Projects

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) has received increasing media attention with the advent of new artificial intelligence-based human synthesis technology that allows anyone with time and program access to create “deepfake” pornographic images and videos without the consent of the victim. The current body of literature has demonstrated how IBSA affects the mental and physical health of victims, but the field has yet to fully understand how the average digital consumer understands IBSA. To date, there is no instrument to measure the attitudes of digital users around IBSA perpetration and victimization. The current study outlines the development and validation of the Attitudes about Image-Based Sexual Abuse scale, to provide researchers with a new instrument to ascertain population attitude norms around IBSA, including victim and perpetrator attribution, and appropriate consequences for cyber sexual abuse.

Trans and gender non-conforming students’ access to gender-affirming care and social support has been restricted across the state of Florida by an onslaught of recent legislation affecting public institutions. These discriminatory policies seek to exclude students from having access to gender-affirming care and social supports. The mission of this investigation was to document changes in access to affirming care for trans and gender non-conforming students in campus health centers in Florida public universities from before to after these regulations. Five diverse Florida public colleges/universities were examined for changes in student healthcare plans, campus health services including mental healthcare, and gender-affirming social policies. Results demonstrate a loss of accessibility to gender-affirming medical care and significant shifts in the official campus regulations concerning social affirmation on some campuses. Greater losses in care were found for universities and plans with more initial resources. This study is funded by a SPSSI State- and Local-Level Policy Work Grant

This project, an external collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) under the direction of a Behavioral Scientist in the Division of Violence Prevention, seeks to identify policy evaluation literature focused on the interconnected violence types that have been correlated with perpetration of intimate partner violence, in an attempt to focus on which policies are most effective at preventing children from developing into perpetrators of intimate partner or domestic violence. 

Utilizing the lens of Reproductive Justice Theory, this study seeks to understand the impacts to a diverse body of Florida college students through access to comprehensive reproductive care following a slew of regressive legislative decisions by the Florida legislature. Information on the healthcare options available to students at five diverse Florida colleges and universities was analyzed for changes in accessibility. Future qualitative work will seek to examine the experiences of campus care providers as they navigate assisting students with reproductive healthcare needs. This study is funded by a SPSSI State- and Local-Level Policy Work Grant

​Growing proportions of adults in the United States are becoming victims of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV). This can include stalking, sexual harassment, threats, image-based sexual abuse (aka “revenge porn”), and more. Unfortunately, technology-facilitated sexual violence is not well-understood byeducators, law enforcement, and others. In this study we review the two most popular online sexual assault prevention programsfor college students in the U.S. for their incorporation of TFSV education. The first online program we reviewed was by Catharsis, whose “U Got This” sexual assault prevention programserved over 250k students in 2023. Across three 20-minute online modules, TFSV was only mentioned twice in this program, and very briefly. The second program, by Vector Solutions, is even more popular, and included a pre-test and post-test as well as eight online modules totaling75 minutes. While TFSV was described dozens of times in the Vector program, the modules were lengthy and highly technical. Based on our reviews of these programs, we make victim-centered, evidence-based recommendations for educating college students on TFSV.

Nonconsensual pornography (NCP), the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of another person or persons without their consent, is an increasingly common form of cyber sexual abuse NCP victims are predominantly female, LGBTQ and racial/ethnic minorities. Current research on the consequences of NCP victimization is limited, examining mainly health correlates. The present study moves beyond medicalized typologies and takes a holistic approach to the harms of sexual violence, examining the relationship between NCP victimization during COVID-19 and alcohol use, economic stress, physical and psychological well-being. This work increases our understanding of the consequences experienced by victims of NCP, which may better inform our societal responses to NCP victimization.