title: Sexual assault in dating relationships.
abstract: This article focuses on acquaintance rape, which under Canadian law constitutes a form of sexual assault. Frequency of acquaintance rape often is underestimated due to under-reporting, resulting in a local perception that acquaintance rape rarely occurs in a small Canadian community. A survey was conducted to determine whether acquaintance rape does occur in this community. One hundred sixty-four male and female students from grades 8-12 completed a questionnaire. Twenty-six percent of respondents reported being forced into some type of sexual activity. Based on the survey, this article explores the type of force used, the relationship between acquaintance rape and use of alcohol and drugs, and the relationship between acquaintance rape and the ability to indicate to a partner to stop a behavior. Results confirmed a need to develop programs to prevent rather than merely respond to issues of sexual assault on a date.
authors.affiliation: Vernon Jubilee Hospital, Staff Development Dept., British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rhynard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krebs
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glover
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001955:British Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011902:Rape / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders