About
Mary Koss, PhD, is a Regents’ Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. She published the first national study of sexual assault among college students in 1987, which is the subject of I Never Called it Rape: The Ms. Report on Recognizing, Fighting and Surviving Date and Acquaintance Rape (2019). The story of this work is featured on National Public Radio’s This American Life, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/770/my-lying-eyes In 2022 she published a 30-year prevalence comparison in new national data that demonstrate sexual exploitation occurs even more frequently now than then. Especially salient were the percentage of rapes that involved victims incapacitated by alcohol. Her ongoing prevention work is funded by NIAAA and is a clinical trial of a sexual assault bystander prevention program focusing on staff of liquor serving establishments (Safer Bars).
Koss led the 14-member team that has recently revised the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES-V, 2024) to measure sexual exploitation prevalence, which is explored in a 6-article special issue of The Journal of Sex Research published open access in July 2024. The SES-V materials are available on Open Science https://osf.io/hxpsk For a survey demonstration on mobile phone, click: https://uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6A64XSPRlCReRTM (looks best if done from a phone).
Koss was the principal investigator of the RESTORE Program; the first [and still only] restorative justice program for sex crimes among adults that was quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated and published in scientific peer review journals. With a colleague, she recently worked on a listening project to learn what survivor victims say they needed to help them recover, their experiences with justice, and their reactions to the restorative justice conferencing model. Recognizing the mismatch between victims perceived post-assault needs and what key informants envision as their service scope, she advocates for victim-centered, trauma informed resolution outside the criminal legal system as a component of a comprehensive menu of post-assault services (Chisolm & Koss, 2024, International Journal of Restorative Justice and 2024 Violence Against Women). An article illustrating how this vision could be accomplished within existing VAWA purpose areas recently appeared in Psychology of Violence.
Her credentials document close to 200 peer review empirical publications and sustained consultations with national and international health organizations and governments. She has received honors from the American Psychological Association: the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy (2000), Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology (2017), the Carolyn Wood Sherif Award for Sustained Contributions to Psychology of Women (2020), and the Trailblazer Award (2022) from the Sexual Violence Research Initiative based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Recent Webinars for workforce development are viewable on YouTube including:
University of South Carolina School of Law (2021) Fundamentals of Restorative Justice
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/DOsbCkUzAJiAqxQ-q0ANmb5WXnEaYcs-Li0-XBtELOPRVrMw5LVpcwwsJDncHYM5.Kh5RXrX-bJkXGU-x
One Standard of Justice (2021). Experience from Practicing Restorative Justice for Sexual Harm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apTShtlJ7lo
Society for Scientific Study of Social Issues (2023). How do you make your research matter to policy makers and practitioners?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSYAQqrltXE
Koss is included as a significant feminist voice in the history of psychology history of feminist psychology https://feministvoices.com/profiles/mary-koss Her 2018 op-ed on differentiating sexual abuse, sexual assault and sexual harassment that appeared in The Conversation has received more than 1.4 million views; her most recent work published on this site addresses how people facilitate sexual exploitation through enabling, complicity, and co-perpetration.
She currently advises the USAID [United States Agency for International Development] Taskforce on Sexual Misconduct and the American Psychological Association Advisory Group on Women’s Health.
Skills & Expertise
Public Health Policy Leadership
Clinical Psychology
Sexual Violence Prevention
Restorative Justice Conferencing
Sexual Health Research
Public Policy Research
Violence Prevention Programs
Restorative Justice
Sexual Assault Research
Bystander Intervention
Sexual Exploitation
Trauma-Informed Care
Gender-Based Violence
Feminist Psychology
Research Interests
Data analysis
Program Evaluation
Public Health Policy
Clinical Psychology
Sexual Violence Research
Restorative Justice
Bystander Intervention
Victim Advocacy
Trauma-Informed Care
Sexual Assault Prevention
Survey Development
Feminist Psychology
Policy Consultation
Academic Publishing
Workforce Development
Gender-based violence
restorative justice
Sexual violence
campus sexual assault
Connect With Me
Experience
Regent's Professor of Public Health
Mary Koss, PhD, is a professor and researcher at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health with joint appointments as professor of psychiatry, family and community medicine, and psychology. Her scholarship focuses on sexual exploitation epidemiology and prevention. Her teaching includes relationship violence and human sexuality.
Professor
Assistant Professor
Education
University of Minnesota (UMN)
University of Michigan
Projects
Criminal Victimization: The Somatic Impact of Psychological Stress (85-IJ-CX-0038)
Hidden Rape: A National Study
Hidden Rape on a University Campus
Hidden Rape on a University Campus (MH 31618). Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Center for
the Prevention and Control of Rape (1978-1981, $161,236, Role: PI, 25% FTE).
Sexual Violence Prevention and Education (ASBA)
1/1/2014-12-31/18 (awarded yearly). Sexual Violence Prevention and Education (ASBA)
[Arizona Safer Bars Alliance]. This project is funded through the Arizona Department of
Health Services, Agreement No. ADHS16-122850. The goal is to evaluate the ASBA
bystander sexual assault prevention program designed for liquor serving staff of bars
surrounding three Arizona Universities (UA, ASU, NAU). (Role: PI and transitioned to
Co-PI in 2017 with Elise Lopez, DrPH as PI, FTE varies).
Conferences & Seminars (6)
Lessons Learned from Using GIS M apping for Community Violence Prevention Planning
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping is a novel method for spatially visualizing data, and has been
used in community health planning to assess health inequity issues such as life span, poverty, and access to
healthy foods. In recent years, CDC has suggested that assessment the relationship between alcohol policies
and police reports for interpersonal violence should be considered in community violence prevention planning.
Particularly, it has been suggested that there may be a spatial relationship between density of liquor licenses
(i.e., many liquor-serving establishments close together) and ‘hot spots’ of police reports for physical and sexual
violence. Violence prevention specialists have been encouraged to use GIS mapping to assess spatial patterns
of interpersonal violence in order to identify areas in which to target prevention efforts. Although GIS mapping is
an exceptional tool for presenting data, the resources needed to use this method using public data is rarely
discussed. In this presentation, we will discuss a recent study undertaken by researchers and students at The
University of Arizona to map the relationship between liquor licenses and police reports of violent crime in four
major cities in Arizona. Data on liquor licenses was obtained from the state liquor licensing department, and crime
datasets were obtained from local police departments. The results showed hot spots of police reports for violence
around major university campuses, which typically had high densities of alcohol-serving establishments within a
one-mile radius. In this presentation, we will focus on general lessons learned from the GIS process, which was a
new method for the research team, that can be applied to using this approach to measure health equity/inequity.
Specifically, we will discuss successes and challenges in planning for GIS mapping on a limited budget, obtaining
and cleaning data, software and personnel skills needed to conduct GIS mapping, and tips for making maps
useful for policy and practice. Examples of how the GIS maps from this study were utilized in policy and practice
recommendations in Arizona will also be discussed.
The Psychological Consequences of Sexual Trauma
The psychological consequences of sexual trauma among
survivors have been widely studied, but research investigations continue, in part, because rates of violence
against girls and women remain high. The National Violence
Against Women Survey found that 18% of women reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape during their lifetime
(Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). More than half (54%) of the rape
survivors that responded to the survey were younger than age
18 when they experienced their first attempted or completed
rape. Ongoing research attention to mental health outcomes is
also driven by evidence that survivors’ responses are largely
complex and unique to each individual (Briere & Jordan,
2004). Some individuals experience severe symptoms or longterm distress, whereas others do not (e.g., Kendall-Tackett,
Williams, & Finkelhor, 1993). The diversity in outcomes may
be attributed to characteristics of the violent acts, environmental conditions, survivor attributes, and availability of social
support and resources. Another contributing factor is the use of
different methodologies across research investigations. Although some individuals may be resilient to the negative effects
of sexual trauma, it does not minimize the observation that for
other women sexual victimization is the most devastating event
they will experience.
This paper describes current research findings on the effects
of childhood and adulthood sexual victimization on women’s
mental health. Existing data on understudied communities
and risk factors for mental health problems are also presented.
Childhood and adulthood sexual violence are discussed
separately because, contrary to public opinion, sexual violence
against children is fairly common and is frequently associated
with psychological distress that continues into adulthood. There
is also evidence that the mental health effects of childhood
sexual victimization might be different from those due to
adulthood victimization (e.g., Coid et al., 2003). This document
does not cover other health outcomes, such as chronic medical
conditions and reproductive and maternal health problems,
because those outcomes make up a distinct body of literature that requires a focused review in their own right.
Having knowledge in this area is critical for all
individuals working with survivors, including victim
advocates, community health workers, and policy
makers. First, it promotes continued empathy and
support for survivors. Second, the knowledge may
help diverse groups of service providers respond to
current trends toward professionalization of the field
of sexual violence. As state and federal funding for
violence against women face budget cuts from year
to year, organizations have had to move away from
grassroots models to professional models (Patricia
Yancey Martin, 2005). Professional models include
the use of evaluation and analytic tools and other
activities related to writing proposals and managing
grants and contracts. This requires knowledge
of the research literature and the language and
conceptual models frequently used by scientists and
professionals. This paper provides a review that will
hopefully facilitate discussions of the psychological
consequences of sexual victimization across different
individuals and organizations that work with or for
survivors.
Changed lives: The psychological impact of sexual harassment
experiencing sexual harassment transforms women into victims and changes their lives / much has been written about the experience of victimization including its impact on deeply held beliefs and values, immediate and long-term effects on mental health, and fallout in social and work arenas / the goal of this paper is to review the literature that documents these psychological impacts of sexual harassment and to present a cognitive model of victimization that attempts to explain the origin of these effects (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
I never called it rape: The "Ms." report on recognizing, fighting, and surviving date and acquaintance rape
I never called it rape: The "Ms." report on recognizing, fighting, and surviving date and acquaintance rape.
A Resources section has been included to help readers with a variety of interests, from learning more about the dynamics of acquaintance rape to setting up a campus or community program for prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
Warshaw, R. (1988). I never called it rape: The "Ms." report on recognizing, fighting, and surviving date and acquaintance rape. Harper & Row Publishers.
No safe haven: Male violence against women at home, at work, and in the community.
No safe haven: Male violence against women at home, at work, and in the community.
© Request Permissions
Koss, M. P., Goodman, L. A., Browne, A., Fitzgerald, L. F., Keita, G. P., & Russo, N. F. (1994). No safe haven: Male violence against women at home, at work, and in the community. American Psychological Association.
https://doi.org/10.1037/10156-000
"No Safe Haven" provides a comprehensive . . . look at the pervasive nature of violence against women. It reviews current psychological research on the prevalence, causes, and effects of forms of violence against adult women and describes existing and recommended interventions, legal changes, and policy initiatives to address the problem.
[The book] focuses on 3 common types of abuse against adult women: physical assault by male partners, sexual harassment in work and educational settings, and rape and other forms of sexual violence. The final section of the book highlights the common themes that emerge from these 3 types of violence and presents recommendations for effective intervention, treatment, and public policy initiatives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)
Awards & Achievements (3)
🏆 Summer Research Award
🏆 Carolyn Wood Sherif Award
🏆 Trailblazer Award
Thesis Guided (1)
MMPI Item Content and Identification of Crisis Situations
Institution: University of Minnesota (UMN)
Professional Memberships (1)
American Psychological Association (APA)
Country: United States
Invited Position (1)
State of the Art in Sexual Assault Research
Role in Research Journals (9)
Editorial Board Member
TNJGC
Editorial Board Member
TVA
Editorial Board Member
JSA
Editorial Board Member
VAW
Editorial Board Member
JAMT
Publications (211)
Sexual violence began to receive proper attention in the United States in the 1990s with the first national Violence Against Women survey, the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, and the additi...
The present study set out to investigate predictors of first time adolescent peer-on-peer sexual victimization (APSV) among 238 female Grade 9 students from 30 schools in Denmark. A prospective resear...
We explored the prevalence and predictors of transactional sex with casual partners and main girlfriends among 1288 men aged 15–26 from 70 villages in the rural Eastern Cape province of South Africa....
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