Sexual Victimization and Hypersexuality in College Women: Examining Alcohol Use as a Potential Mediator

Abstract

The past two decades have yielded a large body of literature that uncovered an unfortunate reality: sexual victimization is more prevalent than previously thought. This body of literature has also indicated a number of the negative consequences of experiencing sexual victimization, including mental illness, substance abuse, and sexual dysfunction. Recent research has also indicated that sexual victimization may lead to hypersexuality. What has yet to be researched is how other negative consequences of sexual victimization, such as substance abuse, may contribute to elevated levels of hypersexuality. Since these behaviors are associated with experiencing future instances of sexual violence, it is important to understand the relationship between these factors. The purpose of the current study is to address this gap in the research by examining whether alcohol use mediates the effect between sexual victimization and hypersexuality. Results indicate that alcohol use does partially mediate the relationship between sexual victimization and hypersexuality, but that sexual victimization still accounts for a significant amount of variation with respect to hypersexuality. These findings indicate that sexual victimization experiences may lead some to engage in problematic coping behaviors, such as risky sexual behavior and increased alcohol consumption, which may place individuals at an increased risk of future victimization experiences.