Using Virtual Reality in Sexual Aggression Alcohol Administration Research: Opportunities and Challenges.

Objective: This paper explores methodological opportunities, challenges, and potential solutions for alcohol administration research that uses a virtual reality (VR) analogue for sexual aggression.

Method: We briefly review relevant sexual aggression, alcohol administration, and VR literatures. The strengths and limitations of different types of analogues are described.

Words Can Hurt: A Taxonomy of Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation in the SES-V.

This article describes the development of the Verbally Pressured Sexual Exploitation module of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES)-Victimization (introduced by Koss et al., 2024). This module assesses the use of verbal or nonphysical, paraverbal pressure to obtain sexual acts without freely given permission.

The Revised Sexual Experiences Survey Victimization Version (SES-V): Conceptualization, Modifications, Items and Scoring.

The Sexual Experiences Survey [SES] is considered the gold standard measure of non-consensual sexual experiences. This article introduces a new victimization version [SES-V] developed by a multidisciplinary collaboration, the first revision since 2007. The 2024 SES-V is designed to measure the construct of sexual exploitation since the 14th birthday.

Preliminary Evidence of Validity for the Verbally Pressured and Illegal Sexual Exploitation Modules of the Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization.

The Sexual Experiences Survey-Victimization (SES-V; see Koss et al., 2024) revises the prior 2007 Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization (SES-SFV) in many ways, including expanded measurement of verbally pressured and illegal sexual exploitation, as well as the addition of items that assess being made to perform a sexual act or to penetrate another person sexually. The current article describes two initial validity studies of the SES-V.

Development and validation of the C-SHADE scale for measuring perpetration of common sexually harassing and aggressive behaviors in drinking environments.

Background: Sexual aggression (SA) is ubiquitous in drinking environments. Although such behavior is often seen as normal and acceptable, the targets of SA experience many negative consequences. This research aimed to develop a valid measure of common acts of SA in drinking settings for estimating prevalence and evaluating prevention initiatives.

A Qualitative Analysis of Sexual Consent among Heavy-drinking College Men.

The current study sought to examine how heavy-drinking college men describe communication of sexual interest and sexual consent. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 heavy-drinking college men identified three themes. Themes included: (a) expectations about parties and sexual activity, (b) observing and communicating sexual interest, and (c) communication of sexual consent.

Sexual Aggression Analogues Used in Alcohol Administration Research: Critical Review of Their Correspondence to Alcohol-Involved Sexual Assaults.

Background: Alcohol administration studies are crucial because causal questions about alcohol's role in human behavior can only be answered through experimental research that randomly assigns participants to drink conditions. The primary goal of this review was to catalogue the characteristics of experimental analogues used in alcohol administration research to assess men's sexual aggression proclivity and evaluate the extent to which they represent the scope of alcohol-involved sexual aggression. Although this review focuses on sexual aggression analogues, the identified methodological issues are relevant to a wide range of alcohol administration studies.

Prevention of sexual violence among college students: Current challenges and future directions.

Preventing sexual violence among college students is a public health priority. This paper was catalyzed by a summit convened in 2018 to review the state of the science on campus sexual violence prevention. We summarize key risk and vulnerability factors and campus-based interventions, and provide directions for future research pertaining to campus sexual violence.

Partner Type Matters: Differences in Cross-Sectional Predictors of Men's Sexual Aggression in Casual and Steady Relationships.

Researchers rarely consider if different theoretical models are needed to understand the etiology of men's sexual aggression against women in steady as compared to casual relationships. A modified confluence model was evaluated with survey data from 556 young, single men. Hostile masculinity was the only assessed risk factor that had a direct relationship to sexual aggression against steady and casual partners.

Associations between young adult men's patterns of alcohol use and sexual behavior: A latent profile analysis of two independent samples.

Men's alcohol consumption and casual sexual behavior peak in early adulthood. Although there is a strong positive association between these behaviors, most studies have utilized a between-subjects approach rather than a person-centered approach to assess this relationship. A person-centered approach allows for an examination of subgroups of drinkers that may differ in their casual sexual behaviors.

Men Who Sexually Assault Drinking Women: Similarities and Differences With Men Who Sexually Assault Sober Women and Nonperpetrators.

Little is known about the attributes of men who sexually assault drinking women as compared with men who sexually assault sober women and nonperpetrators. Findings from a cross-sectional survey of 548 men and a laboratory computer-simulated date completed by a subset ( n = 87) support the hypothesis that both groups of perpetrators would share some common risk factors and differ regarding alcohol beliefs and consumption. Men who had previously assaulted a drinking woman gave their simulated date more alcohol to drink and perceived her as being more disinhibited.

The effects of alcohol intoxication and sexual interest on men's sexual persistence and hostility in a dating simulation.

Perpetrators of sexual assault are often intoxicated; however, few experimental studies evaluate alcohol's "in the moment" effects on sexual aggression. This study extends past theory and research by examining the acute effects of alcohol on men's decisions about how to respond to sexual refusals in a dating simulation. Men (N = 62) ages 21-29 were randomly assigned to consume alcohol (target breath alcohol level 0.

Predicting Men's Immediate Reactions to a Simulated Date's Sexual Rejection: The Effects of Hostile Masculinity, Impersonal Sex, and Hostile Perceptions of the Woman.

Objective: Aggression is a common response to many types of social rejection. Men who respond aggressively to a woman's sexual rejection are likely to score high on risk factors associated with sexual aggression and to convince themselves that she is at fault. This study investigated how sexual dominance motivation and casual sex attitudes interact with "in the moment" hostile perceptions of the woman to predict the likelihood of an aggressive response.

Men's Responses to Women's Sexual Refusals: Development and Construct Validity of a Virtual Dating Simulation of Sexual Aggression.

Objective: To provide evidence regarding the construct validity of a sexual aggression proxy in which male participants go on multiple virtual dates with a woman. A unique strength of this proxy is participants' opportunity to make choices throughout the simulation about how they interact with their virtual date. These decisions determine their exposure to the female agent's sexual refusals.

Associations Between Sexual Assault Severity and Psychological and Physical Health Outcomes: Similarities and Differences Among African American and Caucasian Survivors.

There are well-established associations between sexual assault victimization and deleterious psychological and physical health outcomes. The present study contributes to the emerging health disparities literature by examining similarities and differences in relationships between the severity of the sexual assault and health in a community sample of African American and Caucasian survivors. Although the overall pattern of relationships was expected to be comparable for all survivors, some associations were hypothesized to be stronger for African American survivors as compared with Caucasian survivors based on theories of chronic stress.

When Women Do Not Want It: Young Female Bargoers' Experiences With and Responses to Sexual Harassment in Social Drinking Contexts.

Women frequently experience unwanted sexual touching and persistent advances at bars and parties. This study explored women's responses to these unwanted experiences through online surveys completed by 153 female bargoers (aged 19-29) randomly recruited from a bar district. More than 75% had experienced sexual touching or persistence (46% both).

Positive Feelings After Casual Sex: The Role of Gender and Traditional Gender-Role Beliefs.

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of positive and negative affect following casual sex. Specifically, the primary goal was to investigate how traditional gender-role beliefs, peer approval of casual sex, perceptions of others, sexual assertiveness, and sexual pleasure influence affective experiences. Second, we aimed to determine the extent to which these associations were comparable for men and women.

Individual Differences in Men's Misperception of Women's Sexual Intent: Application and Extension of the Confluence Model.

Men are more likely than women to misperceive a cross-sex companion's degree of sexual interest. The current study extends previous research by using the confluence model (Malamuth et al., 1991) to examine how narcissism and impulsive sensation-seeking are directly and indirectly associated with men's misperception of women's sexual interest.

Mediators of the Association Between Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Young Adult Men's Life Satisfaction.

Childhood emotional maltreatment has been linked to a wide range of deleterious physical and psychological adult health outcomes. The present study extends past research by examining the effects of childhood emotional maltreatment on young adult men's life satisfaction through its effects on hostility and perceptions of social relationships. Participants were 423 single men who completed two interviews 1 year apart.

Trajectory Analysis of the Campus Serial Rapist Assumption.

Importance: Rape on college campuses has been addressed recently by a presidential proclamation, federal legislation, advocacy groups, and popular media. Many initiatives assume that most college men who perpetrate rape are serial rapists. The scientific foundation for this perspective is surprisingly limited.

Sexual Assault Perpetrators' Justifications for Their Actions: Relationships to Rape Supportive Attitudes, Incident Characteristics, and Future Perpetration.

Perpetrators use rape supportive attitudes and sexual assault incident characteristics to justify forcing sex on their victims. Perpetrators who can justify their behaviors are at increased risk for future perpetration. This study examined the relationships between rape supportive attitudes, sexual assault incident characteristics, and the post-assault justifications of 183 men sampled from the community who self-reported committing at least one act of sexual aggression.

Using Experimental Paradigms to Examine Alcohol's Role in Men's Sexual Aggression: Opportunities and Challenges in Proxy Development.

The goals of this article are to review the major findings from alcohol administration studies that use sexual aggression proxies and to encourage additional experimental research that evaluates hypotheses about the role of alcohol in the etiology of men's sexual aggression. Experiments allow participants to be randomly assigned to drink conditions, therefore ensuring that any differences between drinkers and nondrinkers can be attributed to their alcohol consumption. One of the biggest challenges faced by experimental researchers is the identification of valid operationalizations of key constructs.

Friends matter: protective and harmful aspects of male friendships associated with past-year sexual aggression in a community sample of young men.

Objectives: We extended past research on sexual violence etiology by examining the impact of perceived pressure to have sex by any means and the types of objectifying and egalitarian language that friends used when discussing women.

Methods: We examined a community sample of young single men interested in dating women (n = 423) who completed audio computer-assisted self-interviews at baseline (spring/summer 2008) and 1 year later (spring/summer 2009). We used hierarchical logistic regression analyses that controlled for baseline sexual aggression.