Faculty Collaboration Database

Longitudinal assessment of heavy alcohol use and incapacitated sexual assault: A cross-lagged analysis. Addict Behav 2019 Jun;93:198-203

Date

02/09/2019

Pubmed ID

30735830

Pubmed Central ID

PMC6488354

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.02.001

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85061039207 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   18 Citations

Abstract

Researchers have argued there are bidirectional associations between heavy alcohol use and sexual assault; however, research in this area is inconclusive due to methodological differences, particularly in study design. The purpose of this study is to clarify the longitudinal associations between heavy alcohol use and incapacitated sexual assault among first-year college women, accounting for hypothesized autoregressive effects within each construct over their first year of college. A sample of 483 women completed regular surveys that assessed a range of health behaviors, including alcohol use and sexual behavior, during their first year of college. We used cross-lagged analyses to examine prospective associations between incapacitated sexual assault and heavy alcohol use (frequency of heavy episodic drinking and peak blood alcohol content). There were significant autoregressive effects, such that women who were engaging in heavier alcohol use as they entered college continued to be heavier alcohol users throughout their first year, and women with a history of assault at college entry were at greater risk for assault during their first year of college. There was a significant cross-lagged effect from precollege incapacitated assault to first-semester alcohol use after controlling for pre-college alcohol use. There were no significant cross-lag paths from alcohol use to subsequent incapacitated assault. Women with a history of incapacitated sexual assault engaged in heavier drinking during their transition to college, but heavy alcohol use did not predict subsequent assault risk.

Author List

Norris AL, Carey KB, Walsh JL, Shepardson RL, Carey MP

Author

Jennifer L. Walsh PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Alcohol Drinking
Alcohol Drinking in College
Binge Drinking
Blood Alcohol Content
Crime Victims
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Prospective Studies
Regression Analysis
Sex Offenses
Sexual Behavior
Surveys and Questionnaires
Universities
Women
Young Adult