The Effects of Sexual Victimization History, Acute Alcohol Intoxication, and Level of Consensual Sex on Responses to Sexual Assault in a Hypothetical Scenario

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele R. Parkhill ◽  
Jeanette Norris ◽  
Amanda K. Gilmore ◽  
Danielle M. Hessler ◽  
William H. George ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Acute Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Alcohol Control ◽  
Situational Characteristics ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
Consensual Sex ◽  
Victimization History

Assertive resistance to sexual assault can decrease the likelihood of completed rape and its subsequent aftermath; however, this relationship may be influenced by situational characteristics. This study examined how 2 manipulated variables, level of consensual sex during an encounter and acute alcohol intoxication, along with sexual victimization history, affected women’s responses to a hypothetical sexual assault scenario. Female participants were assigned to a drink condition (alcohol/control) and to a consent history condition (low/high). Path analysis found that women who were previously victimized, consumed alcohol, and who were in the high consent condition endorsed greater immobility intentions during the assault; only level of consent predicted likelihood of assertive resistance. Resistance strategies were related to subsequent responding. Results suggest that interventions should seek to decrease negative consequences by empowering women to assertively resist unwanted sexual advances.

scholarly journals An Event-Level Investigation of Factors Associated With Young Women’s Experiences of Coerced Consensual Sex

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 384-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia A. Stappenbeck ◽  
Jeanette Norris ◽  
Rhiana Wegner ◽  
Amanda E. B. Bryan ◽  
Kelly Cue Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Estimating Equation ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Consensual Sex ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Victimization History

Little is known about instances of coerced consensual sex in which women report both that they consented to have sex and that their partner used coercive tactics (e.g., made threats) to get them to have sex when they did not want to. Yet, these experiences are frequently reported by young sexually active women. We examined the relationship between sexual victimization history and the woman’s level of alcohol intoxication in the likelihood of experiencing coerced consensual sex using event-level data collected over a 1-year period from 548 young adult nonproblem drinking women who engaged in sexual activity with men. Twenty percent ( n = 112) reported at least one incident of coerced consensual sex. A generalized estimating equation model revealed main effects of daily estimated blood alcohol content (eBAC) and sexual victimization severity. The more women increased their alcohol consumption above their own average and the more severe their sexual victimization history, the more likely they were to experience coerced consensual sex. Our findings highlight the fact that coercion and consent are not mutually exclusive in some situations and shed light on this important yet understudied coercive sexual experience.

scholarly journals Assessing Women's Sexual Arousal in the Context of Sexual Assault History and Acute Alcohol Intoxication

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 2112-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda K. Gilmore ◽  
Rebecca L. Schacht ◽  
William H. George ◽  
Jacqueline M. Otto ◽  
Kelly Cue Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Arousal ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Acute Alcohol Intoxication

The Interaction of Rape Myth Acceptance and Alcohol Intoxication on Bystander Intervention

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051986372
Author(s):  
Kristen N. Jozkowski ◽  
Malachi Willis ◽  
Lauren E. Hurd ◽  
Lindsay S. Ham ◽  
Ana J. Bridges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Bystander Intervention ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Analysis Of Covariance ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Acute Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Bystander interventions for sexual assault promote third-party interference. People who endorse rape myths blame victims more and perpetrators less; consequently, rape myth acceptance (RMA) can impede helping behaviors toward sexual assault victims. Acute alcohol intoxication may exacerbate the effects of RMA on bystander intervention. In this study, we examined the influence of RMA—and potential moderating effect of acute alcohol intoxication—on predictors of bystander intervention. Young adults ( N = 128) completed a survey in a lab setting, then consumed either an alcoholic or control beverage, read and listened to a fictional sexual assault scenario, and finally completed a semi-structured interview and postexperiment survey assessing their perceptions of the scenario. Using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), we found people with higher RMA blamed the victim more and perpetrator less; they were also less likely to perceive responsibility to intervene for a sexual assault victim. Alcohol intoxication did not exacerbate these effects. That is, alcohol intoxication was not a context in which RMA was expressed more strongly. We recommend bystander programs continue to address RMA, specifically as a barrier to intervening.

Sexual Attitudes Moderate the Effects of Alcohol Intoxication on Women’s Risk Judgments

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 228-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Yeater ◽  
Teresa A. Treat ◽  
Richard J. Viken ◽  
Kathryn L. Lenberg
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Sexual Attitudes ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Lower Sensitivity ◽  
Social Situations ◽  
Alcohol Condition ◽  
Risk Judgments ◽  
Victimization History

This study evaluated the effects of alcohol intoxication, sexual attitudes, and sexual victimization history on the cognitive processes underlying undergraduate women’s risk judgments. Participants were 116 unmarried, undergraduate women between the ages of 21 and 29. The sample was diverse ethnically and composed primarily of heterosexual women. Stimuli were written vignettes describing social situations that varied on dimensions of sexual victimization risk and potential impact on women’s popularity. Participants were assigned randomly to an alcohol or a no-alcohol condition, and completed an explicit classification task in which they rated how risky each situation was in terms of their having an unwanted sexual experience. They then completed the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) and the Sociosexuality Scale (SS); SES responses were used to quantify the severity of victimization experiences, and SS responses were used to measure endorsement of positive attitudes toward casual, impersonal sex. Although there was no main effect for condition, higher sociosexuality predicted use of higher thresholds for judging situations as risky. Importantly, sociosexuality interacted with condition such that higher sociosexuality predicted lower sensitivity to risk information in the alcohol condition but not in the no-alcohol condition. More severe victimization history predicted increased use of popularity impactwhen judging risk. This study emphasizes the importance of identifying specific cognitive processes affected by alcohol that may explain why women have difficulty processing contextual cues signaling risk in social situations. It demonstrates also the relevance of examining individual difference factors that may exacerbate the relationship between intoxication and cognitive processing of risk-relevant information.

Responding to Disclosure of Sexual Assault: The Potential Impact of Victimization History and Rape Myth Acceptance

2020 ◽  
pp. 088626051989842
Author(s):  
Hanna M. Grandgenett ◽  
Anne L. Steel ◽  
Rebecca L. Brock ◽  
David DiLillo
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Rape Myth Acceptance ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Rape Myth ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Victimization Experience ◽  
Victimization History ◽  
Myth Acceptance

Victims of sexual assault often disclose their victimization experiences to friends and family members in the hope of gaining support. However, a number of factors may influence the manner in which these confidants respond to the disclosure (e.g., severity of the victim’s assault). The purpose of this study was to examine the role of two unique factors—the disclosure recipient’s sexual victimization history and endorsement of rape myths—in predicting responses to disclosure. Participants were 114 undergraduate students who indicated that a close friend or family member had previously disclosed a sexual victimization experience to them. The participants’ responses to that disclosure, personal sexual victimization history, and rape myth attitudes were assessed via a self-report. Results indicated that a history of victimization predicted increased emotionally supportive responses to disclosure. Lower rape myth acceptance predicted increased supportive responses (i.e., emotionally supporting the victim and aiding the victim) and decreased unsupportive responses (i.e., treating the victim differently after the abuse, distracting the victim from the abuse, and blaming the victim). These results have implications for prevention efforts and those working with sexual assault survivors.

A Qualitative Analysis of the Effects of Victimization History and Sexual Attitudes on Women’s Hypothetical Sexual Assault Scripts

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari A. Leiting ◽  
Elizabeth A. Yeater
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Sexual Attitudes ◽  
Casual Sex ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Victimization History

This study examined qualitatively the effects of a sexual victimization history and sexual attitudes on 247 undergraduate women’s written accounts of a hypothetical sexual assault. More severe victimization history was associated with script characteristics of greater alcohol use, knowing the man longer, and the context of a party. Greater endorsement of positive attitudes toward casual sex was related to script characteristics of greater alcohol use, acquiescing to the man, and not knowing the man as long. Finally, a more recent sexual assault was associated with script characteristics of having just met the man, the context of a party or date, and acquiescing to the man.

scholarly journals Exploring the association between anticipated and actual responses to disclosures of intimate partner violence and sexual assault

2020 ◽  
pp. 026540752098393
Author(s):  
Emily A. Waterman ◽  
Emily R. Dworkin ◽  
Christina M. Dardis ◽  
Sarah E. Ullman ◽  
Katie M. Edwards ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Personal Relationships ◽  
Prospective Design ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
Victim Responsibility ◽  
Negative Social Reactions ◽  
Victimization History

Victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) commonly disclose their experiences to friends or family members, or within other personal relationships. Disclosure recipients’ responses to these disclosures are associated with victims’ mental health. Previous research has separately measured both actual responses to IPV/SA and anticipated responses to IPV/SA (e.g., response to a hypothetical scenario) from the perspective of disclosure recipients. Yet, little research has described the association between disclosure recipients’ anticipated and actual responses. The aim of the current paper was to use a prospective design to examine the association between disclosure recipients’ anticipated and actual responses to IPV/SA, including positive and negative social reactions, perceptions of victim responsibility, empathy, and confusion and ineffectiveness about how to respond. Participants ( N = 126 college students aged 18–23; 70.6% women) answered questions about their anticipated responses to a hypothetical IPV/SA disclosure scenario, and then six months later answered the same questions about their actual responses to an actual disclosure of IPV/SA. Although most anticipated and actual responses were significantly associated, associations were moderate in size. Some associations were stronger for participants with a closer relationship to the victim, for participants who had their own victimization history, for women, and for men. Individuals can predict their responses to some degree, but are not totally accurate in doing so.

Two Studies Investigating Associations Between Sexual Assault Victimization History and Bystander Appraisals of Risk

2020 ◽  
pp. 107780122094039
Author(s):  
Ana J. Bridges ◽  
Aubrey R. Dueweke ◽  
Tiffany L. Marcantonio ◽  
Lindsay S. Ham ◽  
Jacquelyn D. Wiersma-Mosley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Alcohol Intoxication ◽  
Self Report ◽  
History Of ◽  
Cue Salience ◽  
Risk Appraisals ◽  
Victimization History

Across two studies, we examined sexual assault history and bystander appraisals of risk and the moderating roles of danger cue salience (Study 1) and alcohol intoxication (Study 2) in women. Participants (Study 1 = 148, Study 2 = 64) read vignettes ending with cues of nonconsensual sexual activity and an opportunity to intervene. Participants also completed self-report measures of vignette appraisals and history of sexual assault victimization. Across both studies, sexual assault victimization was unassociated with bystander risk appraisals. Alcohol intoxication and subtlety of nonconsent cues did not interact with sexual assault victimization history to influence appraisals of dangerousness.

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