Étude expérimentale des effets de l'alcool et de l'excitation sexuelle en matière de coercition sexuelle

While a relatively permissive social context has been argued to explain the extent of sexual coercion against women, this dissertation has favored an individual level of analysis. In accordance with a classic interactionist perspective, situational factors have been proposed to contribute to trigger individual risk factors and, therefore, precipitate sexual coercion.  The overall objective of this dissertation was to experimentally study the effects of acute alcohol intoxication and sexual arousal on the perception of consent and on behavioral intentions to use coercive strategies to have sex. More precisely, a between-subjects design was used to study the effects of acute alcohol intoxication in men on their perception of a woman’s behavioral intents. The 150 participants, recruited from the general population, were thus randomized either in a condition With alcohol or in a condition Without alcohol. The targeted blood alcohol content was 0,08 % (2,22 ml of 40% alcohol-by-volume Absolut vodka per kg of body weight). Then, participants were once again randomized in one of the two levels of “Sexual arousal” factor: a condition With sexual arousal and a condition Without sexual arousal. A 2x2 between-subjects factorial design was thereby used to study the effects of acute alcohol intoxication and sexual arousal on the latency to indicate that a woman is no longer interested in having sex as well as on the behavioral intentions to use non-violent coercive strategies and to commit rape. First, in regards to the perception of a woman’s behavioral intents, the results of mixed ANOVAs indicate that there exists a difficulty in correctly perceiving an absence of consent if it is not expressed with sufficient intensity. However, this difficulty is independent of the effects of alcohol consumption, as participants in both conditions express this difficulty. Secondly, for the identification of an absence of sexual consent, results of multiple linear regressions and Cox regression indicate that alcohol consumption does have an effect, but this effect is moderated by cognitive distortions. Moreover, if alcohol consumption contributes to postpone the identification of an absence of sexual consent in participants with a higher level of cognitive distortions, it does not ultimately hinder it. Finally, results of multiple linear and multiple logistic regressions indicate that the effect of alcohol consumption on behavioral intentions to use coercive strategies to have sex is also moderated (and conditioned) by the level of cognitive distortions. Despite the fact that participants ultimately correctly perceive an absence of sexual consent, those with a higher level of cognitive distortions are more likely to use non-violent coercive strategies to have sex if no alcohol is consumed and, are also more likely to commit rape when they consume alcohol.  Moreover, results indicate that our experimental manipulation of sexual arousal may have partially failed. New studies appear necessary in order to better understand the potential role of sexual arousal on the perception of consent and on behavioral intentions to use coercive strategies. While these results pave the way for new research in order to better understand the processes and mechanisms by which acute alcohol intoxication may help to explain sexual coercion in some individuals, practical implications must also be considered. While results related to the perception of consent support the relevance of primary and situational prevention, results related to behavioral intentions to use coercive strategies to have sex highlight the need for secondary prevention in order to develop an effective policy for sexual coercion prevention.

Keyphrases: Sexual coercion, Alcohol, Sexual arousal, (Sexual) Consent, Behavioral intentions, Evidence accumulation, Experimental method