OBJECTIVE

Sexual victimization is common in college populations and has been linked to a number of deleterious outcomes, including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and problem drinking. Research suggests that these associations may be further impacted when the victimization involves alcohol, yet little is known about how alcohol-related sexual victimization (ASV) may influence functional outcomes over time. Posttraumatic cognitions are dysfunctional trauma-related beliefs that are thought to affect posttrauma adaptation and may help to shed light on the later psychological effects of ASV.

METHOD

Accordingly, the present study sought to examine how ASV during college may influence PTSS and problem drinking over time in a sample of young adults (N = 116). We examined ASV in 2 ways: cumulative (since starting college) and the most recent event (during college). Further, we tested the mechanistic role of trauma cognitions in these relations, controlling for trauma severity.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that ASV prospectively predicted problem drinking across models, but was not associated with PTSS. The effects of ASV became nonsignificant when baseline PTSS and problem drinking were statistically controlled. Counter to our expectations, ASV was not associated with trauma cognitions, and these cognitions did not mediate the association between ASV and later PTSS or problem drinking. In contrast, trauma severity was significantly related to trauma cognitions.

CONCLUSIONS

For many young adults, the effects of college sexual victimization extend well beyond the college years. These findings add to our understanding of college sexual victimization experiences and the posttrauma adaptation process in young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record