The Interplay of Sexual Arousal and Power-Related Emotions in Men’s Alcohol-Involved Sexual Aggression Intentions

Davis, Kelly Cue; Neilson, Elizabeth C.; Kirwan, Mitchell; Bird, Elizabeth R.; Eldridge, Nolan; George, William H.; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.

doi:10.1080/00224499.2021.1972923

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Alternatively, men with previous unintended partner pregnancies may simply not find a woman’s pregnancy concerns as salient, particularly as the majority of men in this study (73%) did not report having children despite these unintended pregnancies. As such, alcohol intoxication may have exacerbated men’s minimization of this risk while focusing their attention on their own sexual gratification and/or power over their partner (Davis et al, 2022), thereby facilitating their intentions to resist using a condom through force. It is also possible that the disinhibiting effect of alcohol, in concert with attentional focus, contributed to the results.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol intoxication, condom use rationale, and men’s coercive condom use resistance: The role of past unintended partner pregnancy.

Neilson,

Marcantonio,

Woerner

et al. 2024

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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Objective: Cisgender men's condom use resistance (CUR), deliberate attempts to avoid using a condom with a partner who wishes to use one, may include coercive strategies, such as deception and force, and places their partners at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transitted infections (STIs). This investigation used an alcohol administration design to examine one distal (history of unintended partner pregnancy) and two proximal (acute alcohol intoxication, condom use rationale) contributors to men's intentions to engage in coercive CUR. Method: Nonproblem drinking, cisgender men (N = 313) completed questionnaires, then were randomized to a beverage condition (control, placebo, low dose [.04%gm], and high dose [.08%gm]). Participants completed a sexual risk analog and reported their coercive CUR intentions after a hypothetical, female partner provided a condom use rationale (STI avoidance or pregnancy avoidance). Results: Men who received the pregnancy condom use rationale reported higher intentions to engage in coercive CUR when they received a high alcohol dose relative to sober men. For men who had a history of unintended partner pregnancy, receiving a pregnancy condom use rationale was associated with greater intentions to have forced, condomless sex if they received a high alcohol dose relative to sober men. Conclusions: Intoxicated men may be more likely to engage in coercive CUR; this may indicate that when intoxicated, pregnancy risks are less salient relative to STI-related outcomes. As reproductive rights are being decimated, effective interventions targeting CUR, particularly when intoxicated, are needed in tandem with policies that affirm one's ability to prevent and terminate pregnancy. Public Health Significance StatementThe present study examined three contributors to men's intentions to use coercive strategies to avoid using a condom: (a) a history of having a partner have an unintended pregnancy; (b) alcohol intoxication; and (c) whether a partner wants to use a condom to prevent STIs or pregnancy. Results indicate that a history of unintended partner pregnancy is associated with intentions to have forced, condomless sex, when men are intoxicated and are asked to use a condom to prevent pregnancy. The results suggest that past unintended pregnancy may not deter intoxicated men from engaging in aggressive strategies to avoid condom use, even when there is a possibility of unintended pregnancy.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alcohol intoxication, condom use rationale, and men’s coercive condom use resistance: The role of past unintended partner pregnancy.

Neilson,

Marcantonio,

Woerner

et al. 2024

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

Self Cite

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“…Data from this study were collected as part of a larger alcohol administration study that investigated multiple factors influencing men’s alcohol-involved sexual aggression. Other analyses drawing from this data set are reported elsewhere (Davis et al, 2021; Neilson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This manuscript includes the only analyses to use the variables related to fear of intimacy and powerrelated emotions measured after the second explicit, verbal indication by Michelle that she did not want to have intercourse. Results of analyses using power-related emotions measured earlier in the scenario are available in Davis et al 2021. Power Analysis. A priori power calculation for the primary research aims was conducted using G*Power (Faul et al, 2007).…”

Section: Data Analysis Planmentioning

confidence: 99%

Power-Related Emotions, Alcohol Intoxication, and Nonconsensual Sex Intentions: The Role of Fear of Intimacy

2022

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The problem of alcohol-involved sexual assault against women highlights the need to identify how the presence of alcohol interacts with risk factors associated with sexual assault perpetration. One risk factor for sexual assault perpetration is fear of intimacy, the inhibited capacity to exchange vulnerable thoughts and emotions with a valued individual. Men who have perpetrated sexual violence report higher fear of intimacy and alcohol use than those who have not. However, little research has investigated how fear of intimacy may contribute to sexual assault perpetration in the context of alcohol intoxication. This study examined alcohol intoxication, fear of intimacy, proximal power-related emotions, and nonconsensual sex intentions. Non-monogamous, male social drinkers ( N = 94) completed measures and were randomly assigned to an alcohol condition (alcohol [BrAC = .10%] versus control). Participants then read a sexual assault analogue scenario depicting sexual assault against a hypothetical woman and reported power-related emotions and nonconsensual sex intentions. Self-reported fear of intimacy differed across types of past perpetration. Results found that for intoxicated men only, fear of intimacy was positively associated with power-related emotions, and power-related emotions were positively associated with nonconsensual sex intentions. These associations were not observed for men in the control condition who did not consume alcohol. Future research should examine intimacy-related interventions for sexual assault prevention programming.

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“…Yet, studies examining sexual motives specifically suggest this may be a useful construct. For example, Davis et al (2021) found that both sexual arousal and power dominance served as motivations for sexual perpetration. Further, altering sexual motives can also a component of effective cognitive-behavioral treatment for sexual offending (Yates, 2004; Tyler et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motives for Sex and Sexual Perpetration in College Men: An Exploratory Study

2023

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Objective Prior research has rarely focused on sexual motives (e.g., motives for having sex) when studying sexual violence perpetration prevention. The current study examined the role of sexual motives alongside other risk factors like alcohol expectancies in predicting sexual violence. Method We analyzed data from 205 male college students; 36% reported sexual perpetration of some type. Participants completed a series of questionnaires in a randomized order, including: measures of prior sexual perpetration, sexual motives, rape myth acceptance, alcohol expectancies, and a measure of social desirability. Data were analyzed using a series of T-tests and logistic regressions. Results With one exception (coping motives), all sexual motives (intimacy, enhancement, self-affirmation, peer approval, and partner approval) were endorsed at higher levels by individuals who perpetrated sexual violence than those who did not ( p < .05, Cohen’s d = .25–.56). The partner approval motive significantly predicted sexual violence perpetration on its own. The enhancement motive, both independently and in interaction with alcohol expectancies for aggression, predicted sexual violence perpetration. Two other motives, intimacy and self-affirmation, were only significant in interaction with alcohol expectancies for aggression. Conclusion All sexual motives were endorsed more frequently by those who perpetrated sexual violence than those who did not. Sexual motives had a complex interaction with alcohol expectancies in predicting sexual violence perpetration. The results suggest that intervention programs should emphasize healthy, consensual sexual relationships that do not involve alcohol.

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The Interplay of Sexual Arousal and Power-Related Emotions in Men’s Alcohol-Involved Sexual Aggression Intentions

Cited by 8 publications

References 55 publications

Alcohol intoxication, condom use rationale, and men’s coercive condom use resistance: The role of past unintended partner pregnancy.

Alcohol intoxication, condom use rationale, and men’s coercive condom use resistance: The role of past unintended partner pregnancy.

Power-Related Emotions, Alcohol Intoxication, and Nonconsensual Sex Intentions: The Role of Fear of Intimacy

Motives for Sex and Sexual Perpetration in College Men: An Exploratory Study

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