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. 2001 Aug;16(8):784-807.
doi: 10.1177/088626001016008004.

Attitudinal, Experiential, and Situational Predictors of Sexual Assault Perpetration

Antonia Abbey  1 , Pam McAuslan  2 , Tina Zawacki  1 , A Monique Clinton  1 , Philip O Buck  1
Affiliations

Attitudinal, Experiential, and Situational Predictors of Sexual Assault Perpetration

Antonia Abbey et al. J Interpers Violence. 2001 Aug.

Abstract

Past research demonstrates that sexual assault perpetration is caused by multiple factors including attitudes, early experiences, and situational factors. In this study, 343 college men described either a sexual assault they had committed or their worst date. Discriminant function analysis indicated that attitudes about gender roles and alcohol, number of consensual sex partners, how well the man knew the woman, how isolated the setting was, alcohol consumption during the event, the man's misperception of the woman's cues during the event, and prior consensual sexual activity between the man and the woman discriminated between sexual assaults and worst dates. Additionally, tactics used to obtain sex, self attributions, the perceived seriousness of the assault, and the extent to which it disrupted relationships with others significantly discriminated between men who committed forced sexual contact, sexual coercion, and rape. These results demonstrate the importance of considering both individual characteristics and situational factors in theories and prevention activities.

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References

    1. Abbey A, Harnish RJ. Perception of sexual intent: The role of gender, alcohol consumption, and rape supportive attitudes. Sex Roles. 1995;32:297–313.
    1. Abbey A, McAuslan P, Ross LT. Sexual assault perpetration by college men: The role of alcohol, misperception of sexual intent, and sexual beliefs and experiences. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 1998;17:167–195.
    1. Abbey A, McAuslan P, Ross LT, Zawacki T. Alcohol expectancies regarding sex, aggression, and sexual vulnerability: Reliability and validity assessment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors. 1999;13:174–182.
    1. Abbey A, Ross LT, McDuffie D, McAuslan P. Alcohol, misperception and sexual assault: How and why are they linked? In: Buss DM, Malamuth NM, editors. Sex, power, conflict: Evolutionary and feminist perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press; 1996. pp. 138–161.
    1. Bachar K, Koss MP. From prevalence to prevention: Closing the gap between what we know about rape and what we do. In: Renzetti CM, Bergen RK, Edelson JL, editors. Sourcebook on violence against women. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2001. pp. 117–142.

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