Dissertation
Personalized normative feedback on risk factors for alcohol-related sexual assault: are effects on normative misperception still evident after consuming a moderate dose of alcohol?
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2025
DOI: 10.25820/etd.008096
Abstract
Introduction. Acquaintance-initiated sexual assault is a major problem on college campuses, and current prevention efforts targeting potential perpetrators have not produced sustained reductions in incidence. Peer influences, misperception of sexual interest, and alcohol consumption are established risk factors for perpetration of sexually aggressive behavior (SAB). College men dramatically misperceive their peers’ sex- and alcohol-related attitudes, behaviors, and cognitive processes underlying judgment and decision-making (JDM). Personalized normative feedback (PNF) is one promising approach to addressing this important problem. However, PNF effects on SAB-related attitudes and behaviors are rarely examined in isolation from other prevention components using a fully computerized approach. In addition, it is neither clear whether PNF effects on SAB extend to cognitive processes underlying sexual JDM, nor whether SAB PNF effects are present while participants are under the influence of alcohol, which is critically important given that approximately 75% of college student SAB incidents are alcohol-involved. Method. In Study One, which used a within-person design, college men (n = 42) first completed a battery of sex- and alcohol-related attitudes, behaviors, and JDM tasks from their own (“self”) perspective and from the “typical college male” perspective. All men then received a fully computerized and comprehensive PNF program about the accuracy of their peer judgments. Men returned one week later and completed the same battery of tasks from both perspectives. In Study Two, which used a between-subjects design, men (n = 40) first provided responses from both perspectives on a battery of sex and alcohol-related attitudes, behaviors, and sexual JDM processes. Next, men randomly assigned to the experimental condition (n = 20) received the PNF program, while participants in the control condition (n = 20) did not. All participants returned for session two one week later. All participants consumed a moderate dose of alcohol targeting a BrAC of .06. Relative to Session One, participants completed the same and similar measures of attitudes, behaviors, and JDM tasks from the perspective of the “typical college male” and additionally completed several attitudinal measures from their own perspective. Results. In Study One, PNF strongly increased the accuracy of most assessed peer attitudes, behaviors, and JDM parameters. In addition, PNF also reduced the riskiness of participants’ own attitudes and JDM parameters. In Study Two, parallel findings emerged, such that participation in the PNF condition, compared to the control condition, again strongly increased the accuracy of peer attitudes and behaviors under a moderate dose of alcohol, including closely related attitudinal and behavioral measures on which men did not receive PNF at Session One. However, PNF effects were not shown on most JDM parameters. In addition, when participants were under the influence of a moderate dose of alcohol, PNF effects were also shown on men’s own attitudes, but not on their own JDM parameters. Across both studies, men provided encouraging ratings of the acceptability and relevance of the PNF program. Discussion. This set of studies supports the promise of a fully computerized and potentially widely disseminable PNF program on a broad range of SAB-related peer attitudinal and behavioral norms, self attitudes, and self and peer sexual JDM processes. Encouragingly, many of these attitudinal and behavioral PNF effects persisted when men were under the influence of a moderate dose of alcohol. PNF effects on cognitive processing under a moderate dose of alcohol may be enhanced by integrating cognitive training into PNF. Future research should also examine effects of PNF over a longer time scale so that SAB perpetration outcomes can be assessed, and under a larger dose of alcohol. This project provides promising preliminary data on the impact of PNF on SAB risk factors in alcohol and sober states in a potentially broadly disseminable and fully computerized format.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Personalized normative feedback on risk factors for alcohol-related sexual assault: are effects on normative misperception still evident after consuming a moderate dose of alcohol?
- Creators
- Caroline Boyd-Rogers
- Contributors
- Teresa A. Treat (Advisor)William R. Corbin (Committee Member)Molly A. Nikolas (Committee Member)Paul D. Windschitl (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychology (Clinical Psychology)
- Date degree season
- Summer 2025
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.008096
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- Number of pages
- x, 95 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2025 Caroline Boyd-Rogers
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 07/08/2025
- Description illustrations
- Illustrations, tables, graphs, charts
- Description bibliographic
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 73-86).
- Public Abstract (ETD)
Male-initiated and alcohol-related sexual aggression toward female acquaintances is a major problem on college campuses, and current perpetration prevention efforts have not produced a sustained reduction in incidence In addition, it is critical to assess the efficacy of prevention approaches for this important problem while participants are under the influence of alcohol in laboratory-based settings. This two-study project administered a promising and fully computerized prevention strategy to two samples of college men. This strategy aimed to correct participants problematic misperceptions about their peers attitudes, behaviors, and cognitive processes related to sexually aggressive behavior. This prevention strategy demonstrated a number of promising results one week later both when college men were in sober states and when they were under a moderate dose of alcohol. Further, participants found the program acceptable, relevant, and important. This work lays the foundation for future research to continue examining and enhancing this prevention strategy that has the potential for widespread dissemination.
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984948642002771
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