Arch Sex Behav. 2018 Feb;47(2):493-505. doi: 10.1007/s10508-016-0823-2.
Tomaszewska P1, Krahé B2.
Abstract
This two-wave study investigated predictors of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration in a convenience sample of 318 Polish university students (214 women), considering males and females from the perspective of both victims and perpetrators. At T1, we assessed participants’ risky sexual scripts (defined as cognitive representations of consensual sexual interactions containing elements related to sexual aggression), risky sexual behavior, pornography use, religiosity, sexual self-esteem, and attitudes toward sexual coercion. These variables were used to predict sexual aggression perpetration and victimization reports obtained 12 months later (T2) for two time windows: (a) since the age of 15 until a year ago and (b) in the past year. As expected, risky sexual scripts were linked to risky sexual behavior and indirectly increased the likelihood of victimization in both time windows. Lower sexual self-esteem predicted sexual victimization since age 15, but not in the past 12 months. Pornography use and religiosity indirectly predicted victimization via risky scripts and behavior. Attitudes toward sexual coercion were a prospective predictor of sexual aggression perpetration. The results extend the international literature on sexual aggression and have implications for sexual education and sexual aggression prevention programs.
KEYWORDS: Poland; Pornography; Religiosity; Sexual scripts; Youth sexual aggression
PMID: 27543105
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-016-0823-2
Study finds pornography use is related to (1) perpetrating sexual aggression, (2) being a victim of sexual aggression, (3) risky sexual behavior.
FROM DISCUSSION:
Pornography use indirectly predicted sexual aggression victimization, via risky scripts and risky sexual behavior. More frequent pornography use was related to more risky sexual scripts, which predicted risky sexual behavior, which in turn increased the odds of sexual aggression victimization. This finding is in accordance with prior theorizing and research on the effect of pornography use on sexuality-related attitudes and (risky) sexual behavior (Braun-Courville & Rojas, 2009; Brown & L’Engle, 2009;Wright,2011)as well as on sexual aggression victimization (Bonino, Ciairano, Rabaglietti, & Cattelino, 2006; D’Abreu & Krahe´, 2016). Men who used pornography more regularly may have internalized the sexuality-related norms conveyed through pornography in their scripts (e.g., men’s constant desire for sex and strong sex drive; (Dines, 2010), which may create pressure to comply with unwanted sexual activities. Similarly, women may incorporate the contents of pornography (e.g., token resistance) into their sexual scripts and behavior, increasing their vulnerability to sexual aggression victimization.
In sum, the findings largely support our proposition that cognitive scripts and behavior patterns referring to consensual sexual interactions hold a key to understanding sexual aggression victimization. We found that scripts containing features known to increase the odds of sexual aggression victimization predicted victimization experiences through more risky sexual behavior. Religiosity (as an attenuating factor) and pornography use (as a promoting factor) affected sexual aggression victimization via risky sexual scripts and risky sexual behavior. Additionally, pornography use predicted sexual aggression perpetration. Furthermore, low sexual self-esteem was identified as a specific vulnerability factor for sexual victimization and attitudes toward
sexual coercion were established as a specific predictor of the perpetration of sexual aggression.
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