Does sexual victimization predict subsequent alcohol consumption?
University at Buffalo, Research Institute on Addictions, 1021 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA. testa@ria.buffalo.edu Although rape and sexual victimization experiences have been hypothesized to contribute to subsequent heavy drinking and alcohol problems among women, little prospective evidence exists. The present prospective study examined whether sexual victimization contributes to subsequent heavy drinking among a community sample of women, 18-30 years of age (n=927). Using three waves of data, 12 months apart, we examined the impact of T1 sexual victimization on T2 heavy drinking, and of T2 sexual victimization on T3 heavy drinking. There were significant bivariate differences between sexually victimized and non-victimized women on heavy drinking both concurrently and prospectively. However, after controlling for prior heavy drinking and demographic variables, most differences disappeared. We also tested the hypothesis that Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms would m
