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Data from an online community sample of young men were analyzed to test predictors of sexual assault perpetration. We used structural equation modeling to test the relative contributions of specific sub-types of childhood adversity to subsequent sexual aggression. Mediators included hostile masculinity, impersonal sexual behavior and attitudes, and substance use variables. Findings suggested that childhood sexual abuse had direct and mediated effects on sexual assault perpetration, but hostile masculinity was the only proximal factor significantly related to aggression. Childhood polytrauma was also associated with increased perpetration risk, suggesting that prevention efforts may be aided by increased attention to childhood maltreatment., (© The Author(s) 2016.)

Two studies examined the effects of alcohol and relationship type on women's sexual assault risk perception. Study 1 participants (N = 62) consumed a moderate alcohol dose or nonalcoholic beverage, then rated their awareness of and discomfort with sexual assault risk cues in a hypothetical encounter with a new or established dating partner. Study 2 (N = 351) compared control, placebo, low, and high alcohol dose conditions using a similar scenario. Intoxicated women reported decreased awareness of and discomfort with risk cues. An established relationship decreased discomfort ratings. Findings indicate that alcohol may increase women's sexual victimization likelihood through reduced sexual assault risk perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Content and thematic analyses were used to examine women's written responses to a hypothetical attempted sexual assault. A community sample ( N= 371) participated in an experiment examining the effects of alcohol on sexual assault resistance. Women received a high-dose alcohol, low-dose alcohol, placebo, or control beverage and then projected themselves into a dating scenario culminating in an attempted sexual assault. Participants wrote their own endings to the story, which were analyzed qualitatively. Content analysis found that verbal and physical assertiveness were the most frequently described actions; calling out for help was less frequent. Three major themes emerged from story endings: gendered sexuality, interpersonal concerns, and empowerment. Findings included contrasting elements: Women's projected outcomes to the sexual assault scenario involved both traditional and alternative sexual scripts. Results supported the position that the current social construction of heterosexuality plays a role in high acquaintance sexual assault rates. Implications for developing effective antirape programs and for sexual assault research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium presented at the 2004 meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There were four presentations and a discussant. The symposium was co-chaired by Tina Zawacki and Jeanette Norris. The first presentation was made by Jeanette Norris, who found that alcohol consumption and preexisting alcohol expectancies affected women's hypothetical responses to a vignette depicting acquaintance sexual aggression. The second presentation was made by Joel Martell, who reported that alcohol-induced impairment of executive cognitive functioning mediated the effect of intoxication on men's perceptions of a sexual assault vignette. In the third presentation, Antonia Abbey found that the experiences of women whose sexual assault involved intoxication or force were more negative than were the experiences of women whose sexual assault involved verbal coercion. The fourth presentation was made by Tina Zawacki, who reported that men who perpetrated sexual assault only in adolescence differed from men who continued perpetration into adult-hood in terms of their drinking patterns and attitudes toward women. William H. George discussed these findings in terms of their implications for theory development and prevention programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]