Testa | Leonard | Parks
The role of college men’s alcohol use in sexual aggression perpetration was examined using 1) a prospective survey study over five semesters and 2) a 56-day daily report study considering whether drinking episodes increase the odds of subsequent sexual aggression.

In this project, Dr. Testa and colleagues considered the impact of men’s alcohol consumption on their perpetration of sexual aggression. Two studies of college freshman males were conducted following recruitment of 1,850 participants from two entering cohorts of male freshmen. In the first study, web-based, prospective survey methods were used to examine whether the frequency of heavy episodic drinking predicted subsequent sexual aggression over the first five semesters of college. In a second study, a subsample of 324 men made eight weeks of daily reports on drinking and sexual behavior using interactive voice response (IVR) technology. It was hypothesized that the relationship between alcohol use and sexual aggression is moderated by several individual differences variables, such as sex-related alcohol expectancies, hostile masculinity, and impersonal sexuality. These moderators were considered both at the distal, prospective level and also at the proximal, daily level. Findings from the two studies are expected to provide significant new knowledge about the role of alcohol in men’s perpetration of sexual aggression and aid in the development of efficacious sexual aggression prevention programs.

Principal Investigator
Maria Testa, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions

Co-Investigators
Kenneth Leonard, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions

Kathleen Parks, PhD
Research Institute on Addictions

Funding Agency
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Grant Number
R01-AA019478

Dates
2010-2016