Kelly Cue Davis

Indirect Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication on Sexual Risk-taking: The Roles of Subjective and Physiological Sexual Arousal

Three experiments supported the idea that alcohol fosters sexual risk-taking in men and women, in part, through its effects on sexual arousal. In Experiment 1, increasing alcohol dosage (target blood alcohol levels of .00, .04, .08%) heightened men’s and women’s risk-taking intentions. Alcohol’s effect was indirect via increased subjective sexual arousal; also, men exhibited greater risk-taking than women. In Experiment 2, an extended dosage range (target blood alcohol levels of .00, .06, .08, .10%) heightened men’s risk-taking intentions. Alcohol’s effect again was indirect via subjective arousal. Physiological sexual arousal, which was unaffected by alcohol, increased risk-taking via increased subjective arousal. In Experiment 3, alcohol increased women’s risk-taking indirectly via subjective arousal, but alcohol-attenuated physiological arousal had no effect on risk-taking. Implications for alcohol myopia theory and prevention interventions are discussed.

Women's condom use assertiveness and sexual risk-taking: Effects of alcohol intoxication and adult victimization

This experiment examined relationships among adulthood victimization, sexual assertiveness, alcohol intoxication, and sexual risk-taking in female social drinkers (N=161). Women completed measures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence history and sexual assertiveness before random assignment to 1 of 4 beverage conditions: control, placebo, low dose (.04%), or high dose (.08%). After drinking, women read a second-person story involving a sexual encounter with a new partner. As protagonist of the story, each woman rated her likelihood of condom insistence and unprotected sex. Victimization history and self-reported sexual assertiveness were negatively related. The less sexually assertive a woman was, the less she intended to insist on condom use, regardless of intoxication. By reducing the perceived health consequences of unprotected sex, intoxication indirectly decreased condom insistence and increased unprotected sex. Findings extend previous work by elucidating possible mechanisms of the relationship between alcohol and unprotected sex - perceived health consequences and situational condom insistence - and support the value of sexual assertiveness training to enhance condom insistence, especially since the latter relationship was robust to intoxication.

Women's Responses to Unwanted Sexual Advances: The Role of Alcohol and Inhibition Conflict

In this study we investigated how alcohol consumption affects womens responses to unwanted sexual advances in a hypothetical dating situation. Sixty female social drinkers participated in a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment, which examined the effects of moderate alcohol intoxication and relationship characteristics on behavioral responses to unwanted sexual advances. Hypotheses were tested regarding the influence of inhibition conflict on intoxicated participants. As predicted, intoxicated women were more likely than sober women to consent to their dating partners sexual advances in high conflict situations. Additionally, alcohol consumption increased womens estimated likelihood of responding passively. These findings aid in explicating the relationship between alcohol consumption and womens increased vulnerability to sexual assault.

Women’s Awareness of and Discomfort With Sexual Assault Cues Effects of Alcohol Consumption and Relationship Type

Two studies examined the effects of alcohol and relationship type on women’s sexual assault risk perception. Study 1 participants (N = 62) consumed a moderate alcohol dose or nonalcoholic beverage, then rated their awareness of and discomfort with sexual assault risk cues in a hypothetical encounter with a new or established dating partner. Study 2 (N = 351) compared control, placebo, low, and high alcohol dose conditions using a similar scenario. Intoxicated women reported decreased awareness of and discomfort with risk cues. An established relationship decreased discomfort ratings. Findings indicate that alcohol may increase women’s sexual victimization likelihood through reduced sexual assault risk perception.

Effects of Alcohol Intoxication and Victimization History on Women's Sexual Assault Resistance Intentions: The Role of Secondary Cognitive Appraisals

This study used an experimental paradigm to investigate the role of secondary cognitive appraisals in womens sexual assault resistance and whether these appraisals mediated influences of alcohol and prior victimization. After consuming a beverage (control, placebo, moderate, or high dose), 351 women projected themselves into a simulated interaction with a sexually aggressive man. Four types of secondary appraisals (shock at the mans behavior, concern about his feelings, uncertainty in the situation, conflict about what to do) and three resistance strategies (assertive, polite, passive) were examined. Path modeling revealed that, as expected, intoxication and prior sexual victimization influenced secondary appraisals, which in turn influenced intended resistance. Prior adult sexual assault (ASA) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) also had direct effects: ASA negatively predicted assertive resistance and CSA positively predicted passivity. Findings suggest that secondary appraisals are key targets for intervention to facilitate effective resistance, thereby reducing the risk of adult sexual victimization.

Childhood sexual abuse in males and subsequent risky sexual behavior: A potential alcohol-use pathway

OBJECTIVE Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among boys has been associated with a variety of subsequent maladaptive behaviors. This study explored a potential connection between CSA and an increased likelihood of risky sexual behavior in adulthood. Further, the study examined whether or not alcohol use may contribute to this relationship. METHOD As part of a study on alcohol and sexual decision-making, 280 heterosexual men completed multiple background questionnaires pertaining to past and current sexual experiences and patterns of alcohol use. CSA history was obtained and severity ratings were made based on type of contact reported. RESULTS CSA was reported by 56 men (20%). Structural equation modeling revealed that CSA positively predicted number of sexual partners directly as well as indirectly, through its effect on alcohol use. Specifically, greater CSA severity predicted significantly lower age of first intoxication, which in turn predicted greater current alcohol consumption, followed by greater use of alcohol before sexual intercourse, leading to an increased number of reported sexual partners. The reported frequency of condom use was not predicted by CSA severity or the alcohol-use pathway. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that CSA influences risky sexual behavior via multiple pathways and that more severe CSA may lead to elevated sexual risk indices. Moreover, these results suggest that men may elevate their risk of sexually transmitted infections via high numbers of sexual partners versus irregular condom use. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS These results highlight the need for adequate assessment and early interventions in order to mitigate the effects CSA may have on subsequent alcohol use and risky sexual behavior. Secondly, ensuring that male CSA victims understand the inherent risks of high numbers of sexual partners may be an effective strategy to interrupt the path toward risk-taking.

Influences of sexual sensation seeking, alcohol consumption, and sexual arousal on women's behavioral intentions related to having unprotected sex.

This experimental study examined effects of alcohol consumption and sexual sensation seeking on unprotected sex intentions, taking into account sexual arousal, indirectly discouraging sex, and condom insistence. Women (N = 173; mean age = 25.02) were randomly assigned to a control, placebo, low-dose beverage (target blood alcohol level = .04), or high- dose beverage (target blood alcohol level = .08) condition. Participants projected themselves into a hypothetical sexual interaction with a man in which no condom was available. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that both sexual sensation seeking and alcohol dose directly increased sexual arousal early in the interaction, but later sexual arousal indirectly increased unprotected sex intentions by decreasing endorsement of indirect discouragement and, in turn, condom insistence. These findings help to clarify the role of alcohol consumption and sensation seeking in womens sexual decision making and point to the importance of examining it as a multistage process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

Cognitive Mediation of Alcohol’s Effects on Women’s In-the-Moment Sexual Decision Making

OBJECTIVE To test a cognitive mediation model examining whether cognitive appraisals mediate alcohol consumption effects on condom request and unprotected sex intentions. DESIGN Female social drinkers (N = 173) participated in an experiment comparing four beverage conditions: control, placebo, target BAL = .04%, and target BAL = .08%. Subjects projected themselves into a hypothetical sexual encounter with a new sex partner. MEASURES Appraisals of the situations sexual potential, impelling and inhibiting cognitions, and behavioral intentions were assessed at several points. RESULTS Findings support the theoretical model, indicating that alcohols effects on direct condom request and unprotected sex intentions were mediated through cognitive appraisals. CONCLUSION Prevention interventions should include information about alcohols effects on cognitions that may lead to ineffective condom negotiation and unprotected sex.

The use of alcohol and condoms during sexual assault.

Sexual assault remains an important public health issue due to the violence involved as well as the potential for health risks such as sexually transmitted infections. Alcohol has been associated with both violent and risky sexual behavior. This study assessed the frequency of sexual assault perpetration, alcohol use, and condom use during sexual assault in a community sample of young, heterosexual male social drinkers. Participants completed measures of their sexual assault perpetration. More than 50% reported sexual assault perpetration; 60% of these reported repeat perpetration. Almost one half of perpetrators reported alcohol consumption prior to every sexual assault incident. Never having used a condom during penetrative sexually aggressive acts was reported by 41.2% of perpetrators. Alcohol use and condom nonuse were positively correlated for acts of forcible rape. Findings provide information about the infrequent use of condoms during sexual assault incidents and support prior evidence of the association between alcohol and sexual assault.

The influence of alcohol expectancies and intoxication on men's aggressive unprotected sexual intentions.

An experiment tested the pathways through which alcohol expectancies and intoxication influenced mens self-reported sexual aggression intentions during an unprotected sexual encounter. After a questionnaire session, male social drinkers (N = 124) were randomly assigned to either an alcohol condition (target peak BAC = .08%) or a control condition. Upon completion of beverage consumption, participants read a description of a sexual encounter in which the female partner refused to have unprotected sexual intercourse. Participants then rated their emotional state, their intentions to have unprotected sex with the unwilling partner, and their postincident perceptions of the encounter. Structural equation modeling indicated that intoxicated men reported feeling stronger sexual aggression congruent emotions/motivations such as arousal and anger; however, this effect was moderated by alcohol expectancies. Intoxicated participants with stronger alcohol-aggression expectancies reported greater sexual aggression congruent emotions/motivations than did intoxicated participants with weaker alcohol-aggression expectancies. For sober participants, alcohol-aggression expectancies did not influence emotions/motivations. In turn, stronger sexual assault congruent emotions/motivations predicted greater sexual aggression intentions. Men with greater sexual aggression intentions were less likely to label the situation as a sexual assault and reported less concern about their intended actions. These findings underscore the relevance of both alcohol expectancies and alcohol intoxication to sexual aggression perpetration and highlight the importance of including information about alcohols influence on both emotional and cognitive responses in sexual aggression prevention work.