Emotion dysregulation and drinking to cope as predictors and consequences of alcohol-involved sexual assault: examination of short-term and long-term risk.
Abstract
The present study examined emotion dysregulation, coping drinking motives, and alcohol-related
problems as predictors and consequences of alcohol-involved sexual assault (AISA).
A convenience sample of 424 college women completed confidential surveys on paper
and online. Data were collected at baseline (T1), weekly for 10 weeks (T2-10), and
at 1 year (T11). The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations among variables
were examined in a cross-lagged panel model. Within each time point, all variables
were correlated. Drinking to cope and emotion dysregulation predicted AISA in the
short term (within 10 weeks), alcohol problems increased risk for AISA in the long
term (within 1 year), and AISA history predicted AISA revictimization regardless of
time frame. Drinking to cope and alcohol-related problems predicted future victimization,
but their impact seems to fluctuate over time. Coping drinking motives were both a
predictor and consequence of AISA, suggesting a cyclical pattern. However, additional
analyses indicated that coping drinking motives and alcohol problems might act as
suppressors in the model. Overall, findings indicate that interventions focused on
improving emotion regulation skills may decrease short-term risk for AISA.
Type
Journal articleSubject
alcohol consumptioncoping drinking motives
emotion dysregulation
longitudinal design
sexual assault
Adaptation, Psychological
Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol Drinking
Crime Victims
Emotions
Female
Humans
Risk Factors
Sex Offenses
Young Adult
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11246Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1177/0886260514535259Publication Info
Messman-Moore, Terri; Ward, Rose Marie; Zerubavel, Noga; Chandley, Rachel B; & Barton,
Sarah N (2015). Emotion dysregulation and drinking to cope as predictors and consequences of alcohol-involved
sexual assault: examination of short-term and long-term risk. J Interpers Violence, 30(4). pp. 601-621. 10.1177/0886260514535259. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11246.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Noga Zerubavel
Assistant Consulting Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Noga Zerubavel, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Department
of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Zerubavel
is the Director of the Stress, Trauma, and Recovery Treatment Clinic (START Clinic),
which provides treatment for trauma-related disorders including PTSD, dissociative
disorders, and other sequelae of trauma within the Cognitive Behavioral Research and
Treatment Program at Duke. She specializes in working with

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