Qualitative Analysis of Women's Experiences of Sexual Aggression

Abstract

Women's descriptions of recent sexually aggressive incidents were examined to gain a better understanding of the situations in which sexual aggression occurs, to understand the events from the woman's perspective, and to examine the actual and perceived role of alcohol in such incidents. The sample consisted of women who were sexually active and drank moderately to heavily. Classification of incidents according to the circumstances surrounding their occurrence revealed four major sexual aggression situations: date, current/previous relationship, unsuspecting, and set-up. Three major themes emerged through thematic analysis: alcohol contributing to the perpetrator's aggression, victim's judgment or behavior contributing to the event, and responses to aggression. Quantitative analyses confirmed that a large percentage of incidents involved alcohol or drugs and that perpetrator's alcohol/drug consumption was associated with more severe outcomes. Implications for prevention are discussed.