The Roles of Emotion Regulation, Alcohol Consumption, and Women’s Condom Request Style in Men’s Coercive Condom Use Resistance Intentions

Mitchell Kirwan, Kelly Cue Davis, Cynthia A. Stappenbeck, William H. George

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Condom use resistance (CUR) remains a significant problem, and many men employ coercive CUR strategies to avoid using condoms with partners who do not consent to unprotected sex. To assess the decision-making process underlying men’s coercive CUR, the present study administered alcohol to assess the effects of alcohol intoxication, condom request style, and emotion regulation (ER) strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) on intentions to use coercive CUR to have unprotected sex during a hypothetical sexual scenario. Sexually active, male social drinkers (N = 297) were randomly assigned to either consume alcohol or remain sober, and to project themselves into a hypothetical sexual scenario during which they received either indirect, direct, or insistent condom requests. Results showed that, although cognitive reappraisal had no relationship with coercive CUR or unprotected sex intentions, expressive suppression’s relationship with intentions to have unprotected sex was mediated by coercive CUR and moderated by alcohol intoxication and condom request. Specifically, suppression was positively associated with coercive CUR among sober individuals who received an indirect condom request only. Such results suggest that sober men with suppressive tendencies may use coercive CUR to regulate negative emotions, such as frustration at not being able to have unprotected sex.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1187-1205
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma
Volume31
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Condom use resistance
  • alcohol intoxication
  • cognitive reappraisal
  • expressive suppression
  • sexual coercion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health Professions (miscellaneous)
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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