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Adolescent Peer-on-Peer Sexual Aggression: Characteristics of Aggressors of Alcohol and Non-Alcohol-Related Assault

Amy M. Young, Lindsay King, Antonia Abbey, Carol J. Boyd

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of adolescents involved in alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related sexual assault of peers. Method: A Web-based survey was administered to 1,220 7th- to 12th-grade students from a middle school and high school in southeastern Michigan. Results: Adolescents who reported alcohol-related and non-alcohol-related sexual aggression had higher levels of impulsivity and more extensive histories of dating, early sexual activity, and alcohol consumption than adolescents who did not assault. Moreover, aggressors of alcohol-related assault had higher levels of past-30-day alcohol use and reported more alcohol-/drug-related problems than aggressors of non-alcohol-related assault. Conclusions: Early identification of the characteristics associated with alcohol-related sexual aggression suggests that targeted interventions may be feasible for this group of adolescents at high risk for both sexual perpetration and alcoholism during adulthood. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs 70: 700-703, 2009)