Who Agrees to Participate in Longitudinal Research on Campus Sexual Violence? An Analysis of Consent to Follow-Up Communication and Survey Response Rates

Prior research has documented high rates of sexual violence on college campuses, underscoring the need for representative and accurate data in this area. Although evidence suggests minimal bias in recruitment or response rates in cross-sectional research, these issues have not been thoroughly examined in longitudinal research. Leveraging a unique study design, we explored whether participant characteristics are associated with consent to and participation in longitudinal research on sexual violence. A total of 1,465 undergraduate students were recruited for an initial baseline survey. Two subsamples (women and nonbinary students who reported experiencing sexual violence during college, and a matched non-victimized group) were then prompted to provide consent for future communication about two follow-up surveys, 3 and 6 months after their initial participation. Participants who agreed to follow-up communication reported higher levels of posttraumatic stress – but not higher rates of college or pre-college sexual violence – than participants who declined follow-up communication. Additionally, participants with a minoritized sexual identity were more likely than heterosexual participants to consent to follow-up communication. Completion rates for follow-up surveys did not significantly differ by baseline sexual violence history, posttraumatic stress, or minoritized racial or sexual identity status. Results indicate that some individuals may express greater interest in participating in longitudinal sexual violence research, but survey completion rates do not vary by participant characteristics. Overall, these findings suggest that potential bias associated with participation in research on sexual violence may be limited in scope or confined to specific subgroups of respondents.