Use of Coercive Sexual Tactics Across 10 Years in At-Risk Young Men: Developmental Patterns and Co-occurring Problematic Dating Behaviors

Abstract

Men's use of two coercive sexual tactics was tracked over 10 years in a sample of at-risk young men (N = 201). Patterns were identified for each tactic. For the tactic using drugs or alcohol to go further sexually, non-coercers (63%) and coercers (37%) were identified. For the tactic of going further sexually after the woman said "no," three patterns were identified-noncoercers (10%), low-level coercers who used the tactic five times or less over 10 years (42%), and high level coercers who used the tactic more than five times over 10 years (48%). The associations between coercive tactics and two dating behaviors-physical aggression toward a partner and risky sexual behaviors-were examined using multilevel linear modeling. For both coercive tactics, main effects and interaction effects with time occurred for physical aggression toward a partner. The most coercive men perpetrated the most physical aggression toward a partner between ages 18 and 22 years, but sexual coercion was unrelated to partner abuse between ages 22 and 27 years. Results suggest men vary in their use of coercive sexual tactics over time and the frequency of coercion varies based on tactic. Preliminary evidence suggests the use of coercive sexual tactics is associated with physical aggression toward a partner but not risky sexual behaviors, though the strength of the association varies over time.