Research 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.
…The findings that
larger numbers of VSC events are associated with higher numbers of lifetime
vaginal and anal sexual partners are consistent with past research (Benson et al., 2007; Messman-Moore et al., 2008),
and suggest that women with a history of VSC are at higher risk of contracting
STIs than women with no VSC history. Results from this research extend previous
knowledge by adding a contextual examination of substance use during sexual
behaviors, such that women with more VSC experiences reported more frequent
sexual activity after marijuana use (Hypothesis 8) and after combined alcohol
and marijuana use (Hypothesis 9). Marijuana use is related to sexual risk
behaviors (Brodbeck, Matter, & Moggi, 2006; Wingood & DiClemente, 1998; Yan, Chiu, Stoesen, & Wang,
2007), as is alcohol use (Cooper, 2002; George & Stoner, 2000; Kaly, Heesacker, & Frost, 2002; Leigh, 1999). Studies
have yet to examine how combined alcohol and marijuana use affects sexual risk.
It is possible that alcohol and marijuana potentiate each other, such that the
combination exponentially increases both STI and sexual risk, perhaps through
impaired cognitive function and capacity for risk perception. However, we only
assessed for sexual behavior and did not assess if event-level STI risk or
sexual assault risk increased when individuals used substances during sexual
behavior. Future work should assess this possibility.
The findings reported here cannot speak to why women
with a history of VSC reported higher concomitant marijuana use and sexual
activity. Thus, future research should evaluate women's motives and
expectancies (Hendershot, Magnan, & Bryan,
2010) for using marijuana prior to sexual activity to evaluate
possible differences based on VSC history. Women with larger numbers of VSC
experiences reported stronger sex-related alcohol expectancies, which is also
consistent with past research (Hypothesis 4; Testa & Dermen, 1999). Alcohol expectancy
theory posits that individuals are more likely to behave in a manner consistent
with their view of how alcohol affects them (MacAndrew & Edgerton, 1969). Therefore, if
an individual has stronger sexual risk alcohol expectancies, he or she might
engage in riskier sexual behavior while intoxicated than when sober…
Full article at:
By:
Amanda k. Gilmore,
Address correspondence to Amanda K. Gilmore, Department of
Psychology, University of Washington, Box 351525, Seattle, WA 98195. Email:ude.wu@gkadnama
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv insight
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