Sexual assault on a college campus: The influences of alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies, risky behaviors, and sorority membership

John K Curtis, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies, risky behavior, and sorority membership on sexual assault. A revised version of the Sexual Experience Survey (SES) was used to measure levels of sexual assault as the dependent variable. The Daily Drinking Questionnaire (DDQ) was used to measure alcohol consumption. The Alcohol Expectancies Regarding Sex, Aggression, and Sexual Vulnerability Questionnaire (AESASVQ) was used to measure alcohol expectancies. The Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Activities (CARE-R) was used to measure risky behavior. A short survey to measure social integration was also administered. Finally, comparisons were made between the responses of sorority members compared to non-sorority members. The three independent variables did correlate with the Sexual Experience Survey. However, none of the correlations were above .4. So, the strongest correlations were only “moderate.” Alcohol consumption (as measured by the DDQ scale) and the vulnerability to sexual coercion scale of the AESASVQ had the strongest correlations to the SES. While the three independent variables are having an effect on sexual assaults, it is not a very large effect. Unlike some studies in the past, no differences were found for assault rates when comparing sorority members and non-sorority members. However, sorority members consumed far more alcohol.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Webb, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Social psychology|Communication|Organizational behavior

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