The role of alcohol in sexual aggression

Alcohol use is commonly associated with sexual aggression, with some surveys suggesting that rapists consume alcohol in over half of reported incidents; however, the precise role of alcohol is unclear. We reviewed the experimental human subject literature on the effects of alcohol on aggression and sexual arousal to rape as analogs of sexual aggression in order to elucidate alcoholʹs causal effects. Alcohol increases aggression in the laboratory, whereas the effects of alcohol on sexual arousal to rape are equivocal. However, few studies have been published on the latter topic, and only three studies have tested alcoholʹs effects on rapists. Interpretation of these findings is qualified by methodological limitations, including concerns about the validity of the typical balanced placebo design. A disinhibition model linking alcohol and sexual aggression is proposed, and suggestions for future research are made.