Graduate Studies

 

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dennis McChargue

Abstract

Various interventions have attempted to reduce the rates of sexual violence perpetrated by college men; however, meta-analyses suggest interventions need to further evaluate theoretically derived mechanisms to improve outcomes (Malamuth et al., 2018; DeGue et al., 2014; Vladutiu, et al., 2011). To address this concern, the present study utilized the Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending (ITSO; Ward et al., 2016; Ward & Beech, 2008; 2006) to explore mechanisms underlying the relationships between sexual arousal, alcohol use history (AUH), and sexual aggression. Working memory, impulsivity, and affective forecasting paradigms were selected to map onto the ITSO’s neuropsychological mechanisms. The interaction between sexual arousal and AUH was expected to result in greater impacts on the mechanisms and subsequently increase sexually aggressive behavior. A total of 66 straight, cisgender college men between the ages of 19 and 25 participated in the quasi-experimental design for SONA research credit or $20. They were randomly assigned to either a sexual arousal or neutral video condition and were also placed into high AUH and low AUH groups. Paradigms corresponding to the three ITSO neuropsychological mechanisms were administered at baseline and post-video to evaluate mediational effects. Participants then completed a date rape vignette to quantify sexual aggression alongside other self-report questionnaires. Hypotheses were evaluated using three moderated mediation models in Mplus after confirming the sexual arousal paradigm resulted in the expected differences between the sexual arousal and neutral conditions. None of the models showed the patterns of hypothesized main effects, interactive effects, or mediational pathways. One piece of the path in the working memory model and in the affective forecasting model was significant; however, these results are tempered by the underpowered nature of the study and may reflect Type I error. Overall, the three moderated mediation models did not support the hypothesized relationships; however, continuing to explore the ITSO to create iterative works to better understand sexual aggression will be important for the advancement of the field. Future study design considerations such as pros and cons of in-person versus online administration, recruitment strategies, mediational paradigm selection, and reducing under and over reporting were also gleaned from the study.

Comments

Copyright 2024, Kailey Ann Richner. Used by permission

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