The Effect of Alcohol and Masculinity on Sexual Aggression in Young Adult Men

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PROJECT SUMMARY The proposed fellowship is designed to prepare the PI for a career as a public health scientist examining the interplay of alcohol and personality constructs in predicting sexual aggression with the intention of translating this work into interventions. To accomplish this goal, the training plan focuses on developing expertise in the following domains: 1) understanding mechanisms that create a bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and sexual aggression, 2) modeling and measuring alcohol intoxication in the laboratory, 3) conducting experimental paradigms that model and measure real life behavioral experiences of young men (e.g., sexual aggression), and 4) disseminating findings to other researchers and those working within the larger community. To achieve these competencies and further her academic training, the PI will have intensive mentorship, training, and consultation with her Sponsor, Dr. Kristen Jozkowski, Co-Sponsor, Dr. Lindsay Ham, and mentor, Dr. Dominic Parrott. The PI will also work on her proposed project to understand if men who are intoxicated and have their masculinity threatened will respond with sexual aggression. Previous alcohol administration research indicates that men who are intoxicated are more likely to engage in sexually aggressive behaviors compared to men who are sober. Research using experimental paradigms to manipulate masculinity have also established men are more likely to be aggressive when they feel their masculinity is threatened. However, no study has examined the combined effects of alcohol intoxication and threats to masculinity on proclivity to engage in sexual aggression. The previous research conducted with both constructs would suggest that men who are intoxicated and have their masculinity threatened would be more likely to engage in sexual aggression than those who are sober and threatened; we aim to test this hypothesis via a survey and an in-person alcohol administration study. The survey will consist of a medical screener and assessments of the aforementioned constructs (n=400 men, ages 21-30). We plan to assess the moderating role of masculinity on drinking behaviors with sexual aggression. For the alcohol administration study, [young men (n=130, ages 21-30)] recruited through the screener will be randomly assigned to either ingest alcohol (target BAC .08%) or remain sober. Participants will move through two paradigms: 1) that challenges masculinity (Gender Threat Paradigm) and 2) provides men an opportunity to engage in a proxy to sexual aggression (Sexual Imposition Paradigm). In line with NIAAA's mission to include environmental factors to inform prevention, this study serves as an important step in understanding male-to-female alcohol interactions that can increase risk of sexual aggression. This information would be valuable for understanding the causal chain that could increase men's risk of sexual aggression and inform prevention programs.