Date of Thesis

Spring 2022

Description

Sexual assault is a prominent issue on college campuses across the United States with detrimental impacts for individuals as well their surrounding communities. Two prominent risk factors for campus sexual assault (CSA) identified in the literature are alcohol use and partaking in hookup culture. However, existing research fails to address the specific role of alcohol-induced blackouts within hookups and how this phenomenon is related to CSA. The present study explored the prevalence of alcohol-induced blackouts as well as the relationship between blacking out, hooking up, and CSA. Based on quantitative survey data from 445 university students, analyses indicated that alcohol-induced blackouts, ranging from fragmentary to en bloc, are prevalent within the context of hookups, specifically among women. Regressions indicated that instances of CSA were predicted by both blacking out and hooking up, with blacking out functioning as a slightly stronger predictor variable. These findings highlight the significance of alcohol-induced blackouts as a risk factor for CSA and shed light on the relationship between blacking out and hooking up in reference to CSA risk. Suggestions for future research and practical implications of these findings are offered.

Keywords

Campus sexual assault, alcohol, hookup culture, alcohol-induced blackout

Access Type

Honors Thesis

Degree Type

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Psychology

First Advisor

Bill Flack

Second Advisor

Erica Delsandro

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