Sexual Assault History and Alcohol-Aggression Expectancies as Barriers to Sexual Refusal Assertiveness in College Women

Background: Alcohol-related sexual assault is a pressing health concern on U.S. college campuses. The unrelenting prevalence of campus sexual assault has led to a greater focus on how to empower college women to resist unwanted sexual advances within alcohol-infused contexts. Alcohol-aggression expectancies have emerged as one potential barrier to women's utilization of sexual refusal strategies. The present study sought to test this hypothesized barrier using a vignette-based experimental design. Specifically, the proposed model examined the relationships between perceived perpetrator intoxication level, expectations of perpetrator reaction to sexual refusal, and willingness to refuse unwanted sexual advances. The moderating effects of prior sexual assault history and alcohol-aggression expectancies were also evaluated within this model. It was hypothesized that (1) anticipated negative partner reaction to sexual refusal would mediate the effect of perceived perpetrator intoxication on sexual refusal assertiveness, (2) sexual assault history would moderate both paths of the proposed mediation, and (3) alcohol-aggression expectancies would moderate the effect of sexual assault history on path a. Methods: Formative research with 59 college women was conducted to develop experimental vignettes for this study. In the within-subjects experimental study, 199 college women viewed five vignettes depicting either an intoxicated or sober perpetrator and responded to survey items corresponding to each construct of the proposed model. Results: Seventy percent of participants reported a history of unwanted sexual contact and 60% reported a history of attempted or completed rape. Perceived Partner Intoxication had a significant effect on Anticipated Negative Partner Reaction, such that those who perceived the male perpetrator as more intoxicated reported greater anticipation that he would respond negatively to sexual refusal. Anticipated Negative Partner Reaction did not mediate the relationship between Perceived Partner Intoxication and Sexual Refusal Assertiveness. No moderating effects of Sexual Assault History or Alcohol-Aggression Expectancies were observed. Conclusion: While the proposed conceptual model of sexual assertiveness was unsupported, rates of sexual assault were staggering in this sample, emphasizing the need for continued research on how to empower college women within the current college climate. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]