Daily associations between alcohol intoxication and sexual consent processes in college women.

OBJECTIVE: Sexual consent requires accurate self-appraisal of willingness and communication of that appraisal to a partner (expressed consent). Alcohol intoxication may compromise both processes, creating a disconnect between internal states (willingness) and expressed consent. The degree to which intoxication affects consent processes remains understudied. METHOD: = 19.5), predominantly White (57.0%) and non-Hispanic (78.5%), who endorsed engagement in casual sexual encounters completed 12 daily surveys. In multilevel models, within- and between-person associations between objective (blood alcohol estimate [BAE]) and subjective intoxication and sexual consent (Perceptions of Consent to Sex Scale) were examined. RESULTS: Objective intoxication was negatively associated with willingness, and the within-person BAE effect was significant and negative, while the between-person BAE was not significant. Higher BAE was also associated with reduced use of passive behaviors in expression of consent. Neither objective nor subjective intoxication moderated associations between consent willingness and expression. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that drinking alcohol may shape distinct aspects of the consent process by reducing willingness and changing how consent is expressed. However, alcohol intoxication does not weaken the correspondence between internal willingness and expressed consent. Overall, these data reveal alcohol's role in sexual consent to be nuanced. Interventions may benefit from a focus on helping individuals anticipate and plan for how alcohol-especially within-person deviations in intoxication-may influence in-the-moment sexual decisions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).