Risk Processing, Alcohol Use, and College Women's Sexual Victimization

University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque NM

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): College women report high rates of sexual victimization (Fisher et al., 2000; Koss et al., 1987). One of the more serious consequences of sexual victimization is that, once victimized, women are at increased risk for future victimization (Gidycz et al., 1993; Messman-Moore & Long, 2003). To date, the mechanisms responsible for both sexual victimization and revictimization remain unclear. Thus, research that identifies etiological factors that increase women's risk for sexual victimization and revictimization is of great importance from a public health perspective, as this information will help inform the development of future interventions for women who are at risk for being victimized. The goal of the proposed study is to test a theoretical model of women's risk for sexual victimization. This model posits that difficulties judging risk and choosing risk-reducing responses to social situations mediate the relationship between a history of sexual victimization and revictimization. It also posits that these difficulties will predict future victimization, regardless of whether womn report a previous victimization experience. Due to the robust relationship between alcohol use and risk for sexual victimization (Abbey et al., 2000; Gidycz et al., 2007), it is expected that aspects of women's alcohol use, specifically, alcohol problems and expectancies that alcohol enhances sexual experience, will moderate the associations among the model constructs. Exploratory goals of the present work are to examine the effects of psychopathology, sexual attitudes, trait disinhibition, ethnicity, and any occurrence of victimization during the study on women's risk judgments and response choices. To test this theoretical model, college women will be followed prospectively for 6 months. At baseline, participants will complete tasks assessing their risk judgments and response choices to risky dating and social situations. They also will complete questionnaires assessing past victimization experiences, aspects of their alcohol use, psychopathology, sexual attitudes, and trait disinhibition. Participants will again complete the tasks and questionnaires at follow-up. The results of the proposed study will reveal whether difficulties with risk judgment and response choice predict sexual victimization among college women, as well as whether aspects of their alcohol use moderate this relationship.