Predictors of sexual aggression among gay men and lesbian women: An application of Malamuth's confluence model

Abstract

The present study investigated whether the core constructs of Malamuth's confluence model (i.e., hostility against individuals of the same sex and sexual orientation [HASSO], impersonal sexuality [IS], and high dominance/low nurturance [HDLN]) could predict sexual aggressive behavior (SA) of gay men against other gay men and of lesbian women against other lesbian women. For both gay men (N = 226) and lesbian women (N = 190) regression analysis showed that IS, HDLN, and especially HASSO proved to be important predictors for sexual aggression. The confluence of all three risk factors in terms of a three-way interaction added to the prediction of SA in lesbian women but not in gay men. Overall, the three predictors explained 30% of the variance in SA among men and 62% of the variance in SA among women.