Determining the Proximal and Temporal Effects of Alcohol and Sexual Communication on Intimate Partner Sexual Violence among Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Couples

PROJECT ABSTRACT Up to 33% of women and 16% of men report experiencing intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV), and sexual minority (SM) individuals are 2.5 times more likely to experience IPSV than heterosexual individuals. Yet, little research has examined proximal and temporal predictors of IPSV among couples. The impetus for this project is

to address five critical gaps in the current scientific evidence base on IPSV: (1) the role of alcohol in IPSV, both as a predictor and an outcome, has been largely overlooked in research despite alcohol being a contributing cause and consequence of non-sexual partner violence, (2) most research on IPSV is cross-sectional, which prevents

identification of causal predictors, (3) current research on IPSV fails to take into account dyadic associations (e.g., effects of each partner's alcohol use, how each partner communicates sex consent and refusal), (4) there are no empirically supported theoretical models of IPSV, and (5) past research on IPSV has over-relied upon

heterosexual relationships to the exclusion of SM couples. Using rigorous experimental and intensive longitudinal designs—the goal standard for establishing proximal and temporal relationships—the overall objective of this proposal is to determine the effect of alcohol and sexual communication (i.e., consent and

refusal) on IPSV, which will inform an etiological model for IPSV. The aims of proposal are to (1) examine the effects of one's own and one's partner's acute alcohol use and partner sexual communication refusal (indirect verbal vs. direct verbal) on laboratory IPSV perpetration (Aim 1), (2) examine the effects of event-level alcohol

use and sexual communication (indirect vs direct, verbal vs non-verbal) on IPSV perpetration over time (Aim 2), and (3) explore similarities and differences between SM and heterosexual couples (Exploratory Aim). Across two studies, 440 couples (50% cisgender SM, 50% cisgender heterosexual) with a history of partner violence and

heavy drinking will be recruited, wherein at least one member identifies as a man. In Study 1, using a couple- level 4x2 design with 240 couples (n = 480 participants), SM and non-SM couples will be separately block- randomized into eight experimental conditions corresponding to: (1) one of four couple-level beverage

conditions (alcohol/alcohol, alcohol/no-alcohol, no-alcohol/alcohol, no-alcohol/no-alcohol for Actor/Partner) and (2) one of two couple-level partner sexual communication conditions (direct/indirect refusal), and then complete validated laboratory paradigm for IPSV perpetration ostensibly against their partner. In Study 2, 200

couples (n = 400 participants) will complete 26 weekly assessments measuring alcohol use, sexual communication (indirect/direct, verbal/nonverbal) and IPSV for each day of the prior week. This proposal is in direct response to NOT-AA-23-003 in that findings will inform etiological models of the association between

individual and contextual factors for intimate partner violence perpetration over time, with a particular focus on understudied SM populations. In doing so, this project will offer valuable insights that can inform future interventions aimed at reducing sexual violence within SM and heterosexual couples.