‘YES’ DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN ‘YES’: THE IMPACT OF PERCEIVED ALCOHOL-INDUCED IMPAIRMENT ON PERCEPTIONS OF SEXUAL CONSENT AND BLAME

Abstract

The expression and interpretation of sexual consent is a highly complex process. Adding to this complexity, many sexual violence laws state that the cognitive impairment arising from alcohol consumption can invalidate legal consent. However, researchers have yet to ascertain if such a notion holds true for individuals’ psychological perceptions of intoxicated consent. In a 3 x 2 design, this study examined the effects of perceived alcohol-induced impairment, sexual interest cues, and rape myth acceptance on perceptions of consent and blame of a vignette character who engaged in sexual activity while intoxicated. 400 Singaporean undergraduates read a vignette detailing an alcohol-related sexual experience before responding to a questionnaire. Results suggested that greater perceived alcohol-induced impairment predicted lower perceptions of consent (X2 (2, N = 400) = 148.39, p < 0.001, n2 = 0.39). Sexual interest cues and rape myth acceptance did not moderate this relationship. Greater alcohol-induced impairment was also negatively associated with perceptions of blame (X2 (2, N = 400) = 16.87, p < 0.001, n2 = 0.048). Rape myth acceptance did not moderate this relationship. These findings extended knowledge on sexual script theory and presented important practical implications for legal systems and sexual education programmes.