Community colleges work within logistic, budgetary, and cultural constraints and often struggle to provide students with comprehensive and accessible sexual and relationship health resources.
Key Findings
Results
On-campus sexual and relationship health (SRH) resources at community colleges are limited, leading colleges to rely heavily on community-based resources.
This was identified as one of six major themes emerging from qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews
Participants included administrators, faculty, and staff (N=33) involved in SRH efforts at community colleges across the U.S.
Interviews were conducted via web-conferencing software from 2022-2023
The reliance on community-based resources reflects both budgetary and logistical constraints faced by community colleges
Results
College personnel at community colleges view their role as a bridge to help students access external SRH resources rather than as direct providers of those resources.
This bridging role was identified as a distinct theme in the thematic analysis
Personnel described forming extensive partnerships with community organizations as part of this bridging function
Staff also described helping students overcome barriers to care as a key component of their role
This theme emerged from iterative inductive thematic analysis of interview transcripts
Results
Community colleges employ notably different approaches to addressing sexual violence compared to promoting sexual health.
Differences in approaches between sexual violence prevention/response and sexual health promotion were revealed as a distinct theme
The distinction suggests these two components of SRH are treated as separate programmatic areas at community colleges
This was one of six themes identified across the 33 participant interviews
The study used iterative inductive thematic analysis to identify this pattern
Results
Several characteristics of effective SRH resources were identified by community college personnel.
Effective resource characteristics were illuminated as one of the six emergent themes
These characteristics were identified through in-depth qualitative interviews with 33 administrators, faculty, and staff
The study did not quantify which characteristics were most frequently cited but identified them through thematic analysis
Participants represented community colleges across the United States
Conclusions
Community colleges face logistic, budgetary, and cultural constraints that limit their ability to provide comprehensive and accessible SRH resources to students.
These constraints were identified as central barriers across the six emergent themes
The sample consisted of N=33 administrators, faculty, and staff from community colleges across the U.S.
Cultural constraints were identified alongside logistical and budgetary ones as factors shaping the SRH landscape at community colleges
The study period spanned 2022-2023, with data collected via web-conferencing software
Results
Community colleges formed extensive partnerships with community organizations to compensate for limited on-campus SRH resources.
Extensive community partnerships were highlighted by some participants as a key strategy for bridging resource gaps
Partnerships were described as part of personnel's role in connecting students to care
This finding emerged from qualitative interviews with N=33 college personnel
Transcripts were coded and analyzed using iterative inductive thematic analysis
What This Means
This research suggests that community colleges across the United States have significant gaps in on-campus sexual and relationship health (SRH) resources, including services related to sexual health promotion and sexual violence prevention and response. Researchers interviewed 33 administrators, faculty, and staff at community colleges and found that these institutions often lack the budget, infrastructure, and sometimes cultural support needed to offer comprehensive SRH services directly to students. Instead, college personnel frequently act as connectors, pointing students toward resources available in the surrounding community and helping them navigate barriers to accessing care.
The study also found that community colleges tend to treat sexual violence and sexual health as separate issues with different approaches, and that staff identified specific characteristics that make SRH resources more effective. Community partnerships were seen as a critical tool for filling resource gaps, though the extent and quality of these partnerships varied across institutions.
This research matters because community colleges serve a large and diverse student population, including many students who may have limited access to health resources elsewhere. The findings highlight that these students may not be receiving adequate support for their sexual and relationship health needs due to systemic constraints at the institutional level, suggesting a need for targeted investment and policy attention to SRH resources at community colleges.
Dodson C, Evans-Paulson R, Scull T. (2025). Examining resources to promote sexual health and address sexual violence at community colleges across the United States: a qualitative study.. Journal of American college health : J of ACH. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2427054