title: An examination of the disparity between self-identified versus legally identified rape victimization: A pilot study.
abstract: Researchers compared rape victimization based on self-identification to the current federal legal definition in a pilot study of college students.
  
  
  
  The sample was comprised of 1,648 (69.8% female; 30.2% male) college students who completed the Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) online.
  
  
  
  Based on the current legal definition of rape, 9.4% (11.1% female; 5.2% male) of students had been raped since being enrolled, but only 2.9% of students self-identified as being raped. Moreover, 15.1% of students reported ever being raped, with females acknowledging higher rates (19.7%) than males (4.3%).
  
  
  
  Rape continues to be a major issue for colleges and universities. A serious concern is the disparity between the number of those who met the behavioral criteria for rape victimization based on the current legal definition, but who did not self-identify as a victim. Universities must address this disparity by using multiple measures to assess the prevalence of sexual violence on campus.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Kennesaw State University , Kennesaw , Georgia , USA.
authors.forename: Dorothy F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Marsil
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Kennesaw State University , Kennesaw , Georgia , USA.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McNamara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities / Q000458:organization & administration
keywords: College students; gender; rape; sexual assault