Response to Campus Serial Rapist Assumption study

A recent study, A Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption, published in JAMA Pediatrics raises questions about the serial perpetrator hypothesis.  PreventConnect held a web conference examining the prevention implications from this article.

PreventConnect offered David Lisak, the co-author of the 2002 article Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected Rapists that is referenced in the new study, an opportunity to provide his perspective on this new study.  The response includes a cover letter from David Lisak, “What Does ‘Derivation Dataset’ Used in Swartout et al. 2015 Tell Us About Serial Rape? Simple Frequency Analyses: Analyses and Presentation” by Jim Hopper, and  a “Methodological Critique: Executive Summary” by Allison J. Tracy. Click here for response from David Lisak, Jim Hopper and Allison Tracy.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center released a report Rethinking Serial Perpetration exploring the research on this topic.

UPDATE January 2016: Kevin Swartout, Ph.D., co-author of, A Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption, made the following statement:

“Hopper, Lisak, and Tracy have raised concerns about the Swartout et al. (2015) article that challenges the serial rape perspective on college men who perpetrate persistently across their enrollment in higher education.  The paper has been re-reviewed by JAMA statistical consultants and editors.  At their direction, we have thoroughly reviewed all of the data analyses, as well as conducted an additional analysis that was requested.  The outcome was an editorial decision that the paper is sound, requires no changes, reaches conclusions supported by the data, and that the implications stand as published. We look forward to continuing our studies, future work by other scientists, and collaborating to apply the findings to policy and practice.”

UPDATE April 2016:  A blog post on Retraction Watch was posted about JAMA Pediatrics rejecting a letter rebutting the study published in that journal.