Alcohol Consumption, History of Sexual Assault in Adolescence, and Revictimization in a Sample of University Students in the Western United States.

This study evaluated alcohol consumption as a moderator of the association between adolescent sexual assault and risk of sexual assault in college. It was hypothesized that sexual assault in adolescence would be associated with higher risk of college victimization and that this association would be moderated by alcohol consumption. Predominantly female and European-American university students ( = 201) completed self-report measures of alcohol consumption and sexual assault victimization in adolescence and since enrolling in college at a medium-sized university in the Western United States. Controlling for effects of age and gender, there was a significant interaction between alcohol consumption variables (i.e., typical weekly alcohol consumption and binge drinking) and adolescent sexual assault, such that the greatest risk for sexual assault in college was incurred by the heaviest drinkers with the greatest frequencies of adolescent sexual assault. This study highlights the importance of considering past victimization history in concert with alcohol consumption in efforts to prevent sexual victimization in college.