Examination of Sex-Related Distress and Self-Medication Drinking Model in U.S. College Women

ABSTRACT

Adult sexual assault (ASA) in college remains a concern. Consequently, many college-aged women experience negative emotions surrounding sexual activity (sex-related distress). Consistent with self-medication theory, some drink to cope with sex-related distress, which may reduce distress, but lead to greater drinking quantity before sex and negative sexual consequences. How women with ASA histories navigate sexual situations and cope with sex-related distress is under researched. We examined ASA, sex-related distress, and drinking to cope motives to understand correlates of drinking before sex. First and second year college women (n = 300) reported on a recent sexual experience in the past six weeks. In the full sample, ASA severity was associated with a greater likelihood of drinking before sex, while general sex-related distress was associated with a lower likelihood. General sex-related distress was associated with event-specific sex-related distress and sexual consequences. There were no differences in number of pre-sex drinks or subjective intoxication during sexual activity based on ASA. In a subsample of women who drank before sexual activity (n = 179), drinking to cope with sex-related distress motives mediated the association between sex-related distress and sexual consequences. Interventions can draw on these findings to target self-medication drinking in consensual sexual situations.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual Assault
• Alcohol
• Coping
• Sexual Distress
• College
• Women

Acknowledgement

Participant funding was provided through the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI) small grant program (ADAI-1016-5; with PI Elizabeth Bird, Ph.D.) and through the Bolles Fellowship from the University of Washington awarded to Elizabeth Bird, Ph.D. Data collection was supported by a training grant from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (T32AA07455, with PI Mary Larimer, Ph.D). Manuscript preparation was supported by the Presidential Dissertation Fellowship from the University of Washington awarded to Elizabeth Bird, Ph.D. and a grant awarded to Jessica Blayney, Ph.D. (K09AA028777). This research would not be possible without the help of dedicated research assistants, Wenqi Zheng, Emp Huang, Erika Dezellem, and Andrew Thompson.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.