Therelationshipsbetweenheavyepisodicdrinking,sexualassaultingand

beingsexuallyassaultedforsouthernurbanuniversitystudents:Acritique&
summary

DavidMatchey
InpartialfulfillmentoftherequirementsforPSYC332
Dr.Biaggio

Thefocusofthearticleentitled"Therelationshipsbetweenheavy
episodicdrinking,sexualassaultingandbeingsexuallyassaultedfor
SouthernurbanUniversitystudents"issexualassaultanditsrelationship
withheavydrinkinginUniversitystudents.Theresearchersadministered
asurveytoarandomsampleof140menand240womenwhichcovered
topicssuchasalcoholanddruguseandtheconsequencesofsuchuse,as
wellasdemographicsandcampusnormsandattitudes.Theirhypothesis
wasthatmenandwomenwhoreportedheavydrinkingaremorelikelyto
commitsexualassaultandbesexuallyassaultedthanthosewhodonot
reportheavyepisodicdrinking.Episodicdrinkingisdefinedasfiveormore
drinksinonesittingformenandfourormoredrinksforwomen.Sexual
assaultisdefinedasanysexualactivitythatisunsolicitedorunwanted,and
usuallyincludesintercourseagainstaperson'swill.
Theresearchersstatethatmanystudieshaveshownalinkbetween
alcoholconsumptioningeneralandsexualassault,butthesestudiesdo
notnecessarilyciteheavyepisodicdrinking.Also,thefocushasbeenon
menassexualassaultersofbothmenandwomenandlittlehasbeengiven
tothestudyofwomen'ssexualassaultonmen.Menwhoaremorelikely
toreportthattheysupportstatementsthatjustifyrapearemoreoften
theperpetratorsofsexualassault.Womenwhoareheavydrinkers,have
frequentsexualrelationshipsandhaveexperiencedsomesortofchildhood
sexualabusearemorelikelytobevictimsofsexualassault--althoughitis
easiertopredictwhowillbetheassaulterratherthanwhowillbeassaulted.

Incaseswhereitisthewomanwhoistheassaulter,thatwomanismore
likelytohaveexperiencedpriorsexualabuse,tohavestereotypicalviews
aboutmalesexuality,andtobelievethattraditionalfemalesocietaland
sexualrolesarerestrictive.Factorssuchasinsensitivitytofeelings,peer
pressure,alcoholuseandpersonalexpectationscanleadtounsafesexual
practicesinbothmenandwomen.However,itismostcommonformen
tobesexuallyassaultedbywomeninsituationswherealcoholhasreduced
bothoftheirinhibitions.
Theauthorsdoconcedethatfewarticlespriortotheirstudyfocuson
episodicdrinking,andinsteadfocusonheavydrinkingingeneral.They
usedtheCOREAlcoholandDrugsurveyandtookdatafromonlytwoofthe
questionsonthesurveytoexaminestatistically.Ananalysisofvariance
wasconductedtoseewhetherornotmalesandfemaleshadbeentaken
advantageofortakenadvantageofsomeoneafterheavyepisodicdrinking.
Thoughthedatadidnotsupportit,theresearchersgoontosaythat
menweremorelikelytobetakenadvantageofafteraboutofheavy
episodicdrinking,butitdidnotsaywhethertheperpetratorswerewomen
ormen.Itcouldbepossiblethatsomeofthedataaboutwhoisassaulting
whomandwhoisgettingassaultedisbeingmisreported.Theirhypothesis,
theysay,waspartiallysupported:"menandwomenwhoreportheavy
episodicdrinkingaremorelikelytocommitsexualassaultandbesexually
assaultedthanmenandwomenwhodonotreportheavyepisodicdrinking."
Theyfoundthatmalesweremorelikelytosexuallyassaultsomeoneafter
heavyepisodicdrinking.Females,ontheotherhand,weremorelikelyto
betakenadvantageofbutnotlikelytotakeadvantageofsomeonesexually
afterheavyepisodicdrinking.
Theauthorsdosaythatoneofthelimitationsoftheirstudywasthatthe
questionnairedidnotseparatequestionsaboutsexualassaultbytheperson
doingtheassaulting.Thequestionsthataskedwhetheronehadbeentaken
advantageofsexuallydidnotaskthepersontospecifythegenderofthe
assaulter.
Theauthorsrecommended,forfuturestudies,thatthemeasure
ofassaultsbebothofwhoisbeingassaultedandwhoisdoingthe
assault.Also,theybelievetheyshouldfindawaytodeterminetheintent
oftheassaulterbeforeheavyepisodicdrinkingevenbegins.
Thisstudywasimportant,Ibelieve,forthetopicofsexualassault.
However,thescopeofitwasnarrow.Theyonlymeasuredheavyepisodic
drinking,whenallformsofdrinkingcanleadtosexualassault.Also,the
self-reportstyleofthequestionnairecouldhaveledtostudentsmisreporting
ormisrepresentingthemselves.Ifindithardtobelievethatsomeonewho
isapriorsexualassaulterwouldputthatdownonpaper,thattheyhad
sexuallyassaultedsomeone.Moreresearchisneededtospecifywhatkinds
ofsexualassaultexist,andhowalcoholisrelatedtotheiroccurrence.