Perceived sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies and behavior predict substance-related sexual revictimization.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Although numerous studies have documented linkages between childhood sexual
abuse (CSA) and later sexual revictimization, mechanisms underlying revictimization,
particularly assaults occurring in the context of substance use, are not well-understood.
Consistent with Traumagenic Dynamics theory, the present study tested a path model
positing that lowered perceptions of sexual control resulting from CSA may be associated
with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and heightened likelihood of risky
sexual behavior, which in turn, may predict adult substance-related rape. METHODS:
Participants were 546 female college students who completed anonymous surveys regarding
CSA and adult rape, perceptions of sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies,
and likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. RESULTS: The data fit the hypothesized
model well and all hypothesized path coefficients were significant and in the expected
directions. As expected, sex-related alcohol expectancies and likelihood of risky
sexual behavior only predicted substance-related rape, not forcible rape. CONCLUSIONS:
Findings suggested that low perceived sexual control stemming from CSA is associated
with increased sex-related alcohol expectancies and a higher likelihood of engaging
in sexual behavior in the context of alcohol use. In turn these proximal risk factors
heighten vulnerability to substance-related rape. Programs which aim to reduce risk
for substance-related rape could be improved by addressing expectancies and motivations
for risky sexual behavior in the context of substance use. Implications and future
directions are discussed.
Type
Journal articleSubject
AdolescentAlcohol Drinking
Child
Child Abuse, Sexual
Female
Humans
Perception
Rape
Risk-Taking
Sexual Behavior
Students
Substance-Related Disorders
Surveys and Questionnaires
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11247Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.11.009Publication Info
Walsh, Kate; Messman-Moore, Terri; Zerubavel, Noga; Chandley, Rachel B; Denardi, Kathleen
A; & Walker, Dave P (2013). Perceived sexual control, sex-related alcohol expectancies and behavior predict substance-related
sexual revictimization. Child Abuse Negl, 37(5). pp. 353-359. 10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.11.009. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11247.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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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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