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Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention pp 257–273Cite as

The Role of Hypermasculinity as a Risk Factor in Sexual Assault Perpetration

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Abstract

Sexual assault victimization continues to pose a significant public health concern in the United States. The identification of risk factors for sexual violence is fundamental for the development of prevention and intervention efforts. Yet, investigations of preventative methods for sexual assault perpetration have largely focused on victim characteristics, perpetrator personality traits, alcohol consumption, and beliefs and attitudes about sexuality. A significantly smaller number of studies have examined the role of hypermasculinity in sexual assault perpetration. Hypermasculinity has been found to be associated with endorsement of rape myths and sexual assault perpetration (Locke & Mahalik, Journal of Counselling Psychology. 52:279–283, 2005; Zinzow & Thompson, Aggressive Behavior, 41, 34–43, 2015). This chapter provides an overview of the theoretical framework of hypermasculinity, identifies the sociocultural correlates of hypermasculinity that are associated with the perpetration of sexual assault, and reviews limitations in the literature as well as promising prevention programs and intervention strategies.

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  1. University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA

    Catalina Vechiu

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  1. Catalina Vechiu
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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA

    William T. O’Donohue

  2. Department of Criminology, Law, and Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Paul A. Schewe

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Vechiu, C. (2019). The Role of Hypermasculinity as a Risk Factor in Sexual Assault Perpetration. In: O’Donohue, W.T., Schewe, P.A. (eds) Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23645-8_15

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