The role of women's alcohol consumption in sexual victimization

This review examines whether women's alcohol consumption increases her likelihood of sexual victimization. Three types of studies are reviewed: (a) global association studies, that examine the correlation between typical alcohol consumption and sexual victimization; (b) event-based studies, that examine alcohol consumption at the time of victimization; and (c) studies that focus on specific mechanisms by which women's alcohol consumption may contribute to sexual assault, for example, by leading to cognitive impairment on the part of the woman or by influencing the perceptions of potential male perpetrators. The literature suggests that alcohol and sexual victimization are linked, however, the specific mechanism by which they are associated and the strength of the relationship remain unclear. Good quality survey and laboratory research that employs prospective and within-subject designs would greatly increase our understanding of alcohol's role in sexual assault. Such methodologically sound studies will be extremely important for informing development of prevention and education programs for both females and males.