Supplemental Materials
College Male Sexual Assault of Women and the Psychology of Men: Past, Present, and Future Directions for Research
by R. C. McDermott et al., 2015, Psychology of Men and Masculinity
Table S1
Publication Year, APA citation, Brief summary, and number of times cited for the top most cited articles per decade from the final 121 retained articles
Year / Citation / Summary / Number of times cited1950-1960
1957 / Kirkpatrick, C., & Kanin, E. (1957). Male sex aggression on a university campus. American Sociological Review, 52-58. / College women (N = 291) were given a survey assessing various sexual offences that had been perpetrated against them. A majority of the participants (55.7%) reported some degree of assault with 20.9% experiencing a forceful attempt at intercourse. Note: This study was not included in the final review because it did not meet criteria, but is included here as a starting point of the earliest known study of college sexual assault). / 89 WOS
1961-1970
1967 / Kanin, E. J. (1967). An examination of sexual aggression as a response to sexual frustration. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 428-433. / The study examined the hypothesis that men who attempted rape or other unwanted sexual contact were venting sexual frustration. Of the 341 men who completed the survey, 87 were classified as aggressive. These men were found to be more likely than non-aggressive men to try to get women intoxicated, falsely profess love, and threaten to terminate the relationship in order to sexually coerce women. Contrary to the hypotheses, aggressive men tended to be sexually more experienced. Kanin concluded that sexually aggressive men rather than being frustrated and unsuccessful were actually more predatory. / 100 GS
1967 / Kanin, E. J. (1967). Reference groups and sex conduct norm violations. The Sociological Quarterly, 8(4), 495-502. / Using the same group of males sampled from the previous research, the purpose of this study was to investigate how pressure from peer groups was related to sexual aggression and beliefs that rape could be justifiable. It was found that men who had reported perpetrating sexual aggression were more likely to report higher pressure for sexual experience. Additionally, among aggressors it was seen that those who reported higher pressure for sexual experience also reported that rape was justifiable in some cases. / 57 WOS
118 GS
1971-1980 / There were no published studies examining college sexual assault perpetration and men in this decade according to our databases.
1981-1990
1986 / Mosher, D. L., & Anderson, R. D. (1986). Macho personality, sexual aggression, and reactions to guided imagery of realistic rape. Journal of Research in Personality, 20(1), 77-94. / The macho personality’s relationship to sexual aggression was researched using 175 college sophomores. Higher levels of Calloused Sexual Attitudes were found to be related to a history of sexual aggression. Additionally, men with a macho personality reported less negative emotional reactions when imagining themselves perpetrating a rape. / 108 SC
119 WOS
263 GS
1987 / Koss, M. P., Gidycz, C. A., & Wisniewski, N. (1987). The scope of rape: Incidence and prevalence of sexual aggression and victimization in a national sample of higher education students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(2), 162-170. / Using and validating the Sexual Experiences Survey, 6,159 undergraduate students (51.7% female) were asked about their experiences of rape and sexual assault. Status as potential victims or perpetrators was assumed based on gender. Nearly half (44%) of the women reported some degree of unwanted sexual contact and 19% of men reported having used some degree of sexual coercion or force. / 1,053 SC
1,074 WOS
2,160 GS
1987 / Muehlenhard, C. L., & Linton, M. A. (1987). Date rape and sexual aggression in dating situations: Incidence and risk factors. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 34(2), 186-196. / Sexual aggression was investigated in the context of dating situations among 635 undergraduate students (females = 341). Possible victim and perpetration status was assumed based on gender. Approximately three-quarters (77.6%) of women and 57.3% of men were involved in a scenario where sexual aggression had occurred. 14.7% of women and 7.1% of men reported rape. Alcohol use, hostile beliefs about women, and rape myth acceptance were all significantly associated with sexual aggression. / 393 SC
407 WOS
824 GS
1991-2000
1991 / Malamuth, N. M., Sockloskie, R. J., Koss, M. P., & Tanaka, J. S. (1991). Characteristics of aggressors against women: Testing a model using a national sample of college students.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,59(5), 670-681. / Using a sample of 2,656 men, the researchers created a structural equation model to account for sexual and non-sexual aggression in college men. Hostile masculinity and sexual promiscuity were found to be directly related to coerciveness against women, and attitudes supporting violence and delinquency were found to be indirectly related through hostile masculinity and sexual promiscuity respectively. Hostile masculinity was composed of negative masculinity, hostile attitudes towards women, and adversarial sexual beliefs. / 300 SC
307 WOS
584 GS
1995 / Malamuth, N. M., Linz, D., Heavey, C. L., Barnes, G., & Acker, M. (1995). Using the confluence model of sexual aggression to predict men's conflict with women: A 10-year follow-up study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 353-369. / Malamuth et al. refined the model developed in 1991 by investigating its ability to predict sexual aggression over the course of ten years. The number of participants who participated in the study ranged from 423 to 66 depending on the analyses being conducted. Data were gathered from men and women regarding their partner’s abuse as a child, delinquency, attitudes supporting violence against women, hostile masculinity, early sexual experiences, sexual promiscuity, impersonal sex, coercive sexual fantasies, proneness to hostility, sexual aggression, non-sexual aggression, masculine gender role stress, and relationship distress. At the ten year follow-up (time 2), impersonal sex (time 2), hostile masculinity (time 2), and sexual aggression (time 1) had main effects for predicting conflict with women (time 2), which included sexual aggression. The longitudinal path analysis could only be completed on 66 men due to incomplete or non-overlapping data. In a path analysis examining just the time 2 data (n = 145), main effects were found for hostile masculinity and impersonal sex, and indirect effects were found for proneness to hostility, and attitudes supporting violence against women. / 214 SC
358 GS
1999 / Spitzberg, B. H. (1999). An analysis of empirical estimates of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration. Violence And Victims, 14, 241-260. / Examined sexual assault rates for a variety of acts, including rape, attempted rape, and sexual coercion, across 120 studies with over 100,000 participants. Results suggested that 13% of the women and about 3% of men have been raped. Similar rates of men and women (25%) reported experiencing and perpetrating sexual coercion. Several mediating variables (i.e., population type, decade, date of publication, and type of operationalization) were not supported. / 127 GS
2001-2010
2001 / Abbey, A., McAuslan, P., Zawacki, T., Clinton, A. M., & Buck, P. O. (2001). Attitudinal, Experiential, and Situational Predictors of Sexual Assault Perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 16, 784–807. doi:10.1177/088626001016008004 / Reports a discriminant function analysis of 343 college men’s descriptions of either a sexual assault they perpetrated or their worst date. Attitudes about gender roles and alcohol, number of consensual sex partners, how well the man knew the woman, how isolated the setting was, alcohol consumption during the event, the man's misperception of the woman's cues during the event, and prior consensual sexual activity between the man and the woman discriminated between sexual assaults and worst dates. These results are consistent with past research demonstrating factors related to sexual assault. / 86 SC
184 GS
2004 / Abbey, A., & McAuslan, P. (2004). A longitudinal examination of male college students’ perpetration of sexual assault. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72, 747–56. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.5.747 / A longitudinal study of 197 college men administering surveys one year apart. Repeat assaulters scored highest on measures of hostility toward women, past sexual experiences, drinking in sexual situations, and adolescent delinquency. Repeat assaulters also expressed less remorse than single or non-assaulters. / 106 SC
99 WOS
199 GS
2005 / Anderson, L. A., & Whiston, S. C. (2005). Sexual Assault Education Programs: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Their Effectiveness. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 29(4), 374–388. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2005.00237.x / A meta-analysis of 69 studies on the effectiveness of college sexual assault programs with several outcome variables, including some that focused on actual rates of sexual assault perpetration. Longer interventions are more effective than brief interventions in altering both rape behaviors and rape-related attitudes. Content of programming, type of presenter, gender of the audience, and type of audience moderated program effectiveness. / 104 SC
89 WOS
222 GS
2010 / Palmer, R. S., McMahon, T. J., Rounsaville, B. J., & Ball, S. A. (2010). Coercive sexual experiences, protective behavioral strategies, alcohol expectancies and consumption among male and female college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(9), 1563–1578. doi:10.1177/0886260509354581 / A survey of 370 college students regarding sexual experiences in the past year. 34% of women and 31% of men reported unwanted sexual contact, 6% of women and 13% of men reported engaging in sexually coercive behavior, and 4% of women and 9% of men reported experiencing both unwanted contact and engaging in sexually coercive behavior. Students engaging in sexually coercive behaviors had significantly higher sex-related alcohol expectancies. Recipients of unwanted contact reported higher alcohol consumption, used fewer protective strategies when drinking, and experienced more negative consequences due to their alcohol use. / 21 SC
15 WOS
37 GS
2011-2015
2011 / Gidycz, C. A., Orchowski, L. M., & Berkowitz, A. D. (2011). Preventing sexual aggression among college men: An evaluation of a social norms and bystander intervention program. Violence Against Women, 17, 720–742. doi:10.1177/1077801211409727 / A study of 635 college men participating in single-sex sexual assault prevention or risk-reduction programs, which included social norms and bystander intervention education. Results indicated that program interventions had an impact on self-reported sexual aggression and an effect on men's perceptions that their peers would intervene when they encountered inappropriate behavior in others. Program participants also reported less reinforcement for engaging in sexually aggressive behavior, reported fewer associations with sexually aggressive peers, and indicated less exposure to sexually explicit media. / 31 SC
35 WOS
62 GS
2011 / Mouilso, E. R., & Calhoun, K. S. (2012). A mediation model of the role of sociosexuality in the associations between narcissism, psychopathy, and sexual aggression.Psychology Of Violence,2(1), 16-27. doi:10.1037/a0026217 / Studied a model examining the mediating role of sociosexuality (i.e., attitudes related to casual sex) in the relationships between personality traits and past sexual aggression in a sample of college men (n = 296). Results supported the mediating role of sociosexuality. Both narcissism and psychopathy distinguished perpetrators from nonperpetrators, but with sociosexuality included in the model neither personality trait continued to explain significant variance in perpetration. / 11 GS
Note: SC = SCOPUS; WOS = Web of Science; GS = Google Scholar. Not all articles were available through each citation indexing service.
Table S2
Alphabetical listing by author of final retained articles for each of research retained for the sex comparisons and attitudes toward women and violence approaches to studying masculinity
Sex Differences
Aizenman, M., & Kelley, G. (1988). The incidence of violence and acquaintance rape in dating relationships among college men and women. Journal of College Student Development.
Ansara, D. L., & Hindin, M. J. (2009). Exploring gender differences in the patterns of intimate partner violence in Canada: a latent class approach. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, jech–2009.
Brousseau, M. M., Bergeron, S., Hébert, M., & McDuff, P. (2011). Sexual coercion victimization and perpetration in heterosexual couples: A dyadic investigation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(2), 363–372.
Christopher, F. S., Madura, M., & Weaver, L. (1998). Premarital sexual aggressors: A multivariate analysis of social, relational, and individual variables. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56–69.
D’Abreu, L. C. F., Krahé, B., & Bazon, M. R. (2013). Sexual aggression among Brazilian college students: Prevalence of victimization and perpetration in men and women. Journal of Sex Research, 50(8), 795–807.
Farris, C., Treat, T. A., Viken, R. J., & McFall, R. M. (2008). Sexual coercion and the misperception of sexual intent. Clinical Psychology Review, 28(1), 48–66.
Finley, C., & Corty, E. (1993). Rape on the campus: The prevalence of sexual assault while enrolled in college. Journal of College Student Development, 34, 113.
Gámez-Guadix, M., Straus, M. A., & Hershberger, S. L. (2011). Childhood and adolescent victimization and perpetration of sexual coercion by male and female university students. Deviant Behavior, 32(8), 712–742.
Hogben, M., Byrne, D., & Hamburger, M. E. (1996). Coercive heterosexual sexuality in dating relationships of college students: Implications of differential male-female experiences. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 8(1-2), 69–78.
Katz, J., Carino, A., & Hilton, A. (2002). Perceived verbal conflict behaviors associated with physical aggression and sexual coercion in dating relationships: A gender-sensitive analysis. Violence and Victims, 17(1), 93–109.
Koss, M. P., Gidycz, C. A., & Wisniewski, N. (1987). The scope of rape: Incidence and prevalence of sexual aggression and victimization in a national sample of higher education students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(2), 162–170. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.55.2.162
McConaghy, N., & Zamir, R. (1995). Heterosexual and homosexual coercion, sexual orientation and sexual roles in medical students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 24(5), 489–502.
Ménard, K. S., Hall, G. C. N., Phung, A. H., Ghebrial, M. F. E., & Martin, L. (2003). Gender Differences in Sexual Harassment and Coercion in College Students: Developmental, Individual, and Situational Determinants. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 18(10), 1222–1239. doi:10.1177/0886260503256654
Miller, B., & Marshall, J. C. (1987). Coercive sex on the university campus. Journal of College Student Personnel.
Mills, C. S., & Granoff, B. J. (1992). Date and acquaintance rape among a sample of college students. Social Work, 37(6), 504–509.
Palmer, R. S., McMahon, T. J., Rounsaville, B. J., & Ball, S. A. (2010). Coercive sexual experiences, protective behavioral strategies, alcohol expectancies and consumption among male and female college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(9), 1563–1578. doi:10.1177/0886260509354581
Poppen, P. J., & Segal, N. J. (1988). The influence of sex and sex role orientation on sexual coercion. Sex Roles, 19(11-12), 689–701.
Porter, J. L., & McQuiller-Williams, L. (2011). Intimate violence among underrepresented groups on a college campus. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0886260510393011.
Renaud, C. A., & Byers, E. S. (2005). Relationship between sexual violence and positive and negative cognitions of sexual dominance. Sex Roles, 53(3-4), 253–260.
Romero-Sánchez, M., & Megías, J. L. (2010). Alcohol use as a strategy for obtaining nonconsensual sexual relations: incidence in Spanish university students and relation to rape myths acceptance. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 13(02), 864–874.
Ryan, K. M., & Kanjorski, J. (1998). The enjoyment of sexist humor, rape attitudes, and relationship aggression in college students. Sex Roles, 38(9-10), 743–756.
Ryan, K. M., Weikel, K., & Sprechini, G. (2008). Gender differences in narcissism and courtship violence in dating couples. Sex Roles, 58(11-12), 802–813.
Schatzel-Murphy, E. A., Harris, D. A., Knight, R. A., & Milburn, M. A. (2009). Sexual coercion in men and women: Similar behaviors, different predictors. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(6), 974–986.
Sipsma, E., Isabel, J.-A. C., Cerrato, I. M., & Everaerd, W. (2000). Sexual aggression against women by men acquaintances: Attitudes and experiences among Spanish university students. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 3, 14–27.
Sisco, M. M., & Figueredo, A. J. (2008). Similarities between men and women in non-traditional aggressive sexuality: Prevalence, novel approaches to assessment and treatment applications. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 14(3), 253–266.
Spitzberg, B. H. (1999). An analysis of empirical estimates of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration. Violence and Victims, 14(3), 241–260.
Starratt, V. G., Goetz, A. T., Shackelford, T. K., McKibbin, W. F., & Stewart-Williams, S. (2008). Men’s partner-directed insults and sexual coercion in intimate relationships. Journal of Family Violence, 23(5), 315–323.
Struckman-Johnson, C., & Struckman-Johnson, D. (1992). Acceptance of male rape myths among college men and women. Sex Roles, 27(3-4), 85–100.
Sutton, T. E., & Simons, L. G. (n.d.). Sexual Assault Among College Students: Family of Origin Hostility, Attachment, and the Hook-Up Culture as Risk Factors. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1–14.
Tyler, K., Hoyt, D. R., & Whitbeck, L. B. (1998). Coercive sexual strategies.
VanderLaan, D. P., & Vasey, P. L. (2009). Patterns of sexual coercion in heterosexual and non-heterosexual men and women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38(6), 987–999.
Waldner-Haugrud, L. K., & Magruder, B. (1995). Male and female sexual victimization in dating relationships: Gender differences in coercion techniques and outcomes. Violence and Victims, 10(3), 203–215.
Wright, M. O., Norton, D. L., & Matusek, J. A. (2010). Predicting verbal coercion following sexual refusal during a hookup: Diverging gender patterns. Sex Roles, 62(9-10), 647–660.
Yost, M. R., & Zurbriggen, E. L. (2006). Gender differences in the enactment of sociosexuality: An examination of implicit social motives, sexual fantasies, coercive sexual attitudes, and aggressive sexual behavior. Journal of Sex Research, 43(2), 163–173.
Zweig, J. M., Barber, B. L., & Eccles, J. S. (1997). Sexual Coercion and Well-Being in Young Adulthood Comparisons by Gender and College Status. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(2), 291–308.
Attitudes Toward Women and Violence
Abbey, A., & Jacques-Tiura, A. J. (2011). Sexual assault perpetrators’ tactics: Associations with their personal characteristics and aspects of the incident. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(14), 2866–2889.
Abbey, A., & McAuslan, P. (2004). A longitudinal examination of male college students’ perpetration of sexual assault. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(5), 747–56. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.5.747
Abbey, A., McAuslan, P., & Ross, L. T. (1998). Sexual assault perpetration by college men: The role of alcohol, misperception of sexual intent, and sexual beliefs and experiences. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 17(2), 167–195.
Abbey, A., McAuslan, P., Zawacki, T., Clinton, A. M., & Buck, P. O. (2001). Attitudinal, Experiential, and Situational Predictors of Sexual Assault Perpetration. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16(8), 784–807. doi:10.1177/088626001016008004
Abbey, A., Parkhill, M. R., BeShears, R., Clinton-Sherrod, A. M., & Zawacki, T. (2006). Cross-sectional predictors of sexual assault perpetration in a community sample of single African American and Caucasian men. Aggressive Behavior, 32(1), 54–67. doi:10.1002/ab.20107
Abbey, A., Parkhill, M. R., Clinton-Sherrod, A. M., & Zawacki, T. (2007). A comparison of men who committed different types of sexual assault in a community sample. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(12), 1567–1580.
Abbey, A., Parkhill, M. R., Jacques-Tiura, A. J., & Saenz, C. (2009). Alcohol’s role in men's use of coercion to obtain unprotected sex. Substance Use & Misuse, 44(9-10), 1329–1348.
Abbey, A., Wegner, R., Pierce, J., & Jacques-Tiura, A. J. (2012). Patterns of sexual aggression in a community sample of young men: Risk factors associated with persistence, desistance, and initiation over a 1-year interval. Psychology of Violence, 2(1), 1.
Abbey, A., Zawacki, T., Buck, P. O., Clinton, A. M., & McAuslan, P. (2004). Sexual assault and alcohol consumption: What do we know about their relationship and what types of research are still needed? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9(3), 271–303.
Aberle, C. C., & Littlefield, R. P. (2001). Family functioning and sexual aggression in a sample of college men. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16(6), 565–579.
Bernat, J. A., Calhoun, K. S., & Adams, H. E. (1999). Sexually aggressive and nonaggressive men: sexual arousal and judgments in response to acquaintance rape and consensual analogues. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108(4), 662.
Bernat, J. A., Calhoun, K. S., & Stolp, S. (1998). Sexually aggressive men’s responses to a date rape analogue: Alcohol as a disinhibiting cue. Journal of Sex Research, 35(4), 341–348.
Bernat, J. A., Wilson, A. E., & Calhoun, K. S. (1999). Sexual coercion history, calloused sexual beliefs and judgments of sexual coercion in a date rape analogue. Violence and Victims, 14(2), 147–160.
Boeringer, S. B. (1994). Pornography and sexual aggression: Associations of violent and nonviolent depictions with rape and rape proclivity. Deviant Behavior, 15(3), 289–304.
Bohner, G., Jarvis, C. I., Eyssel, F., & Siebler, F. (2005). The causal impact of rape myth acceptance on men’s rape proclivity: Comparing sexually coercive and noncoercive men. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35(6), 819–828.