SEXUAL ASSAULT PERPETRATION BY COLLEGE MEN - THE ROLE OF ALCOHOL, MISPERCEPTION OF SEXUAL INTENT, AND SEXUAL BELIEFS AND EXPERIENCES

This study provides empirical support for a theoretical model previous ly developed by Abbey and colleagues (Abbey, 1991;Abbey Rose, & McDuff ie, 1994; Abbey, Ross, McDuffie, & McAuslan, 1996) to explain one set of pathways through which alcohol and sexual assault are linked. It wa s hypothesized that the mutual effects of beliefs and experiences with regard to dating, sexuality, and alcohol increase the likelihood that a man would misperceive a female companion's sexual intentions, and t hat this misperception would lead to sexual assault. Self-administered , anonymous surveys were conducted with a representative sample of 814 men at a large urban university. Twenty-six percent of these men repo rted perpetrating sexual assault. The results of structural equation m odeling analyses provided support for the model. Suggestions are made for a more dyadic and dynamic mode of research on this problem, as wel l as for the development of sexual assault prevention and treatment pr ograms for men.