Citation

Hawkins LG, Mullet N, Tuliao AP, Gudenrath T, Holyoak D, Landoy BVN, Klanecky AK, McChargue DE. Sex. Abuse 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1079063220912451

PMID

32248750

Abstract

In this study, we examined the relationships between prior trauma, alexithymia, and sexual aggression perpetration among 610 U.S. college students and 107 college students from the Philippines utilizing a cross-sectional retrospective design. We tested a moderated mediation model with alexithymia as the mediator between prior trauma and sexual aggression perpetration, and alcohol use as a moderator of the alexithymia-sexual aggression link. Moreover, given that cultural norms may influence these relationships, we also examined the structural invariance of the proposed moderated mediation model. Path analyses and multiple group analysis were used to examine the moderated mediation model, and examine model differences between samples. We did not find evidence for alexithymia as a mediator, but there was a significant interaction between alcohol use severity and alexithymia on sexual aggression perpetration across both samples. Alexithymia is a key variable in understanding the alcohol use-sexual aggression perpetration relationship. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol consumption; alexithymia; cross-cultural study; perpetration; trauma