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Men's Self-Reported and Psychophysiological Affective Responses to Sexual Violence and Their Associations with Rape Myths, Personality, and Sexual Traits: A Preliminary Study.

Joana CarvalhoPedro J RosaErick Janssen
Published in: International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health (2023)
Objective: Despite alarming evidence on sexual violence against women, little is known about men's emotional responses to rape and how these may be involved in sexual violence dynamics. Accordingly, our aim was to capture how rape scenarios are emotionally appraised. Methods: The current study evaluated men's (N = 30) self-reported and psychophysiological emotional responses (facial EMG, electrodermal activity) to a rape scene, and contrasted it with their responses to stimuli depicting nonsexual violence and nonviolent male-female interactions. The associations between men's emotional responses and their endorsement of rape myths, personality, and sexual traits were also examined. Results: Findings revealed that the rape scene resulted in higher negative affect, both subjectively and indexed by increased facial EMG (corrugator activity), than the other two stimuli. Additionally, personality traits of neuroticism, lower agreeableness, lower consciousness, psychopathic tendencies, as well as lower sexual inhibition proneness, were all associated with higher subjective sexual arousal toward rape. Conclusions: Findings add to the literature on the putative emotional processes underpinning the appraisal of sexual violence against women.
Keyphrases
  • mental health
  • middle aged
  • dna methylation
  • genome wide
  • climate change
  • pregnant women
  • physical activity
  • adipose tissue
  • pregnancy outcomes