Alcohol's Effects on Women's Risk Detection in a Date-Rape Vignette

Abstract

Abstract.Researchers have established that alcohol is a risk factor for date rape for both victims and perpetrators. Objective: The authors tried to experimentally address the link between alcohol consumption and women's risk detection abilities in a risky sexual vignette. Participants: The authors recruited 42 women from undergraduate classrooms at a large midwestern university and randomly assigned them to drink an alcoholic (.04 blood alcohol content) or a placebo beverage. Methods: Participants completed self-report inventories and listened to a date-rape audiotaped vignette, which began with consensual sexual behavior and culminated in date rape, and the authors asked them to determine if and when the man should refrain from making further sexual advances. Results: Student's t tests and Pearson r correlations showed that women who consumed alcohol and exhibited high levels of rape myth acceptance showed a significant decrease in risk recognition (p = .000 and .001, respectively). Conclusion: These findings highlight the significance of even small amounts of alcohol on behavior and cognition in women who are self-reported experienced drinkers.Keywords: alcohol consumption, intoxication, rape, risk detection, sexual assault, women's perceptions ape is the sexual penetration of a person against his or her will by the use of force, by the threat of force, by verbal coercion, or by the inability to consent because of the impaired mental status or age of the victim.1 The lifetime prevalence of sexual assault for women in the general population is estimated to be between 13% and 25%.2 Benson et al 3 estimated that 1 in 4 college-aged women has been the victim of a rape; 84% of victims knew their assailants, and 57% of these assaults occurred while on dates. The prevalence of date rape is also higher among college students than it is outside of college communities. Women aged 16 to 24 years are in the highest risk category for date rape-more than 4 times greater than any other group.

Differences in the Drinking Behaviors of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese College Students

“…Colleges and universities need to be aware of the potential differential risk for problematic alcohol use in U.S.-born female Asian subgroup drinkers. Studies of general samples of college students have found that higher levels of alcohol consumption among women are often associated with greater risk of date rape, lower grade-point average, and marijuana and tobacco use (Loiselle and Fuqua, 2007;Vickers et al, 2004). The signifi cant fi nding of increased alcohol consumption among Asian subgroup college students who do not live with their parents is an important consideration for the development of college alcohol-intervention and prevention programs that target students' place of residence.…”

“Blurred Lines?” Sexual Aggression and Barroom Culture

“…Initiators of a sexual advance may be less sensitive to body language and gestures intended to communicate that the overture is unwelcome when intoxicated (Abbey et al, 1998; Norris et al, 2002). Intoxicated target may be less able to communicate in a clear way that the overture is unwanted (Abbey et al, 2002) or recognize risks of sexual assault (Loiselle and Fuqua, 2007). Intoxication may also increase women’s likelihood of being targeted for sexual aggression (Ullman et al, 1999), perhaps partly because more intoxicated women are seen as being more sexually available (George et al, 1988; George et al, 1995).…”

Communicating/Muting Date Rape: A Co-Cultural Theoretical Analysis of Communication Factors Related to Rape Culture on a College Campus

“…Benson, Gohm, and Gross (2007) found that 78.7% of study participants reported alcohol use at the time of the assault. Even small amounts of alcohol affect college women's judgment of date rape risk (Loiselle & Fuqua, 2007).…”