Role of Executive Function and Alcohol-Sex Schema in the Relationship Between Alcohol Use and Sexual Assault

Heavy alcohol use and sexual assault are significant problems among women attending college. The current study examined the relationship between sexual assault and alcohol use across a four-month period and the role of executive function (EF) and alcohol-sex schema in this relationship. Participants were 176 women undergraduate students with a mean age of 19.50 years (SD = 1.30), with 85 participating in a second survey four months later. Participants completed self-report questionnaires regarding alcohol use and sexual assault, a battery of EF tasks, and a lexical decision task assessing alcohol-sex schema. Sexual assault significantly predicted alcohol use four months later. EF, specifically domains of working memory and processing speed, also significantly predicted alcohol use, even after controlling for previous alcohol use and age. Results provide information regarding EF having an additive effect on alcohol use following sexual assault, with implications for interventions on college campuses. Campus outreach programs may educate students on the risk of heavy alcohol use following sexual assault and the cognitive skills, such as information processing, which may mitigate such risks