Women's Risk Perception and Risk Responding to a Sexual Assault Risk Paradigm: Contributions of Sexual Assault History and Interpersonal Orientation

Abstract

College sexual assault (SA) often occurs in social contexts. Perceiving and responding to SA risk is important for prevention. SA history is linked to poorer risk perception and response. Interpersonal orientations, particularly low agency and high communion (LAHC), might confer additional risk. Using a SA vignette paradigm, we examined LAHC as a moderator of associations between SA severity and SA risk perception and response. Prior SA severity related to earlier risk detection, yet longer discomfort toleration before leaving the scenario, only among women with high LAHC orientation. Prevention efforts could target the time between SA risk detection and behavior response.

Keywords

sexual assault severity sexual assault risk perception sexual assault behavioral response interpersonal orientation

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