Unwanted sex among young adults in the United States: The role of physical disability and cognitive performance

Abigail A. Haydon; Annie Laurie McRee; Carolyn Tucker Halpern

doi:10.1177/0886260511403756

Unwanted sex among young adults in the United States: The role of physical disability and cognitive performance

Abigail A. Haydon
, Annie Laurie McRee
, Carolyn Tucker Halpern

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examined associations between unwanted sexual experiences and both physical disability and cognitive performance in a nationally representative sample of young adults. We used data from 11,878 participants (ages 26-32) in Waves I, III, and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Logistic regressions determined associations between physical disability and level of cognitive performance (using a modified Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and the odds of experiencing physically forced and nonphysically coerced sex. Approximately 24% of females and 4% of males reported unwanted sexual experiences. Compared to respondents without disabilities, females with a physical disability had greater odds of experiencing forced sex (OR = 1.49; 95% CI [1.06, 2.08]), whereas males with a physical disability had greater odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.90; 95% CI [1.02, 3.52]). Compared to those with average cognitive performance scores, females with scores above 110 had slightly higher odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.20; 95% CI [1.03-1.41]). Further research on pathways underlying these associations is needed to inform prevention efforts.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	3476-3493
Number of pages	18
Journal	Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Volume	26
Issue number	17
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260511403756
State	Published - Nov 2011

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. Effort by Ms. Haydon and Dr. Halpern was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant R01HD57046, CT Halpern, Principal Investigator).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

adult victims
male victims
sexual assault
vulnerability to abuse

PubMed: MeSH publication types

Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Publisher link

10.1177/0886260511403756

Find It

Find It at U of M Libraries

Cite this

@article{d150786db36a4041acdb9c67ec8a1fac,

title = "Unwanted sex among young adults in the United States: The role of physical disability and cognitive performance",

abstract = "This study examined associations between unwanted sexual experiences and both physical disability and cognitive performance in a nationally representative sample of young adults. We used data from 11,878 participants (ages 26-32) in Waves I, III, and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Logistic regressions determined associations between physical disability and level of cognitive performance (using a modified Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and the odds of experiencing physically forced and nonphysically coerced sex. Approximately 24\% of females and 4\% of males reported unwanted sexual experiences. Compared to respondents without disabilities, females with a physical disability had greater odds of experiencing forced sex (OR = 1.49; 95\% CI [1.06, 2.08]), whereas males with a physical disability had greater odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.90; 95\% CI [1.02, 3.52]). Compared to those with average cognitive performance scores, females with scores above 110 had slightly higher odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.20; 95\% CI [1.03-1.41]). Further research on pathways underlying these associations is needed to inform prevention efforts.",

keywords = "adult victims, male victims, sexual assault, vulnerability to abuse",

author = "Haydon, \{Abigail A.\} and McRee, \{Annie Laurie\} and Halpern, \{Carolyn Tucker\}",

note = "Funding Information: This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. Effort by Ms. Haydon and Dr. Halpern was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant R01HD57046, CT Halpern, Principal Investigator).",

year = "2011",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1177/0886260511403756",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "26",

pages = "3476--3493",

journal = "Journal of Interpersonal Violence",

issn = "0886-2605",

publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",

number = "17",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Unwanted sex among young adults in the United States

T2 - The role of physical disability and cognitive performance

AU - Haydon, Abigail A.

AU - McRee, Annie Laurie

AU - Halpern, Carolyn Tucker

N1 - Funding Information: This research uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by grant P01-HD31921 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgment is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website ( http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth ). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis. Effort by Ms. Haydon and Dr. Halpern was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grant R01HD57046, CT Halpern, Principal Investigator).

PY - 2011/11

Y1 - 2011/11

N2 - This study examined associations between unwanted sexual experiences and both physical disability and cognitive performance in a nationally representative sample of young adults. We used data from 11,878 participants (ages 26-32) in Waves I, III, and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Logistic regressions determined associations between physical disability and level of cognitive performance (using a modified Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and the odds of experiencing physically forced and nonphysically coerced sex. Approximately 24% of females and 4% of males reported unwanted sexual experiences. Compared to respondents without disabilities, females with a physical disability had greater odds of experiencing forced sex (OR = 1.49; 95% CI [1.06, 2.08]), whereas males with a physical disability had greater odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.90; 95% CI [1.02, 3.52]). Compared to those with average cognitive performance scores, females with scores above 110 had slightly higher odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.20; 95% CI [1.03-1.41]). Further research on pathways underlying these associations is needed to inform prevention efforts.

AB - This study examined associations between unwanted sexual experiences and both physical disability and cognitive performance in a nationally representative sample of young adults. We used data from 11,878 participants (ages 26-32) in Waves I, III, and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Logistic regressions determined associations between physical disability and level of cognitive performance (using a modified Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) and the odds of experiencing physically forced and nonphysically coerced sex. Approximately 24% of females and 4% of males reported unwanted sexual experiences. Compared to respondents without disabilities, females with a physical disability had greater odds of experiencing forced sex (OR = 1.49; 95% CI [1.06, 2.08]), whereas males with a physical disability had greater odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.90; 95% CI [1.02, 3.52]). Compared to those with average cognitive performance scores, females with scores above 110 had slightly higher odds of coerced sex (OR = 1.20; 95% CI [1.03-1.41]). Further research on pathways underlying these associations is needed to inform prevention efforts.

KW - adult victims

KW - male victims

KW - sexual assault

KW - vulnerability to abuse

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/80054005749

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/80054005749#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1177/0886260511403756

DO - 10.1177/0886260511403756

M3 - Article

C2 - 21602209

AN - SCOPUS:80054005749

SN - 0886-2605

VL - 26

SP - 3476

EP - 3493

JO - Journal of Interpersonal Violence

JF - Journal of Interpersonal Violence

IS - 17

ER -

Unwanted sex among young adults in the United States: The role of physical disability and cognitive performance

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

PubMed: MeSH publication types

Publisher link

Find It

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this