Women's Perceptions of Alcohol-Related Sexual Disinhibition: Personality and Sexually-Related Alcohol Expectancies

ABSTRACT

Young adults frequently use alcohol prior to engaging in sexual activity (Grello, Welsh, & Harper, 2006) possibly due to expectancies relating to alcohol use and sexuality. When women engage in alcohol-use behaviors they are likely to be perceived as sexually available and promiscuous (Blume, 1991; Parks & Scheidt, 2000). The current study examined the relationships between young women's feminine gender-role attributes, erotophobia-erotophilia, and endorsement of sexually-related alcohol expectancies. Using surveys and focus groups, we investigated perceptions of the relationship between alcohol use and women's sexuality. Findings demonstrated a negative relationship between feminine gender-role and sexually-related alcohol expectancies. Free-response data indicated that sexual motives contributed to alcohol use. Participants emphasized that alcohol lowered inhibitions and increased the likelihood of engaging in sexual behaviors. Erotophobia-erotophilia influenced the pattern of qualitative response themes such that erotophobes were more likely to emphasize that alcohol contributed to increased sexual confidence and decreased nervousness.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual disinhibition
• alcohol expectancies
• feminine gender-role
• erotophobia-erotophilia

Gabie E. Smith holds a PhD in Health Psychology, specializing in the study of factors affecting alcoholuse and sexual risk-taking in young adult populations. She is an Associate Professor of Psychology and past Women's/Gender Studies Director at Elon University.

Jennifer Toadvine and Alison Kennedy are recent graduates of Elon University and are both currently pursuing graduate training in sexual health and counseling.