December 16, 2024, Durham, NC – The Journal of American College Health recently published an article featuring findings from iRT’s research related to sexual and relationship health resources for young adults. The article, entitled “Examining resources to promote sexual health and address sexual violence at community colleges across the United States: a qualitative study,” was authored by iRT Research Scientists Drs. Christina Dodson, Reina Evans-Paulson, and Tracy Scull.
Over the past few years, iRT has been conducting the Community College Health Study to better understand how to promote students’ sexual and relationship health and prevent sexual assault. As part of the Community College Health Study, iRT researchers conducted in-depth interviews with community college administrators, faculty, and staff from across the United States that are involved in sexual and relationship health promotion efforts at their campus. College personnel were asked to describe the sexual and relationship health resources and programming that were available to students at their campus. The recent article in the Journal of American College Health reported on findings from analyzing the qualitative data collected during these interviews which provide unique insight into the perspectives of college personnel and existing resources and approaches that community colleges use to promote student health.
Important Findings
Thematic analysis of qualitative data from these interviews showed that sexual and relationship health resources at community college campuses often mirror what is available in the broader community. On-campus sexual and relationship health resources (e.g., health centers, clinical counselors) are often limited at community colleges, so many college personnel refer students to resources off campus. This means that students in communities with limited sexual health services, namely rural areas, face significant barriers to accessing care for pregnancy, STIs, and sexual assault.
In addition, community college personnel often see themselves as a bridge for connecting students to sexual and relationship health resources. Regardless of the amount of sexual health resources that exist on campus, college personnel often play an active role in helping students find resources related to pregnancy, STIs, and sexual violence.
Data showed that some community colleges form collaborative partnerships with organizations in their community in order to utilize available sexual and relationship health resources to promote student health, beyond just referring students to local resources. For example, some colleges host sexual health trainings and events for students on their campus with visiting organizations.
While there are many characteristics that community college personnel reported that they believe to make a sexual or relationship health resource valuable for students, most personnel agreed that a resource must be accessible and relatable to students to be successful. For example, some personnel believe that sexual and relationship health resources are particularly helpful to students when they have advocates that are on campus for students regularly.
Many community college personnel stated that they aimed to be mindful of providing students with sexual and relationship health resources that are respectful of students’ autonomy. In other words, when able, personnel prefer to provide students with options for sexual and relationship health resources, so students can make choices about their health for themselves. For example, college personnel may inform a student facing an unplanned pregnancy of resources related to abortion, adoption, and raising a child, rather than directing the student to only one resource.
While community colleges often have clear procedures and resources for assisting students that have experienced sexual or relationship violence, they often do not have clear protocols for assisting students who are facing an unplanned pregnancy or STI contraction. Therefore, community college personnel that work with students who experience an unplanned pregnancy or STI contraction often have to take initiative to find relevant resources to provide to their students.
To access a free, online copy of the new article in the Journal of American College Health, click here to read it on Taylor & Francis Online.
If you would like to receive more updates about the Community College Health Study and information related to the sexual and relationship health of young adults, sign up for the Community College Health Study newsletter at https://cchealthstudy.com/results/#newsletter-form.