Kelly F. Kajumulo

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.

Alcohol and Erectile Response: The Effects of High Dosage in the Context of Demands to Maximize Sexual Arousal

Although drinking often precedes mens sexual activity, basic questions about alcohols effects on mens sexual arousal remain unanswered. Inconsistencies in findings from studies examining subjective and physiological effects on erectile functioning suggest these effects are context specific, for example, dependent on whether a man wants to maximize or suppress his arousal. To address unresolved questions about alcohol and erectile functioning, the authors evaluated the effects of high blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and arousal instructional demands on indices of penile circumference change and self-reported sexual arousal. In Study 1, a target BAC of .10% (vs. .00%) attenuated peak circumference change from a neutral baseline but did not affect mean change, latency to arousal onset (a 5% increase in circumference from baseline), latency to peak achieved arousal, or subjective arousal, which correlated moderately with physiological indices. In Study 2, instructions to maximize (vs. suppress) arousal increased peak and mean circumference change and interacted with a target BAC of .08% (vs. .00%) to influence latency to arousal onset. Sober men instructed to maximize showed a shorter latency to arousal onset than did those instructed to suppress arousal; however, intoxicated men did not show a differential pattern. Moreover, compared with intoxicated counterparts, sober men instructed to maximize arousal showed a marginally shorter latency to arousal onset. Overall, alcohol and arousal instructions had small but discernible effects. Findings highlight the importance of contextual factors in alcohols impact on erectile functioning.

Women's Sexual Arousal: Effects of High Alcohol Dosages and Self-Control Instructions

The basic relationship between alcohol and womens sexual arousal - especially genital arousal - received little research attention for nearly 30 years (e.g. Wilson and Lawson, 1978) until very recently (e.g. George et al., 2009). To investigate hypotheses based on earlier findings and Alcohol Myopia Theory (AMT), two experiments evaluated the effects of high blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and arousal instructional demands on indices of vaginal responding and self-reported sexual arousal. In Experiment 1, self-control instructions to maximize (versus suppress) arousal increased peak and average Vaginal Pulse Amplitude (VPA) change. Self-control also interacted with a target BAC of .08% (versus .00%) to influence latency to peak arousal onset: Intoxicated women instructed to maximize showed a shorter latency to peak arousal than did intoxicated women instructed to suppress; however, sober women showed an undifferentiated pattern. Also, in Experiment 1, the target BAC of .08% had no effect on VPA or subjective arousal measures. In Experiment 2, a target BAC of .10% (versus .00%) attenuated peak change and average change in VPA, but this dosage had no effects on latency to peak achieved arousal, or on subjective arousal. Instructions to maximize arousal (versus no instruction) had no effect on any arousal measures. Overall, among young moderate drinking women, alcohol had attenuating effects but only at the higher dosage. Maximize versus suppress instructions about arousal had predicted effects on arousal and interactive effects on latency, but only at the lower dosage. The findings highlight the importance of dosage and contextual factors in alcohols impact on the variability of womens sexual responding.

Assessing women's sexual arousal in the context of sexual assault history and acute alcohol intoxication.

INTRODUCTION Few studies have examined differences in womens sexual arousal based on sexual assault history (SAH) or in-the-moment alcohol intoxication. Only one has examined combined effects. Findings regarding the relationship between SAH and arousal are contradictory. AIM We aimed to determine the relationship between SAH, alcohol intoxication, and sexual arousal. METHODS Women were randomly assigned to an alcohol (target blood alcohol level = 0.10%) or control condition and categorized as having an SAH or not. After beverage administration, all women watched erotic films while genital arousal (vaginal pulse amplitude; VPA) was measured. Afterward, self-reported sexual arousal was measured. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Genital response was measured by VPA using vaginal photoplethysmography while watching erotic films. Self-reported sexual arousal was assessed after watching erotic films. RESULTS Women with an SAH had smaller increases in genital arousal in response to the films than women without an SAH. Intoxicated women had smaller increases in genital arousal than sober women. However, no differences for SAH or intoxication were found in self-reported arousal. CONCLUSION SAH and alcohol intoxication are associated with smaller increases in genital arousal compared to women without an SAH and sober women, suggesting that these co-occurring factors impact sexual arousal.

Young Men's Condom Use Resistance Tactics: A Latent Profile Analysis

Research suggests that many men have used a variety of tactics to avoid using condoms when having sex with women. Guided by previous work demonstrating that mens use of coercive condom resistance tactics was predicted by negative attitudes toward women, inconsistent condom use, multiple partners, and sexual sensation seeking, the current study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to determine whether similar constructs were associated with a variety of resistance tactics. A community sample of 313 moderate-drinking men participated, of whom 80% reported employing at least one condom use resistance tactic since adolescence. The LPA revealed three classes of men. In general, men with the least negative beliefs about women, low levels of sexual sensation seeking and impulsivity, and positive beliefs about condoms (Condom Positive/Low Hostility) reported less use of resistance tactics than men with moderate sexual sensation seeking and impulsivity, negative beliefs about condoms, and moderate (Condom Negative/Moderate Hostility) or high (Condom Negative/High Hostility) negative attitudes about women. The classes also differed in terms of their sexual behaviors. This study demonstrated that sexual risk behavior interventions should not only address the tactics through which men resist using condoms but also tailor these efforts to mens individual characteristics.

Men's Alcohol Intoxication and Condom Use During Sexual Assault Perpetration

We assessed the association between alcohol consumption and condom use during penetrative sexual assault acts perpetrated by young adult men. Men aged 21 to 35 who reported inconsistent condom use and heavy episodic drinking (N = 225) completed a questionnaire assessing their perpetration of sexual assault since the age of 15, their consumption of alcohol prior to these acts, and their use of condoms during acts involving penetration. Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s chi-square tests were used to examine the simultaneous use of alcohol and condom nonuse during penetrative sexual assault acts. More than one third of respondents reported perpetrating at least one penetrative sexual assault 35.6% (n = 79). Condoms were not used in 70.0% of penetrative sexual assaults. When they had consumed alcohol, perpetrators were significantly less likely to use condoms. The sexual assaults reported by this sample typically consisted of perpetrator alcohol consumption and the nonuse of condoms. Programs targeting sexual health and assault risk reduction would be enhanced by addressing this interplay of alcohol, violence, and risk.

Later That Night: Descending Alcohol Intoxication and Men's Sexual Arousal

Although men often have sex when intoxicated, basic questions remain about how alcohol affects erection. It may depend on whether blood alcohol level is ascending or descending and whether the situation calls for maximizing or suppressing erection. Objective. To evaluate whether descending intoxication affects erection when men are instructed to maximize or suppress arousal. Method. Seventy-eight heterosexual men were randomized to intoxication (descending from .08% vs. no alcohol) and arousal instruction (maximize vs. suppress) conditions. Response to erotica was examined using penile plethysmography. Results. Compared to similarly instructed sober men, intoxicated men instructed to maximize exhibited less erection yet reported greater effort to maximize. Interestingly, intoxicated men instructed to suppress exhibited more erection than those instructed to maximize. In general, however, observed effects were modest. Conclusions. Findings suggest there is no simple answer regarding how alcohol affects sexual arousal. Descending intoxication, depending on context, appears to affect erection capacity and control.

How Childhood Maltreatment Profiles of Male Victims Predict Adult Perpetration and Psychosocial Functioning

This study used latent class analysis to empirically identify subgroups of men based on their exposure to childhood maltreatment (i.e., emotional neglect and abuse, physical neglect and abuse, and sexual abuse). It then examined subgroups’ differential perpetration of adult intimate partner violence (IPV; both psychological and physical), violence against peers, and sexual assault. Finally, we compared sociodemographic variables and psychosocial functioning across profiles to characterize the adult experiences of men in different maltreatment groups. The community sample consisted of 626 heterosexually active 21- to 30-year-old men. We identified four subgroups: Low Maltreatment (80% of the sample), Emotional and Physical Maltreatment (12%), Emotional and Sexual Maltreatment (4%), and Poly-Victimized (4%). The Low Maltreatment group had significantly lower IPV perpetration rates than the Emotional and Physical Maltreatment group, but groups did not significantly differ on peer violence or sexual assault perpetration rates. Overall, Poly-Victimized men were significantly worse off than the Low Maltreatment group regarding income, education level, and incarceration history. Their rates of recent anxiety and depression symptoms were also higher than those of Low Maltreatment men. Findings support the use of person-oriented techniques for deriving patterns of childhood maltreatment and how these patterns relate to psychological, behavioral, and social factors in adulthood.

In-the-moment dissociation, emotional numbing, and sexual risk: The influence of sexual trauma history, trauma symptoms, and alcohol intoxication.

OBJECTIVE Prior research on the effects of sexual trauma has examined dissociation but not emotional numbing during sex and has relied exclusively on retrospective surveys. The present experiment examined associations among distal factors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA), and trauma symptoms and the proximal factor of acute alcohol intoxication on in-the-moment dissociation, emotional numbing, and sexual risk intentions. METHOD Young adult female drinkers (N = 436) at elevated sexual risk were randomized to receive alcohol (target peak breath alcohol concentration = .10%) or no alcohol. They then read an eroticized sexual scenario and reported on their dissociation and emotional numbing experiences, unprotected sex refusal self-efficacy, and unprotected sex intentions. RESULTS Path analysis revealed that CSA was indirectly associated with increased unprotected sex intentions through increased ASA severity, increased trauma-related symptoms, increased emotional numbing, and decreased unprotected sex refusal self-efficacy. Further, alcohol intoxication was indirectly associated with increased unprotected sex intentions through increased emotional numbing and decreased unprotected sex refusal self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Emotional numbing, but not dissociation, was associated with unprotected sex intentions and may be one potential target for interventions aimed at reducing HIV/STI-related risk among women with a history of sexual trauma.

The effects of men’s hostility toward women, acute alcohol intoxication, and women’s condom request style on men’s condom use resistance tactics.

Objective: The aim of this study was to extend previous research demonstrating that intoxicated men high in hostility toward women report stronger intentions to use coercive condom use resistance (CUR) tactics to have unprotected sex by examining the role of women’s condom request style. Method: Community, nonproblem-drinking men, ages 21–30 years (N = 296) completed standard alcohol administration procedures and read an eroticized story of a casual sexual interaction. After the woman’s request to use a condom, intentions to engage in coercive CUR tactics were assessed. Generalized linear models with gamma distributions assessed the 3-way interaction of men’s hostility toward women, beverage condition (alcohol or sober), and the woman’s condom request style (indirect, direct, or insistent). Results: The 3-way interaction among hostility toward women, beverage condition, and indirect condom request (vs. direct) significantly predicted men’s coercive CUR intentions. Men high in hostility toward women reported stronger CUR intentions after experiencing an indirect condom request, when sober or intoxicated, and after a direct condom request when intoxicated. Men high in hostility toward women reported the weakest CUR intentions when sober after an insistent or direct condom request. Conclusions: Men high in hostility toward women pose a threat to women’s sexual safety, particularly when intoxicated or after an indirect condom request. Hostility toward women and alcohol consumption should be addressed in sexual risk prevention programs. Pending further replication, women should be informed of the relative effectiveness of using insistent condom requests.