Male and female recipients of unwanted sexual contact in a college studentsample: Prevalence rates, alcohol use, and depression symptoms

It is typically assumed that acquaintance rape and other forms of unwanted sexual contact involve males as perpetrators and females as victims. The cu rrent study investigated prevalence rates of experiencing as well as instig ating sexual coercion, force, and other types of unwanted sexual contact fo r both men and women in a college Greek system. 165 men and 131 women (82% Caucasian) completed 2 gender neutral measures of unwanted sexual contact, as well as assessments of alcohol use, alcohol related negative consequence s, and depressive symptoms. Results indicated men were as likely to report being the recipients of sexual coercion as were women in this sample, altho ugh women were more likely to be the victims of physical force. In addition , both men and women in this sample who had been the recipients of unwanted Sexual contact reported heavier alcohol consumption and related negative c onsequences than did their peers who had not had these experiences. Men who had been the recipients of unwanted sexual contact reported more symptoms of depression than other men in this sample, bur there were no differences in depression symptoms for women who did or did not report these experience s.