Reducing Heavy Episodic Drinking, Incapacitation, and Alcohol-Induced Blackouts: Secondary Outcomes of a Web-Based Combined Alcohol Use and Sexual Assault Risk Reduction Intervention

Abstract

Heavy episodic drinking, alcohol-induced blackouts, and incapacitation are associated with sexual assault among college women. Therefore, reducing heavy episodic drinking, alcohol-induced blackouts, and incapacitation among college women may reduce sexual assault victimization risk. The current study examined the indirect effect of a combined alcohol use and sexual assault risk reduction program on sexual assault severity through heavy episodic drinking, alcohol-induced blackouts, and incapacitation ( n = 264). An alcohol use reduction program, sexual assault risk reduction program, and combined alcohol use and sexual assault risk reduction program were compared with a control condition. The sexual assault risk reduction content reduced alcohol-induced blackouts and incapacitation, and the combined alcohol use and sexual assault risk reduction program reduced alcohol-induced blackouts. Only incapacitation was associated with reduced sexual assault severity at follow-up. Reducing incapacitation and alcohol-induced blackouts is possible with a brief, web-based intervention, and reducing incapacitation may be one viable strategy within larger sexual assault prevention programming efforts.