Verbal Sexual Coercion among a US College Sample: Patterns of Sexual Boundary Violations and Predictive Factors

Ioanna Hadjicharalambous; Melissa M Sisco

doi:10.5334/jeps.364

Verbal Sexual Coercion among a US College Sample: Patterns of Sexual Boundary Violations and Predictive Factors

Journal of European Psychology Students

Volume 7 (2016): Issue 1

By: Ioanna Hadjicharalambous and Melissa M Sisco

Open Access

|Apr 2016

Abstract

The present study examined verbal sexual coercion. The behaviors which fall under the general label verbal sexual coercion are examined in more depth and categorized in seven behaviors named sexual boundary violations (SBVs). We aimed to explore patterns of SBVs and hypothesized that impulsivity and psychopathy predict SBVs. We analyzed secondary data gathered from a 2009 online survey of sexual behaviors. The participants were 430 sophomores (296 females and 134 males) from an urban south-western university in the US. We ran three stages of analysis: factor analyses to detect patterns of SBVs; hierarchical regression models to determine the predictive value of the hypothesized traits; and t-tests to explore sex differences. The results showed that men used SBVs more often than women. Two factors emerged, labelled “Disguised” and “Undisguised” SBVs. Male sex, sensitivity to temptation, and poorer executive functioning predicted undisguised SBVs. We discuss how these findings can inform future interventions.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/jeps.364 | Journal eISSN: 2222-6931

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Language: English

Page range: 34 - 42

Published on: Apr 26, 2016

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

verbal sexual coercion,

© 2016 Ioanna Hadjicharalambous, Melissa M Sisco, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 7 (2016): Issue 1