TY - JOUR
T1 - Men’s Self-Reported and Psychophysiological Affective Responses to Sexual Violence and Their Associations with Rape Myths, Personality, and Sexual Traits
T2 - A Preliminary Study
AU - Carvalho, Joana
AU - Rosa, Pedro J.
AU - Janssen, Erick
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - EDA
KW - Emotions
KW - fEMG
KW - personality
KW - psychopathy
KW - psychophysiology
KW - rape myths
KW - sexual arousal
KW - sexual violence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85158901912&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/19317611.2023.2200786
DO - 10.1080/19317611.2023.2200786
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85158901912
SN - 1931-7611
VL - 35
SP - 218
EP - 229
JO - International Journal of Sexual Health
JF - International Journal of Sexual Health
IS - 2
ER -