Blackout Drinking Predicts Sexual Revictimization in a College Sample of Binge‐Drinking Women

Abstract

Sexual victimization is prevalent on U.S. college campuses. Some women experience multiple sexual victimizations with heightened risk among those with prior victimization histories. One risk factor for sexual revictimization is alcohol use. Most research has focused on associations between alcohol consumption and revictimization. The current study’s objective was to understand potential mechanisms by which drinking confers risk for revictimization. We hypothesized that specific drinking consequences would predict risk for revictimization above and beyond the quantity of alcohol consumed. There were 162 binge-drinking female students (mean age = 20.21 years, 71.3% White, 36.9% juniors) from the University of Washington who were assessed for baseline victimization (categorized as childhood vs. adolescent victimization), quantity of alcohol consumed, and drinking consequences experienced, then assessed 30 days later for revictimization. There were 40 (24.6%) women who were revictimized in the following 30 days. Results showed that blackout drinking at baseline predicted incapacitated sexual revictimization among women previously victimized as adolescents, after accounting for quantity of alcohol consumed (OR = 1.79, 95% CI [1.07, 3.01]). Other drinking consequences were not strongly predictive of revictimization. Adolescent sexual victimization was an important predictor of sexual revictimization in college women; blackout drinking may confer unique risk for revictimization.

Event‐Level Correlates of Drinking Events Characterized by Alcohol‐Induced Blackouts

“…Blackouts cooccur with other negative alcohol‐related consequences (White et al., ). Drinking to the point of blackouts is linked to a higher likelihood of injury and emergency department care than drinking without blacking out (Mundt and Zakletskaia, ; Mundt et al., ) and is prospectively associated with sexual revictimization in college women who had been victimized as adolescents (Valenstein‐Mah et al., ). Hingson and colleagues tested whether endorsement of a blackout in the past 6 months was associated with other negative consequences in that same time period in a young adult sample (Hingson et al., ).…”

“Can't Wait to Blackout Tonight”: An Analysis of the Motives to Drink to Blackout Expressed on Twitter

“…Alcohol consumption continues to be a public health concern and is one of the leading risk factors for injury or death and disability worldwide (Griswold et al., ). In addition to severe long‐term negative consequences (i.e., cancer; Connor, ), alcohol use is also associated with a range of short‐term negative consequences including alcohol‐induced memory loss (Hingson et al., ; Valenstein‐Mah et al., ). Social networking websites have become increasingly popular and are a common outlet for individuals to discuss alcohol and substance use (Alhabash et al., ; Boyle et al., ).…”

“…Despite the fact that blackouts occur at relatively high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC; most at around .20 g/dl; Ryback, ; Wetherill and Fromme, ), blackouts are a frequently reported alcohol‐related consequence, especially among young adults (Barnett et al., ; Chartier et al., ; Hallett et al., ; Jennison and Johnson, ). Unfortunately, because the drinker is responsive and conscious during a blackout, blackouts are often associated with an increase in other negative alcohol‐related consequences (e.g., injury, emergency department admissions, sexual victimization; Mundt and Zakletskaia, ; Mundt et al., ; Valenstein‐Mah et al., ).…”

The Association Between Alcohol and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among College Students: a Review

“…Young adults are also disproportionately impacted by STIs, which increase risk for HIV transmission [14]. Additionally, sexual harassment, sexual victimization, and unintended pregnancy are also pressing concerns on college campuses, and alcohol use in sexual contexts may contribute to each of these outcomes [15–19]. …”