Interactive Effects of Sexual Objectification and Attitudes Towards Use of Sexual Coercion in Interpersonal Conflicts

• In Event: Understanding Factors Related to Sexual Offending

Abstract

Despite increasing rates of campus sexual assaults, little is known about the interaction of past experiences and pre-existing attitudes on perpetration of sexual misconduct. This study compares male (n=145) and female (n=334) college students’ attitudes and experiences with sexual misbehavior (i.e., sexual objectification and stalking and perpetration of intrusive behaviors) during an interpersonal conflict, specifically sexual coercion. Participants completed an online survey that measured enjoyment of sexualization, sexual objectification, acceptance of stalking myths, perpetration of intrusive behaviors, and sexual coercion. Univariate analyses showed that men had more positive attitudes than women towards enjoyment of sexualization, sexual objectification, and stalking. However, men and women did not differ in their use of intrusive, stalking-like behaviors. Similarly, they did not differ in their use of sexually coercive behaviors. Structural Equation Modeling was used to examine the indirect effects of attitudes towards sexualization and stalking on the perpetration of sexually coercive behaviors. For males, past experiences of sexual objectification and increased use of stalking behaviors predicted sexual coercion. For females, attitudes had an indirect effect on sexual coercion via past experiences of objectification and the perpetration of stalking-like behaviors. These findings provide valuable information for designing sexual assault prevention campaigns on college campuses.

Authors

• Jessica Lynn Semmann, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Elizabeth C. Low, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Rosa Vinas Racionero, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Mario J. Scalora, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Sarah Gervais, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Philippe Bernard, Universite Libre de Bruxelles