Sexual Misconduct Policies at Institutes of Higher Education: An Integrative Review

Although federal legislation designed to advance sexual misconduct policies at institutes of higher education (IHEs) has been in effect for decades, recent national attention has put more pressure on IHEs to combat sexual violence on their campuses. Thus, the past few years have yielded significant research that examines federal compliance, dissemination, and perception of IHE sexual misconduct policies. This integrative review was conducted to assess sexual misconduct policies in the United States and the potential to prevent and combat sexual violence at IHEs through these policies. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and using a quality assessment tool to ensure rigor, eight studies were synthesized. Findings indicate that IHE sexual misconduct policies vary widely and that most IHEs lack transparent, legislation-compliant policies. There remains a need for research examining the association between sexual misconduct policy, campus climate, and students' behavior, so as to better inform future sexual misconduct interventions and IHE policies. Forensic nurses may be key stakeholders in policy development that is currently missing from the literature.