Abstract
Sexually victimized women may make sexual decisions differently than nonvictimized women. This study used an eroticized scenario and laboratory alcohol administration to investigate the roles of victimization history, intoxication, and relationship context in women's perceptions of a male partner and their subsequent intentions for unprotected sex. A community sample of 436 women completed childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) measures. After random assignment to an alcohol or control condition, participants read and projected themselves into a sexual scenario that depicted the male partner as having high or low potential for a lasting relationship. Participants rated their perceptions of his intoxication, sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk level, and anticipated reactions to insistence on condom use. They then indicated their likelihood of allowing the partner to decide how far to go sexually (abdication) and of engaging in unprotected sex. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that intoxication predicted greater unprotected sex likelihood indirectly via abdication. CSA and ASA predicted partner perceptions, which in turn predicted unprotected sex likelihood. These findings indicate that, compared to their nonvictimized counterparts, sexually victimized women may respond differently in sexual encounters partly as a function of their perceptions of partners' STI risk and anticipated reactions to condom insistence.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 586-598 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Sex Research |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 1 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Gender Studies
- Sociology and Political Science
- Psychology(all)
- History and Philosophy of Science
Cite this
Women's unprotected sex intentions : Roles of sexual victimization, intoxication, and partner perception. / Masters, N. Tatiana; George, William H.; Davis, Kelly; Norris, Jeanette; Heiman, Julia R.; Jacques-Tiura, Angela J.; Gilmore, Amanda K.; Nguyen, Hong V.; Kajumulo, Kelly F.; Otto, Jacqueline M.; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.
In: Journal of Sex Research, Vol. 51, No. 5, 01.07.2014, p. 586-598.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Women's unprotected sex intentions
T2 - Roles of sexual victimization, intoxication, and partner perception
AU - Masters, N. Tatiana
AU - George, William H.
AU - Davis, Kelly
AU - Norris, Jeanette
AU - Heiman, Julia R.
AU - Jacques-Tiura, Angela J.
AU - Gilmore, Amanda K.
AU - Nguyen, Hong V.
AU - Kajumulo, Kelly F.
AU - Otto, Jacqueline M.
AU - Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.
PY - 2014/7/1
Y1 - 2014/7/1
N2 - Sexually victimized women may make sexual decisions differently than nonvictimized women. This study used an eroticized scenario and laboratory alcohol administration to investigate the roles of victimization history, intoxication, and relationship context in women's perceptions of a male partner and their subsequent intentions for unprotected sex. A community sample of 436 women completed childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) measures. After random assignment to an alcohol or control condition, participants read and projected themselves into a sexual scenario that depicted the male partner as having high or low potential for a lasting relationship. Participants rated their perceptions of his intoxication, sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk level, and anticipated reactions to insistence on condom use. They then indicated their likelihood of allowing the partner to decide how far to go sexually (abdication) and of engaging in unprotected sex. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that intoxication predicted greater unprotected sex likelihood indirectly via abdication. CSA and ASA predicted partner perceptions, which in turn predicted unprotected sex likelihood. These findings indicate that, compared to their nonvictimized counterparts, sexually victimized women may respond differently in sexual encounters partly as a function of their perceptions of partners' STI risk and anticipated reactions to condom insistence.
AB - Sexually victimized women may make sexual decisions differently than nonvictimized women. This study used an eroticized scenario and laboratory alcohol administration to investigate the roles of victimization history, intoxication, and relationship context in women's perceptions of a male partner and their subsequent intentions for unprotected sex. A community sample of 436 women completed childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) measures. After random assignment to an alcohol or control condition, participants read and projected themselves into a sexual scenario that depicted the male partner as having high or low potential for a lasting relationship. Participants rated their perceptions of his intoxication, sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk level, and anticipated reactions to insistence on condom use. They then indicated their likelihood of allowing the partner to decide how far to go sexually (abdication) and of engaging in unprotected sex. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that intoxication predicted greater unprotected sex likelihood indirectly via abdication. CSA and ASA predicted partner perceptions, which in turn predicted unprotected sex likelihood. These findings indicate that, compared to their nonvictimized counterparts, sexually victimized women may respond differently in sexual encounters partly as a function of their perceptions of partners' STI risk and anticipated reactions to condom insistence.
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U2 - 10.1080/00224499.2012.763086
DO - 10.1080/00224499.2012.763086
M3 - Article
C2 - 23718552
AN - SCOPUS:84901486047
VL - 51
SP - 586
EP - 598
JO - Journal of Sex Research
JF - Journal of Sex Research
SN - 0022-4499
IS - 5
ER -