Experiences With Sexual Coercion in College Males and Females: Role of Family Conflict, Sexist Attitudes, Acceptance of Rape Myths, Self-Esteem, and the Big-Five Personality Factors

• NCJ Number: 208995
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 865-889
• Author(s): Gordon B. Forbes; Leah E. Adams-Curtis
• Date Published: September 2001
• Length: 25 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined aggression in family of origin, acceptance of rape myths, sexist attitudes, the Big-Five personality factors, and self-esteem as factors in committing and being a victim of sexual coercion in a homogeneous sample of college students, with a focus on males as perpetrators and females as victims.

Abstract

The sample consisted of 464 college students from classes of a required seminar for freshmen at an American Midwestern university. At the time of the data collection, students had been on campus for 10 to 16 days. The Sexual Experiences Survey measured sexual aggression and coercion. The Conflict Tactics Scale measured conflict resolution within families. Closeness to parents and parental physical punishment were measured on a seven-point scale. Other variables measured were self-esteem, sexist attitudes toward women, and personality traits. Acceptable data were obtained from 438 students from the original sample. The study found that 53 percent of the females reported experiencing some level of sexual coercion; 22 percent reported the use of force in sexual activity, and 2.8 percent reported being raped. In contrast, only 21 percent of males reported engaging in any level of sexual coercion; less than 1 percent acknowledged the use of force in sexual activity, and none acknowledged rape. For both males and females, the reported frequencies of sexual aggression in this sample, particularly the prevalence of rape, were lower than in most published reports. This may be because the current sample was much younger and more homogeneous than most samples of college students. The most surprising finding was little evidence that attitude measures, childhood variables, self-esteem, or the Big-Five personality factors had much of a role in being a perpetrator or victim of sexual aggression. Possible explanations for these findings are offered. 4 tables and 73 references