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Campus sexual assault continues to be a major problem, impacting one in four college women.

Parents can educate their daughters and sons about steps they can take to reduce campus sexual violence.

Sexual assault resistance programs for women have been shown to reduce assault.

More campus programs need to be implemented to reduce campus sexual violence.

Campus sexual assault has been in the news lately due to the sexual assault allegations at Cornell. Sexual assault has always been a fear of many parents as they send their daughters to college. While both women and men can be sexually assaulted, the victims are predominantly women, which will be the focus of this article.

Reports show 26% of college women experience sexual assault at some point in their college years. While most men do not assault women, surveys showed that the percentage of college men who admitted to behavior that met the definition of rape or attempted rape increased from 8% in 1985 to 13% in 2015. Of note, rape is a term that means nonconsensual penetrative sex, while sexual assault includes any nonconsensual sexual contact.

Parents should be aware of the nature and frequency of sexual assault on campus so they can talk about prevention. They can let their children know they will support them if the worst happens.

Over my 30-year career as a psychiatrist, I have worked with hundreds of college students who have been assaulted. I will share stories I have heard to offer insights about this experience and what helps........

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