other variables in the model, on mental health (i.e, anxiety, depression, and stress). Results indicate that institutional response to sexual assault and social support uniquely predicted the level of anxiety in survivors when controlling for campus climate, the type of assault, whether the perpetrator was known to the survivor, racial background, and gender identity. Implications from these findings include measures leadership in higher education can take to support the well-being of survivors, such as increased transparency on campus response efforts and a focus on social support for LGBQ college students within sexual assault response efforts.