Alcohol Use and Date Rape: Analyzing the Role of Alcohol in Assault

This report, focusing on the American perspective, analyzes the role of alcohol in date rape, particularly among college students. It examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and men's sexual aggression, highlighting how alcohol disinhibits and increases risk-taking behaviors. The report reviews studies that show alcohol abuse increases the tendency for criminal activity in men and reduces self-protection among women. It also explores ways to overcome date rape, emphasizing the importance of reporting and the need for mental healthcare professionals to support victims. The conclusion underscores the critical role of alcohol in date rape incidents and stresses the necessity for intervention and support to reduce sexual assault cases.

Running head: ALCOHOL USE AND DATE RAPE
ALCOHOL USE AND DATE RAPE
Marie Masabni
Tarleton State University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
Date rape is the rape committed by a known person or a friend and is a punishable offense.
The main victims of the date rape are the women and its occurrence rate is high in college.
The following report analyzed the role of alcohol in date rape among the college students. In
doing so, the paper analyzed three main articles. The analysis of the article highlighted that
alcohol abuse increases the tendency of criminal activity among the men and decreases the
tendency of self-protection among women. The mental healthcare professionals must come
forward in order to assist the victims of date rape while increasing the overall reporting.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape in America.............................................................3
Relationship between alcohol consumption and men’s sexual aggression................................3
Alcohol abuse and sexual assault among college women..........................................................4
Overcoming date-rape................................................................................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
Rape forceful sex in which a body part or an objected is forcefully injected into the
vagina, rectum or mouth of a woman. Date rape is sub-type of rape. In date rape a person
who is well known to the victim commits the crime (might be a woman’s boyfriend).
However, Gavey (2013) are of the opinion that rape does not mandatorily signifies rape but
can be defined as an act of power imposed by the rapist over the victim and is always
considered as a crime. Gavey (2013) highlighted that date rape in the United States are
mostly committed under the use of date rape drugs used in association with alcohol mainly in
parties. The drug present in alcohol or over-consumption of alcohol makes the prospective
victim less awareness of the impending danger while decreases the physical strength of self-
protection. The major victims are the college students who fall under the age bracket of 18 to
24 years. The following report aims of analyze the role of alcohol use and date rape under
American perspective. Critical analysis of the role of alcohol and date rape will help in
devising proper interventions that will help to reduce the chances of date rape.
Alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape in America
Alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape is popular among the American adolescent
and adult women however. However, the overall epidemic is silent as the majority of the
victims are college students and the administrative authorities rarely reports about these cases
in order to retain their good will in the academic field. Other reason behind the under-
reporting of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape is fear that their claim will go
unnoticed. In spite of the lack of reporting of alcohol-related rape or date rape in America, the
overall consequence is alarming and it hampers the mental state of the victims and increases
the tendency of criminal offence among the college students (National Institute of Alcohol
Abuse and Alcoholism, 2018).

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Alcohol consumption and men’s sexual aggression
According to Abbey et al. (2014), date rape is common among the college students,
typically occurs during the dating seasons and prom nights (ranging from long-term partners
to causal relationships), and mainly includes consensual sexual activity. Date rape usually
involves a man making fake promises and creating verbal pressure and use of alcohol to force
his female counterpart to indulge into sexual activity. In order to examine the relationship
between consumption of alcohol and sexual aggression perpetration of men, Abbey et al.
(2014) identified 25 cross-sectional surveys, 6 different prospective studies and 12 alcohol
administration experiments, which are published during the tenure of 1993 to 2013. The main
inclusion criteria that was used for the study selection was studies conducted over male
college students and young adults. The analysis of the results highlighted that the
consumption of alcohol cause an overall increase in the sexual desire and performance along
with reduction in the sexual dis-inhibitions. The consumption of alcohol also increases the
risk-taking attitudes along with generation of sexual aggression. The majority of men are of
the opinion the consumption of alcohol makes women less sexually dis-inhibiting and more
approachable and available for sexual intercourse. The psychological expectancies about the
consumptions and the use of alcohol work synergistically with the pharmacological effects of
alcohol. Therefore a man who is intoxicated and want to have sexual intimacy might interpret
almost any response from a woman of his desire or to who he is sexually attracted to as a
positive sign of sexual interest. For example, even a straight refusal can be granted as a token
of resistance. Having a previously friendly relationship with that particular girl further
complicates the entire scenario as any form of refusal is considered to be fake or as a
metaphorical notation of having sex. Thus, overall, analysis of the results indicated direct yet
positive associations between proximal and distal measures of consumption of alcohol and
associated sexual assault (Abbey et al., 2014). The study conducted by Sanchez et al. (2013)

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over the Brazilian students also highlighted similar results. According to Sanchez et al.
(2013) consumption of high among of alcohol among the college students increase a criminal
tendency and there provoking them to indulge in illegal activities of which one is date rape.
However, Abbey et al. (2014) recommended more perspective studies in order to access the
risks of perspective factors that are suppose to change during the life transition from high
school life to college life.
Alcohol abuse and sexual assault in college students
Gilmore, Lewis and George (2015) conducted a randomized control trial targeting
alcohol use and sexual assault risk among the college women who are at a high risk of
victimization. A total of 207 college women were aged in between 18 to 20 years and engage
in high episodic drinking. The selected focus group was sub-divided into five different
conditions and these include complete assessment under control condition, risk reduction
condition under sexual assault, minimal assessment and alcohol use reduction condition and a
cumulative condition of combined sexual assault and alcohol use reduction condition. The
authors mainly use 3 months of follow up. The analysis of the survey highlighted significant
interactions highlighted that the women who are at high severity of the sexual assault and
alcohol abuse experienced less incapacitated attempts of rape. White and Hingson (2013)
highlighted that excessive consumption of alcohol increases the tendency of date rape.
However, women who are already intoxicated are not the major victims of date rape. The
men like to indulge in sexual activity with the women who are non-approachable (the non-
drinkers) it increases a sense of inner please within them. According to Messman-Moore,
Ward and DeNardi (2013), consumption of alcohol makes a person psychological unstable
due to lack of equilibrium in the neurotransmitters. This psychological instability increases
the tendency of committing sexual assault among men. On the other hand, in case of women,

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over consumption of alcohol or high episodic drinking restricts women from sensing the
danger alarm and thus becoming an easy prey of date rape. Since the person is known to that
women, the initial resistance is verbal as a woman feels that her consent will be valued but a
men with a motive of committing rape rarely give importance to such consent.
Overcoming date-rape
Beyer (2017) highlighted that in order to deal with the consequences of the date-rape
among the women who are college students, proper reporting of the cases of the date-rape is
mandatory. However, several situations factors can be taken into consideration in order to
report the cases of sexual assault or date rape and sexual assault vignettes. Moreover, Pistorio
(2015) are of the opinion that the attitudes of the mental health professionals must be change
for the victims of the date-rape in order to increase the reporting of the date rape. Increase in
reporting of the date rape will help to reduce the chances of sexual assault in college due to
alcohol misuse and at the same time will help to increase health-related quality of life of the
victims.
Conclusion
Thus from the above discussion, it can be concluded that alcohol abuse is the main
reason behind the increase in the tendency of date rape among the college students. The
major victims are the women and in the majority of the cases, the incidences of date rape are
unreported. The increase The analysis of the study highlighted that consumption of alcohol
increases the risk-taking attitudes among the younger generation leading to an increase in the
tendency of sexual assault. Moreover, consumption of alcohol by the women decreases the
tendency to protest to protect themselves from the rapists leading to date rape. However, the
mental healthcare professionals must come forward in order to increase the health-related
quality of life of the victims.

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References
Abbey, A., Wegner, R., Woerner, J., Pegram, S. E., & Pierce, J. (2014). Review of survey
and experimental research that examines the relationship between alcohol
consumption and men’s sexual aggression perpetration. Trauma, Violence, &
Abuse, 15(4), 265-282.
Beyer, M. (2017). Clinician Language: Effects on Perception of Clinician and Treatment for
Sexual Assault (Doctoral dissertation, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville).
Gavey, N. (2013). Just sex?: The cultural scaffolding of rape. Routledge.
Gilmore, A. K., Lewis, M. A., & George, W. H. (2015). A randomized controlled trial
targeting alcohol use and sexual assault risk among college women at high risk for
victimization. Behaviour research and therapy, 74, 38-49.
Messman-Moore, T. L., Ward, R. M., & DeNardi, K. A. (2013). The impact of sexual
enhancement alcohol expectancies and risky behavior on alcohol-involved rape
among college women. Violence against women, 19(4), 449-464.
National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2018). Alcohol and Sexual Assault.
Access date: 8th November 2018. Retrieved from:
https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-1/43-51.htm
Pistorio, J. M. (2015). Mental health professionals' attitudes toward rape survivors (Doctoral
dissertation, Adler School of Professional Psychology).
Sanchez, Z. M., Nappo, S. A., Cruz, J. I., Carlini, E. A., Carlini, C. M., & Martins, S. S.
(2013). Sexual behavior among high school students in Brazil: alcohol consumption

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and legal and illegal drug use associated with unprotected sex. Clinics, 68(4), 489-
494.
White, A., & Hingson, R. (2013). The burden of alcohol use: excessive alcohol consumption
and related consequences among college students. Alcohol research: current reviews.