Verbal Sexual Coercion among a US College Sample: Patterns of Sexual Boundary Violations and Predictive Factors

Abstract

The present study examined verbal sexual coercion. The behaviors which fall under the general label verbal sexual coercion are examined in more depth and categorized in seven behaviors named sexual boundary violations (SBVs). We aimed to explore patterns of SBVs and hypothesized that impulsivity and psychopathy predict SBVs. We analyzed secondary data gathered from a 2009 online survey of sexual behaviors. The participants were 430 sophomores (296 females and 134 males) from an urban south-western university in the US. We ran three stages of analysis: factor analyses to detect patterns of SBVs; hierarchical regression models to determine the predictive value of the hypothesized traits; and t-tests to explore sex differences. The results showed that men used SBVs more often than women. Two factors emerged, labelled "Disguised" and "Undisguised" SBVs. Male sex, sensitivity to temptation, and poorer executive functioning predicted undisguised SBVs. We discuss how these findings can inform future interventions.