Understanding sexual assault risk perception in college: Associations among sexual assault history, drinking to cope, and alcohol use

Abstract

These findings suggest that alcohol use and drinking to cope with anxiety are associated with risk perception. Sexual assault history was associated with both perceived incapacitated sexual assault likelihood and when to leave a hypothetical scenario. Alcohol use and drinking to cope are two potential points of intervention for sexual assault risk reduction programs, but further examination is needed.

Two Studies Investigating Associations Between Sexual Assault Victimization History and Bystander Appraisals of Risk

“…Specifically, a focus on risk perception (akin to an attitude in the theory of planned behavior) is insufficient; also needed is an understanding of the perceived norms for how one should behave in that situation and a sense of efficacy to enact a particular behavior (i.e., leaving). As Neilson and colleagues (2018) noted, “social norms prescribing polite behavior and proscribing rudeness may decrease self-efficacy to leave a sexual assault situation” (p. 11). Furthermore, behavioral intention (decision-making) is not the same as behavioral enactment.…”

“…In written vignettes, Norris et al (1999) found women with victimization histories required the presence of more risk factors in the stories before they reported feeling “on guard” than did women who had no victimization history. Similarly, Neilson and colleagues (2018) found that participants with higher adult sexual assault severity scores on the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss et al, 2007) intended to leave a risky scenario at a significantly later point in a written story compared to women with lower scores. However, some studies have suggested that women with and without a history of sexual assault victimization may similarly recognize situations as dangerous, but fail to act quickly or effectively to reduce (re)victimization risk (Franklin, 2013; Gidycz et al, 2006; Messman-Moore & Brown, 2006; VanZile-Tamsen et al, 2005).…”

Associations of Alcohol Consumption, Sexual Assault History, Severity, and Revictimization With College Women’s Bystander Behaviors in Alcohol-involved Settings

“…One relatively unexplored factor related to prosocial bystander behavior is sexual assault victimization (SAV) experiences, which can have a unique influence on risk recognition-a key component of bystander intervention (e.g., Bridges et al, 2020;Ham et al, 2019). For instance, some researchers have found that having an SAV experience can decrease risk recognition (Gidycz et al, 2006;Neilson et al, 2018;Rinehart & Yeater, 2015;Wilson et al, 1999), increase risk recognition (Gidycz et al, 2006;Untied et al, 2012) or have no effect on it (Gidycz et al, 2006;Yeater et al, 2009). Given these mixed findings, the influence that SAV experiences may have on women's bystander behaviors is difficult to determine.…”

“…Severity of a sexual assault may influence women's bystander behaviors because women with more severe SAV histories may be less able to perceive risk or take longer to respond in risky situations (Neilson et al, 2018;Soler-Baillo et al, 2005). Indeed, a recent study found that as the severity of sexual assault increased for women, it was associated with a delay in women recognizing risk in a hypothetical sexual assault situation (Neilson et al, 2018).…”

Changes in Risk Perception After Sexual Victimization: Are We Following the Right Track?

“…Several studies have reported that victims of sexual abuse have a decreased ability to perceive risk in potentially threatening situations compared with nonvictims (e.g., Neilson et al, 2018;Soler-Baillo, Marx, & Sloan, 2005;Walsh, DiLillo, & Messman-Moore, 2012); however, other studies were not able to replicate this finding (e.g., Carlson & Duckworth, 2016;Chu, DePrince, & Mauss, 2014;Vanzile-Tamsen, Testa, & Livingston, 2005). The operationalization and assessment of risk perception varied considerably across studies (see Gidycz et al, 2006 for a review).…”