Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Medindia

Role of Alcohol in Sexual Assault

by Sheela Philomena on Sep 10 2011 9:53 AM

 Role of Alcohol in Sexual Assault
Alcohol plays an important role in some men who commit sexual aggression, finds study.
The findings revealed that men who are already prone to anger, who have hostile attitudes toward women, and who are in social environments that accept sexual aggression are most likely to engage in sexual aggression when intoxicated.

Antonia Abbey, PhD, a professor in the Department of Psychology at Wayne State University, critically reviewed the relevant alcohol administration and survey research literature to examine the causality between sexual assaults and alcohol, since approximately half of all sexual assaults involve alcohol consumption.

One study reviewed a sample of 356 male college students. 42.4 percent had no history of sexual assault, 31.2 percent were sexual perpetrators while consuming alcohol, and 26.4 percent were perpetrators without any consumption of alcohol.

Using discriminant function analysis and analysis of variance, the study showed that there were few differences between men who commit sexual assault when sober or drinking.

Both groups of perpetrators scored higher than non-perpetrators on measures of aggression, delinquency, hostility towards women, and sexual dominance.

The perpetrators who used alcohol differed from others in their strong belief that alcohol increased their sexuality and women's interest in having sex, and they drank the most alcohol in potential sexual situations.

Advertisement
Alcohol primarily appears to influence the circumstances under which some men are most likely to commit sexual assault, and it also affected aggression, but these effects were strongest for people already predisposed to be aggressive.

Overall, the survey research findings indicate that the personality characteristics, attitudes, and past experiences of sexual assault perpetrators who drink during the assault are similar to those who do not drink during the assault.

Advertisement
Thus, intoxication may be a more important determinant of when some men commit sexual aggression, rather than who becomes sexually aggressive.

"As a field, we need to develop better prevention and treatment programs," Abbey said.

"Having a more precise understanding of alcohol's role in sexual assault will aid in the development of more sophisticated and targeted interventions," she added.

The review article is part of a September special issue focusing on Alcohol and Aggression, and it has been published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Review.

Source-ANI


Recommended Readings
Latest Alcohol & Drug Abuse News
View All
Advertisement
Advertisement