The Impact of Sexual Arousal and Emotion Regulation on Men’s Sexual Aggression Proclivity

Abstract

Extant literature supports a relationship between sexual arousal and increased likelihood of sexually coercive behavior in men. The present study investigated the impact of sexual arousal on sexual coercion proclivity and the degree to which emotion regulation moderated this relationship in the context of two separate affect inductions. We predicted that sexual arousal would more strongly predict sexual coercion likelihood for men scoring lower on emotion regulation ability compared with men with above average emotion regulation abilities. Male participants with ( n = 38) and without ( n = 40) self-reported histories of sexual coercion were recruited from urban sexually transmitted infection testing clinics. Participants completed a measure of emotion regulation, underwent a positive and negative affect induction, viewed an erotic video, and reported on their level of sexual arousal immediately prior to completing a hypothetical sexual coercion likelihood laboratory task. Relationships between emotion regulation, sexual arousal, and sexual coercion likelihood were examined using moderation analyses. Sexual arousal was associated with greater reported sexual coercion likelihood. For men with poorer emotion regulation, sexual arousal significantly and positively predicted sexual coercion likelihood in the positive affect condition. Sexual arousal did not significantly predict sexual coercion for men with above average emotion regulation. Findings may have implications for the assessment of individual risk for coercive sexual behavior as well as primary prevention efforts.

Coping Using Sex During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in the United Kingdom

“…It has also been shown that difficulties in emotion regulation represent 'psychologically meaningful' risk-factors for sexual offending 32 . Emotion regulation also plays an important role in the offence process for sexual offenders 39,40 , and difficulties in emotion regulation have been identified in men who engage in sexually coercive behaviors [41][42][43][44][45] .…”

Profiles of emotion regulation strategies and intentions to perpetrate sexual assault.

“…Men with ER difficulties may experience anger when their sexual advances toward their partner are rejected and lash out by perpetrating sexual assault as a result (Davis et al, 2020; Neilson et al, 2022). Similarly, highly sexually aroused men with ER difficulties are predisposed to perpetrate sexual assault, especially compared to nonaroused men, and men with low ER difficulties (Craig et al, 2022). However, although the specific emotions sexually aggressive men experience when perpetrating have been studied, the specific ER strategies these men may or may not be using when they perpetrate sexual assault have not yet been investigated.…”

Acute alcohol intoxication, state anger, and sexual assault perpetration: The role of state emotion regulation.

“…Theoretical research suggests emotion regulation (ER), the process through which individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express them in response to environmental demands, contributes to sexual assault perpetration (Hall & Hirschman, 1991; Malamuth et al, 1996). Burgeoning empirical research has found that general ER tendencies (e.g., trait ER) are associated with sexual assault perpetration (Craig et al, 2020; Kirwan et al, 2019; Pickett et al, 2016; Shorey et al, 2011). However, ER is context-dependent, and an individual may experience ER difficulties in a given situation due to a number of individual-level and situation-level factors (e.g., state ER).…”

“…The research on ER and sexual aggression is limited and has predominantly focused on general ER tendencies (e.g., trait ER). Prior investigations have found facets of trait ER are associated with sexual assault perpetration (Craig et al, 2020; Pickett et al, 2016; Shorey et al, 2011). Far less research has studied state ER; in a study of intimate partner aggression, when instructed to use a maladaptive ER strategy, past perpetrators reported more aggression than nonperpetrators (Maldonado et al, 2015).…”

“…Future research may consider provocation paradigms to heighten state anger or recruit men with high levels of trait anger. Furthermore, one study found that for men with poor ER, sexual arousal was associated with sexual assault intentions after a positive mood induction (Craig et al, 2020). Future sexual assault research should examine the relations between alcohol intoxication, state ER, and positive affect.…”