Alcohol Use and Hostility Toward Women: Individual and Perceived Peer Attitudes Shape College Men's Consent Behavior

Process-based consent conceives of sexual consent as a process whereby individuals are continuously considering and have concern for their sexual partner’s willingness to continue engaging in sexual behavior without coercion. The current study used cross-sectional survey data and hierarchical linear...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sex roles 2025, Vol.91 (1), p.1, Article 1
Main Authors: Ward, Stephanie B., Hassanpour, Padideh, Walsh, Kate
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alcohol abuse
Alcohol use
Alcohols
Attitudes
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Beliefs
College students
Communication
Drinking
Education
Gender Studies
Group norms
Heterosexuality
Hostility
Medicine/Public Health
Men
Original Research
Peer Groups
Peers
Phonology
Predominantly White Institutions
Psychology
Rape
Scripts
Sex crimes
Sex roles
Sexual assault
Sexual behavior
Sexual consent
Sexuality
Social environment
Social support
Sociology
Violence
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Process-based consent conceives of sexual consent as a process whereby individuals are continuously considering and have concern for their sexual partner’s willingness to continue engaging in sexual behavior without coercion. The current study used cross-sectional survey data and hierarchical linear regression to examine the independent and interactive effects of sex-related alcohol use attitudes, hostility toward women, and peer support for abuse on college men’s process-based consent ( N  = 463; M age = 19; 93% heterosexual; 64% White, non-Hispanic). Findings revealed significant main effects of all three primary study variables on process-based consent beliefs and behaviors while controlling for fraternity membership, relationship status, and sexual history. A significant three-way interaction indicated that permissive sex-related alcohol use attitudes may inhibit process-based consent among college men with higher levels of hostility toward women who also believe their peers hold rape-supportive attitudes. These findings indicate that education around consent is necessary but may not be sufficient for preventing sexual violence. Interventions developed with and delivered by peer leaders that challenge harmful peer group norms about sex-related alcohol use and the mistreatment of women may create a social environment with more favorable conditions for changing individual college men’s beliefs and behaviors.
ISSN:0360-0025
1573-2762
DOI:10.1007/s11199-024-01551-5