The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1 - 16

R . Jason Lynch

Upon completion of the panel review, two
items related to social media use were added
and four items were removed from the survey,
leaving an instrument composed of 33 content
items plus a number of demographic items.
The survey instrument was then distributed to
a pilot sample of RAs across the U.S. Pilot distribution procedures and results are described
in the following sections.

PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT
AND SELECTION
During the summer of 2016, participants
were recruited by sending an email to directors, associate directors, and resident directors
of housing and residence life programs from
437 colleges and universities across the U.S.,
asking them to forward the email to student
staff who served as resident assistants or in
similar positions. In total more than 500 individuals were contacted to distribute the survey
instrument. Participants were required to be
student employees serving in the capacity of
resident assistant or in a similar position and
having more than one full semester of experience. A resident assistant was defined as a
student employed by the college or university
to live in a residence hall in order to provide
peer guidance, community development,
emergency response, and administrative
support.

PILOT DISTRIBUTION
Using Qualtrics Survey Software, a link was
embedded in recruitment emails leading to
an electronic form containing the instrument.
Participants electronically acknowledged their
informed consent by reading and selecting
their decision to agree on the first page of the
electronic form. Participants were also asked
16

to acknowledge that they understood that the
nature of the survey might cause some psychological discomfort and that they were aware of
a list of psychological resources that was provided for them in the electronic form.

PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTION
In total 208 individuals participated in the
pilot distribution of the instrument. This
sample size fits standards used for factor analysis using a subject-to-item ratio of 5:1 (Costello
& Osborne, 2005; DeVellis, 2011). All participants were full-time undergraduate students
serving as a resident assistant or in a comparable position at a four-year accredited college
or university and having at least one complete
semester of RA experience. Participants represented a range of backgrounds, but the majority of students in the sample identified as White
(70.7%), Straight (76.4%), Female (56.3%),
or Third-Year Student (47.6%). Additionally,
most students were attending public universities (73.6%), were within their first year as an
RA (47.1%), and were responsible for communities ranging from 20 to 40 undergraduate
residents (63.5%). Table 1 summarizes participant demographic information.

MEASURES
Independent Variables
Types of trauma(s) supported. Participants reported the types of traumas that they
have helped their residents through via a
predetermined list of the most frequent crises
experienced by college students (Silverman &
Glick, 2010). Response options included hate
crimes and discrimination; domestic violence;
sexual violence; physical assault; robbery;
life-threatening illness or injury; witness to

T h e J o u r n a l o f C o l l e g e a n d U n i v e r s i t y St u d e n t H o u s i n g

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 1