Does Change in Binge Drinking Reduce Risk of Repeat Sexual Assault Victimization? Evidence From Three Cohorts of Freshman Undergraduate Women

2020 ◽  
pp. 001112872097873
Author(s):  
Leah C. Butler ◽  
Bonnie S. Fisher ◽  
Bradford W. Reyns
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
College Women ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Repeat Victimization ◽  
Undergraduate Women ◽  
Established Relationship ◽  
Reduce Risk

Many college students who experience sexual assault experience subsequent (i.e., repeat) sexual assault incidents. There is also an established relationship between sexual assault and binge drinking. The “once bitten, twice shy” (OBTS) hypothesis suggests that those who experience alcohol- or drug-related (AOD) sexual assault would reduce how frequently they binge drink in an effort to avoid repeat victimization. We test this hypothesis by analyzing two years of survey data collected from a panel of three cohorts of freshmen women. Supportive of OBTS, our analyses reveal that students who experienced an AOD-related sexual assault at time 1 only reduced the number of days they binge drank from time 1 to time 2 and that this change significantly differed from repeat victims. Implications for efforts to reduce sexual victimization against college women are discussed.

Measurement Invariance of the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS): An Examination Among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White College Women

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052098549
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Yeater ◽  
Kristen N. Vitek ◽  
Ryan S. Ross ◽  
Meredith Blackwell ◽  
Katie Witkiewitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
College Women ◽  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Hispanic White ◽  
White College

Rates of sexual victimization have remained steady over several decades, and preventative interventions to reduce men’s sexually aggressive behavior have been largely ineffective. As such, research has endeavored to find novel approaches to identify women at increased risk for sexual victimization. Sexual assault scripts, or “cognitive models” that women adhere to that guide their beliefs about sexual assault are posited to influence their victimization risk. Prior studies on sexual assault scripts primarily have been qualitative in nature; however, recent work yielded a 27-item measure of putative risk for sexual victimization called the Sexual Assault Script Scale (SASS). The SASS has four subscales called Stereotypical Assault Scripts, Acquaintance Assault Scripts, Assault Resistance Scripts, and Date/Friend Assault Scripts, which were found in prior work to be internally consistent and associated with putative risk factors for sexual victimization. The focus of the current study was to test the measurement invariance of the SASS among Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women who were recruited in the prior study. Four hundred sixty-nine ( N = 469) Hispanic and 415 non-Hispanic White US undergraduate heterosexual or bisexual women from a Southwestern university in the United States completed the SASS. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) replicated the prior four-factor model with an acceptable fit to the data, and tests of measurement invariance revealed the SASS to be invariant across Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women, suggesting that the SASS is measuring a similar construct in these groups.

scholarly journals The Use of Drinking and Sexual Assault Protective Behavioral Strategies: Associations With Sexual Victimization and Revictimization Among College Women

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Neilson ◽  
Amanda K. Gilmore ◽  
Hanna T. Pinsky ◽  
Molly E. Shepard ◽  
Melissa A. Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
College Women ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Protective Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Undergraduate Women ◽  
College Sexual Assault

Despite consistent high rates of campus sexual assault, little research has examined effective strategies to decrease sexual assault victimization. Sexual assault and drinking protective behavioral strategies (PBS) may be important means of reducing sexual assault victimization risk on college campuses but need further examination. The current study examined the relationship among sexual assault in childhood, before college, and since college to evaluate the mitigating roles of both sexual assault PBS and drinking PBS on sexual assault victimization. Participants ( n = 620) were undergraduate women, 18 to 20 years old. The current study was a cross-sectional online survey assessing participants’ sexual assault PBS and sexual assault history. Sexual assault history was positively associated with future sexual assault experiences. Pre-college sexual assault was associated with increased since-college sexual assault and increased drinks per week. Since-college adolescent/adult sexual assault was associated with less use of sexual assault PBS. These findings suggest that PBS may have an important role in sexual assault victimization and future research should examine their usefulness in risk reduction programs for college women.

scholarly journals Alcohol Expectancy, Drinking Behavior, and Sexual Victimization Among Female and Male College Students

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (15) ◽  
pp. 2298-2322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly A. Tyler ◽  
Rachel M. Schmitz ◽  
Scott A. Adams
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Drinking Behavior ◽  
Heavy Drinking ◽  
Alcohol Expectancies ◽  
Hooking Up ◽  
Alcohol Expectancy ◽  
Housing Type ◽  
The Relationship

College students have high rates of heavy drinking, and this dangerous behavior is strongly linked to sexual victimization. Although research has examined risk factors for sexual assault, few studies have simultaneously studied the various pathways through which risks may affect sexual assault and how these pathways may be uniquely different among females and males. As such, the current study uses path analyses to examine whether alcohol expectancies mediate the relationship between social factors (e.g., hooking up, amount friends drink) and drinking behavior and experiencing sexual victimization, and whether drinking behavior mediates the relationship between alcohol expectancies and sexual victimization among a college sample of 704 males and females from a large Midwestern university. For both females and males, sexual victimization was positively associated with child sexual abuse, hooking up more often, and heavier drinking, whereas greater alcohol expectancies were associated with sexual victimization only for females. Several mediating pathways were found for both females and males. Gender comparisons revealed that some of the pathways to sexual victimization such as hooking up, amount friends drink, and housing type operated differently for females and males.

scholarly journals The Moderating Role of Binge Drinking on the Self-Assertiveness-Sexual Victimization Relationship among College Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeon-gi Hong ◽  
Hee-song Kim ◽  
Jung-eun Lee ◽  
Sue-hyun Jung ◽  
Hyung-ki Ji ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
The Self ◽  
Moderating Role

Factors Associated With College Women’s Labeling of Sexual Victimization

2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 940-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Orchowski ◽  
Amy S. Untied ◽  
Christine A. Gidycz
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
College Women ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Date Rape ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Self Blame ◽  
Perpetrator Blame

Despite high rates of sexual assault among college women, most victims do not label the experience as sexual assault or rape. Prior research examining labeling of sexual victimization has focused on women’s characterization of rape experiences as either not victimization or victimization. This study extends prior research by exploring factors associated with labeling various forms of sexual victimization as “not victimization,” a “serious miscommunication,” or a “sexual assault, date rape, rape, or crime.” A sample of 1,060 college women reported on their experiences of sexual victimization since the age of 14 years. Women who reported experiences of prior sexual victimization (n = 371) indicated their level of acquaintance with the assailant, assault disclosure, substance use at time of assault, attributions of self- and perpetrator-blame for the assault, and labeling of the experience. Most women who reported experiences of sexual victimization did not self-identify as victims, and 38% labeled sexual victimization as a serious miscommunication. Greater acquaintance with the perpetrator, higher behavioral self-blame, and victim substance use at the time of the assault were associated with labeling sexual assault experiences as a serious miscommunication. Implications are discussed.

A Prospective Study of Sexual Assault and Alcohol Use Among First-Year College Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily R. Mouilso ◽  
Sarah Fischer ◽  
Karen S. Calhoun
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Prospective Study ◽  
Binge Drinking ◽  
College Women ◽  
First Year ◽  
Freshman Year ◽  
First Year College ◽  
A Prospective Study ◽  
Frequent Drinking

This study prospectively examined the relation between alcohol use and sexual assault in a sample (N = 319) of first-year college women. Both frequency of drinking and frequency of binge drinking were measured. Over the course of their freshman year, 19.3% reported experiencing at least one sexual assault. Frequent binge drinking and frequent drinking predicted a subsequent sexual assault; however, experiencing a sexual assault did not predict changes in alcohol use. Frequent binge drinking demonstrated a stronger association with sexual assault than did frequent drinking. Findings help clarify the relation between alcohol use and sexual assault in college women and call for continued differentiation in assessment of alcohol use.

scholarly journals Emotional Responses to a Sexual Assault Threat: A Qualitative Analysis Among Women With Histories of Sexual Victimization

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin E. Silver ◽  
RaeAnn Elizabeth Anderson ◽  
Amanda M. Brouwer
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
College Women ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Sexual Revictimization ◽  
Self Blame

Sexual assaults against women are a leading threat to human rights and public health in the United States. Considering the high rates of sexual revictimization among women and the limited understanding of the mechanisms which fuel this phenomenon, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of emotion in coping with a hypothetical threat of sexual assault for previously sexually victimized college women. A total of 114 college women with a history of sexual victimization listened to an audio-recording describing a sexual assault scenario and then described how they felt. A qualitative analysis paradigm was used to capture participants’ responses in an open-ended, real-time, experiential manner. Data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research—Modified methodology. Four main themes emerged (Negative Reactions, Indifferent Evaluations, Active Responses, and Cognitive Appraisal of the Situation), along with various subcategories, demonstrating the variability of women’s responses to a sexual assault threat. Many women experienced uncomfortable or distressing emotional reactions to the vignette, primarily through discomfort, but also through anger, anxiety, and being upset. Few women reported experiencing fear, and a small number reported experiencing self-blame. The low endorsement of fear and anger in our high-risk sample indicates emotional dysregulation as a potential mechanism of repeated sexual victimization and a promising target for clinical intervention. Overall, results may inform sexual assault risk reduction efforts and the empowerment of women who have experienced sexual victimization.

scholarly journals Emotional Responses to a Sexual Assault Threat: A Qualitative Analysis Among Women With Histories of Sexual Victimization

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626052090801
Author(s):  
Kristin E. Silver ◽  
RaeAnn E. Anderson ◽  
Amanda M. Brouwer
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
College Women ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Emotional Dysregulation ◽  
Sexual Revictimization ◽  
Self Blame

Sexual assaults against women are a leading threat to human rights and public health in the United States. Considering the high rates of sexual revictimization among women and the limited understanding of the mechanisms which fuel this phenomenon, the goal of the present study was to investigate the role of emotion in coping with a hypothetical threat of sexual assault for previously sexually victimized college women. A total of 114 college women with a history of sexual victimization listened to an audio-recording describing a sexual assault scenario and then described how they felt. A qualitative analysis paradigm was used to capture participants’ responses in an open-ended, real-time, experiential manner. Data were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research—Modified methodology. Four main themes emerged ( Negative Reactions, Indifferent Evaluations, Active Responses, and Cognitive Appraisal of the Situation), along with various subcategories, demonstrating the variability of women’s responses to a sexual assault threat. Many women experienced uncomfortable or distressing emotional reactions to the vignette, primarily through discomfort, but also through anger, anxiety, and being upset. Few women reported experiencing fear, and a small number reported experiencing self-blame. The low endorsement of fear and anger in our high-risk sample indicates emotional dysregulation as a potential mechanism of repeated sexual victimization and a promising target for clinical intervention. Overall, results may inform sexual assault risk reduction efforts and the empowerment of women who have experienced sexual victimization.

The Sexual Victimization of College Students: A Test of Routine Activity Theory

2020 ◽  
pp. 001112872095434
Author(s):  
Brittany E. Hayes ◽  
Eryn Nicole O’Neal ◽  
Cristal N. Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Campus Climate ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Routine Activity Theory ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Survey Instruments ◽  
Theory Test

This study examines the applicability of theoretically-relevant routine activity variables to understand the risk of sexual victimization among college students. Analyses assess if routine activity-related variables have similar explanatory power for rape and sexual assault. Indicators of “proximity to motivated offenders” and “exposure to crime” were associated with rape. Indicators related to “proximity to motivated offenders,” “exposure to crime,” and “target attractiveness” were associated with sexual assault. Indicators capturing “guardianship” were not associated with either rape or sexual assault. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed. Specifically, it is possible to theory-test using campus climate survey instruments.

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