Women's Sex-Related Dissociation: The Effects of Alcohol Intoxication, Attentional Control Instructions, and History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Abstract

This study examined influences of alcohol intoxication, attentional control, and CSA severity on sex-related dissociation. Sex-related dissociation is defined here as dissociation (e.g., feeling as if the world is unreal and feeling disconnected from one's body) during sexual activity or in the presence of sexual stimuli. Women (N=70) were randomized to a 2 (alcohol condition: none, .10% peak breath alcohol concentration) × 2 (attentional control instructions: none, “relax and maximize” sexual arousal) experiment and exposed to sexual stimuli. Alcohol intoxication was positively associated with sex-related dissociation. CSA severity and sex-related dissociation were positively associated in the no instruction condition but not in the “relax and maximize” condition. For some women, efforts to relax and maximize sexual arousal may buffer the association between CSA and sex-related dissociation.

Alcohol Use and Sexual Violence among Nursing Students in Catalonia, Spain: A Multicentre Cross-Sectional Study

“…Alcohol intake is the most important risk factor for non-consensual sexual relations and forced touching [ 17 , 18 ], although its consumption affects men and women differently: in women, the capacity to react to alarm signals is reduced, i.e., protective behavioural strategies are undermined [ 19 ], whereas in men, impulses are disinhibited and aggressiveness increases [ 20 ]. Alcohol also heightens sexual arousal and desire, in turn increasing interest in sex and fostering other risky behaviours [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a term used to describe sexual intercourse with someone who is partially or fully incapacitated (and so unable to grant consent) due to the effects of the involuntary consumption of alcohol/drugs [ 24 ].…”

A Brief Report on the Association between Dissociation during Sex and Condom Use Self-Efficacy among Women Residing in Domestic Violence Shelters

“…Fifth, this study provides preliminary data to encourage larger studies on the topic studied. For example, a follow-up study could examine the associations between dissociation during sex, condom use self-efficacy, and both consensual and non-consensual sexual behavior among women who experience intimate partner violence while controlling for confounding variables such as alcohol intoxication (Bird et al, 2017).…”