Sexual Coercion Victimization and Perpetration in Heterosexual Couples: A Dyadic Investigation

Sexual coercion (SC), or making another person engage in sexual activity despite his or her unwillingness to do so, has been shown to have negative consequences for victims, namely depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and a negative view of one's sexual self. The goals of the present study were to investigate the rate of SC victimization and perpetration, inter-partner agreement concerning its occurrence, in addition to its degree of reciprocity within a sample of 222 heterosexual couples. SC within previous romantic relationships was also examined. Results showed that less than 30% of couples agreed on the occurrence of sexual coercion within their ongoing relationship. Moreover, dyadic responses rather than individual responses provided a more accurate estimation of the frequency of SC. Over one in two couples reported experiencing some SC. More specifically, 45% of couples reported female victimization, 30% reported male victimization, and 20% reported reciprocal SC. Conversely, both men and women reported more SC victimization within previous relationships than in their current one. Findings suggest that SC is a common, pervasive problem within couples and that it is underreported by both victims and perpetrators, regardless of gender. Consequently, more systematic research, prevention and intervention efforts are warranted.