Most American adults oppose hazing and view it as harmful, but those who are more likely to tolerate hazing also tend to minimize sexual violence, a new University of Mississippi study reveals.
Carrie Smith, UM associate professor of psychology, and Caitlin Shaw, assistant professor of psychology at Austin Peay State University, sought out an often-overlooked perspective in the conversation surrounding hazing in high schools and colleges nationwide: that of American adults.
"Adults have often been left out of the conversation because they're not the ones being hazed, but we need adults to work against hazing," Smith said. "Adults are the administrators on campuses, the teachers and superintendents. They're sitting on juries that judge hazing cases. If we want to look at legislation, we'll need people to lobby and adults in Congress to pay attention.
"We're bringing adults into this conversation because if adults in the community say hazing isn't a big deal, then it won't be, and nothing will change."
In a survey of 411 adults nationwide published in the journal Public Health, Smith and Shaw found a majority of adults believe hazing is dangerous and can cause physical and emotional harm.
