Date of Award
2026
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
Specialization
Clinical Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Nicole H. Weiss
Abstract
One in five undergraduate women will experience sexual assault during their college career, most likely under the influence of alcohol. A key mechanism through which alcohol may increase risk for sexual assault is a reduced ability to perceive sexual assault risk cues due, in part, to the diminished attentional capacity that occurs during acute intoxication. Given the relevance of emotions to decision-making and assessment of risk, a critical next step in this line of research is to investigate whether state emotions influence sexual assault risk perception during acute alcohol intoxication. Accordingly, this laboratory study primarily aimed to examine the effects of acute alcohol intoxication (via alcohol administration) and state emotion (via negative, positive, or neutral emotion induction) on sexual assault risk perception (via computerized hypothetical sexual assault vignette) among undergraduate women. A secondary aim involved identifying subjective and objective indices of emotion that may underlie changes in sexual assault risk perception during acute alcohol intoxication. Participants were 53 undergraduate cisgender women (Mage = 21.32, 84.9% white, 84.9% heterosexual) who reported current alcohol use and at least one binge-drinking episode in the past six months. Results demonstrated that subjective emotional processes, including negative emotion intensity (b = -0.38, SE = 0.16, p = .019, 95% CI[-0.70, -0.07]) and state emotion dysregulation (b = -0.20, SE = 0.07, p = .005, 95% CI[-0.33, -0.06]), were linked to earlier recognition of discomfort during the hypothetical sexual assault scenario. State emotion dysregulation was also linked to earlier decision to leave the hypothetical sexual assault scenario (b = -0.19, SE = 0.08, p = .019, 95% CI[-0.34, -0.03]). In contrast, positive emotion intensity, psychophysiological indices of emotion, and interactions between alcohol and emotion condition showed weaker, inconsistent associations with risk perception. Lifetime trauma exposure also emerged as a significant predictor of earlier discomfort, suggesting that prior traumatic experiences may influence women’s sensitivity to sexual assault risk cues independent of alcohol or emotion condition. Findings suggest that the subjective experience and regulation of emotion states may play a more central role in sexual assault risk perception than emotional valence, objective indices, or acute alcohol intoxication alone, offering novel insight for risk reduction and prevention programs.
Recommended Citation
Kiefer, Reina, "ASSESSING STATE EMOTIONS AND ACUTE ALCOHOL INTOXICATION ON SEXUAL ASSAULT RISK PERCEPTION" (2026). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 4545.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/4545