Women's perceptions of and responses to sexual aggression: the alcohol myopia and anxiolysis-disinhibition theories

Abstract

This study investigated how alcohol consumption impacts women's ability to detect and react to sexual assault risk in a hypothetical dating situation. A 2 x 2 between-subjects experiment investigating the effects of alcohol consumption and relationship characteristics on risk perception and behavioral resistance was conducted. Hypotheses were tested regarding the influence of both alcohol myopia and anxiolysis-disinhibition on intoxicated participants. As predicted, intoxicated women did not detect sexual assault risk as early in the situation as sober women did. However, the hypothesis that intoxicated women would choose more forceful resistance strategies than sober women was not upheld. These findings aid in explicating the strong relationship between alcohol consumption and sexual assault.