Testing the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression: Evidence from a Sample of Argentinian Men.

Sexual aggression (SA) is a major public health concern with serious consequences for victims and significant costs for society. The majority of acts are committed by men from the general population who are rarely prosecuted. The Confluence Model (CM) is one of the most empirically supported frameworks for explaining SA, primarily tested in samples from the United States of America. However, its cross-cultural validity remains understudied. This study aimed to evaluate the explanatory power of the CM in relation to SA perpetrated by Argentinian men without criminal records for sexual offenses. A total of 354 cisgender heterosexual or bisexual men from the general population completed an anonymous online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression and structural equation modeling were used. Results partially replicated the original model: hostile masculinity had a stronger and more consistent association with SA than impersonal sex, which was removed in the most parsimonious model. Childhood victimization, adolescent antisocial behavior, and tolerant attitudes toward violence showed indirect effects. The findings contribute to an assessment of the CM in a Latin America context and underscore the importance of culturally grounded prevention strategies that integrate risk factors proposed by the model. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.