Sexual Aggression Research Articles

Coercive control in a national U.S. self-report survey: Prediction of repeated intimate partner violence.

Coercive, controlling behavior toward intimate partners correlates with physical intimate partner violence (IPV). We examined whether it also predicts subsequent IPV or other aggression. We conducted a secondary analysis of self-reports by 1,039 women and 509 men who participated in the first two waves of the Interpersonal Conflict and Resolution Study (Mumford et al., 2019). We defined coercive control as any reported perpetration at Wave 1 of threat to physically harm, threat to use information to control, or put down or disrespect their partner. The participants also reported perpetration of verbal abuse and physical or sexual aggression against intimate partners. We tested correlations of these behaviors with similar acts toward nonintimates (friends or unfamiliar persons) in Wave 1 and the prediction of physical violence in Wave 2, approximately 5 months later. Coercive control (14% of men, 26% of women) was correlated with physical or sexual IPV (8% of men, 15% of women) in both women and men and with physical violence and coercive control to nonintimates. In logistic regressions entering Wave 1 physical IPV on the first step, Wave 1 coercive control was a significant independent predictor of Wave 2 physical IPV overall, and for men but not women. Coercive control did not independently predict nonintimate physical violence. Coercive control toward an intimate partner is a unique predictor of physical IPV among men. Future research should use improved measures of coercive control and further examine coercive control as an indicator of general antisociality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Developmental Trajectories Leading to Hostility Toward Women: A Structural Equation Modeling Study.

Hostility toward women is frequently examined as a risk factor for violence against women, but research on its antecedents is sparse. The aim of this study was to explore the developmental and psychological antecedents associated with hostility toward women in a Canadian sample of sexual aggressors of women. Drawing on Malamuth's confluence model of sexual aggression, we developed a multifactorial model of hostility toward women, using structural equation modeling. The results indicate the presence of three trajectories, all starting from childhood victimization and leading to hostility toward women, involving antisocial characteristics, emotional negativity, anxiety, and depression.

Trust and Support for Cancer Research Biobanks: Insights from Cancer Patients in Poland.

BACKGROUND Biobanks are legally regulated entities that acquire, store, prepare, preserve, test, analyze, and distribute defined biological material and related information and data from human sources. This study aimed to evaluate trust, support and willingness to donate personal data and tissue samples for biobanking from cancer patients attending oncology departments in Poznań, Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study utilized data from questionnaire-based survey conducted from February to June 2023 among 548 patients from 2 Poznań hospitals equipped with oncology treatment units. The survey employed convenience sampling. Statistical analysis was carried out using JASP 0.18.3 and PQStat1.8.6., with significance levels set at 0.05. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were utilized to present the results. RESULTS 92.2% of cancer patients supported the establishment of cancer research biobank in Poland, and 93.1% declared the willingness to share their cancer tissues for research purposes. Patients' willingness to donate was associated with biomedical research conducted by biobanks and types of biobank institutions. Most patients were willing to donate for research on cancer, genetic and autoimmune diseases or dementia, but were reluctant to participate in research on sexual identity, intelligence, aggression and for-profit research. Patients were willing to donate to biobanks managed by medical universities, public institutions, clinical hospitals and national biobanks but not to foreign and private biobanks. CONCLUSIONS Although patients' support for cancer biobank is high it is not unconditional as their willingness to participate in cancer-related research is associated with types of biomedical research conducted by biobanks and different types of biobank institutions.

Women's sensitivity to threat in online dating and the (in)effectiveness of standard safety warnings

Acts of sexual aggression are sometimes initiated through an online dating arrangement or encounter (e.g., through Tinder, Bumble). Certain personality and physical traits may be predictive of such sexual aggression propensity, and thus evident in online dating profiles (e.g., biographies and photographs). However, it is unclear whether (1) people are sensitive to such “red flags” and (2) whether safety recommendations employed by online dating platforms effectively enhance such sensitivity. For the first time, using an online dating simulation, we experimentally investigated the extent to which women's (n = 167) expressions of interest in men were sensitive to (i.e., influenced by) cues of threat in the men's online dating biographies and photographs, and whether the presence (vs absence) of safety recommendations enhanced this sensitivity. We find fewer expressions of interest for high (vs low) threat dating profiles, although the magnitude of this threat sensitivity/aversion effect varied across women and was not enhanced by safety recommendations. We identify some individual difference factors associated with this threat sensitivity/aversion, but our work underscores the importance of developing other interventions, technologies, or safeguards that screen for, or assist with, identifying such threats, making online dating interactions safer for all users.

Community-Level Factors As Positive and Negative Correlates of Sexual Aggression Perpetration Among Adolescent Boys

ABSTRACT Often, perpetrators of sexual violence first aggress in their teens. Presently, very little is known about environmental factors that may influence adolescents’ engagement in sexual aggression. Drawing upon data collected at 27 high schools in the Northeast United States, this study is the first to test the association between community-level factors and male adolescents’ sexual aggression. A series of backward linear regressions determined that 10 of 19 community variables were associated with males’ sexual aggression, which were then used to generate a ratio of positive to negative correlates of sexual aggression for each high school. In multilevel analyzes, as hypothesized, the ratio of positive to negative correlates was positively associated with schools’ sexual aggression perpetration rates. We discuss the study’s implications for future sexual assault research and prevention interventions.

Alcohol Expectancies for Sexual Enhancement, Event-Level Alcohol Use, and Likelihood of Sexual Aggression Perpetration: A Timeline Followback Approach

ABSTRACT Sexual aggression (SA) is a significant public health problem, with the majority of SA involving alcohol. The present study examined associations between alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement, event-level alcohol use, and the likelihood of SA perpetration. Young, adult non-problem drinking men participated in a laboratory session and completed a background survey that included measures of alcohol expectancies. Subsequently, men completed 6-week and 3-month follow-up surveys in which they reported their sexual experiences each day during the intervening 6-week period using Timeline Followback procedures. The analytic sample consisted of the 421 men (Mage = 24.66, SD = 2.69) who reported having sex at least once during the follow-up period. Multilevel models showed a significant alcohol expectancies X alcohol use interaction at the between-person level: Controlling for time and alcohol expectancies for aggression, stronger alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement were associated with greater SA perpetration likelihood among men who consumed high amounts of alcohol before sexual encounters but not among men who consumed low amounts. Alcohol prevention programs should consider addressing men’s alcohol expectancies for sexual enhancement to reduce risk for SA perpetration.

Patriarchy, virginity, and hegemonic masculinity in the Turkish film Iffet (1982): a psychoanalytic film review

ABSTRACT The 1980s was marked by the emergence of new cinematic forms in Turkey, including films concerning issues related to various forms of women’s oppression involving sexual objectification, rape, and subordination. Through a close textual analysis, this article discusses how the 1982 film Iffet attempts to create a rape–revenge story, romanticizing sexual aggression against women through hysterization of the protagonist. This study examines the film’s representation of the concepts of patriarchy, honor, virginity, and hegemonic masculinity within Turkey’s socio-political atmosphere in the 1980s. Mulvey’s feminist film theory and Brownmiller’s description of rape myths were used for the analysis.

Proximal Motives of Sexual Arousal, Power, and Relationship for Sexual Aggression: Supporting the Millennial Shift

ABSTRACT We examined three proximal motives for sexual aggression (sexual persistence after a turn down): sexual arousal, power, and relationship. The MTurk sample consisted of 264 adults: 92 Millennial men (35%), 51 Millennial women (19%), 82 Gen X men (31%) and 39 Gen X women (15%). The motive data, measured by the Sexual Aggression Motive Assessment (SAMA), were unanalyzed data extracted from the authors’ previous study of the Millennial shift, a phenomenon in which Millennial women, as compared to older generation women, showed higher levels of sexual aggression, while Millennial men, in comparison to older generation men, demonstrated lower levels of sexual aggression. For all respondents combined, the most chosen motive category was sexual arousal (95%), followed by relationship (49%), and then by power (18%) with 50% choosing two or more motive categories. Providing conceptual support for the Millennial shift, significantly more Millennial women than Gen X women chose motives of sexual arousal and power as reasons for perpetrating sexual aggression. An important finding for the relationship motive is that substantial numbers of both men and women engaged in sexual aggression because they felt that having sex would make the person like them.

Gender-Based Violence and Sexism among Young Couples

This study aims to characterise the prevalence of violence in intimate relationships among young university students and the internalisation of ambivalent sexism. The method used was a quantitative, descriptive study of Primary Education and Early Childhood Education groups in Andalusia, Spain. The final sample consisted of 848 participants. As a data collection tool, we used the VIREPA questionnaire and the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory. The results show that the most frequent forms of violence in young couples’ relationships are emotional, followed by physical and sexual violence, and emotional violence, followed by physical and psychological violence, with sexual aggression being slightly lower. Concerning the variable sex, although the averages are very close, women have higher averages in terms of emotional, physical, and psychological abuse; personal devaluation; and sexual abuse, while men have higher averages in terms of social and economic control. In addition, low levels of sexism were found to be ambivalent in the sample, with the results being highly differentiated by gender, with men having higher arithmetic means than women. This led us to design educational strategies that avoid inequalities between men and women and that contribute to the eradication of sexism and, consequently, the perpetration of violence.

A Thousand Catcalls: Survivors’ Experiences of Sexual Violence in Online Dating

There is growing academic interest in the leisure spaces of online dating as a specific avenue of technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV). Yet, limited attention is paid to survivors’ experiences and understandings of sexual violence intermediated by dating apps. Using feminist standpoint theory and an intersectional lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 current and former dating app (e.g. Tinder, Grindr) users of diverse identities and backgrounds who previously experienced sexual violence. Sexual violence was found to take a multiplicity of forms spanning the “online-offline” continuum that often co-occur and mutually reinforce their effects, including sexual assault threats, image-based harassment, gender/sexuality-based hate speech, and in-person sexual coercion and/or aggression. Depending on the experience frequency and severity, psycho-social outcomes range from indifference/mild annoyance to emotional trauma and social withdrawal. Findings underscore the profound personal and collective impacts of TFSV and the urgent need for coordinated, multisectoral responses.

Safer Bars: A cluster-randomized effectiveness evaluation of alcohol-related sexual violence prevention through bar staff bystander training

BackgroundSexual assault is consistently associated with social contexts that support high levels of alcohol consumption such as alcohol-serving establishments (i.e., bars). The significant rates of alcohol-involved sexual assault among college students demonstrate the critical need for evidence-based efforts to reduce alcohol-involved sexual assault in this population. Although bystander approaches have demonstrated some promise for reducing alcohol-involved sexual assault, to date no published studies have examined the effectiveness of implementing bystander prevention approaches with bar staff. Given the robust evidence indicating that bars serve as hot spots for sexual aggression, interventions that improve bar staff's ability to identify and intervene in sexually aggressive situations may offer a useful approach for reducing rates of alcohol-involved sexual assault. MethodsThe Safer Bars study utilizes a cluster-randomized trial design that randomizes participants at the bar level into intervention and waitlist control arms. The sample includes bars (Nbars = 56) within a three-mile proximity to the three major public Arizona universities, with an average of 10 staff members per bar (Nstaff = 564). Assessments of individual-level and bar-level outcomes occur at baseline, training completion, and 3-months post-training, with an additional individual-level assessment at 6 months. Community-level effects are assessed using GIS data regarding police dispatches. ConclusionSafer Bars represents a novel, theory-driven approach to promote effective bystander behavior among bar staff working in close proximity to university campuses to reduce rates of alcohol-involved sexual assault.

Examining the Role of Alcohol and Cannabis Use Patterns in Bystander Opportunity and Behavior for Sexual and Relationship Aggression.

This study aimed to investigate the association between alcohol and cannabis use patterns and bystander intervention for sexual and relationship violence risk among college students who have used cannabis in the past year. The study tested two hypotheses: (1) Reports of bystander opportunities will differ based on participants' alcohol and cannabis use patterns, and (2) among those who report bystander opportunities, reports of bystander behaviors will differ based on their alcohol and cannabis use patterns. Participants were 870 students recruited from two large, minority-serving universities in the United States who reported past-year cannabis use. Participants reported their typical alcohol and cannabis use patterns and bystander opportunities and behaviors. Students were grouped for analysis based on their reported average substance use into four groups: alcohol and cannabis use on the same day, alcohol use only, cannabis use only, or no use. Students who reported alcohol and cannabis use on the same day, compared with those who reported alcohol use only, reported more bystander opportunities and behaviors in situations at risk for sexual and relationship violence. Compared with alcohol use only, students who reported only using cannabis or no use reported fewer bystander opportunities and behavior related to keeping others safe in party settings. Alcohol and cannabis use patterns are associated with bystander intervention, emphasizing the need to include knowledge about cannabis and co-use in bystander programming that aims to reduce sexual and relationship violence.

“She Should be Smart Enough To Know, Hey, These Things Can Happen”: Identifying Men’s Perceptions, Attitudes and Beliefs About Sexual Aggression Toward Women in Drinking Venues and The Implications for Prevention

Sexual aggression (SA) by men toward women, including harassment and unwanted sexual touching, is ubiquitous in drinking venues. Focus groups with 38 male volunteers aged 19-26 were used to articulate men’s perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs (PABs) related to SA in drinking venues for future development of a comprehensive questionnaire. Three cross-cutting themes relevant to prevention emerged from discussions structured using a 6-dimensional theoretical model: drinking venues culture with normative acceptance of SA as harmless fun, gender scripts that hold female targets responsible for SA, and alcohol attributions that reduce blame for intoxicated men perpetrators and increase blame for women targets.

Exploring the Underlying Constructs of Rape-Related Cognition Scales and Their Relationships With Sexual Aggression.

Rape-related cognitions (typically defined as encompassing any number of cognitive constructs) are thought to play a role in sexual aggression. However, rape-related cognition scales often assess these cognitive constructs as one. The purpose of this study is to explore the factor structure of these measures using a sample of 191 community men. We found that items from the Rape Myth Acceptance, RAPE, and Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance (IRMA) scales formed one factor, which was significantly related to sexual aggression. We further found that four and six IRMA subscales were significantly related to past and likelihood of sexual aggression, respectively. Additionally, one IRMA subscale was independently related to past and likelihood of sexual aggression. The results are discussed in terms of implications and direction for future research.

The impact of Internet pornography on children and adolescents: A systematic review

ObjectivesYoung people's exposure to online pornographic material has increased in the past years. Its impact is a complex topic but an important issue due to growing concerns. Therefore, we reviewed the literature on Internet pornography consumption and its impact on children and adolescents. Furthermore, we examined young people's thoughts about pornography and their reasons for consumption. MethodWe performed a systematic literature search in the online databases ERIC, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEX for peer-reviewed articles in English, published between 2000 and 2022 and additionally identified secondary references. ResultsWe could determine associations between pornography consumption and demographic variables (e.g., age, gender), personal characteristics (e.g., [sexual] sensation seeking, sexual interest and experience, general risk behavior), environmental variables (e.g., peers, family), attitudes (e.g., gender role attitudes, permissive sexual attitudes), behavior (e.g. sexual risk behaviour, sexting) and sexual aggression (e.g., sexual cybervictimization, grooming). Moreover, we found that girls have a more negative attitude towards pornography than boys who have an ambivalent opinion on the subject. Most adolescents are aware that the majority of pornographic material is exaggerated and unrealistic. Furthermore, pornography is not only watched out of curiosity and for sexual arousal but also used as a source of sexual information, especially by minority groups. DiscussionMany effects that impair children's development have been documented. The results found in this review are often contradictory. Therefore, further replication studies are needed. In addition, we propose several preventive measures, e.g., sexual health education at schools for both heterosexuals and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) people.

Perceived Impact of COVID-19 on Cyberabuse, Sexual Aggression, and Intimate Partner Violence Among U.S. Young Adults.

Quarantine guidelines that arose with the COVID-19 pandemic limited opportunities for social interaction, raising concerns about increases in intimate partner violence and cyberabuse while simultaneously restricting access to help. The current study assessed increases in cyberabuse, sexual aggression, and intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in a U.S. nationally representative sample of young adults ages 18 to 35, recruited from a probability-based household panel. Data were collected between November 2020 and May 2021. Descriptive analyses were conducted to assess the prevalence of any self-reported increase in cyberabuse, sexual aggression, or intimate partner victimization or perpetration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression models were run for each outcome measuring any increase compared to no increase. Approximately one in ten U.S. young adults ages 18 to 35 reported experiencing an increase in cyberabuse victimization (12.6%) and cyberabuse perpetration (8.9%) during the pandemic. Similar proportions were observed for increased sexual aggression victimization (11.8%) and perpetration (9.0%). More than one in five respondents (21.4%) reported that their intimate partner was more physically, sexually, or emotionally aggressive toward them during the pandemic. Conversely, 16.2% of respondents reported that they were more physically, sexually, or emotionally aggressive themselves toward an intimate partner, compared to their behavior before the onset of the pandemic. Having an intimate partner and staying at home more than usual during the pandemic were protective factors for both cyberabuse and sexual aggression victimization. Respondent age, education, and race and ethnicity were not associated with increased victimization or perpetration of cyberabuse or sexual aggression. However, women reported lower odds of increased sexual aggression perpetration than men. These findings improve understanding of changes to interpersonal abuse and associated risk factors during a period of social disruption.

Self-Reported Sexual Aggression among Youths: Exploring the Possible Subtypes

Self-Reported Sexual Aggression among Youths: Exploring the Possible Subtypes

Young men’s attendance in alcohol intensive environments and its association with sexual aggression tactics

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to assess if attendance at alcohol-intensive environments (AIE; bars, parties), was associated with men’s engagement in two types of sexually aggressive tactics (enticement/coercion and assault) independent of individual alcohol consumption. Young men (n = 790) were recruited through Qualtrics’ survey panel to complete a web-administered questionnaire. We ran a multinominal logistic regression predicting whether men used each tactic. AIE attendance, but not alcohol consumption, was related to men’s use of assaultive tactics only whereas alcohol consumption, but not AIE attendance, was related to enticement/coercion. Men’s attendance at AIE may be associated with their engagement in certain aggressive tactics, rather than their individual alcohol consumption. Prevention programme implementers may want to focus on cultural risk factors associated with AIE for specific sexual aggression tactics. PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENT Men’s attendance at alcohol intensive settings (AIE; e.g. bars/parties) may be a stronger predictor of their sexual aggression than individual alcohol consumption. AIE attendance may relate to sexual aggression because of cultural norms surrounding AIE that could normalise men’s sexual aggression. Prevention programmes could focus on underlying cultural norms associated with AIE and teach people to identify concerning sexual situations within these contexts, given that they can be a risk factors for sexual aggression.

Links between Aggressive Sexual Fantasies and Sexual Coercion: A Replication and Extension of a Multifactorial Model

Current research indicates that aggressive sexual fantasies (ASF) are related to sexual aggression, above and beyond other risk factors for this behavior. There have, however, rarely been explicitly considered in multifactor models aiming to explain sexual aggression. One exception is the multifactorial Revised Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression that was replicated in two samples of male individuals who were convicted of sexual offenses and a small sample of men from the general population and evidenced a high relevance of ASF, respectively. There were, however, no further attempts to replicate the model in larger samples from the general population. We, therefore, used a subsample from the Finnish Genetics of Sexuality and Aggression project including 3269 men (age: M = 26.17 years, SD = 4.76) to do so. Cross-sectional latent structural equation models corroborated previous research and the assumption that ASF are a central component in multifactor models that aim to explain sexual aggression: ASF and antisocial behavior/aggression were equally important associates of sexual coercion when also considering adverse childhood experiences, hypersexuality, and callous-unemotional traits. Additionally, ASF mediated the links between hypersexuality, callous-unemotional traits, as well as childhood sexual abuse and sexual coercion. These links held stable when entering further risk factors, that is, distorted perceptions, rape-supportive attitudes, and violent pornography consumption into the model. Contrasting assumptions, alcohol consumption and antisocial behavior/aggression did not interact. These results illustrate the potential importance of ASF for sexual aggression. They indicate that ASF require consideration by research on sexual aggression as well as in the treatment and risk assessment of sexual perpetrators.

Educating for equality from a decolonial perspective: a participatory action experience with early childhood education students in Lamu, Kenya

The elimination of violence against women is one of the Sustainable Development Goals. Strategies to combat violence against women focus not only on its punitive correction, but also on promoting preventive measures. For this reason, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals recognise the need to include gender education at all levels of education. Similarly, this study, supported by other recent research, considers the inclusion of a gender approach in education as a strategy to prevent violence against women to be essential. In this study, we examined the level of gender equality knowledge in the final year of early childhood education in a school integrated into a non-governmental organisation on the island of Lamu, Kenya. The study was carried out using a participatory action methodology through the design and implementation of a course on «Human Rights and Gender Equality» in the 2019 academic year through twenty formative and participatory workshops. The decision to carry out this intervention stems from having become aware of a sexual aggression by several pupils of the entity’s nursery school against a five-year-old girl. Among the results, we observed the existing differences between the conception of equality in childhood, where there is an egalitarian community upbringing, and adulthood, where gender stereotypes are very evident. We also perceived how violence was intrinsic to children’s lives in public and private spaces, which could influence the possibility of justifying violence towards women as a form of correction from a very early age. In the conclusions, the possibility of working on gender equality issues to give children a space of trust where they can be listened to and respected is positively valued.