NCJ Number
177891
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: April 1999 Pages: 131-145
Date Published
1999
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of the psychological and pharmacological effects of alcohol on the ability of sexually coercive and noncoercive men to discriminate when a female wants a partner to stop sexual advances.
Abstract
A total of 140 male undergraduates at a public university in the southeastern United States participated in the study. Stimulus materials consisted of an audiotaped portrayal of a man and a woman engaged in sexual activity. The couple was described as two college students who were in the man's apartment after returning from a date. The audiotape depicted both strong inhibiting and uninhibiting cues for sexual contact, both of which increased in intensity as the tape progressed. The date rape scenario depicted conversation and sexual activity that led to sexual intercourse. The man used verbal persuasion, argument, verbal threats, and then physical force to obtain intercourse. The measures were Response Latency, which was defined as the length of time taken by participants to determine when the male in the audiotape should refrain from making further sexual advances; the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, which measured participants' adherence to prejudiced, stereotyped, or false beliefs abut rape, rape victims, and rapists; and the Sexual Experiences Survey, which assessed participants' previous forceful sexual behavior. Participants assigned to the alcohol condition were given a drink that contained .61 ml of 100 proof (50 percent alcohol/kg) vodka per kg of body weight blended with tonic water at a 1:5 ratio; this drink was chosen because of previously reported findings that participants who tasted this mixture could not detect the presence or absence of vodka at a better than chance rate. Participants assigned to the "expect tonic" conditions were given the same volume of liquid to consume as if they had been given a 1:5 mixture, except that it was only tonic. Findings show that participants who consumed, or expected to consume, alcohol took significantly longer to determine that the man should refrain from attempting further sexual contact. In addition, nonsexually coercive participants assigned to conditions in which they expected to consume alcohol responded similarly to their sexually coercive counterparts. Community- based interventions might have an impact on the incidence of sexual aggression to the extent they can reduce drinking by at- risk individuals; shift social norms toward less tolerance for sexually aggressive behavior; increase the salience, explicitness, and intensity of inhibitory cues; and reduce perceptions that alcohol consumption can mitigate personal responsibility for socially unacceptable behavior. 2 figures, 2 tables, and 31 references