Mary P Koss

Interests

Research

Violence Against Women measurement, impact, prevention, justice intervention, program evaluation

Teaching

Family Violence, Human Sexuality

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• Koss, M. P. (2017). The RESTORE program of restorative justice for sex crimes: A case study in restorative justice with therapeutic components. In Sexual Violence and Restorative Justice: Legal, Social and Therapeutic Dimensions(pp 212-228). Taylor & Francis.
• Koss, M. P., & Asaolu, I. O. (2017). An introduction to sexual violence. In The Wiley Handbook of Violence and Aggression. Wiley.
• Yuan, N. P., & Koss, M. P. (2009). Rape. In Encyclopedia of Gender and Society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Yuan, N. P., & Koss, M. P. (2008). Rape. In Encyclopedia of Interpersonal Violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication, Inc.
• Herrera, V. M., Koss, M. P., Bailey, J., Yuan, N. P., & Lichter, E. L. (2005). Survivors of male violence: Research and training intiatives to facilitate recovery from depression and PTSD. In Handbook of Girls and Women's Psychological Health.

Journals/Publications

• Donde, S. D., Koss, M. P., Ragsdale, S. K., & Zuvker, A. N. (2017). If it wasn't rape, was it sexual assault? Comparing rape and sexual assault acknowledgement in College women who have experienced rape. Psychology of women, 1-21. doi:10.1177/1077801217743339
• Koss, M. P. (2017). Developing and implementing a treatment intervention for college students found responsible for sexual misconduct.. Journal of Aggression, Conflict, and Peace Research. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-06-2017-0301
• Koss, M. P. (2017). Victim voice in reenvisioning responses to sexual and physical violence nationally and internationally.. American Psychologist, 72, 1019-1030. doi:http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000233
• Koss, M. P. (2016). Trajectory analysis of the campus serial rapist assumption.. JAMA Pediatrics,, 169(12), 1148-1154..
• Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Koss, M. P., Shevlin, M., Elklit, A., & Banner, J. (2015). Testing a Multiple Mediator Model of the Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Adolescent Sexual Victimization. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, 83(1), 47-54.
• Koss, M. P. (2014). The RESTORE Program of Restorative Justice for Sex Crimes Vision, Process, and Outcomes. Journa of Interpersonal Violence, 29(9), 1623-1660.
• Koss, M. P. (2015). Restorative justice for sex crimes outside the context of intimate partner violence. Family & Intimate Partner Violence Quarterlyy, 7(4), 307-316.
  More info

  This article is a rationale for the use of restorative resolution for sexual crimes and campus-based sexual assault. A step-byo-step description of the RESTORE Program is provided to illustrate how to design and implement one model of restorative justice.
• Koss, M. P. (2015). What Is the Best Way to Analyze Less Frequent Forms of Violence? The Case of Sexual Aggression. Psychology of Violence, 5(3), 305-313.
• Koss, M. P., & Lopez, E. C. (2015). Restorative justice innovations in response to campus sexual misconduct. Sexual Assault Report, Civic Research Institute.
• Swartout, K. M., Koss, M. P., White, J. W., Thompson, M. P., Abbey, A., & Bellis, A. L. (2015). Errors in Derivation Data and Validation Data. JAMA pediatrics, 169(12), 1178-9.
• Swartout, K. M., Koss, M. P., White, J. W., Thompson, M. P., Abbey, A., & Bellis, A. L. (2015). Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption. JAMA pediatrics, 169(12), 1148-54.
  More info

  Rape on college campuses has been addressed recently by a presidential proclamation, federal legislation, advocacy groups, and popular media. Many initiatives assume that most college men who perpetrate rape are serial rapists. The scientific foundation for this perspective is surprisingly limited.
• Bramsen, R. H., Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Lasgaard, M., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Elklit, A., Elklit, A., Banner, J., & Banner, J. (2014). Investigating the effect of child maltreatment on early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression: testing a multiple mediator model in a non-incarcerated sample of Danish adolescents. European journal of psychotraumatology, 5.
  More info

  The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between child maltreatment and severe early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression, using a multiple mediator model.
• Koss, M. P. (2013). Restorative justice and sexual assault: Outcome approasal through textural analysis. Open Area Studies Journal, 5, 1-11.
  More info

  Restorative Justice is a community alternative to criminal justice. Its principles and practices are grounded inharm reduction, consensually-determined reparation, and in many applications, a facilitated conference between an offenderand respective victim, and family members and/or community persons impacted by the crime. Projects based onRestorative Justice are rare for sex offenders. In this article, we review one such program funded as a demonstration project.Based on the rubric that we adapted from a template developed by Stephen Webster, we assessed the veracity ofapology letters written by adult sex offenders, who earned the right to apologize to their victim, following participation ina 12-month program based on principles and practices of Restorative Justice. Content of the apology letters demonstratedanticipated changes in classic features of sexual assault as a harm-causing, ego-centered, trauma-producing, controlseeking,relationship-imposing act. Despite individualized formulation by each responsible person, the letters from misdemeanorand felony cases were similar in acknowledgment of harm and in the articulation of gratitude, but varied in responsibilityacceptance and trauma discontinuation
• Koss, M. P. (2014). Campus sexual misconduct: Restorative justice approaches to enhance compliance with Title IX guidance. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15, 242-258. doi:10.1177/1524838014521500
• Koss, M. P. (2014). Campus sexual misconduct: Restorative justice approaches to enhance compliance with Title IX guidance.. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15, 242-258.
  More info

  Campus response to sexual violence is increasingly governed by federal law and administrative guidance such as the 1972 Title IX, the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), and the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. Educational institutions are directed to expand disciplinary responses and establish coordinated action to eliminate sexual violence and remedy its effects. Compliance fosters a quasi-criminal justice approach not suited to all sexual misconduct and inconsistent with developing practice in student conduct management. This article envisions restorative justice (RJ) enhancements to traditional student conduct processes that maintain compliance, expand options, empower victim choice, and increase responsiveness to DCL aims. The article (1) defines sexual violence and sexual harassment within the DCL scope, (2) elaborates the DCL position on permissible alternative resolutions and differentiates mediation from RJ, (3) sequences action steps from case report to finalization, including both restorative and traditional justice pathways; and (4) discusses building support for innovation beginning with existing campus response.
• Koss, M. P. (2014). Investigating the effect of child maltreatment on early adolescente peer-on-peer sexual aggression: testing a multiple mediator model in a non-incarcerated sample of Danish adolescents. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 5, 2014.
  More info

  Objective The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between child maltreatment and severe early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression, using a multiple mediator model.Methods The study comprised 330 male Grade 9 students with a mean age of 14.9 years (SD=0.5).Results Estimates from the mediation model indicated significant indirect effects of child physical abuse on sexual aggression via peer influence and insecure-hostile masculinity. No significant total effect of child sexual abuse and child neglect on sexual aggression was found.ConclusionsFindings of the present study identify risk factors that are potentially changeable and therefore of value in informing the design of prevention programs aiming at early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression in at-risk youth.
• Koss, M. P. (2014). The RESTORE Program of Restorative Justice for Sex Crimes Vision, Process, and Outcomes. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, 29(9), 1623-1660.
  More info

  The article reports empirical evaluation of RESTORE, a restorative justice (RJ) conferencing program adapted to prosecutor-referred adult misdemeanor and felony sexual assaults. RESTORE conferences included voluntary enrollment, preparation, and a face-to-face meeting where primary and secondary victims voice impacts, and responsible persons acknowledge their acts and together develop a re-dress plan that is supervised for 1 year. Process data included referral and consent rates, participant characteristics, observational ratings of conferences compared with program design, services delivered, and safety monitoring. Outcome evaluation used 22 cases to assess (a) pre-post reasons for choosing RESTORE, (b) preparation and conference experiences, (c) overall program and justice satisfaction, and (d) completion rates. This is the first peer-reviewed quantitative evaluation of RJ conferencing for adult sexual assault. Although the data have limitations, the results support cautious optimism regarding feasibility, safety, and satisfactory outcomes. They help envision how conferencing could expand and individualize justice options for sexual assault.
• Koss, M. P. (2014). VAWA After the Party: Implementing Proposed Guidelines on Campus Sexual Assault Resolution. CUNY Law Review, December 22 2014, no pagination.
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  The 20th anniversary of the passage of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”) and its reauthorization in 2013[1] merits celebration and marks a time to contemplate the future legislative and policy agenda. This commentary considers the effect of existing and proposed VAWA guidelines on the process for sexual assault adjudication at institutions of higher education. The focus is several documents including the US Department of Education Office of Civil Rights “Dear Colleague Letter”[DCL],[2] DCL clarification,[3] and the Proposed Guidelines for the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization as disseminated for comment in the Federal Register of June 20, 2014.[4] We aim to establish that taken together, these documents: (1) blur the distinctions between campus misconduct resolution and criminal justice process;[5] (2) lack scholarly analysis of sexual assault justice on campus;[6] and (3) clash with contemporary values and practice standards of student affairs professionals.[7] This commentary identifies enhancements derived from restorative justice principles [RJ] and situates them within misconduct resolution framework while maintaining consistency with DCL and VAWA required elements. RJ offers a range of formats that are relevant to the student body at large as well as to individuals involved in sexual misconduct of varying severity and can be implemented at multiple time points in case processing. We draw upon many sources that collectively express desire for policy guidance that supports evidence-based innovations intended to increase congruence with victims’ perceptions of what constitutes justice, raise the likelihood that offenders will be held responsible by sanctions proportional to the harm done, and augment the extent to which institutional responses deter future sexual misconduct.[8]
• Koss, M. P. (2014). VAWA after the party. Implementing proposed guidelines on campus sexual assault resolution. CUNY Law Review.
• Koss, M. P. (2014). What Is the Best Way to Analyze Less Frequent Forms of Violence? The Case of Sexual Aggression.. Psychology of Violence, 3(http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0038316), no pagination specified.
  More info

  Objective: Most frequency data on violence are non-normally distributed, which can lead to faulty conclusions when not modeled appropriately. And, we can’t prevent what we can’t accurately predict. We therefore review a series of methods specifically suited to analyze frequency data, with specific reference to the psychological study of sexual aggression. In the process, we demonstrate a model comparison exercise using sample data on college men’s sexual aggression. Method: We used a subset (n = 645) of a larger longitudinal dataset to demonstrate fitting and comparison of 6 analytic methods: OLS regression, OLS regression with a square-root–transformed outcome, Poisson regression, negative binomial regression, zero-inflated Poisson regression, and zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Risk and protective factors measured at Time 1 predicted frequency of sexual aggression at Time 2 (8 months later) within each model. Models were compared on overall fit, parsimony, and interpretability based upon previous findings and substantive theory. Results: As we predicted, OLS regression assumptions were untenable. Of the count-based regression models, the negative binomial model fit the data best; it fit the data better than the Poisson and zero-inflated Poisson models, and it was more parsimonious than the zero-inflated negative binomial model without a significant degradation in model fit. Conclusion: In addition to more accurately modeling violence frequency data, count-based models have clear interpretations that can be disseminated to a broad audience. We recommend analytic steps investigators can use when analyzing count outcomes as well as further avenues researchers can explore in working with non-normal data on violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
• Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2014). The RESTORE program of restorative justice for sex crimes: vision, process, and outcomes. Journal of interpersonal violence, 29(9), 1623-60.
  More info

  The article reports empirical evaluation of RESTORE, a restorative justice (RJ) conferencing program adapted to prosecutor-referred adult misdemeanor and felony sexual assaults. RESTORE conferences included voluntary enrollment, preparation, and a face-to-face meeting where primary and secondary victims voice impacts, and responsible persons acknowledge their acts and together develop a re-dress plan that is supervised for 1 year. Process data included referral and consent rates, participant characteristics, observational ratings of conferences compared with program design, services delivered, and safety monitoring. Outcome evaluation used 22 cases to assess (a) pre-post reasons for choosing RESTORE, (b) preparation and conference experiences, (c) overall program and justice satisfaction, and (d) completion rates. This is the first peer-reviewed quantitative evaluation of RJ conferencing for adult sexual assault. Although the data have limitations, the results support cautious optimism regarding feasibility, safety, and satisfactory outcomes. They help envision how conferencing could expand and individualize justice options for sexual assault.
• Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Wilgus, J. K., Wilgus, J. K., Williamsen, K. M., & Williamsen, K. M. (2014). Campus Sexual Misconduct: Restorative Justice Approaches to Enhance Compliance With Title IX Guidance. Trauma, violence & abuse, 15(3), 242-257.
  More info

  Campus response to sexual violence is increasingly governed by federal law and administrative guidance such as the 1972 Title IX, the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), and the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. Educational institutions are directed to expand disciplinary responses and establish coordinated action to eliminate sexual violence and remedy its effects. Compliance fosters a quasi-criminal justice approach not suited to all sexual misconduct and inconsistent with developing practice in student conduct management. This article envisions restorative justice (RJ) enhancements to traditional student conduct processes that maintain compliance, expand options, empower victim choice, and increase responsiveness to DCL aims. The article (1) defines sexual violence and sexual harassment within the DCL scope, (2) elaborates the DCL position on permissible alternative resolutions and differentiates mediation from RJ, (3) sequences action steps from case report to finalization, including both restorative and traditional justice pathways; and (4) discusses building support for innovation beginning with existing campus response.
• Lehrer, J. A., Lehrer, E. L., & Koss, M. P. (2014). Sexual and dating violence among adolescents and young adults in Chile: a review of findings from a survey of university students. CULTURE HEALTH & SEXUALITY, 15(1), 1-14.
  More info

  This paper synthesises and discusses results from the 2005 Survey of Student Well-Being, a closed-ended questionnaire administered to students attending general education courses at a major public university in Santiago (n = 484 women, 466 men). The survey included questions on sexual violence (SV) and dating violence (DV), public health problems that have received little attention in Chile and other Latin-American countries. This paper highlights key findings from a series of papers based on these data, noting lessons learned in the Chilean context that may be useful for other Latin-American countries. Important gaps in the international literature on SV and DV are also discussed. A central finding is the high prevalence of SV and DV in this sample of university students, warranting further public health attention to these problems. Potentially, the findings will contribute to changes in awareness, policy and practice along similar lines to efforts that transformed the US landscape regarding SV and DV on college campuses in the 1980s.
• Lehrer, J. A., Lehrer, E. L., & Koss, M. P. (2014). Unwanted Sexual Experiences in Young Men: Evidence from a Survey of University Students in Chile. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, 42(2), 213-223.
  More info

  The public health problem of unwanted sexual experiences (USE) in male youths has received little attention. In this study, we examined prevalence of USE, risk factors, contexts, and barriers to disclosure with data from a quantitative survey of students enrolled in General Education courses at a public university in Chile. This study focused on the male sample (N = 466). Approximately 20.4 % of participants reported some form of USE since age 14. Forced sex through physical coercion, forced sex through verbal coercion or while intoxicated, attempted forced sex, and less severe forms of USE were reported by 0.2, 10.1, 1.4, and 8.7 % of participants, respectively. USE before age 14 was reported by 9.4 % of participants and was a significant predictor of USE since age 14 (AOR 6.38, 95 % CI 3.22-12.65, p < .01). The perpetrator of USE since age 14 was most commonly identified as a date/partner or friend/acquaintance; other findings on contexts and barriers to disclosure were also generally consistent with previous results in the literature. In addition, we found substantial co-occurrence of USE since age 14 with two other forms of coercion: physical dating violence victimization and coerced condom non-use. The study findings indicate a need for further attention to these public health problems and have implications for the development of violence and HIV/STI prevention programs for adolescent boys and young adult men in Chile and elsewhere.
• Bletzer, K. V., & Koss, M. P. (2013). From Parallel to Intersecting Narratives in Cases of Sexual Assault. QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH, 22(3), 291-303.
• Bramsen, R. H., Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Lasgaard, M., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Shevlin, M., Shevlin, M., Elklit, A., Elklit, A., Banner, J., & Banner, J. (2013). Testing a multiple mediator model of the effect of childhood sexual abuse on adolescent sexual victimization. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 83(1), 47-54.
  More info

  The present study modeled the direct relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent peer-to-peer sexual victimization (APSV) and the mediated effect via variables representing the number of sexual partners, sexual risk behavior, and signaling sexual boundaries. A cross-sectional study on the effect of CSA on APSV was conducted, utilizing a multiple mediator model. Mediated and direct effects in the model were estimated employing Mplus using bootstrapped percentile based confidence intervals to test for significance of mediated effects. The study employed 327 Danish female adolescents with a mean age of 14.9 years (SD = 0.5). The estimates from the mediational model indicated full mediation of the effect of CSA on APSV via number of sexual partners and sexual risk behavior. The current study suggests that the link between CSA and APSV was mediated by sexual behaviors specifically pertaining to situations of social peer interaction, rather than directly on prior experiences of sexual victimization. The present study identifies a modifiable target area for intervention to reduce adolescent sexual revictimization.
• Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Koss, M. P., Elklit, A., & Banner, J. (2013). Investigating the effect of child maltreatment on early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression: testing a multiple mediator model in a non-incarcerated sample of Danish adolescents. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOTRAUMATOLOGY, 5.
  More info

  Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between child maltreatment and severe early adolescent peer-on-peer sexual aggression, using a multiple mediator model.
• Koss, M. P. (2013). Sexual and dating violence in Chilean youth: Lessons from a 2005 Survey of University Students. American Sociological Review, 15, 1-14.
  More info

  Restorative justice is a generally community-based alternative to criminaljustice. Its practices are grounded in harm reduction, consensuallydetermined reparation, and in many applications, facilitated conferencing between a designated offender and respective victim, and members of the family and/or the community impacted by the crime. Restorative justice projects are rare for sex offenders. In this article, we review one such program, developed from conferencing models for adult sex crimes. We use textual analysis to assess the veracity of letters of apology written by adult sex offenders who earn the right to apologize through a 12-month process of meaningful accountability that includes individual psychotherapy, and, importantly, completion of reparation recommended and approved by the survivor victim. Based on a rubric adapted from a template developed by Webster (2002), textual analysis was performed on the apology letters “prepared for” and “read to/by” survivor victims. Apology letters were similar in harm acknowledgment and gratitude articulation, but varied in responsibility acceptance and trauma discontinuation. Overall, the letters demonstrated the expected changes in the classic features of sexual assault, despite individualized textual formulation by each responsible person.
• Koss, M. P. (2013). Testing a multiple mediator model of the effect of childhood sexual abuse on adolescent sexual victimization.. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 83(1), 47-xx.
  More info

  The present study modeled the direct relationship between child sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent peer-to-peer sexual victimization (APSV) and the mediated effect via variables representing the number of sexual partners, sexual risk behavior, and signaling sexual boundaries. A cross-sectional study on the effect of CSA on APSV was conducted, utilizing a multiple mediator model. Mediated and direct effects in the model were estimated employing Mplus using bootstrapped percentile based confidence intervals to test for significance of mediated effects. The study employed 327 Danish female adolescents with a mean age of 14.9 years (SD = 0.5). The estimates from the mediational model indicated full mediation of the effect of CSA on APSV via number of sexual partners and sexual risk behavior. The current study suggests that the link between CSA and APSV was mediated by sexual behaviors specifically pertaining to situations of social peer interaction, rather than directly on prior experiences of sexual victimization. The present study identifies a modifiable target area for intervention to reduce adolescent sexual revictimization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
• Koss, M. P. (2013). Trajectories and Predictors of Sexually aggressive behaviors during emerging adulthood. Psychology of Violence, 3(3), 247-. doi:10.1037/a0030624
• Koss, M. P. (2013). Trajectories and Predictors of Sexually aggressive behaviors during emerging adulthood.. Psychology of Violence, 3(3), 247-249.
  More info

  Objective: To assess longitudinal trajectories of college males’ sexually aggressive behaviors and determine time-varying individual- and peer-level risk factors that differentiate men who follow these different paths. Method: Our analytic sample consisted of 795 men who participated in a longitudinal study on high-risk behaviors among college students. The sample was surveyed at the end of each of their 4 years at university on a variety of measures, including sexual aggression (SA) and its hypothesized risk factors (hostile masculinity, number of sexual partners, alcohol misuse, and peer norms). Results: Using latent growth mixture modeling, we found four distinct SA trajectories: (a) consistently high, (b) decreasing, (c) increasing, and (d) consistently low. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that hostile masculinity and peer norms positively predicted trajectory membership at times when each trajectory reflected a high level of SA. Conclusions: Our study adds to the knowledge base by elucidating the different ways sexually aggressive behaviors change during emerging adulthood and how confluence-model-derived factors predict the different trajectories. The finding that changes over time in these risk factors correspond with SA perpetration risk informs prevention programming by illuminating the importance of continual focus on these risk factors throughout the college years, perhaps through annual self-assessments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
• Koss, M. P., Wilgus, J. K., & Williamsen, K. M. (2013). Campus Sexual Misconduct: Restorative Justice Approaches to Enhance Compliance With Title IX Guidance. TRAUMA VIOLENCE & ABUSE, 15(3), 242-257.
  More info

  Campus response to sexual violence is increasingly governed by federal law and administrative guidance such as the 1972 Title IX, the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), and the 2013 Violence Against Women Act. Educational institutions are directed to expand disciplinary responses and establish coordinated action to eliminate sexual violence and remedy its effects. Compliance fosters a quasi-criminal justice approach not suited to all sexual misconduct and inconsistent with developing practice in student conduct management. This article envisions restorative justice (RJ) enhancements to traditional student conduct processes that maintain compliance, expand options, empower victim choice, and increase responsiveness to DCL aims. The article (1) defines sexual violence and sexual harassment within the DCL scope, (2) elaborates the DCL position on permissible alternative resolutions and differentiates mediation from RJ, (3) sequences action steps from case report to finalization, including both restorative and traditional justice pathways; and (4) discusses building support for innovation beginning with existing campus response.
• Lehrer, J. A., Lehrer, J. A., Lehrer, E. L., Lehrer, E. L., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2013). Sexual and dating violence among adolescents and young adults in Chile: a review of findings from a survey of university students. Culture, health & sexuality, 15(1), 1-14.
  More info

  This paper synthesises and discusses results from the 2005 Survey of Student Well-Being, a closed-ended questionnaire administered to students attending general education courses at a major public university in Santiago (n = 484 women, 466 men). The survey included questions on sexual violence (SV) and dating violence (DV), public health problems that have received little attention in Chile and other Latin-American countries. This paper highlights key findings from a series of papers based on these data, noting lessons learned in the Chilean context that may be useful for other Latin-American countries. Important gaps in the international literature on SV and DV are also discussed. A central finding is the high prevalence of SV and DV in this sample of university students, warranting further public health attention to these problems. Potentially, the findings will contribute to changes in awareness, policy and practice along similar lines to efforts that transformed the US landscape regarding SV and DV on college campuses in the 1980s.
• Lehrer, J. A., Lehrer, J. A., Lehrer, E. L., Lehrer, E. L., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2013). Unwanted sexual experiences in young men: evidence from a survey of university students in Chile. Archives of sexual behavior, 42(2), 213-23.
  More info

  The public health problem of unwanted sexual experiences (USE) in male youths has received little attention. In this study, we examined prevalence of USE, risk factors, contexts, and barriers to disclosure with data from a quantitative survey of students enrolled in General Education courses at a public university in Chile. This study focused on the male sample (N = 466). Approximately 20.4 % of participants reported some form of USE since age 14. Forced sex through physical coercion, forced sex through verbal coercion or while intoxicated, attempted forced sex, and less severe forms of USE were reported by 0.2, 10.1, 1.4, and 8.7 % of participants, respectively. USE before age 14 was reported by 9.4 % of participants and was a significant predictor of USE since age 14 (AOR 6.38, 95 % CI 3.22-12.65, p 
• Tasca, M., Rodriguez, N., Spohn, C., & Koss, M. P. (2013). Police Decision Making in Sexual Assault Cases: Predictors of Suspect Identification and Arrest. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, 28(6), 1157-1177.
  More info

  As the initial gatekeepers of the criminal justice system, police officers hold considerable discretion in the investigation of offenses and in the decision to make an arrest. This is particularly true with sexual assault given the unique nature of these cases. Yet most research in this area has focused on prosecutors' charging decisions rather than police outcomes for reports of sexual assaults. In an effort to address this gap in the literature, we rely on official records collected from all sexual assaults reported to police in a large Arizona city in 2003 (N = 220) to examine the effects of crime seriousness, evidentiary strength, victim blame, and believablity factors on suspect identification and arrest. Results revealed that both legal and extralegal factors influenced whether police identify and arrest a suspect. These findings raise questions surrounding the role that police play in securing victim cooperation and the extent to which stereotypes of "legitimate" victims shape police officers' willingness to investigate sexual assault cases.
• Tasca, M., Tasca, M., Rodriguez, N., Rodriguez, N., Spohn, C., Spohn, C., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2013). Police decision making in sexual assault cases: predictors of suspect identification and arrest. Journal of interpersonal violence, 28(6), 1157-77.
  More info

  As the initial gatekeepers of the criminal justice system, police officers hold considerable discretion in the investigation of offenses and in the decision to make an arrest. This is particularly true with sexual assault given the unique nature of these cases. Yet most research in this area has focused on prosecutors' charging decisions rather than police outcomes for reports of sexual assaults. In an effort to address this gap in the literature, we rely on official records collected from all sexual assaults reported to police in a large Arizona city in 2003 (N = 220) to examine the effects of crime seriousness, evidentiary strength, victim blame, and believablity factors on suspect identification and arrest. Results revealed that both legal and extralegal factors influenced whether police identify and arrest a suspect. These findings raise questions surrounding the role that police play in securing victim cooperation and the extent to which stereotypes of "legitimate" victims shape police officers' willingness to investigate sexual assault cases.
• Thompson, M. P., Swartout, K. M., & Koss, M. P. (2013). Trajectories and Predictors of Sexually Aggressive Behaviors During Emerging Adulthood. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE, 3(3), 247-259.
  More info

  Objective: To assess longitudinal trajectories of college males' sexually aggressive behaviors and determine time-varying individual- and peer-level risk factors that differentiate men who follow these different paths. Method: Our analytic sample consisted of 795 men who participated in a longitudinal study on high-risk behaviors among college students. The sample was surveyed at the end of each of their 4 years at university on a variety of measures, including sexual aggression (SA) and its hypothesized risk factors (hostile masculinity, number of sexual partners, alcohol misuse, and peer norms). Results: Using latent growth mixture modeling, we found four distinct SA trajectories: (a) consistently high, (b) decreasing, (c) increasing, and (d) consistently low. Multinomial logistic regression revealed that hostile masculinity and peer norms positively predicted trajectory membership at times when each trajectory reflected a high level of SA. Conclusions: Our study adds to the knowledge base by elucidating the different ways sexually aggressive behaviors change during emerging adulthood and how confluence-model-derived factors predict the different trajectories. The finding that changes over time in these risk factors correspond with SA perpetration risk informs prevention programming by illuminating the importance of continual focus on these risk factors throughout the college years, perhaps through annual self-assessments.
• Thompson, M. P., Thompson, M. P., Swartout, K. M., Swartout, K. M., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2013). Trajectories and Predictors of Sexually Aggressive Behaviors during Emerging Adulthood. Psychology of violence, 3(3), 247-259.
  More info

  To assess longitudinal trajectories of college males' sexually aggressive behaviors and determine time-varying individual- and peer-level risk factors that differentiate men who follow these different paths.
• Bletzer, K. V., Bletzer, K. V., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2012). From parallel to intersecting narratives in cases of sexual assault. Qualitative health research, 22(3), 291-303.
  More info

  Restorative justice alternatives to criminal justice are designed to balance the needs of victims, offenders, families, friends, and the community at large to achieve social justice, repair of victims, and deterrence of crime. In the model we evaluated from RESTORE (Responsibility and Equity for Sexual Transgressions Offering a Restorative Experience), each offender and victim received individual services and met in guided conferencing to mutually determine reparative actions for the offender. At the exit meeting, the offender, as the responsible person, read a written apology to the survivor/victim. In this article, we analyze the expression of empathy in the apology, in which the initial mitigation of responsibility in early documents was replaced by acknowledgment of harm to the survivor/victim and acceptance of responsibility for the assault. Those accused of felony rape and those targeting a visible person in cases of misdemeanor indecent exposure expressed greater regret and remorse than offenders of indecent exposure with an indeterminate victim.
• Bramsen, R. H., Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Lasgaard, M., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Elklit, A., Elklit, A., Banner, J., & Banner, J. (2012). Adolescent sexual victimization: a prospective study on risk factors for first time sexual assault. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 21(9), 521-6.
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  The present study set out to investigate predictors of first time adolescent peer-on-peer sexual victimization (APSV) among 238 female Grade 9 students from 30 schools in Denmark. A prospective research design was utilized to examine the relationship among five potential predictors as measured at baseline and first time APSV during a 6-month period. Data analysis was a binary logistic regression analysis. Number of sexual partners and displaying sexual risk behaviors significantly predicted subsequent first time peer-on-peer sexual victimization, whereas a history of child sexual abuse, early sexual onset and failing to signal sexual boundaries did not. The present study identifies specific risk factors for first time sexual victimization that are potentially changeable. Thus, the results may inform prevention initiatives targeting initial experiences of APSV.
• Koss, M. P., & Travis, C. (2012). Evolutionary Models of Why Men Rape: Acknowledging the Complexities. EVOLUTION, GENDER, AND RAPE, 191-205.
• Swartout, K. M., Thompson, M. P., Koss, M. P., & Su, N. (2012). What Is the Best Way to Analyze Less Frequent Forms of Violence? The Case of Sexual Aggression. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE, 5(3), 305-313.
• Bletzer, K. V., Bletzer, K. V., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2011). From Parallel to Intersecting Narratives in Cases of Sexual Assault. Qualitative health research.
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  Restorative justice alternatives to criminal justice are designed to balance the needs of victims, offenders, families, friends, and the community at large to achieve social justice, repair of victims, and deterrence of crime. In the model we evaluated from RESTORE (Responsibility and Equity for Sexual Transgressions Offering a Restorative Experience), each offender and victim received individual services and met in guided conferencing to mutually determine reparative actions for the offender. At the exit meeting, the offender, as the responsible person, read a written apology to the survivor/victim. In this article, we analyze the expression of empathy in the apology, in which the initial mitigation of responsibility in early documents was replaced by acknowledgment of harm to the survivor/victim and acceptance of responsibility for the assault. Those accused of felony rape and those targeting a visible person in cases of misdemeanor indecent exposure expressed greater regret and remorse than offenders of indecent exposure with an indeterminate victim.
• Bletzer, K. V., Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., Eaves, E. R., Goldman, D., Bletzer, K. V., Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., Eaves, E. R., & Goldman, D. (2011). Taking humor seriously: talking about drinking in Native American focus groups. Medical anthropology, 30(3), 295-318.
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  Focus groups provide a source of data that highlight community ideas on a topic of interest. How interview data will be utilized varies by project. With this in mind, we identify ways that focus group data from a particular population (Native American) articulate a health issue of individual tribal concern (alcohol consumption). Taking our analytic framework from linguistics, one of the four fields of inquiry in anthropology, we examine format ties and the performance of humor as stylistic features of tribal focus groups and illustrate how linguistic devices can be used in analyzing aspects of adolescent and adult drinking. Focus group data require systematic review and analysis to identify useful findings that can lead to inquiry points to initiate collaborative work with local experts before the data can be developed and configured into effective program initiatives.
• Bramsen, R. H., Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Lasgaard, M., Elklit, A., Elklit, A., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2011). The development and psychometric assessment of the adolescent sexual coercion risk scale. Journal of interpersonal violence, 26(8), 1524-40.
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  The objective of this study was to develop a psychometric measure of risk for sexual victimization from adolescent peers. Items were generated on the basis of the literature and on consultations with a multidisciplinary group of key informants. The items were administered to a sample of 327 female Grade-9 students and examined using exploratory factor analysis. The Adolescent Sexual Coercion Risk Scale items formed two lower-order factors composed of items regarding signaling sexual boundaries and displaying risk behaviors, respectively. Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis supported the two factors, and preliminary psychometric analyses demonstrated that the factors have satisfactory internal consistency. In addition, low scores on the ability to signal sexual boundaries and high scores on risk behaviors were associated with self-reported peer sexual victimization, supporting the validity of the factors as measures of risk. Future validation and potential usage of the measure are discussed.
• Cook, S. L., Cook, S. L., Gidycz, C. A., Gidycz, C. A., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Murphy, M., & Murphy, M. (2011). Emerging issues in the measurement of rape victimization. Violence against women, 17(2), 201-18.
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  We provide an overview of emerging directions in the measurement of rape, the most extreme form of sexual victimization. The context for our overview is how operational definitions of rape have evolved, where consensus has emerged, and where it eludes the field. We discuss two approaches to the detection of rape victimization in survey methods, namely behaviorally specific questions and a new, two-stage approach, and how each can be evaluated in terms of validity. We point out promises and pitfalls of the two-stage approach and make suggestions for its implementation and evaluation. We conclude that all empirical research to date supports the use of behaviorally specific compared to broad questions, that a standard definition of rape and its components of act, tactics, and nonconsent is imperative to move the field forward, and that research to systematically validate methods of detecting rape victimization is needed. To that end, we propose an agenda.
• Cook, S. L., Gidycz, C. A., Koss, M. P., & Murphy, M. (2011). Emerging Issues in the Measurement of Rape Victimization. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, 17(2), 201-218.
• Koss, M. P., Denmark, F., Krauss, H., Halpern, E., & Sechzer, J. (2011). Restoring rape survivors - Justice, advocacy, and a call to action. VIOLENCE AND EXPLOITATION AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS, 1087, 206-234.
• Swartout, K. M., Koss, M. P., White, J. W., Thompson, M. P., Abbey, A., & Bellis, A. L. (2011). Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption. JAMA PEDIATRICS, 169(12), 1148-1154.
• Thompson, M. P., Koss, M. P., Kingree, J. B., Goree, J., & Rice, J. (2011). A Prospective Mediational Model of Sexual Aggression Among College Men. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, 26(13), 2716-2734.
• Thompson, M. P., Thompson, M. P., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Kingree, J. B., Kingree, J. B., Goree, J., Goree, J., Rice, J., & Rice, J. (2011). A prospective mediational model of sexual aggression among college men. Journal of interpersonal violence, 26(13), 2716-34.
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  Guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), the authors examined prospective associations of attitudes, norms, and control with sexual aggression (SA) perpetration 1 year later among male college students. Data were collected from 652 males via confidential, self-report surveys at the end of their 1st and 2nd years in college. Results indicated that attitudes conducive to SA and perceived norms supportive of SA were associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in SA 1 year later, and mediated the associations of some established risk factors for SA. The findings identify potentially changeable risk factors for perpetrating SA and can thus contribute to the foundation on which to build theoretical and empirically based prevention programs.
• Dunkle, K. L., Jewkes, R., Nduna, M., Jama, N., Levin, J., Sikweyiya, Y., & Koss, M. P. (2010). Transactional sex with casual and main partners among young South African men in the rural Eastern Cape: Prevalence, predictors, and associations with gender-based violence. SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 65(6), 1235-1248.
• Poindexter, W. T., Reikowsky, R. C., Koss, M. P., & Pennell, J. (2010). Supporting Family-Led Processes Within a Social Work Agency: Lessons Learned. Protecting Children, 25(2), 19-26.
• Yuan, N. P., Yuan, N. P., Eaves, E. R., Eaves, E. R., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., Polacca, M., Bletzer, K., Bletzer, K., Goldman, D., & Goldman, D. (2010). "Alcohol is something that been with us like a common cold": community perceptions of American Indian drinking. Substance use & misuse, 45(12), 1909-29.
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  This study examined tribal members' perspectives on alcohol, risk factors, consequences, and community responses. Focus groups were conducted with five American Indian tribes between 1997 and 2001. Participants were knowledgeable of the cultural lives of their reservation communities. Although there was agreement regarding the pervasiveness of heavy drinking, participants reported different opinions about the meaning of alcohol and appropriate intervention strategies. Three dilemmas were identified, suggesting that community ambivalence may serve as a barrier to reducing problem drinking. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed. The study was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
• Dunkle, K. L., Jewkes, R. K., Nduna, M., Levin, J., Jama, N., Khuzwayo, N., Koss, M. P., & Duvvury, N. (2008). Perpetration of partner violence and HIV risk behaviour among young men in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. AIDS, 20(16), 2107-2114.
• Jewkes, R., Dunkle, K., Koss, M. P., Levin, J. B., Nduna, M., Jama, N., & Sikweyiya, Y. (2008). Rape perpetration by young, rural South African men: Prevalence, patterns and risk factors. SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 63(11), 2949-2961.
• Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., White, J. W., & White, J. W. (2008). National and global agendas on violence against women: historical perspective and consensus. The American journal of orthopsychiatry, 78(4), 386-93.
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  A policy analysis of 11 national and global institutions' violence against women agendas spanning 1990 to 2006 is presented. Analysis revealed 85 distinct recommendations. The highest percentages of them referenced prevention (29%); data, design, and measurement (21%); and psychotherapy and support (19%). Consensus (percentage of recommendations for future activities included in four or more agendas) was highest for advocacy (75%), funding (50%), prevention (48%), and data, design, and measurement (44%). Changes in emphasis over time, aims that have been abandoned, and observations contrasting U.S. and global agendas are also examined. The results create a context to inform the agendas currently in development within psychology, criminal justice, medicine, nursing, public health, and other disciplines. Next steps to guide future policy work include investigation of advocates', practitioners', researchers', and policymakers' perceived progress in implementing existing recommendations, empirical cataloguing of achievements that demonstrate progress toward aims, constituent input on reprioritization of activities, and contemporizing action steps.
• Dunkle, K. L., Dunkle, K. L., Jewkes, R., Jewkes, R., Nduna, M., Nduna, M., Jama, N., Jama, N., Levin, J., Levin, J., Sikweyiya, Y., Sikweyiya, Y., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2007). Transactional sex with casual and main partners among young South African men in the rural Eastern Cape: prevalence, predictors, and associations with gender-based violence. Social science & medicine (1982), 65(6), 1235-48.
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  We explored the prevalence and predictors of transactional sex with casual partners and main girlfriends among 1288 men aged 15-26 from 70 villages in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with young men enroling in the Stepping Stones HIV prevention trial. A total of 17.7% of participants reported giving material resources or money to casual sex partners and 6.6% received resources from a casual partner. Transactionally motivated relationships with main girlfriends were more balanced between giving (14.9%) and getting (14.3%). We constructed multivariable models to identify the predictors for giving and for getting material resources in casual and in main relationships. Each model resulted in remarkably similar predictors. All four types of exchange were associated with higher socio-economic status, more adverse childhood experiences, more lifetime sexual partners, and alcohol use. Men who were more resistant to peer pressure to have sex were less likely to report transactional sex with casual partners, and men who reported more equitable gender attitudes were less likely to report main partnerships underpinned by exchange. The most consistent predictors of all four types of transaction were perpetration of intimate partner violence and rape against women other than a main partner. The strong and consistent association between perpetration of gender-based violence and both giving and getting material goods from female partners suggests that transactional sex in both main and casual relationships should be viewed within a broader continuum of men's exercise of gendered power and control. HIV prevention interventions need to explicitly address transactional sex in the context of ideas about masculinity, which place a high emphasis on heterosexual success with, and control of, women.
• Koss, M. P., Abbey, A., Campbell, R., Cook, S., Norris, J., Testa, M., Ullman, S., West, C., & White, J. (2007). Revising the SES: A collaborative process to improve assessment of sexual aggression and victimization. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY, 31(4), 357-370.
• Bramsen, R. H., Lasgaard, M., Elklit, A., & Koss, M. P. (2006). The Development and Psychometric Assessment of the Adolescent Sexual Coercion Risk Scale. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, 26(8), 1524-1540.
• Dunkle, K. L., Dunkle, K. L., Jewkes, R. K., Jewkes, R. K., Nduna, M., Nduna, M., Levin, J., Levin, J., Jama, N., Jama, N., Khuzwayo, N., Khuzwayo, N., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Duvvury, N., & Duvvury, N. (2006). Perpetration of partner violence and HIV risk behaviour among young men in the rural Eastern Cape, South Africa. AIDS (London, England), 20(16), 2107-14.
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  To examine associations between the perpetration of intimate partner violence and HIV risk behaviour among young men in rural South Africa.
• Jewkes, R., Jewkes, R., Dunkle, K., Dunkle, K., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Levin, J. B., Levin, J. B., Nduna, M., Nduna, M., Jama, N., Jama, N., Sikweyiya, Y., & Sikweyiya, Y. (2006). Rape perpetration by young, rural South African men: Prevalence, patterns and risk factors. Social science & medicine (1982), 63(11), 2949-61.
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  Sexual violence is a well-recognised global health problem, but there has been remarkably little research on men as perpetrators. The objectives of this paper are to describe the prevalence, patterns and factors associated with rape of an intimate partner and a woman who was not a partner with men aged 15-26 years in rural South Africa. The analysis presented here is of data collected during a baseline survey of participants in a cluster randomised controlled trial of an HIV behavioural intervention. A total of 1370 male volunteers were recruited from 70 rural South African villages. They completed a questionnaire asking about background, sexual practices and perpetration of rape and intimate partner violence. Among these men 16.3% had raped a non-partner, or participated in a form of gang rape; 8.4% had been sexually violent towards an intimate partner; and 79.1% had done neither. The mean age of first rape was 17 years. There was overlap between rape of a non-partner and partner, in that 44.3% of men who raped an intimate partner had also raped a non-partner, but overall the great majority of men who raped did not disclose both types of rape. The factors associated with rape of an intimate partner and non-partner had similarities and differences. After adjusting for the other variables, both forms of rape were strongly associated with ever having been physically violent to a partner, having had transactional sex with a casual partner and more sexual partners. Non-partner rape was also associated with peer-related variables, including gang membership and peer pressure to have sex, and also drug use. Non-partner rape was more common among wealthier and relatively more socially advantaged men. Both types of rape were associated with having more adverse childhood experiences. There was considerable overlap between rape-associated factors and known HIV risk factors, suggesting a need for further research on the interface of rape and HIV, and integrated prevention programming.
• Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2006). Restoring rape survivors: justice, advocacy, and a call to action. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087, 206-34.
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  Rape results in mental and physical health, social, and legal consequences. For the latter, restorative justice-based programs might augment community response, but they generate controversy among advocates and policy makers. This article identifies survivors' needs and existing community responses to them. Survivors feel their legal needs are most poorly met due to justice system problems that can be summarized as attrition, retraumatization, and disparate treatment across gender, class, and ethnic lines. Empirical data support each problem and the conclusion that present justice options are inadequate. The article concludes by identifying common ground in advocacy and restorative justice goals and calls for a holistic approach to the needs of rape survivors that includes advocating for expanded justice alternatives. A call to action is issued to implement restorative alternatives to expand survivor choice and offender accountability. Conventional and restorative justice are often viewed as mutually exclusive whereas the author argues they are complementary.
• Malamuth, N. M., Hald, G. M., & Koss, M. (2006). Pornography, Individual Differences in Risk and Men's Acceptance of Violence Against Women in a Representative Sample. SEX ROLES, 66(7-8), 427-439.
• Yuan, N. P., Eaves, E. R., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., Bletzer, K., & Goldman, D. (2006). "Alcohol is Something That Been With Us Like a Common Cold": Community Perceptions of American Indian Drinking. SUBSTANCE USE & MISUSE, 45(12), 1909-1929.
• Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., & Goldman, D. (2006). Risk factors for physical assault and rape among six native American tribes. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE, 21(12), 1566-1590.
• Yuan, N. P., Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., Polacca, M., Goldman, D., & Goldman, D. (2006). Risk factors for physical assault and rape among six Native American tribes. Journal of interpersonal violence, 21(12), 1566-90.
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  Prevalence and correlates of adult physical assault and rape in six Native American tribes are presented (N = 1,368). Among women, 45% reported being physically assaulted and 14% were raped since age 18 years. For men, figures were 36% and 2%, respectively. Demographic characteristics, adverse childhood experiences, adulthood alcohol dependence, and cultural and regional variables were assessed. Using logistic regression, predictors of physical assault among women were marital status, an alcoholic parent, childhood maltreatment, and lifetime alcohol dependence. Predictors of sexual assault among women were marital status, childhood maltreatment, and lifetime alcohol dependence. Among men, only childhood maltreatment and lifetime alcohol dependence predicted being physically assaulted. Tribal differences existed in rates of physical assault (both sexes) and rape (women only). The results underscore the problem of violence victimization among Native Americans and point to certain environmental features that increase risk of adulthood physical and sexual assault. Implications for tribe-specific interventions are discussed.
• Abbey, A., Abbey, A., Parkhill, M. R., Parkhill, M. R., Koss, M. P., & Koss, M. P. (2005). THE EFFECTS OF FRAME OF REFERENCE ON RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIMIZATION AND PERPETRATION. Psychology of women quarterly, 29(4), 364-373.
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  Self-reports of sexual assault are affected by a variety of factors including the number of questions, question phrasing, and context. Participants (307 women, 166 men) were randomly assigned to one of two forms of a questionnaire. One form had the tactics used to obtain forced sex as the initial frame of reference, whereas the other form had the type of sex that was forced as the initial frame of reference. Seventy-five percent of the women who received the tactics-first version reported that they had at least one victimization experience since the age of 14, as compared to 62% of the women who received the type-of-sex-first version. Sixty-nine percent of the men who received the tactics-first version reported that they had at least one perpetration experience since the age of 14, as compared to 36% of the men who received the type-of-sex-first version. These findings have implications for how questionnaires should be designed to maximize reporting of sexual assault incidents.
• Koss, M. P., & Figueredo, A. J. (2004). Change in cognitive mediators of rape's impact on psychosocial health across 2 years of recovery. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(6), 1063-1072.
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  PMID: 15612852;Abstract: A previously published cross-sectional model of cognitive mediation of rape's impact on health (M. P. Koss, A. J. Figueredo, & R. J. Prince, 2002) was replicated longitudinally. Rape survivors (n = 59) were assessed 4 times at 3-24 months postrape. Growth curve analysis demonstrated significant change in all mediators and outcomes. Previously reported effects of Characterological Self-Blame, Behavioral Self-Blame, and Maladaptive Beliefs on Psychosocial Distress were partially cross-validated in intercept and slope data. The results suggest that Characterological Self-Blame sets the initial level of Psychosocial Distress and that reduction in Behavioral Self-Blame drives recovery. These effects on distress were wholly mediated through self-blame's association with alterations in beliefs about self and others.
• Koss, M. P., & Figueredo, A. J. (2004). Cognitive mediation of rape's mental health impact: Constructive replication of a cross-sectional model in longitudinal data. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(4), 273-286.
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  Abstract: The constructive replication of a prespecified, cognitively mediated model of rape's impact on psychosocial health is reported using longitudinal data (see Koss, Figueredo, & Prince, 2002, for a summary of model development). Rape survivors (n = 59) were assessed four times, 3 to 24 months postrape. Structural equations modeling of baseline data (intercepts) and rate of change over time (slopes) revealed that all large effects replicated, smaller effects did not. The model's central features were confirmed and showed that Psychological Problem History exacerbated Characterological Self-Blame, leading to more Maladaptive Beliefs, which determined initial Psychosocial Distress and its rate of decline. The major contributions of the study include: (a) placement in a research program designed to balance the strengths/limitations of cross-sectional and longitudinal data; (b) analysis of prerape characteristics, cognitive mediators, and multiple psychosocial distress variables in a system; and (c) a strategy for structural equations modeling in small samples.
• Koss, M. P., & White, J. W. (2003). National and Global Agendas on Violence Against Women: Historical Perspective and Consensus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, 78(4), 386-393.
• Koss, M. P., Figueredo, A. J., & Prince, R. J. (2002). Cognitive mediation of rape's mental, physical, and social health impact: Tests of four models in cross-sectional data. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(4), 926-941.
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  PMID: 12182276;Abstract: Four nested, theoretically specified, increasingly complex models were tested representing cognitive mediation of rape's effects on mental, physical, and social health. Data were cross-sectional (N = 253 rape survivors). Outcomes were standardized assessments of social maladjustment, physical, and psychological symptoms, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The best-fitting model was not fully cognitively mediated. Personological and rape characteristics influenced the level of self-blame experienced and the intensity of maladaptive beliefs about self and others. Self-blame and maladaptive beliefs predicted psychological distress, which strongly influenced all health outcomes. Self-ratings of rape memory characteristics contributed little to predicting postrape distress. The model accounted for 56% of the variance in general distress, including 91% of psychological symptom severity; 54% of PTSD symptoms; 65% of social maladjustment; and 17% of physical symptoms. Longitudinal replication is planned.
• White, J. W., Smith, P. H., Koss, M. P., & Figueredo, A. J. (2000). Intimate partner aggression - What have we learned? Comment on Archer (2000). Psychological Bulletin, 126(5), 690-696.
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  PMID: 10989618;Abstract: This commentary on J. Archer (2000) identifies limitations at the level of the primary data, the formal meta-analysis. and the interpretations of the results. Highlighted are concerns with the conceptual dichotomy that is the foundation of the analysis, how aggression was conceptualized and defined, and the methodological problems in the studies included in the database that were not neutralized by the meta-analysis. These include inadequate measurement of contextual factors and injury outcomes, scaling issues, and sampling concerns. The authors question the degree to which the field is advanced by this meta-analysis when the results are placed in the context of these limitations. Following American Association for the Advancement of Science directives (I. Lerch, 1999), the authors believe that inadequate attention was paid to the policy implications of the conclusions raising the potential to undermine societal efforts to eradicate violence against women.
• Koss, M. P., Figueredo, A. J., Bell, I., Tharan, M., & Tromp, S. (1996). Traumatic memory characteristics: A cross-validated mediational model of response to rape among employed women. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105(3), 421-432.
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  PMID: 8772012;Abstract: In a cross-validated mediational model, the authors examined characteristics of memories formed in response to rape and other intense unpleasant and pleasant experiences. Data were responses to a mailed survey of women medical center and university employees. Measurement models of memory and symptom factors and a structural model with pathways among cognitive appraisal, emotional valence, memory characteristics, and health outcomes were developed in Sample 1 (N = 1,307) and confirmed in Sample 2(N = 2,142). Rape had substantial direct effects on 2 memory factors (Clarity and Affect) and indirect effects through the construal of victimization. Rape was associated with memories described as more emotionally intense but less clear and coherent and less often thought of or talked about. Most effects on physical symptoms were nonsignificant. Implications of findings for neurohormonal and multiple representation models of emotional memory and to cognitive avoidance are discussed.

Presentations

• Lopez, E. C., Koss, M. P., & Hensell, C. J. (2015, June). Safe Bars: Preliminary Data from a Bystander-Based Training Program for Liquor-Serving Staff to Identify and Respond to Signs of Sexual Predation. Panel: The Role of Alcohol in Bystander Intervention for Sexual Violence. Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX: Research Society on Alcoholism.
• Lopez, E. C., Koss, M. P., & Hensell, C. J. (2015, September). Developing Bystander Training for Bars Around College Campuses: Lessons Learned from the Arizona Safer Bars Alliance. National Sexual Assault Conference. Los Angeles, CA: National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).
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  This standing-room-only, two-hour session included approximately 100 participants and was recorded for subsequent online broadcast. At the time of this writing (6/18/16), the presentation is listed as having been published online 4 months ago, and has received 225 online views.

Poster Presentations

• Lopez, E. C., & Koss, M. P. (2015, April). Mediational Modeling: An Innovative, Hypothesized Approach to Measuring Bar Staff Bystander Training for Sexual Violence Perpetration Prevention. Public Health Research Poster Forum. Tucson, AZ: The University of Arizona.
• Lopez, E. C., Koss, M. P., Harty, E., Nigon, B., & Hensell, C. J. (2015, November). Using the Theory of Planned Behavior to Develop and Evaluate a Bystander Skills Training for Alcohol-Serving Staff to Respond to Sexually-Aggressive Behavior. APHA Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL: American Public Health Association.

Others

• Koss, M. P., Abbey, A., Campbell, R., Cook, S., Norris, J., Testa, M., Ullman, S., West, C., & White, J. (2015, DEC). Revising The SES: A Collaborative Process To Improve Assessment Of Sexual Aggression And Victimization (vol 31, pg 357, 2007). PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY.
• Koss, M. P. (2007, JUN). Hidden, Unacknowledged, Acquaintance, and Date Rape: Looking Back, Looking Forward. PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN QUARTERLY.