title: Relationships of hazardous alcohol use, alcohol expectancies, and emotional commitment to male sexual coercion and aggression in dating couples.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current research was designed to identify subgroups among dating couples based on individual characteristics and a couple's dyadic pairing that contribute to the risk for male perpetration of sexual aggression and female victimization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Heterosexual dating couples (N = 164) were recruited from a large university. They separately completed measures assessing the frequency of sexually aggressive acts perpetrated by the male partner (revised Conflict Tactics Scales), hazardous alcohol use (AUDIT-C), alcohol expectancies (shortened Alcohol Expectancies Questionnaire), emotional commitment, and relationship length.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A two-step cluster analyses revealed two distinct subgroups of dating couples. Dating partners in Cluster 2, compared with Cluster 1, were less emotionally committed, in a shorter relationship, engaged in more hazardous alcohol use, possessed stronger alcohol expectancies, and were younger. Further, male partners in Cluster 2 perpetrated more sexual aggression, sexual coercion, and threatened/forced sex compared with men in Cluster 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using cluster analytic techniques, this study extended past research by identifying individual and couple-level characteristics that contributed to the risk for male sexual aggression perpetration and female victimization. Younger couples in the early stages of a dating relationship, who are less committed to each other, and who are both engaging in hazardous drinking and possess stronger alcohol expectancies are more at risk. Including a discussion in prevention programs that make individuals cognizant of not only their own but also their partner's characteristics as a risk for sexual aggression and coercion might provide young adults with better skills to assess risky situations.
authors.affiliation: School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Mercy College, Mahoney Hall, 555 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522, USA. krapoza@mercy.edu
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Rapoza
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Drake
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology; D003380:Courtship; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior