TY - JOUR
T1 - The Interplay of Sexual Arousal and Power-Related Emotions in Men’s Alcohol-Involved Sexual Aggression Intentions
AU - Davis, Kelly Cue
AU - Neilson, Elizabeth C.
AU - Kirwan, Mitchell
AU - Bird, Elizabeth R.
AU - Eldridge, Nolan
AU - George, William H.
AU - Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.
N1 - Funding Information:
for Study 1 was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism [F31AA024352] and the Association for Treatment of Sexual Abusers to the second author. The second author is currently supported by the National Institute on General Medical Sciences [8P20GM103436]. Funding for Study 2 was provided by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to the first author [R21AA023811; R37AA025212].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Research has identified power/dominance and sexual arousal as key motivators of men’s sexual aggression; however, little research has examined the interplay of these two factors in alcohol-involved sexual aggression. Two alcohol administration experiments investigated the roles of power-related sex motives and power- and sexual arousal-related emotions on men’s sexual aggression intentions. In Study 1, participants (N = 96) read a sexual aggression scenario after random assignment to consume either an alcoholic (target peak BrAC = .10%) or nonalcoholic beverage. Results indicated that power-related sex motives indirectly predicted stronger sexual aggression intentions through greater in-the-moment power-related emotions but not through sexual arousal-related emotions. Intoxicated men with more severe perpetration histories reported stronger sexual aggression intentions. In Study 2, participants (N = 203) completed similar measures after random assignment to receive either a brief emotion regulation-focused intervention (cognitive restructuring or mindfulness) or a control, followed by either alcohol (target peak BrAC = .08%) or nonalcoholic beverage consumption. Results demonstrated that greater power-related sex motives indirectly predicted stronger sexual aggression intentions through greater feelings of power and sexual arousal. Additionally, findings suggest that cognitive restructuring approaches may mitigate these relationships in sober men, while mindfulness approaches may exacerbate these relationships in intoxicated men.
AB - Research has identified power/dominance and sexual arousal as key motivators of men’s sexual aggression; however, little research has examined the interplay of these two factors in alcohol-involved sexual aggression. Two alcohol administration experiments investigated the roles of power-related sex motives and power- and sexual arousal-related emotions on men’s sexual aggression intentions. In Study 1, participants (N = 96) read a sexual aggression scenario after random assignment to consume either an alcoholic (target peak BrAC = .10%) or nonalcoholic beverage. Results indicated that power-related sex motives indirectly predicted stronger sexual aggression intentions through greater in-the-moment power-related emotions but not through sexual arousal-related emotions. Intoxicated men with more severe perpetration histories reported stronger sexual aggression intentions. In Study 2, participants (N = 203) completed similar measures after random assignment to receive either a brief emotion regulation-focused intervention (cognitive restructuring or mindfulness) or a control, followed by either alcohol (target peak BrAC = .08%) or nonalcoholic beverage consumption. Results demonstrated that greater power-related sex motives indirectly predicted stronger sexual aggression intentions through greater feelings of power and sexual arousal. Additionally, findings suggest that cognitive restructuring approaches may mitigate these relationships in sober men, while mindfulness approaches may exacerbate these relationships in intoxicated men.
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U2 - 10.1080/00224499.2021.1972923
DO - 10.1080/00224499.2021.1972923
M3 - Article
C2 - 34520295
AN - SCOPUS:85114888366
VL - 59
SP - 765
EP - 779
JO - Journal of Sex Research
JF - Journal of Sex Research
SN - 0022-4499
IS - 6
ER -