Addressing Campus Sexual Violence: The Role of Family as a Protective Factor in Preventing Perpetration Behavior

Sexual violence on college campuses remains a significant public health concern, with consequences for students’ psychological well-being, academic experiences, and interpersonal relationships. Although substantial research has examined the experiences of victims and survivors, understanding the relational and social conditions associated with sexual violence perpetration remains an important area of investigation. In particular, less is known about how family relationships may influence perpetration risk as young adults enter new peer networks and institutional environments.

In the MRI-funded project Addressing Campus Sexual Violence: The Role of Family as a Protective Factor in Preventing Perpetration Behavior, Dr. Lisa Eaton (University of Connecticut) examines whether family relational processes may serve as protective factors against sexual violence perpetration among college students. Taking a systemic perspective, the study considers how family experiences interact with peer relationships, campus norms, and broader social contexts to shape interpersonal behavior during emerging adulthood.

Family relationships provide an early context in which individuals develop expectations about communication, boundaries, conflict, emotional support, and intimate relationships. Experiences of family stability, supportive communication, and respect for personal autonomy may contribute to healthier relational expectations. Conversely, exposure to coercive interactions, violence, or harmful gender norms may influence how individuals understand power and behavior within relationships.

These experiences, however, do not operate independently of the social environments young adults encounter. The transition to college involves changes in autonomy, social networks, and interpersonal expectations. Peer attitudes toward consent, alcohol use, and sexual relationships, as well as prevailing campus norms, may reinforce or challenge patterns established earlier in life.

A central question guiding Dr. Eaton’s research is whether supportive family relationships can reduce perpetration risk even in environments where harmful peer attitudes or behaviors are present. The project also examines whether exposure to coercive or unhealthy family dynamics is associated with greater risk under particular social conditions. Rather than treating family background, peer influence, and campus culture as separate predictors, the study investigates how these relational systems may operate together.

To examine these questions, the research team plans to collect survey data from approximately 3,000 undergraduate students attending colleges and universities across the United States. Recruitment across different institutional and geographic settings is intended to capture variation in students’ backgrounds and social environments.

The survey will assess several dimensions of family relationships, including communication about consent and boundaries, emotional and practical support, exposure to coercive dynamics, and the modeling of gender norms and interpersonal behavior. Students will also report on their perceptions of peer attitudes and campus norms related to consent, intimate relationships, and alcohol-related social situations.

By integrating these measures, the researchers aim to identify combinations of relational experiences associated with greater or lower perpetration risk. The study will examine whether family support and communication function as protective factors across different campus environments and whether particular peer or institutional conditions strengthen or weaken these associations.

This approach moves beyond prevention models focused primarily on individual knowledge, attitudes, or decision-making. It recognizes that interpersonal behavior develops within multiple, interconnected relational systems and that the influence of one relationship may depend on the broader social context in which it operates.

The findings may contribute to the development of prevention strategies that consider family relationships alongside peer and institutional influences. Identifying protective family processes could inform educational approaches before students enter college, while understanding how these processes interact with campus environments may help refine prevention efforts within higher education.

By examining sexual violence perpetration through a relational and ecological framework, this MRI-funded project contributes to a broader understanding of how patterns of interpersonal behavior develop and are maintained. It also explores whether strengthening protective relationships across family, peers, and institutional contexts may offer additional pathways for preventing sexual violence during emerging adulthood.