Graduate Studies, UNL

 

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

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First Advisor

Sarah Gervais

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Committee Members

David DiLillo Kathryn Holland Katie Edwards

Department

Psychology

Date of this Version

4-27-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Psychology

Under the supervision of Professor Sarah Gervais

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Amanda Elizabeth Baildon. Used by permission

Abstract

Alcohol-involved sexual violence (SV) is a common and detrimental experience for young adult women. To supplement SV prevention strategies aimed at perpetrators, who are fully responsible for the occurrence of SV, risk reduction programs that target women’s drinking have been implemented with limited efficacy. To improve these programs, research must examine novel predictors like food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) that contribute to SV risk. FAD refers to compensatory behaviors (e.g., restricted eating, excessive exercise) to offset alcohol’s calories or enhance intoxication. Approximately 45% of young adult women engage in FAD, a practice that likely heightens SV risk by facilitating rapid and higher subjective intoxication that exacerbates alcohol’s impairing effects and the dehumanizing social perceptions of drinking women. The central hypotheses of this study were that engaging in FAD strengthens the association between more alcohol use and increases in subjective intoxication and SV victimization compared to drinking days with no FAD engagement. I expected that this interactive effect between FAD and alcohol use would predict more SV victimization through increases in subjective intoxication. A community sample of 81 young adult women completed daily measures of FAD, alcohol use, subjective intoxication, and SV victimization over 56 days using electronic daily diaries. The interaction between alcohol use and compensatory behaviors did not significantly predict subjective intoxication or SV victimization directly, nor did it moderate the alcohol use to SV link through intoxication. However, when the interaction term was removed, exploratory analyses showed that FAD engagement had a significant direct effect on SV victimization. This suggests that SV victimization is higher on days when FAD occurs, regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed. Despite the non-significant interaction effects, the direct link between FAD and SV victimization identifies FAD as a promising, novel risk factor for SV. This study addressed limitations in scope and methodology of the existing literature and expanded our understanding of the FAD phenomenon. Results from this study could inform the development of more comprehensive and effective SV risk reduction programs and offers future directions that address the sociocultural sources (e.g., culture of objectification, fatphobia) that motivate FAD.

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