Verbal Sexual Coercion Experiences, Sexual Risk, and Substance Use in Women

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2014-06-18

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Gilmore, A. K., Schacht, R. L., George, W. H., Davis, K. C., Norris, J., & Heiman, J. R. (2014). Verbal Sexual Coercion Experiences, Sexual Risk, and Substance Use in Women. Journal of aggression, maltreatment & trauma, 23(7), 725–739. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2014.933462

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This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in HHS Author Manuscripts on 18 Jun 2014, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2014.933462. All rights reserved.

Subjects

Abstract

esearch has linked sexual assault, substance use, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk in women. Sexual assault by means of verbal sexual coercion (VSC) is more common than sexual assault by means of physical tactics, but VSC is rarely assessed independently. In addition, past work has established global connections among substance use, sexual assault history, and STI risk; however, assessing substance use during sexual behavior is less common. This study examined the relations among VSC, STI risk behavior, and substance use and attitudes. We hypothesized that women with larger numbers of VSC experiences would report more frequent sexual risk behaviors and substance use and attitudes. Participants with larger numbers of VSC experiences reported larger numbers of anal sex partners, more frequent penile–vaginal sex and sexual activity after substance use, and stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies. These findings suggest that VSC is associated with higher levels of STI risk in women.