Sexual assaulters in the United States: prevalence and psychiatric correlates in a national sample. (original) (raw)
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Violence against women, 2015
Sexual assault in the United States is an important public health concern. Using prospective longitudinal methods and responses from 217 community men, we examined whether background characteristics predicted subsequent sexual aggression (SA) perpetration during a 3-month follow-up period. We also examined event-specific characteristics of reported SA occurrences. Consistent with predictions, SA perpetration history, aggressive and impulsive personality traits, rape myth attitudes, and alcohol expectancies predicted SA (both non- and alcohol-involved) at follow-up. In addition, alcohol-involved assaults occurred more often with casual (vs. steady) partners but were more likely to involve condom use with casual (vs. steady) partners. Results suggest important avenues for future research and SA prevention efforts.
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2004
Approximately half of all sexual assaults are associated with either the perpetrator's alcohol consumption, the victim's alcohol consumption, or both. Although the emphasis of this review is on alcohol-involved sexual assaults, their unique aspects can only be evaluated by comparing them to other types of sexual assault. Theoretical perspectives on sexual assault that focus on characteristics of the perpetrator, the victim, and the situation are described. A number of personality traits, attitudes, and past experiences have been systematically linked to sexual assault perpetration, including beliefs about alcohol and heavy drinking. In contrast, only a few experiences have been significantly related to sexual assault victimization, including childhood sexual abuse and heavy drinking. There is support for both psychological and pharmacological mechanisms linking alcohol and sexual assault. Beliefs about alcohol's effects reinforce stereotypes about gender roles and can exacerbate their influence on perpetrators' actions. Alcohol's effects on cognitive and motor skills also contribute to sexual assault through their effects on perpetrators' and victims' ability to process and react to each other's verbal and nonverbal behavior. Limitations with existing research and methodological challenges associated with conducting research on this topic are described. Suggestions are made for future research which can inform prevention and treatment programs.
Increased attendance rates and altered characteristics of sexual violence
Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 2012
Objective. To study the attendance rates and characteristics of sexual violence presented at emergency services for rape victims, over a 10-year period. Design. Incidence study. Setting. Rape Trauma Service, within an emergency department at a tertiary referral university hospital. Population. The total female population in Iceland. Methods. Medical records on visits were reviewed and systematically coded. Annual attendance rates were calculated over time as number of visits per 10 000 female inhabitants aged 13-49 years. Characteristics of sexual violence, perpetrators and victims were compared between 1998-2002 and 2003-2007. Main outcome measures. Annual attendance rates and characteristics of sexual violence. Results. Of 1153 visits, 828 (71.8%) were due to severe sexual violence (penetration). Annual attendance rates of all sexual violence increased from 12.5 to 16.9 per 10 000 women aged 13-49 (p<0.01). Attendance rates due to severe sexual violence increased specifically among women aged 18-25 (p<0.01). The proportion of assaults involving multiple perpetrators increased from 13.9% in 1998-2002 to 18.9% in 2003-2007 (p=0.05). With time, a higher proportion of victims had seriously impaired consciousness due to alcohol consumption (p<0.01) and had used illegal drugs prior to assault (p<0.05). Conclusions. The findings point towards an increase in women's visits to specialized emergency services for rape victims, particularly in the age group 18-25 years. The increased role of multiple perpetrators, alcohol and illicit drugs in sexual violence calls for further attention.
Sexual assault victimization and psychopathology: A review and meta-analysis
Clinical Psychology Review, 2017
Sexual assault (SA) is a common and deleterious form of trauma. Over 40 years of research on its impact has suggested that SA has particularly severe effects on a variety of forms of psychopathology, and has highlighted unique aspects of SA as a form of trauma that contribute to these outcomes. The goal of this meta-analytic review was to synthesize the empirical literature from 1970-2014 (reflecting 497 effect sizes) to understand the degree to which (a) SA confers general risk for psychological dysfunction rather than specific risk for posttraumatic stress, and (b) differences in studies and samples account for variation in observed effects. Results indicate that people who have been sexually assaulted report significantly worse psychopathology than unassaulted comparisons (average Hedges' g=0.61). SA was associated with increased risk for all forms of psychopathology assessed, and stronger associations were observed for posttraumatic stress and suicidality. Effects endured across differences in sample demographics. Broader SA operationalizations (e.g., including incapacitated, coerced, or nonpenetrative SA) were not associated with differences in effects, although including attempted SA in operationalizations resulted in lower effects. Larger effects were observed in samples with more assaults involving stranger perpetrators, weapons, or physical injury. In the context of the broader literature, our findings provide evidence that experiencing SA is major risk factor for multiple forms of psychological dysfunction across populations and assault types.
How Does Alcohol Contribute to Sexual Assault? Explanations from Laboratory and Survey Data
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2002
This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium of the 2001 RSA Meeting in Montreal, Canada. The chair was Antonia Abbey and the organizers were Tina Zawacki and Philip O. Buck. There were four presentations and a discussant. The first presentation was made by Maria Testa whose interviews with sexual assault victims suggest that there may be differences in the characteristics of sexual assaults in which both the victim and perpetrator were using substances as compared to when only the perpetrator was using substances. The second presentation was made by Tina Zawacki whose research found that perpetrators of sexual assaults that involved alcohol were in most ways similar to perpetrators of sexual assaults that did not involve alcohol, although they differed on impulsivity and several alcohol measures. The third presentation was made by Kathleen Parks who described how alcohol consumption affected women's responses to a male confederate's behavior in a simulated bar setting. The fourth presentation was made by Jeanette Norris who found that alcohol and expectancies affected men's self-reported likelihood of acting like a hypothetical sexually aggressive man. Susan E. Martin discussed the implications of these studies and made suggestions for future research.
The role of victim and perpetrator intoxication on sexual assault outcomes
Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 2004
The high coincidence of substance use and sexual assault among young people has led many to investigate potential causal mechanisms underlying this relationship. Cognitive impairment due to alcohol consumption, for example, may reduce women's ability to recognize sexual aggression risk (Norris et al., 1996; Testa et al., 2000). Motor impairment resulting from alcohol consumption may also reduce women's ability to resist unwanted advances effectively (Harrington and Leitenberg, 1994). In incidents of sexual assault, victim alcohol consumption at the time of assault is positively associated with rape completion (Abbey et al., 2003; Ullman et al., 1999a,b). Victim pre-assault substance use, on the other hand, is negatively associated with perpetrator aggression, victim resistance and victim injury (Abbey et al., 2002; Ullman et al., 1999b), suggesting that when a woman is intoxicated, rape may be completed with a minimum of force or struggle. Sexual assaults that include substance use are more likely to involve perpetrators who are not intimately acquainted
Relationships between sexual violence and chronic disease: a cross-sectional study
BMC public health, 2014
Sexual assault is a traumatic event with potentially devastating lifelong effects on physical and mental health. Research has demonstrated that individuals who experience sexual assault during childhood are more likely to engage in risky behaviors later in life, such as smoking, alcohol and drug use, and disordered eating habits, which may increase the risk of developing a chronic disease. Despite the high prevalence and economic burden of sexual assault, few studies have investigated the associations between sexual violence and chronic health conditions in the US. The purpose of this study is to identify associations between sexual violence and health risk behaviors, chronic health conditions and mental health conditions utilizing population based data in Kansas. Secondary analysis was done using data from the 2011 Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System sexual violence module (N = 4,886). Crude and adjusted prevalence rate ratios were computed to examine associations bet...
Prior substance abuse and related treatment history reported by recent victims of sexual assault
Addictive Behaviors, 2013
► We examine alcohol and drug abuse history in recent rape victims seeking medical care. ► We examine comorbid patterns of recent substance use among recent rape victims. ► We examine prevalence and correlates of prior substance treatment among rape victims. ► We examine prevalence and correlates of prior history of assault among rape victims. ► Order of onset of victimization and substance abuse history is examined. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Rape Drug abuse Alcohol abuse Screening Referral Treatment
Medical Care, 2018
Introduction: Sexual assault (SA) is alarmingly common and is associated with higher prevalence of psychiatric and medical conditions. However, many prior studies are limited to cross-sectional designs. Health care systems with electronic health records provide unique longitudinal data to examine whether SA is associated with changes in health and health care utilization. Methods: The sample included 1350 Kaiser Permanente Northern California adult female patients with a SA diagnosis from 2009 to 2015 and 4050 adult female patients without a SA diagnosis, matched on age, medical facility, and continuous enrollment during the study period. Using a retrospective cohort design, we tested whether a SA diagnosis was associated with 12-month changes in psychiatric and medical comorbidities and health care utilization using difference-indifference models. Analyses were conducted in 2017. Results: Patients with a SA diagnosis had a higher prevalence of psychiatric and medical comorbidities and greater health care utilization than matched patients without SA in the 12 months before the SA diagnosis, and greater increases in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders and stress-related somatic conditions, and psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology utilization (all P < 0.001), 12 months after the SA diagnosis, relative to matched non-SA patients during this time. Discussion: SA is associated with increases in psychiatric disorders and stress-related somatic conditions as well as increases in utilization of psychiatry and obstetrics/gynecology. Clinicians should be trained in how to inquire about, respond to, and refer women who have experienced SA.
The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2018
Few studies have explored relations among sexual assault and prospective development of high-risk behaviors among adolescent girls. The present study examined longitudinal associations among child sexual assault (CSA) and high-risk behaviors (nonexperimental alcohol and drug use; delinquent behavior) in a nationally representative sample of adolescent girls aged 12-17. Using path modeling, findings provided support for the link between CSA and nonexperimental alcohol use, drug use, and delinquent behavior after controlling for demographic characteristics and Time 1 functioning. Additionally, past 6-month post-traumatic stress disorder assessed at Time 1 was significantly associated with CSA and delinquency measured at Time 2, although the indirect effects did not reach traditional levels of significance. These findings suggest that CSA may potentiate risk for a number of public health problems.