Women’s expression of anger in response to unwanted sexual advances: Associations with sexual victimization.

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between women’s prior sexual victimization and their expression of anger in response to unwanted sexual advances. Method: Sixty-five female undergraduate students participated in role plays with male actors. During the role plays, which were conducted using virtual reality technology, the male actor made unwanted sexual advances toward the participant. Participants’ expression of anger in response to these advances was coded and analyzed. Results: Women with a history of sexual victimization were observed to be less angry and used fewer anger words in response to initial unwanted sexual advances, compared with women with no history of sexual victimization. Conclusion: This study highlights the potential importance of women’s expression of anger in response to unwanted sexual advances. Specifically, anger expression might be important to consider in understanding women’s vulnerability to victimization and revictimization, and as an intervention target for programs designed to help women resist sexual violence. Finally, this study illustrates the potential benefits of a unique methodology—role plays conducted using virtual reality—for investigating women’s responses to unwanted sexual advances.

Behavioral response to threat (BRTT) as a key behavior for sexual assault risk reduction intervention: A critical review

“…In contrast, anger and less self-blame has been associated with increased assertive and physically forceful BRTTs (Bart & O'Brien, 1984;Nurius, Norris, Macy, & Huang, 2004). In Jouriles, Simpson Rowe, McDonald & Kleinsasser (2014), researchers found that participants without a history of sexual victimization were more likely to express anger during a sexual assault threat presented via virtual reality than participants with a history of sexual victimization, even while controlling for assertion. This suggests that anger is a protective intrapersonal emotional response, but it is unclear what the pathway or mechanism is between sexual victimization and anger elicited by threat.…”

“…Some of these approaches, like the written and audio vignettes, have even previously been adapted to include additional contextual elements with success. In one study, participants with a history of sexual victimization rated virtual reality role-plays as feeling more realistic compared with those without a history of victimization; indicating that this tool may be particularly helpful for those at most risk (Jouriles et al 2014).…”

Reducing Sexual Victimization Among Adolescent Girls: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of My Voice, My Choice

“…In this research, coercive situations that sometimes occur between teens (e.g., sitting next to an adolescent boy in his bedroom when he is trying to convince the participant to kiss him) are simulated in the IVE, so that the participant experiences herself as "in" the coercive situation. IVEs create a more realistic and immersive "sexually coercive" situation that elicits greater negative emotion than face-to-face role plays (Jouriles et al, , 2011 and have been used successfully in research on sexual coercion and physical violence (e.g., Jouriles, Simpson Rowe, McDonald, & Kleinsasser, 2014;Slater et al, 2013).…”

Predictors of Assertive and Nonassertive Styles of Self-Defense Behavior During a Lab-Based Sexual Assault Scenario

“…The following questionnaires were administered as part of the labbased self-defense task and are described in order of administration. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Barriers to Sexual Aggression Scale (BRSA) were included in order to assess current mood and psychological barriers as potential predictors of task behavioral responses to threat (Nurius et al, 2000;Jouriles, Simpson Rowe, & McDonald, 2014).…”