Scientist to present latest research on alcohol and sexual assault

College years correlate to a heightened risk of sexual assault, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, with 34.4% of female victims reporting a sexual assault between the ages of 18 to 24. At the same time, alcohol has been identified as a factor in nearly half of all incidents of sexual assault, and is even higher among incidents involving college students, at 72%.

Exploring connections between alcohol use and sexual assault is at the center of work by of Elizabeth Neilson, assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, who will visit KU to present "Sobering Data, Hopeful Solutions: The Science of Alcohol & Sexual Assault at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 10. The event, hosted by the Cofrin Logan Center for Addiction Research and Treatment, will be in person in 1031 Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Ave., in Lawrence or can be viewed as a livestream via the Cofrin Logan Center’s events page.  

According to Neilson, rates of sexual assault have remained stable over decades despite ongoing research and periods of public interest. 

“I think there are still incredibly important aspects of sexual assault we have yet to understand, and much of those are related to perpetration itself: why and under what circumstances will an individual engage in aggressive behavior?” she said. 

Neilson will discuss how alcohol can make people misread a partner’s interest or intentions, making it more likely they will commit sexual assault, as her research has shown. 

She will discuss the association between alcohol and sexual assault, the prevalence of the problem, and the direction of future research in this field — as well as potential interventions, such as cognitive strategies to address alcohol and sexuality-related beliefs. 

“Fundamentally, the way you stop sexual assault is to stop perpetration," Neilson said. “Alcohol is a consistent predictor, but it is complex. My hope is that by researching alcohol and sexual assault perpetration, we can learn more about why it takes place and how we can better prevent it.” 

The talk is the second in the Fall Seminar Series offered by the Cofrin Logan Center. Associate Professor Michael Amlung, associate director for training at the center, said that Neilson’s talk was part of a continuing effort to highlight diverse research in substance use and foster collaboration in the field. It reflects the center's mission to advance research on addiction science and treatment by bringing leading national scientists from a broad range of disciplines to Kansas to share cutting-edge perspectives on their research. 

“Dr. Neilson brings a wealth of clinical and research experience on the intersection of alcohol use and sexual violence, which is an urgent challenge for university campuses across the country,” Amlung added. 

Neilson, whose research focuses on the intersection of gender-based violence, substance use, and sexual and reproductive health, said she is looking forward to the opportunity to connect with others during her visit to KU and hopes it sparks an interest in further research. 

"Part of why I love doing this work is I get to collaborate with a lot of people who have expertise in something totally different, but it ends up being relevant to what I do,” Neilson said. “We always need more brilliant minds studying this topic.” 

Scheduled speakers through the rest of the academic year will focus on topics including the relationship between the food industry and addiction, cannabis misuse, substance use disparities, and the brain basis of addictive disorders. 

Stay connected to upcoming events at https://addiction.ku.edu/events.