Overview and Analysis of Research Studies on Gender-based Violence Among UK University Students and Staff

There is an international body of evidence indicating that universities are significant sites for GBV (DeGue, 2014). Understanding the prevalence, characteristics, and impacts of GBV among university students and staff is essential for universities to effectively prevent and combat it. In the UK, a limited number of studies have started to address this gap (e.g. NUS, 2011) but they have not beenbeen reviewed and synthesised to create an overall picture of what is known and not known about GBV.The overarchingaim of this study was to undertake a systematic review ofresearch on GBV among UK university students and staff to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current state of knowledge and emerging findings, as well as to make recommendations for future research. Studies were identified through: 1) systematic searches ofInternational Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), PsychInfo, EmBase and ISI Web of Knowledge and 2) contact with university networks and stakeholders. A total of 1,328 studies were identified. After screening, 15 studies were included in the review. None of the studies reviewed looked at GBV among staff. Thefocus of studies was student victimisation experiences ofsexual violence (13 of 15 studies) anddomesticabuse (3 of 15 studies). Findings suggest sexual harassment appears to be the most prevalent among university students followed by sexual assault and domestic abuse.Most studies (11 of 14) collected biographical information needed to understand how the intersections of gender with other social positions influenced victimisation, with findings suggesting there is a higher prevalence among marginalised groups. There was alack of consistency in how sexual violence and domestic abuse weremeasured, which contributed to large variations in prevalence. Implications for findings and recommendations for future research on GBV among university staff and students are provided. &nbsp