Intoxicated Bystanders’ Alcohol Expectancies and Valuations and the Ability to Detect Risk in a Potential Sexual Assault

Abstract Alcohol intoxication, alcohol expectancies (AE), and alcohol valuations (AV) are associated with impaired risk detection for victims of sexual assault; these factors may also impair risk detection of bystanders in a potential sexual assault. However, the relationship between AE, AV, and alcohol intoxication on bystanders’ risk detection abilities has not been examined; the goal of this study was to address this gap in the literature. The current study used an alcohol administration experimental design that assessed 128 young adults’ (50% women) AE, and AV, as well as their risk appraisal using a sexual assault vignette. Participants in the alcohol condition (n = 64) reported diminished ability to detect risk when they reported higher positive AV compared with participants in the control condition (n = 64), but there were no effects of AE on bystanders’ ability to detect risk in either condition. Risk detection is a crucial step in bystander prevention; alcohol intoxication, in combination with positive AV may impede those appraisals.