How much does one more drink matter? Examining effects of event-level alcohol use and previous sexual victimization on sex-related consequences

The first semester of college has been associated with increased drinking and sexual risk. However, it remains unclear why some drinking occasions result in experiencing negative sexual consequences whereas others do not. The current study used a diary-based approach to assess the event-level effect of alcohol use and previous adult/adolescent sexual victimization (PSV) on experiencing negative sex-related consequences in first-year college women. Method: Participants (N = 120) provided repeated measures of weekend drinking and sex-related consequences on the Friday and Saturday nights of six different weekends over the course of their first semester, resulting in 12 measured drinking occasions. A multilevel model was used to assess both between- and within-person effects of alcohol use and between-person effects of PSV on the likelihood of experiencing negative alcohol-related sexual consequences. Results: Findings revealed an important within-person association, such that every drink consumed above one's mean was associated with a 13% increase in the likelihood of experiencing negative consequences. In addition, PSV had a significant main effect on experiencing negative sex-related consequences. Individuals with PSV experienced nearly 2.5 times more sexual consequences than individuals without PSV. Conclusions: These results yield important implications for prevention, particularly with respect to limiting "above average" alcohol consumption among women with a history of sexual victimization.