The role of women's substance use in vulnerability to forcible and incapacitated rape

Although women's substance use is believed to contribute to rape vulnerability, few studies have examined, separately from forcible rape, rape that occurs due to incapacitation. The current study examines the prevalence of completed forcible and incapacitated rape in a representative community sample of young women, identifies the predictors of these two forms of rape and compares characteristics of forcible and incapacitated rape incidents.

Women, ages 18-30 (N = 1,014), were recruited from households in the Buffalo, NY, area, by means of random-digit-dialing. They completed computer-assisted measures, including the Sexual Experiences Survey and a face-to-face interview regarding sexual assault experiences occurring since age 14.

Lifetime prevalence of incapacitated rape was nearly identical to prevalence of forcible rape, with about 1 in 10 women reporting each type of rape since age 14. In multivariate analysis, age and childhood sexual abuse predicted forcible but not incapacitated rape, whereas adolescent alcohol and drug use predicted incapacitated but not forcible rape. Incapacitated rape incidents differed from forcible rape incidents on several contextual variables, including relationship to perpetrator, activities preceding the assault and victim injury.

Findings suggest that forcible rape and incapacitated rape may be different forms of sexual assault, with different distal and proximal correlates. Distinguishing these two forms may facilitate understanding of the role of women's alcohol and drug use in sexual assault.