Alcohol-related Sexual Assault Research Articles

Binge Drinking Among College Students: Trends, Consequences and Possible Solutions

This research explores the rates and trends of students’ indulgence in excessive or high-risk drinking behaviors on college campuses in the United States. Some of its intents are to assess the prevalence of binge drinking among college students, its effects on the involved drinkers and nondrinkers, identify some of the risk factors associated with binge drinking, and then present mitigating strategies to reduce its incidents. The study found that those who are more predisposed to engage in binge drinking are those with low efficacy to refuse excessive alcohol drinking and those who have low importance of religion. Others include those with a family history of alcoholism, have membership in fraternity/ sorority and poor academic success, and have peers who use alcohol. Among the negative consequences and effects on those who engage in binge drinking identified include falling victim to alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape; drunk driving, high suicide rate, and indulgence in negative acts and behaviors such as rioting, bullying, and vandalism. This investigation concludes with its identification of mitigation strategies and measures necessary to prevent or reduce the high incidents of binge drinking among college students that include raising public awareness using media campaigns on related harms and preventive measures; institution and enforcement of strict campus alcohol policy; banning or restricting alcohol sales near college campuses, in dormitories and during college campus events; training beer and beverage servers on signs and symptoms of overdrinking to take precautionary actions such as denying, suspending or cutting off alcohol services once high-risk behaviors associated with overdrinking is dictated or observed. With the proper and meticulous implementation and enforcement of the above measures, the high incidents of binge drinking among college students in the United States will be drastically, greatly, and significantly reduced.

Bystander Intoxication and Appraisal of Sexual Assault Risk: A Field Study of Emerging Adult Bargoers.

Emerging adults are especially vulnerable to experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault. While bystanders play a critical role in preventing sexual assault, little is known about how bystander alcohol intoxication affects the intervention process-particularly in naturalistic settings. We recruited 315 emerging adult bargoers ages 21-29 (46% women; 28% non-college attending; 81% White) from a high-density bar area to provide responses to a sexual assault vignette and complete a breath alcohol concentration test. In this field-based study, we found a negative direct association between intoxication and appraisal of risk in the hypothetical sexual assault situation. We also found a negative indirect relation of intoxication on perceptions of personal responsibility to intervene and confidence in the ability to intervene, statistically mediated through reduced risk appraisal. Findings add to the limited literature in laboratory-based settings suggesting that bystander intoxication interferes with sexual assault intervention and help inform effective bystander intervention programming for emerging adults.

Alcohol intoxication impairs the bystander intervention process in a hypothetical sexual assault: A field investigation.

High rates of alcohol-related sexual assault among young adults represent a significant public health problem. Bystander intervention programs are a promising strategy to reduce sexual assault incidence. However, little is known about how bystander intoxication may modify bystander intervention effectiveness. We examined the role of bystander intoxication and intoxication levels of the hypothetical victim and perpetrator on outcomes associated with Latané and Darley's (1970) steps of bystander intervention, which include noticing a situation, assessment of risk and need for intervention, taking personal responsibility for intervening, and selecting an intervention. In a field setting, participants were recruited from a downtown area surrounded by several drinking establishments. After providing informed consent, 327 participants (45% women) ages 21 - 29 years listened to one of four sexual assault vignettes (varied by victim and perpetrator intoxication), responded to questionnaires assessing outcomes related to steps of bystander intervention, and completed a field breathalyzer test to measure intoxication level. We found that increased participant intoxication was related to decreased accuracy of situation recall and assessment of risk and need for intervention, but not ratings of personal responsibility to intervene, chosen intervention strategy, or confidence to intervene. Intoxication could influence how a bystander interprets a hypothetical nonconsensual sexual interaction at the level of accurate situation recall and risk assessment. If the early steps of information processing are impaired by intoxication, later steps of intervention enactment may not occur successfully. Bystander intervention programming may consider incorporating training to overcome the impairing effects of intoxication for identifying harmful situations and choosing to intervene.

The effects of alcohol intoxication on young adult women's identification of risk for sexual assault: A systematic review.

Alcohol-related sexual assault among young adult women continues to present a public health concern. Social information-processing theory provides an organizing framework for understanding how alcohol intoxication can impair the processing of sexual assault risk cues and behavioral responding in sexual assault scenarios. The aim of the present article was to systematically review the extant research on the effects of alcohol intoxication on sexual assault risk information processing among young adult women. We selected relevant research through a systematic search of scientific databases, using key words related to young adult women, alcohol intoxication, and risk recognition, resulting in 14 independent research samples meeting all criteria. Studies used a variety of methods and dependent measures, precluding quantitative analysis of results. Thirteen of the 14 studies identified report at least partial support for intoxication impairing the attention to cues, interpretation of social information, or intended behavioral response in a hypothetical sexual assault scenario. Given some mixed findings, further research is warranted to identify contextual and individual differences related to risk detection and intended responding and to fully test other aspects of social information processing. Results have implications for improving alcohol-related sexual assault prevention programs by addressing the impact of alcohol intoxication on processing sexual assault risk information. (PsycINFO Database Record

White Female Bystanders’ Responses to a Black Woman at Risk for Sexual Assault: Associations With Attitudes About Sexism and Racial Injustice

ABSTRACTWomen of color are affected by both sexism and racism. We examined White women’s attitudes about sexism (hostile and benevolent sexism) and racial injustice (White empathic responses to racism) as correlates of their responses to a Black woman at risk for an alcohol-related sexual assault. White undergraduate women (N = 172) reported on their attitudes and then completed measures of blame and willingness to intervene in response to a scenario in which a woman named “LaToya” is at risk. All 3 types of attitudes were directly related to victim blame, whereas only hostile sexism was directly, negatively related to willingness to intervene. White empathic responses to racism moderated the associations between benevolent sexism and both victim blame and willingness to intervene. Results suggest that among White female bystanders, both hostile and benevolent sexist attitudes were related to increased blame and reduced willingness to intervene to help Black women at risk. The adverse effects of benevolent sexism, however, were reduced for those with greater concerns about racial injustice.

Health Behaviors Survey: An Examination of Undergraduate Students' Substance Use.

This study determined the prevalence of alcohol, drug, and nonmedical prescription drugs at a small private university. In addition, risk and protective factors are examined. The Core Institute (Southern Illinois University) was contracted to administer an anonymous, Web-based 49-item survey to matriculated undergraduate students, aged 18-23 years. Data were obtained on student behaviors, perceptions, consequences of substance use, risk factors, and coping strategies. Statistical analysis included descriptive measures, cross-tabs, t test, and chi-square. The response rate was 14%, which is consistent with other CORE Institute surveys. Almost half of the total respondents were from the college of nursing (46%), and most participants were female (82%). There was a significant association between heavy drinking and grades; the B students engaged in more binge drinking. Living on campus and being involved in Greek life confer a higher level of risk for sexual assault when alcohol was consumed. Most participants (57%) were unaware of campus resources for assistance with alcohol or drug problems. Campus administrators now have a better awareness related to the extent of drug and alcohol use among the student body. A faculty engagement workshop was developed to provide tools to assess and communicate with students. Improvements are anticipated to enhance student relationships and decrease incidents of drug- and alcohol-related sexual assault or misconduct.

Development and Validation of a Video Measure for Assessing Women's Risk Perception for Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault.

Using an iterative process, a series of three video scenarios were developed for use as a standardized measure for assessing women's perception of risks for alcohol-related sexual assault (SA). The videos included ambiguous and clear behavioral and environmental risk cues. Focus group discussions with young, female heavy drinkers (N = 42) were used to develop three videos at different risk levels (low, moderate, and high) in Study 1. Realism, reliability, and validity of the videos were assessed using multiple methods in Studies 2 and 3. One hundred-four women were used to compare differences in risk perception across the video risk level in Study 2. In Study 3 (N = 60), we assessed women's perceptions of the low and high risk videos under conditions of no alcohol and alcohol. The realism and reliability of the videos were good. Women who viewed the low risk video compared to women who viewed the moderate and high risk videos perceived less risk for SA. We found an interaction between alcohol and risk perception such that, women in the alcohol condition were less likely to perceive risk when watching the high risk video. As the video risk level increased, women's perception of risk increased. These findings provide convergent evidence for the validity of the video measure. Given the limited number of standardized scenarios for assessing risk perception for sexual assault, our findings suggest that these videos may provide a needed standardized measure.

2.61 University of Vermont WELLNESS ENVIRONMENT, YEAR ONE: A NEUROSCIENCE-INSPIRED BEHAVIORAL CHANGE PROGRAM FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

College is the time that adolescents and young adults leave home to attend college. Most students and parents do not consider college as a high risk environment; however, the statistics are staggering. Each year 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related injuries; more than 690,000 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking; 97,000 students are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault; 599,000 are injured while under the influence; and approximately 150,000 develop an alcohol-related health problem. Furthermore, between 1.2 and 1.5 percent indicate that they have tried to commit suicide because of drinking or drug use. Few universities/colleges have harnessed the power of neuroscience and behavioral change to develop and implement a form of health promotion, an illness prevention approach such as the University of Vermont (UVM) Wellness Environment (WE).

Alcohol and sexual assault victimization: Research findings and future directions

Abstract Alcohol use by victims and/or offenders is associated with at least half of all sexual assaults (Abbey, 2002). However, the bidirectional relationship between alcohol and sexual assault is convoluted. While there is a significant body of literature dedicated to examining this association, the relationship remains unclear, and comprehensive recent literature reviews are lacking. This review focuses on the relationship between alcohol consumption and adult sexual assault among individuals in the general and college student populations. Studies from 2000 to the present are included and focused on: (a) the prevalence of alcohol-related sexual assault, (b) the link (and directionality) between alcohol and sexual assault, (c) the role of situational and behavioral risk factors for alcohol-related sexual assault; (d) disclosure, social reactions, and recovery outcomes, specific to alcohol-involved assaults; (e) mediators and moderators of the link between alcohol and sexual assault; and (f) directions for future research.

A randomized controlled trial targeting alcohol use and sexual assault risk among college women at high risk for victimization

Sexual assault risk reduction programs do not target alcohol use despite the widespread knowledge that alcohol use is a risk factor for being victimized. The current study assessed the effectiveness of a web-based combined sexual assault risk and alcohol use reduction program using a randomized control trial. A total of 207 college women between the ages of 18 and 20 who engaged in heavy episodic drinking were randomized to one of five conditions: full assessment only control condition, sexual assault risk reduction condition, alcohol use reduction condition, combined sexual assault risk and alcohol use reduction condition, and a minimal assessment only condition. Participants completed a 3-month follow-up survey on alcohol-related sexual assault outcomes, sexual assault outcomes, and alcohol use outcomes. Significant interactions revealed that women with higher severity of sexual assault at baseline experienced less incapacitated attempted or completed rapes, less severity of sexual assaults, and engaged in less heavy episodic drinking compared to the control condition at the 3-month follow-up. Web-based risk reduction programs targeting both sexual assault and alcohol use may be the most effective way to target the highest risk sample of college students for sexual assault: those with a sexual assault history and those who engage in heavy episodic drinking.

Differences in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems between transgender- and nontransgender-identified young adults

BackgroundLittle is known about differences in alcohol use and alcohol-related problems between transgender- and nontransgender-identified populations. Using data from a large-scale health survey, we compare the drinking patterns and prevalence of alcohol-related problems of transgender-identified individuals to nontransgender-identified males and females. For transgender-identified people, we examine how various forms of victimization relate to heavy episodic drinking (HED). MethodsCross-sectional surveys were completed by 75,192 students aged 18–29 years attending 120 post-secondary educational institutions in the United States from 2011 to 2013. Self-reported measures included alcohol use, alcohol-related problems, victimization, and sociodemographics, including 3 gender-identity groups: transgender-identified individuals; nontransgender-identified males; and nontransgender-identified females. ResultsCompared to transgender-identified individuals, nontransgender-identified males were more likely to report HED in the past 2 weeks (relative risk=1.42; p=0.006); however, nontransgender-identified males and females reported HED on fewer days than transgender-identified people (incidence-rate ratios [IRRs] ranged from 0.28 to 0.43; p-values<0.001). Compared to transgender-identified people, nontransgender-identified males and females had lower odds of past-year alcohol-related sexual assault and suicidal ideation (odds ratios ranged from 0.24 to 0.45; p-values<0.05). Among transgender-identified people, individuals who were sexually assaulted (IRR=3.21, p=0.011) or verbally threatened (IRR=2.42, p=0.021) in the past year had greater HED days than those who did not experience those forms of victimization. ConclusionsCompared to transgender-identified people, nontransgender-identified males and females: have fewer HED occasions (despite nontransgender-identified males having greater prevalence of HED); and are at lower risk for alcohol-related sexual assaults and suicidal ideation. Experiences of sexual assault and verbal threats are associated with greater HED occasions for transgender-identified people.

Understanding the link between men’s alcohol use and sexual violence perpetration: The mediating role of sexual objectification.

Objective: This study provided a novel consideration of the relations between alcohol consumption, sexual objectification, and sexual violence, because evidence for the links between sexual objectification and alcohol consumption as well as objectification and sexual violence are almost nonexistent in the published literature. We also developed a measure of interpersonal sexual objectification perpetration (ISOS-P) because there are no existing self-report measures of this construct. We hypothesized that these variables would be associated positively and that sexual objectification (including evaluating women’s bodies and making sexual advances toward women) would mediate the relation between alcohol use and sexual violence. Method: To test these possibilities, undergraduate men completed measures assessing their alcohol use, sexual objectification, and sexual violence. Results: Positive relations emerged between alcohol consumption frequency, alcohol consumption quantity, body evaluation, sexual advances, and sexual violence. A path analysis revealed that the combined effect of body evaluation and sexual advances was a significant mediator of the alcohol quantity and sexual violence link. As well, body evaluation was a significant mediator of the alcohol quantity and sexual advances link. Conclusion: This study provides a novel contribution to the literature by developing a measure of sexual objectification perpetration and showing that this construct mediates the frequently documented association between heavy drinking and sexual violence. These findings have implications for the prevention of alcohol-related sexual assault on college campuses.

First-Year Male Students' Perceptions of a Rape Prevention Program 7 Months After Their Participation: Attitude and Behavior Changes

Seven months after seeing The Men's Program, a commonly used rape prevention program, 248 first-year college men responded to four open-ended questions concerning whether or not the program impacted their attitudes or behavior, particularly regarding alcohol related sexual assault. Two thirds of participants reported either attitude or behavior change during the preceding academic year due to the program's effects or that the program reinforced their current beliefs, with many describing specific incidents of either intervening to prevent a rape, or stopping themselves from engaging in risky behavior.

Incapacitated Rape and Alcohol Use in White and Asian American College Women

This study examined the role of Asian ethnicity as a moderator of drinking outcomes associated with alcohol-related sexual assault (incapacitated rape). Participants were 5,467 Asian American and White college women. Results found the overall MANOVA for ethnicity and incapacitated rape (IR) interactions to be significant. Asian American participants with no history of IR had fewer drinking problems than White American participants with no history of IR. Asian American participants with IR histories had more drinking problems than White Americans with IR histories. Findings indicate Asian Americans who experience IR may be at increased risk for negative alcohol outcomes.

Magnitude of and Trends in Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24, 1998-2005

The aim of this study was to estimate, among college students ages 18-24, the numbers of alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths and other problems over the period from 1998 through 2005. The analysis integrated data on 18- to 24-year-olds and college students from each of the following data sources: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Mortality Data, National Coroner Studies, census and college enrollment data, the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the College Alcohol Study. Among college students ages 18-24, alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths increased 3% per 100,000 from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. From 1999 to 2005, the proportions of college students ages 18-24 who reported consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month increased from 41.7% to 44.7%, and the proportions who drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year increased from 26.5% to 28.9%-7% and 9% proportional increases, respectively. The increases occurred among college students ages 21-24, not 18-20. In 2001, 599,000 (10.5%) full-time 4-year college students were injured because of drinking, 696,000 (12%) were hit or assaulted by another drinking college student, and 97,000 (2%) were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. A 2005 follow-up of students in schools with the highest proportions of heavy drinkers found no significant changes in the proportions experiencing these events. The persistence of college drinking problems underscores an urgent need to implement prevention and counseling approaches identified through research to reduce alcohol-related harms among college students and other young adults.

Alcohol-related sexual assault victimization among adolescents: prevalence, characteristics, and correlates.

The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence and describe the characteristics of alcohol-related sexual assault among middle and high school students. A Web-based, self-administered survey was used to collect data on 7th- through 12th-grade students (n = 1,037) in a large metropolitan area in the Midwest. A modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey was used to ask students about their sexual victimization experiences so as to examine the involvement of alcohol within specific assault events. The sample was equally distributed by biological gender and ethnicity (white vs black) and was, on average (SD), 14 (2) years of age. Findings from the study indicate that alcohol was involved in approximately 12%-20% of the assault cases, depending on age and gender of the respondent. For females, the presence of alcohol during assault differed significantly based on the location at which the assault occurred, ranging from 6% (at the survivor's home) to 29% (at parties or someone else's home). Furthermore, alcohol-related assault among females was more likely to involve physical force than non-alcohol-related assault. Results are discussed in light of the risk factors of alcohol-related assault among adolescents as well as the nature of social contexts that fosters alcohol-related sexual assault among both adolescents and college students.

Alcohol-related sexual assault: a common problem among college students.

This article summarizes research on the role of alcohol in college students' sexual assault experiences. Sexual assault is extremely common among college students. At least half of these sexual assaults involve alcohol consumption by the perpetrator, the victim or both. Two research literatures were reviewed: the sexual assault literature and the literature that examines alcohol's effects on aggressive and sexual behavior. Research suggests that alcohol consumption by the perpetrator and/or the victim increases the likelihood of acquaintance sexual assault occurring through multiple pathways. Alcohol's psychological, cognitive and motor effects contribute to sexual assault. Although existing research addresses some important questions, there are many gaps. Methodological limitations of past research are noted, and suggestions are made for future research. In addition, recommendations are made for college prevention programs and policy initiatives.