"This project used meta-analysis and meta-regression to examine sources of variability in rape prevalence estimates. In addition to exploring previously-identified sources of variation, this study makes a unique contribution to the literature by evaluating participant recruitment method as a previously-unexplored source of potential variation. The research questions addressed in this study were: 1) How much variation in sexual assault prevalence rates is observed in research studies, 2) Does the method through which participants are recruited for research studies predict variation in rape prevalence estimates, and 3) Are other sample or study methodology-related variables predictive of variation in rape prevalence estimates? Meta-regression techniques were used to regress study-level covariates onto obtained prevalence rates to identify and quantify these sources of variation. Findings from this study will help researchers more fully understand the implications of their sample and methodology-related choices for study design and participant recruitment, and improve the clarity with which researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders can interpret rape prevalence estimates."
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