Pre-Drinking and Its Relationship to Sexual Diversity and Sexual Harassment in Nightlife Settings
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Published on: May 18, 2020
Eric Koukounas1, Kira Button2, Peter Miller2
1School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Introduction:
Sexual harassment is experienced by 50% of nightlife patrons and disproportionately more by LGBTQIA+ (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual) patrons. The present study investigated its association with pre-drinking in Australian nightlife.
Method:
An online survey assessing pre-drinking behaviours and various forms of sexual harassment was completed by a sample of 958 individuals aged 18-65 years.
Results:
Pre-drinking volume (r = 0.11, p < 0.01) and pre-drinking frequency (r = 0.16, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with sexual harassment. Females reported pre-drinking more frequently than males [χ2(16) = 12.30, p = 0.02], females reported greater sexual harassment than males [χ2(1) = 47.13, p < 0.001, OR = 0.38] and heterosexual individuals reported higher sexual harassment than non-heterosexual individuals [χ2(4) = 34.51, p < 0.001, OR = 0.43]. Demographic variables accounted for 16% of the variance in sexual harassment frequency [R2 = 0.16, F(5, 170) = 6.31, p < 0.001], with only gender (β = -0.35, t = -4.91, p < 0.001) making a unique contribution, accounting for 12% of the variance.
Discussion And Conclusions:
The relationship between sexual harassment, pre-drinking, gender and sexuality is complex. The present study did not find that sexually diverse individuals engaged in more pre-drinking behaviours than heterosexual individuals, nor that LGBTQIA+ individuals report greater rates of sexual harassment than individuals identifying as heterosexual. However, women reported a larger number of sexual harassment experiences. Using these findings to inform interventions to reduce sexual harassment is indicated.
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