Interpersonal, Community, and Institutional Influences on Sexual Consent Among Fraternity and Sorority Students in the Context of a Hookup: A Qualitative Analysis

College sexual assault is a persistent public health problem in the United States. A public health approach to develop effective prevention strategies must take into account the social ecology of college campuses, including interpersonal-, community-, and institutional-level factors that may influence sexual assault. To maximize effectiveness, prevention strategies should be tailored to reflect contextual factors of specific college communities and situations where sexual assault is more likely to occur. Using one-on-one semi-structured interviews, this qualitative study of fraternity and sorority students examined interpersonal, community, and institutional factors influencing consent within the context of a hookup. Participants included 42 sexually active, predominantly heterosexual undergraduate fraternity and sorority members. From interviews, eight modifiable factors emerged that influence student consent behavior: (a) Awkwardness and fear of rejection; (b) Traditional heterosexual sexual scripts; (c) Coercion; (d) Men’s fear of being accused of sexual assault; (e) Peers and the sexual double standard; (f) Sex and the Greek social hierarchy; (g) Drunk sex; and (h) Greek environments. College sexual assault prevention efforts should be tailored to the fraternity and sorority community and aim to address these eight factors to prevent sexual assault within the high-risk context of hookups.