TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schuster, Isabell
A1  - Tomaszewska, Paulina
A1  - Krahé, Barbara
T1  - Changing cognitive risk factors for sexual aggression
BT  - Risky sexual scripts, low sexual self-esteem, perception of pornography, and acceptance of sexual coercion
JF  - Journal of interpersonal violence
N2  - Sexual aggression is a problem among college students worldwide, and a growing body of research has identified variables associated with an increased risk of victimization and perpetration. Among these, sexuality-related cognitions, such as sexual scripts, sexual self-esteem, perceived realism of pornography, and acceptance of sexual coercion, play a major role. The current experimental study aimed to show that these cognitive risk factors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration are amenable to change, which is a critical condition for evidence-based intervention efforts. College students in Germany (N = 324) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a treatment group designed to change participants' sexual scripts for consensual sex with regard to the role of alcohol consumption, casual sex, and ambiguous communication of sexual intentions as risk factors for sexual aggression (EG1), a treatment group designed to promote sexual self-esteem, challenge the perceived realism of pornography, and reduce the acceptance of sexual coercion (EG2), and a non-treatment control group (CG). Baseline (T1), post-experimental (T2), and follow-up (T3) measures were taken across an eight-week period. Sexual scripts contained fewer risk factors for sexual aggression in EG1 than in EG2 and CG at T3. Sexual self-esteem was enhanced in EG2 at T2 relative to the other two groups. Acceptance of sexual coercion was lower in EG2 than in EG1 and CG at T2 and T3. No effect was found for perceived realism of pornography. The findings are discussed in terms of targeting cognitive risk factors as a basis for intervention programs.
KW  - sexual aggression
KW  - sexual scripts
KW  - sexual self-esteem
KW  - sexual coercion
KW  - college students
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520922341
SN  - 0886-2605
SN  - 1552-6518
VL  - 37
IS  - 3-4
SP  - NP1377
EP  - NP1400
PB  - Sage Publ.
CY  - Thousand Oaks
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Krahé, Barbara
A1  - Berger, Anja
T1  - Pathways from college students’ cognitive scripts for consensual sex to sexual victimization
BT  - a three-wave longitudinal study
JF  - The journal of sex research : the publication of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex
N2  - Sexual scripts serve as cognitive representations of typical elements of sexual interactions that guide sexual behavior. To the extent that cognitive scripts for consensual sex comprise elements associated with a risk of experiencing nonconsensual sex, they may be indirectly linked to sexual victimization via risky sexual behavior. A longitudinal study with 2,425 college students in Germany (58% female) examined pathways from sexual scripts for consensual sex, sexual behavior, and sexual victimization over three data waves separated by 12-month intervals. Sexual scripts and behavior were defined as risky to the extent that they include known vulnerability factors for sexual victimization (casual sex, alcohol consumption, ambiguous communication of sexual intentions). Path analyses confirmed that more risky sexual scripts prospectively predicted more risky sexual behavior, which predicted higher odds of sexual victimization. The findings held for men and women and participants with exclusively opposite-sex and both same- and opposite-sex contacts. Moreover, reciprocal influences between risky scripts and risky sexual behavior were found over time, confirming the proposed mutual reinforcement of scripts and behavior. The findings have implications for conceptualizing the role of scripts for consensual sex as vulnerability factors for sexual victimization among women and men and may inform intervention efforts.
KW  - sexual scripts
KW  - sexual victimization
KW  - sexual behavior
KW  - college students
KW  - Germany
Y1  - 2021
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1972922
SN  - 0022-4499
SN  - 1559-8519
VL  - 58
IS  - 9
SP  - 1130
EP  - 1139
PB  - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
CY  - New York
ER  -