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Do drinking motives mediate the association between sexual assault and problem drinking?
Kristen P Lindgren1, Clayton Neighbors, Jessica A Blayney
1Center for the Study of Health & Risk Behaviors, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences 1100 NE 45th Street, Suite 300, Seattle, WA 98105, United States. KPL9716@uw.edu
Addictive Behaviors
|November 19, 2011
Summary
College women who experience sexual assault may drink to cope with negative emotions, a pattern supported by longitudinal research. This self-medication behavior links sexual assault to problem drinking over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Sexual assault and problem drinking are significant issues among college women.
- Existing research suggests a link between sexual assault and problem drinking, potentially mediated by drinking motives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally examine the relationship between sexual assault and problem drinking in female undergraduates.
- To investigate the mediating roles of coping and enhancement drinking motives in this relationship over time.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving 131 female undergraduates.
- Baseline assessment of sexual assault victimization and problem drinking.
- Follow-up assessments of drinking motives (3 months) and problem drinking (6 months).
- Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant positive correlations were found between drinking motives, sexual assault, and problem drinking.
- Longitudinal analyses supported coping motives as a mediator between sexual assault and problem drinking.
- Enhancement motives did not significantly mediate this relationship longitudinally.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the self-medication hypothesis, suggesting women drink to alleviate distress following sexual assault.
- Coping drinking motives play a crucial role in the longitudinal association between sexual assault and problem drinking.
- Interventions targeting coping motives may help reduce problem drinking in survivors of sexual assault.
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