Heather Littleton
Biographic Data
| ID | 4467352 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Heather Littleton |
| GIVEN NAMES | Heather |
| FAMILY NAME | Littleton |
| SIGNATURE | LITTLETON H |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Colorado Colorado Springs |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7067-1120 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 44 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 192 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 44 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
The Healthy Families Bright Futures Program: Open Pilot to Evaluate Acceptability, Appropriateness, and Feasibility of an Online Dating Violence and Alcohol Prevention Program for LGBTQ+ Youth and The…
LGBTQ+ teens face elevated risk for dating violence and alcohol use, but few efficacious programs exist to address these risks. The Healthy Families Bright Futures (HFBF) program is a recently developed group online dating violence and alcohol use prevention program for LGBTQ+ teens and their caregivers. The HFBF program includes evidence-based prevention strategies, as well as focuses on increasing community and pride in one's identity among tee…
The Association of Sexual Victimization with Dysmorphic Appearance Concern Among Emerging Adult Women
Examination of the factor structure of the Body Image Concern Inventory among sexual minority men
The Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI) is a brief self-report measure of dysmorphic concern, which is characterized by intense preoccupation with perceived flaw(s) in one's appearance. Previous investigations of the factor structure of the BICI have demonstrated mixed findings, and further investigation within Western populations is particularly needed among men. While sexual minority men are known to exhibit heightened body image disturbance co…
Self-compassion reduces posttraumatic stress symptom severity in hurricane survivors via perceived social support
Following hurricane exposure, self-compassionate people experience less PTSS over time because they perceive their social support resources to be more robust. Implementation of self-compassion education and training following a disaster could improve perceived social support networks that provide an additional protective factor against PTSS. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Supplemental Material for Self-Compassion Reduces Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Severity in Hurricane Survivors via Perceived Social Support
Assault Typologies of College Rape Victims: A Mixed Methods Investigation
It Literally Makes Me Feel Harder to Kill”: A Qualitative Study of the Perceived Benefits of Recreational Martial Arts Practice Among Women Sexual Assault Survivors
It changed me for the better”: Feasibility, acceptability, and safety of an online program for sexual and gender minority youth to prevent alcohol use and teen dating violence
Quantifying Criminal Sexual Acts: The Illegal Sexual Exploitation Module of the Revised Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V) Measure
Since the initial development of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) four decades ago, the SES has been designed to measure a range of forms of sexual exploitation, including acts that are coercive but not legally sanctioned as well as acts that legally qualify as crimes. That feature was retained in the revised Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V) measure. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical literature that guided the d…
The Revised Sexual Experiences Survey Victimization Version (SES-V): Conceptualization, Modifications, Items and Scoring
The Sexual Experiences Survey [SES] is considered the gold standard measure of non-consensual sexual experiences. This article introduces a new victimization version [SES-V] developed by a multidisciplinary collaboration, the first revision since 2007. The 2024 SES-V is designed to measure the construct of sexual exploitation since the 14th birthday. Notable revisions are adoption of a freely given permission standard for non-consent, introductio…
Words Can Hurt: A Taxonomy of Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation in the SES-V
This article describes the development of the Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation module of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES)-Victimization (introduced by Koss et al., 2024). This module assesses the use of verbal or nonphysical, paraverbal pressure to obtain sexual acts without freely given permission. An interdisciplinary team of seven sexual exploitation researchers collaborated to create this module, with consultation from the full 15 me…
Preliminary Evidence of Validity for the Verbally Pressured and Illegal Sexual Exploitation Modules of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization
The Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V; see Koss et al., 2024) revises the prior 2007 Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in many ways, including expanded measurement of verbally pressured and illegal sexual exploitation, as well as the addition of items that assess being made to perform a sexual act or to penetrate another person sexually. The current article describes two initial validity studies of the SES-…
Examination of the Multilevel Sexual Stigma Model of Intimate Partner Violence Risk Among LGBQ+ College Students: A Prospective Analysis Across Eighteen Institutions of Higher Education
Sexual stigma operates at multiple levels (institutional, group, individual), which serves to disadvantage sexual minority (LGBQ+) individuals and increases risk for deleterious outcomes. The current study evaluated a novel multilevel sexual stigma model of intimate partner violence (MLSSM-IPV) that incorporates multiple levels of sexual stigma as related to IPV risk via several pathways (e.g. hazardous drinking, affective symptoms). We evaluated…
Emerging adults’ perceptions of school-based sex education on consent, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence
Given the prevalence of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in adolescence and young adulthood, it is critical to understand how content on these topics is integrated into school-based sex education as a potential intervention point. However, little research has evaluated how formal sex education on sexual assault and intimate partner violence is delivered in US schools. This study examined 343 North Carolina first-year college students’…
Structural Pathways Between PTSD Symptoms and Alcohol Use Consequences Among Women
Evaluation of the gender minority stress model in transgender and gender diverse college students
The Sexual Scripts of Transgender and Gender Diverse Emerging Adults: A Thematic Analysis
Rooted in sexual script and gender minority stress and resilience (GMSR) theories, the present study investigated how a nationally recruited sample of 169 transgender and gender diverse (TGD) undergraduates perceived a typical sexual encounter involving a TGD undergraduate (i.e., their sexual scripts), as well as the extent to which various forms of distal stress, proximal stress, and resilience factors were embedded within and affected these scr…
Gynecological Health Complaints Among College Women With Sexual Victimization Histories: Examination of Depression and Anxiety as Potential Mediators
Covid-Specific Coercive Control among Emerging Adults Attending College: A Brief Note
Preventing adverse childhood experiences among sexual and gender minority youth: A call to action
Typologies of Rape Victimization Experiences Among Women Attending College: A Latent Class Analysis
Past research has categorized the rape experiences of women attending college into types primarily based on perpetration tactics and/or survivor substance use. However, this practice may overlook key differences. Therefore, in the current study, we sought via latent class analysis (LCA) to identify types of rape using multiple assault characteristics, including survivor resistance and substance use by the survivor and perpetrator. Participants we…
The Sexual Victimization Experiences of Men Attending College: A Mixed Methods Investigation
Unacknowledged Rape and Re-Victimization Risk: Examination of Potential Mediators
The majority of college women who experience rape do not conceptualize their experience as a victimization, that is, they are unacknowledged victims. There is some initial evidence that unacknowledged victims are at elevated re-victimization risk relative to acknowledged victims. At follow-up, unacknowledged victims reported higher rates of new attempted (16.2%) and completed rape (11.9%), relative to acknowledged victims (attempted: 7.9%; comple…
Violent Attacks and Damaged Victims: An Exploration of the Rape Scripts of European American and African American U.S. College Women
Scripts are influential in shaping sexual behaviors. Prior studies have examined the influence of individuals' rape scripts. However, these scripts have not been evaluated among diverse groups. The current study examined the rape scripts of African American ( n = 72) and European American ( n = 99) college women. Results supported three rape scripts: the "real rape," the "party rape," and the mismatched intentions rape, that were equally common. …
College Campus Community Readiness to Address Intimate Partner Violence Among LGBTQ + Young Adults: A Conceptual and Empirical Examination
This paper provides an overview of a conceptual model that integrates theories of social ecology, minority stress, and community readiness to better understand risk for and outcomes of intimate partner violence ( IPV ) among LGBTQ + college students. Additionally, online survey data was collected from a sample of 202 LGBTQ + students enrolled in 119 colleges across the United States to provide preliminary data on some aspects of the proposed mode…
Rape and Seduction Scripts of University Students: Implications for Rape Attributions and Unacknowledged Rape
Risky Situation or Harmless Fun? A Qualitative Examination of College Women’s Bad Hook-up and Rape Scripts
Coping with the Experience of Rape
The coping strategies that a victim of a rape engages in can have a strong impact on the development and persistence of psychological symptoms. Research provides evidence that victims who rely heavily on avoidance strategies, such as suppression, are less likely to recover successfully than those who rely less heavily on these strategies. The present study utilized structural path analysis to identify predictors of avoidance coping following rape…
If She Is Not a Victim, Does That Mean She Was Not Traumatized: Evaluation of Predictors of PTSD Symptomatology Among College Rape Victims
The issue of whether individuals can be traumatized by the experience of rape if they do not label the experience a victimization remains controversial. Indeed, there are conflicting findings with regard to the extent to which such unacknowledged victims experience posttraumatic symptoms.
Body Image: A Study in a Tri-Ethnic Sample of Low Income Women
Unacknowledged Rape and Re-Victimization Risk: Examination of Potential Mediators
The majority of college women who experience rape do not conceptualize their experience as a victimization, that is, they are unacknowledged victims. There is some initial evidence that unacknowledged victims are at elevated re-victimization risk relative to acknowledged victims. At follow-up, unacknowledged victims reported higher rates of new attempted (16.2%) and completed rape (11.9%), relative to acknowledged victims (attempted: 7.9%; comple…
Rape Scripts of Low-income European American and Latina Women
Priming of Consensual and Nonconsensual Sexual Scripts: An Experimental Test of the Role of Scripts in Rape Attributions
Beyond the Campus: Unacknowledged Rape Among Low-Income Women
Studies of college rape victims have found that many are unacknowledged; that is, they do not label their experience rape. The current study investigated factors associated with unacknowledged rape among low-income women. Out of a sample of 1,033 women, 167 reported having experienced rape. Unacknowledged victims, relative to acknowledged victims, reported less violent assaults and more alcohol use before the assault and were more likely to have …
Preliminary Evidence of Validity for the Verbally Pressured and Illegal Sexual Exploitation Modules of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization
The Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V; see Koss et al., 2024) revises the prior 2007 Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in many ways, including expanded measurement of verbally pressured and illegal sexual exploitation, as well as the addition of items that assess being made to perform a sexual act or to penetrate another person sexually. The current article describes two initial validity studies of the SES-…
Health Risk Behavior and Sexual Assault Among Ethnically Diverse Women
Sexual assault is associated with a number of health risk behaviors in women. It has been hypothesized that these risk behaviors, such as hazardous drinking, may represent women's attempts to cope with psychological distress, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, extant research has failed to evaluate these relationships among ethnic minority samples or identify the mechanisms responsible for this association. The current study exa…
The Revised Sexual Experiences Survey Victimization Version (SES-V): Conceptualization, Modifications, Items and Scoring
The Sexual Experiences Survey [SES] is considered the gold standard measure of non-consensual sexual experiences. This article introduces a new victimization version [SES-V] developed by a multidisciplinary collaboration, the first revision since 2007. The 2024 SES-V is designed to measure the construct of sexual exploitation since the 14th birthday. Notable revisions are adoption of a freely given permission standard for non-consent, introductio…
An Evaluation of the Coping Patterns of Rape Victims: Integration With a Schema-Based Information-Processing Model
The current study sought to provide an expansion of Resick and Schnicke's information-processing model of interpersonal violence response. Their model posits that interpersonal violence threatens victims' schematic beliefs and that victims can resolve this threat through assimilation, accommodation, or overaccommodation. In addition, it is hypothesized that how victims resolve schematic threat affects their coping strategies. To test this hypothe…
College Campus Community Readiness to Address Intimate Partner Violence Among LGBTQ + Young Adults: A Conceptual and Empirical Examination
This paper provides an overview of a conceptual model that integrates theories of social ecology, minority stress, and community readiness to better understand risk for and outcomes of intimate partner violence ( IPV ) among LGBTQ + college students. Additionally, online survey data was collected from a sample of 202 LGBTQ + students enrolled in 119 colleges across the United States to provide preliminary data on some aspects of the proposed mode…
Rape Myths and Beyond: A Commentary on Edwards and Colleagues (2011)
Examination of the Multilevel Sexual Stigma Model of Intimate Partner Violence Risk Among LGBQ+ College Students: A Prospective Analysis Across Eighteen Institutions of Higher Education
Sexual stigma operates at multiple levels (institutional, group, individual), which serves to disadvantage sexual minority (LGBQ+) individuals and increases risk for deleterious outcomes. The current study evaluated a novel multilevel sexual stigma model of intimate partner violence (MLSSM-IPV) that incorporates multiple levels of sexual stigma as related to IPV risk via several pathways (e.g. hazardous drinking, affective symptoms). We evaluated…
Typologies of Rape Victimization Experiences Among Women Attending College: A Latent Class Analysis
Past research has categorized the rape experiences of women attending college into types primarily based on perpetration tactics and/or survivor substance use. However, this practice may overlook key differences. Therefore, in the current study, we sought via latent class analysis (LCA) to identify types of rape using multiple assault characteristics, including survivor resistance and substance use by the survivor and perpetrator. Participants we…
Violent Attacks and Damaged Victims: An Exploration of the Rape Scripts of European American and African American U.S. College Women
Scripts are influential in shaping sexual behaviors. Prior studies have examined the influence of individuals' rape scripts. However, these scripts have not been evaluated among diverse groups. The current study examined the rape scripts of African American ( n = 72) and European American ( n = 99) college women. Results supported three rape scripts: the "real rape," the "party rape," and the mismatched intentions rape, that were equally common. …
Perceptions of Similarity and Responsibility Attributions to an Acquaintance Sexual Assault Victim
Individuals view similar rape victims as less responsible for the rape than victims perceived as dissimilar. However, it is unclear if individuals hold victims they perceive as similar less responsible for the assault, or if individuals view themselves as more similar to victims they do not view as responsible for the assault. The current study, therefore, examined the temporal relationship between these constructs. A total of 167 college women l…
It Literally Makes Me Feel Harder to Kill”: A Qualitative Study of the Perceived Benefits of Recreational Martial Arts Practice Among Women Sexual Assault Survivors
Words Can Hurt: A Taxonomy of Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation in the SES-V
This article describes the development of the Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation module of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES)-Victimization (introduced by Koss et al., 2024). This module assesses the use of verbal or nonphysical, paraverbal pressure to obtain sexual acts without freely given permission. An interdisciplinary team of seven sexual exploitation researchers collaborated to create this module, with consultation from the full 15 me…
Evaluation of the gender minority stress model in transgender and gender diverse college students
The Sexual Victimization Experiences of Men Attending College: A Mixed Methods Investigation
Rape and Seduction Scripts of University Students: Implications for Rape Attributions and Unacknowledged Rape
Coping with the Experience of Rape
The coping strategies that a victim of a rape engages in can have a strong impact on the development and persistence of psychological symptoms. Research provides evidence that victims who rely heavily on avoidance strategies, such as suppression, are less likely to recover successfully than those who rely less heavily on these strategies. The present study utilized structural path analysis to identify predictors of avoidance coping following rape…
Priming of Consensual and Nonconsensual Sexual Scripts: An Experimental Test of the Role of Scripts in Rape Attributions
Trauma coping strategies and psychological distress: A meta‐analysis
The identification of adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies following traumatic events has been the subject of much scientific inquiry. The current study sought through meta‐analysis to evaluate the relationship between the use of approach and avoidance strategies (both problem‐focused and emotion/cognitive focused) following trauma and psychological distress. Thirty‐nine studies of coping following two types of traumatic events (interperson…
An Evaluation of the Coping Patterns of Rape Victims: Integration With a Schema-Based Information-Processing Model
The current study sought to provide an expansion of Resick and Schnicke's information-processing model of interpersonal violence response. Their model posits that interpersonal violence threatens victims' schematic beliefs and that victims can resolve this threat through assimilation, accommodation, or overaccommodation. In addition, it is hypothesized that how victims resolve schematic threat affects their coping strategies. To test this hypothe…
Body Image: A Study in a Tri-Ethnic Sample of Low Income Women
Rape Scripts of Low-income European American and Latina Women
Beyond the Campus: Unacknowledged Rape Among Low-Income Women
Studies of college rape victims have found that many are unacknowledged; that is, they do not label their experience rape. The current study investigated factors associated with unacknowledged rape among low-income women. Out of a sample of 1,033 women, 167 reported having experienced rape. Unacknowledged victims, relative to acknowledged victims, reported less violent assaults and more alcohol use before the assault and were more likely to have …
If She Is Not a Victim, Does That Mean She Was Not Traumatized: Evaluation of Predictors of PTSD Symptomatology Among College Rape Victims
The issue of whether individuals can be traumatized by the experience of rape if they do not label the experience a victimization remains controversial. Indeed, there are conflicting findings with regard to the extent to which such unacknowledged victims experience posttraumatic symptoms.
Adjustment following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech: The roles of resource loss and gain
Unfortunately, many individuals will be exposed to traumatic events during their lifetime. The experience of loss and gain of valued resources may represent important predictors of psychological distress following these experiences. The current study examined the extent to which loss and gain of interpersonal and intrapersonal resources (e.g., hope, intimacy) predicted psychological distress among college women following the mass shooting at Virg…
Risky Situation or Harmless Fun? A Qualitative Examination of College Women’s Bad Hook-up and Rape Scripts
Evaluation of an information-processing model following sexual assault
There is growing recognition that individuals vary in their response to traumatic experiences. Resick and Schnicke (1992) developed an information processing model of trauma response patterns, theorizing that individuals vary in how they integrate the experience into their schematic beliefs. Specifically, individuals can respond to trauma by assimilation, altering the trauma to fit with extant schemas; accommodation, altering extant schemas; or o…
Prior sexual trauma and adjustment following the Virginia Tech campus shootings: Examination of the mediating role of schemas and social support
A sizable body of research supports trauma's cumulative nature. However, few studies have evaluated potential mechanisms through which the experience of multiple traumas leads to elevated distress. The current study sought to evaluate differences between sexual trauma victims and women who had not experienced sexual trauma in their adjustment following a mass trauma (college women exposed to the 2007 Virginia Tech campus shooting). In addition, t…
Talking About Sexual Assault: Society’s Response to Survivors
Rape Myths and Beyond: A Commentary on Edwards and Colleagues (2011)
Health Risk Behavior and Sexual Assault Among Ethnically Diverse Women
Sexual assault is associated with a number of health risk behaviors in women. It has been hypothesized that these risk behaviors, such as hazardous drinking, may represent women's attempts to cope with psychological distress, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, extant research has failed to evaluate these relationships among ethnic minority samples or identify the mechanisms responsible for this association. The current study exa…
Perceptions of Similarity and Responsibility Attributions to an Acquaintance Sexual Assault Victim
Individuals view similar rape victims as less responsible for the rape than victims perceived as dissimilar. However, it is unclear if individuals hold victims they perceive as similar less responsible for the assault, or if individuals view themselves as more similar to victims they do not view as responsible for the assault. The current study, therefore, examined the temporal relationship between these constructs. A total of 167 college women l…
Interpersonal Violence on College Campuses: Understanding Risk Factors and Working to Find Solutions
This commentary discusses the contributions of Drs. Antonia Abbey and Catherine Kaukinen to our understanding of risk factors for sexual and physical aggression among college students. Major contributions of their work are outlined. These include Abbey’s contributions to our understanding of trajectories of sexually aggressive behavior among college men, risk factors for engaging in sexual aggression among men, and the role of alcohol in sexual a…
Sexual Victimization and Somatic Complaints in Pregnancy: Examination of Depression as a Mediator
Violent Attacks and Damaged Victims: An Exploration of the Rape Scripts of European American and African American U.S. College Women
Scripts are influential in shaping sexual behaviors. Prior studies have examined the influence of individuals' rape scripts. However, these scripts have not been evaluated among diverse groups. The current study examined the rape scripts of African American ( n = 72) and European American ( n = 99) college women. Results supported three rape scripts: the "real rape," the "party rape," and the mismatched intentions rape, that were equally common. …
College Campus Community Readiness to Address Intimate Partner Violence Among LGBTQ + Young Adults: A Conceptual and Empirical Examination
This paper provides an overview of a conceptual model that integrates theories of social ecology, minority stress, and community readiness to better understand risk for and outcomes of intimate partner violence ( IPV ) among LGBTQ + college students. Additionally, online survey data was collected from a sample of 202 LGBTQ + students enrolled in 119 colleges across the United States to provide preliminary data on some aspects of the proposed mode…
Unacknowledged Rape and Re-Victimization Risk: Examination of Potential Mediators
The majority of college women who experience rape do not conceptualize their experience as a victimization, that is, they are unacknowledged victims. There is some initial evidence that unacknowledged victims are at elevated re-victimization risk relative to acknowledged victims. At follow-up, unacknowledged victims reported higher rates of new attempted (16.2%) and completed rape (11.9%), relative to acknowledged victims (attempted: 7.9%; comple…
The Sexual Victimization Experiences of Men Attending College: A Mixed Methods Investigation
Preventing adverse childhood experiences among sexual and gender minority youth: A call to action
Typologies of Rape Victimization Experiences Among Women Attending College: A Latent Class Analysis
Past research has categorized the rape experiences of women attending college into types primarily based on perpetration tactics and/or survivor substance use. However, this practice may overlook key differences. Therefore, in the current study, we sought via latent class analysis (LCA) to identify types of rape using multiple assault characteristics, including survivor resistance and substance use by the survivor and perpetrator. Participants we…
Psychology (40 works) · Clinical Psychology (30 works) · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies (29 works) · Medicine (28 works) · Poison control (28 works) · Clinical Psychology (27 works) · Social Psychology (24 works) · Medical emergency (22 works) · Social Psychology (22 works) · Suicide prevention (21 works)