Sex Motives and Sex-Related Drinking Motives in Women With and Without Sexual Victimization History: A Latent Profile Approach

Women with childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) histories demonstrate higher levels of heavy drinking and risky sexual behaviors. Sex motives and sex-related drinking motives provide insight into why individuals may engage in these behaviors. The current study uses Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to examine profiles of co-occurring sex motives and sex-related drinking motives and their relationships with CSA and ASA. Women (n = 489) completed the Sexual Motivations Scale and the Drinking Motives Questionnaire. Average scores for each domain of sex motives (intimacy, enhancement, self-affirmation, coping, peer approval, and partner approval) and sex-related drinking motives (enhancement and coping with sex-related distress) were used to conduct the LPA. A 5-profile solution was identified. One profile (n = 45) emerged as particularly risky with highest levels of coping, partner and peer approval sex motives, and sex-related drinking motives. Next, the presence of CSA (n = 136, 28%) and ASA (n = 257, 53%) were used to predict LPA profile membership through multinomial logistic regression. Women who experienced CSA (OR = 2.06, p < .05) or ASA (OR = 2.24, p < .05) had significantly higher odds of belonging to the high approval and drinking motives profile compared to the reference class. The findings highlight heterogeneity in the co-occurrence of sex motives and sex-related drinking motives. Women with CSA or ASA histories were significantly more likely to belong to the high approval and drinking motives profile, which reflects a riskier motivational pattern and underscores the need for targeted interventions addressing overlapping sex and drinking motives to mitigate risky behaviors and negative health outcomes.