When a Date Changes from Fun to Dangerous

Abstract

Women's ability to perceive risk of acquaintance sexual assault is key to decreasing its likelihood. This study examined the relationship between women's recognition of known situational risk factors and global perceived risk, prior victimization, and drinking habits. Women consistently distinguished between clear and ambiguous situational risk factors although these were not related to perceived global risk. They also manifested positivity bias, the tendency to underestimate their own risk of being assaulted relative to other women. Both prior victimization and drinking habits were related to risk judgments. This study raises important issues concerning developing effective defensive strategies for combating sexual assault.Early recognition that a social situation with a male acquaintance or intimate partner has become threatening can aid a woman in preventing a serious incident of sexual aggression. Despite substantial evidence that women are more likely to be assaulted by someone they know than by a stranger (Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987), women typically fear stranger sexual aggression more (Hickman & Muehlenhard, 1995) and prepare themselves better to fend off an aggressive incident by a stranger (Fischoff, Furby, & Morgan, 1987). This study was conducted to explore some of the cognitive processes that underlie women's perceptions of sexual aggression risk by a male acquaintance.The first goal of this study was to assess the extent to which women recognize known risk factors associated with acquaintance sexual aggression as presenting a potential threat for them personally. Judging that a social situation is dangerous is a more complex psychological task than making the same judgment about a stranger attack (Amick & Calhoun, 1987). Many risk factors for sexual assault such as alcohol consumption, a man paying for dating expenses, and being alone with a man (Harney & Muehlenhard, 1991;Mandoki & Burkhart, 1989;Muehlenhard & Linton, 1987) are also common elements of socializing. Thus, women may not view these risk factors as danger cues, but rather see them as positive or normal aspects of socializing with men.© 1999 Sage Publications, Inc. HHS Public Access Author Manuscript Author ManuscriptAuthor Manuscript Author ManuscriptThe second goal of this study was to examine the relationships between situationally specific and global risk perceptions. Are women's judgments of specific situational risk factors related to a global sense of being at risk? As noted by Nurius (in press), the two phenomena involve different types of cognitive assessments. Evaluating risk for a specific outcome requires focusing on the situation as well as on one's relationships, goals, and history. Within this framework, one considers what might pose a threat, how large the threat is, and how it might be countered (Smith, Haynes, Lazarus, & Pope, 1993;Weinstein, 1993). In contrast, global risk perception involves focusing on broad environmental conditions that pertain to whole groups rather than to an individual herself. On...

Longitudinal change in women’s sexual victimization experiences as a function of alcohol consumption and sexual victimization history: A latent transition analysis.

“…Widespread public education campaigns not just about the dangers of drinking heavily, but also about why some people drink to excess, may help raise awareness and promote appropriate help-seeking. Women, too, can look out for each other in social settings, warning each other about men who exhibit rape-supportive attitudes and behaviors (Cue, George, & Norris, 1996) or intervening if a woman appears too intoxicated to recognize a potential perpetrator (Norris, Nurius, & Graham, 1999). …”

Sexual assault resistance education for university women: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial (SARE trial)

“…Beginning in Assess and developed further in later units, women are trained to identify this situation as dangerous and to take into account aspects of the situation such as isolation, possible escape routes, etc. Considerable time is spent providing women with empirically-based information on environmental/situational cues (e.g., alcohol) and men’s behaviour danger/risk cues [58], connecting these to gender and dating stereotypes, and giving women practice identifying increased risk and coming up with non-restrictive ways around it (i.e., ways to reduce the potential perpetrator’s advantage while still enjoying social situations).…”

College Men’s and Women’s Respective Perceptions of Risk to Perpetrate or Experience Sexual Assault

“…Studies of college students indicate that many men and women recognize they are at some risk to perpetrate or experience sexual violence, respectively (Abbey, McAuslan, & Ross, 1998; Norris, Nurius, & Graham, 1999). Understanding the characteristics of men and women who perceive themselves at risk to perpetrate or experience sexual violence can inform the development of prevention efforts.…”