While it is generally assumed that alcohol consumption plays some role in the advent of negative sexual outcomes among college students (sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, and date rape), that role has not been empirically demonstrated or quantified. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of alcohol consumption with negative sexual outcomes in college women. Specifically, this study attempted to determine this association by means of a survey administered to a population of women students from Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College (n =430). Data collection took place during winter term, 1991. Average monthly alcohol consumption was assessed, as well as the frequency of alcohol consumption prior to sexual intercourse. The association of alcohol consumption with experiences of sexual coercion, in both the victim and the perpetrator, was also assessed. Negative sexual outcomes assessed were sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy "scares", four categories of sexual coercion (unwanted touching, verbally forced date rape, physically forced date rape, and stranger rape), and unprotected intercourse (condom usage). A strong association between alcohol consumption and sexual coercion was found. Women who had experienced sexual coercion consumed significantly more alcohol on the average than those who had not had such experience. Also, it was found that alcohol was consumed by the perpetrator, the victim, or both in the majority (57-69%) of incidents of sexual coercion. While women who had experienced STDs appeared to drink more (mean monthly alcohol consumption= 16.9 drinks) than those who had not experienced STDs (mean monthly alcohol consumption= 12.3 drinks), small cell size and sample variability made meaningful statistical comparisons inappropriate. No association between alcohol consumption and unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy "scares" was found. Alcohol consumption prior to intercourse had a paradoxical relationship with both sexually transmitted diseases and condom usage: those who always or never drink prior to intercourse were less likely to experience an STD and more likely to use condoms than those who say they occasionally drink prior to intercourse. It is recommended that university health educators disseminate the findings on alcohol consumption and sexual coercion and STDs. It is also suggested that they, along with those responsible for student services and university policies, should encourage non-alcoholic forms of social support, stress management, and recreation on campus. An additional recommendation was that both qualitative research and longitudinal studies be done to follow up the exploration begun in this study. / Graduation date: 1992

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this study was to determine if the level of spirituality in college students influenced the sexual behaviors in which they engaged. Subjects for this study were sampled from among students enrolled in large core curriculum courses at Ball State University. The design of this study was a cross-sectional survey, descriptive, comparative study. The data collection instruments for this study were the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scales (Hatch et al. 1997) and selected questions from the College Risk Behaviors Questionnaire (CDC, 1995). A total of 300 instruments were distributed and 93.3% (n=280) were completed and returned.The Pearson Chi-Square analysis was used to test the hypotheses that there was no association between spirituality and selected sexual risky behavior among college students. Results of the Pearson's Chi-Square analysis revealed that there was an association between spirituality and sexual risk behavior of college students, therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

Sexual compulsivity describes poorly controlled sexual thoughts, fantasies, urges, and behavior. The purpose of the current study was to examine and compare, utilizing a non-clinical sample, the relative psychometric properties of two existing scales used to assess sexual compulsivity, the Sexual Compulsivity Scale and the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory. Participants were 334 male undergraduate students ranging in age from 18 to 42 years (M =19.54, SD = 2.16) enrolled in Introductory Psychology courses at a mid-sized Midwestern university. Zero-order correlation analyses were conducted to identify which sexual behaviors and constructs associated with sexuality were significantly related to scores on the CSBI and the SCS. Examination of the differential patterns of sexuality relations suggests the CSBI and the SCS may measure different aspects of compulsivity. Step-wise regression analyses indicated that the use of drugs and alcohol to gain compliance from a sexual partner, fantasies of impersonal sex, and sexual anxiety were significant predictors for both the CSBI and the SCS. On the CSBI, the final predictor that accounted for a significant increase in variance accounted for was expressing anger, while on the SCS additional variance was accounted for by sexual preoccupation. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed. / Department of Psychological Science

Previous research has shown that many women feel self-conscious of their bodies during physical intimacy with their partners, and this body image self-consciousness was related to sexual esteem, sexual assertiveness, sexual experience, and avoidance of sexual behavior. The purpose of the present study was to further explore body image selfconsciousness and examine its relationship with sexual functioning, risky sexual behavior, and sexual victimization. Participants were 171 heterosexual, sexually active, female undergraduate college students and completed the Body Image Self-Consciousness Scale (BISCS), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES), and a questionnaire assessing sexual experience and risky sexual behavior. Results found that body image self-consciousness was associated with use of protection against sexually transmitted infection during vaginal sex, overall sexual functioning, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction, and the frequency of some sexual behavior, but not sexual victimization. / Department of Psychological Science

Research has shown that college students understand the risks associated with risky sexual behavior, but make up to close to 50% of new STI cases every year. Previous research suggests that lower perceived susceptibility to negative consequences, extroversion, openness, and neuroticism are all related to risky sexual behavior. Three hypotheses are proposed. Hypothesis one proposes that men and women will have significantly different levels of perceived susceptibility. Hypothesis two proposes that perceived susceptibility, extroversion, openness, and neuroticism predict sexual risk taking. Finally, hypothesis three proposes that perceived susceptibility will be negatively correlated with sexual risk taking, whereas extroversion, openness, and neuroticism will be positively correlated with sexual risk taking. Hypothesis one was not supported, hypothesis two was supported, and hypothesis three was only partially supported. Future directions in safe sex education are suggested. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The thesis was designed to determine the relative impact of an academic course in human sexuality on specific sexual attitudes and intimate communication skills of undergraduate college students.Seventy-five students were subdivided into experimental and control groups. Data regarding personal sexual anxiety, sexual decision making skills and level of comfort about sexual issues were collected during the first and last weeks of the Spring 1990 semester. These served as pre and posttests. Descriptive data about the subjects were also obtained.The results of this study indicated that although males and females differ significantly from each other in sexual anxiety and sexual decision making skills, the subjects did not differ in their level of comfort. However, experimentalfemales did approach significant change in their reported comfort level scores from pre to posttest. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

The thesis was designed to determine sexual attitudes, as measured by the Reiss 12 Item Sexual Permissiveness Scale, and sexual practices, as measured by an eight item sexual behavior inventory, of undergraduate students at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.The sample for the study consisted of 617 undergraduate students selected using the method of stratified random sampling with proportional allocation of five percent from each of the four college levels. A biographical questionnaire was mailed to each of the subjects with a total return of 60 percent. Due to the low rate of return the respondents were declared to be the population of the study and no longer a randomly selected sample.Reliability coefficients were obtained through use of the Kuder-Richardson formula Number 20 on the sexual permissiveness scales and on the sexual behavior inventory. The reliability coefficient of the sexual permissiveness scale was found to be .8676, and .9215 was found to be the coefficient of the sexual behavior inventory.The returned questionnaires were subdivided into males and females and data were reported for each respondent on the scale that was the same sex as the respondent (women on the female scale and men on the male scale). For each group, the data were analyzed, through use of the chi-square test, according to age, academic field, college year, membership in fraternities or sororities, religious affiliation, whether religiously active or inactive, place of residence, cumulative grade point average, yearly income of parents, and marital status to determine their independency of the dependent variables of sexual attitudes and sexual behavior. Findings revealed that although some significant (.05) differences were found in the permissive attitudes of the students in relation to their biographical variables, there is little evidence from the study that would generally support a true dependency of sexual permissiveness on the biographical variables of the students, with the exceptions of the variables of sex and religious activity. Males were found to be more permissive in attitude than females, and the more permissive individuals were found to be religiously inactive rather than religiously active. In relationship to permissive behavior on the part of the subjects, although some significant (.05) differences were found, there is little evidence from the study that would support a true dependence of premarital coital experience on the biographical variables of the students. The investigation revealed that over 50 percent of the females studied and over 68 percent of the males studied had experienced premarital sexual intercourse.The relationship between sexual attitudes and sexual behavior was determined through use of the point biserial correlation. Findings revealed that there is evidence of some significant (.05) negative attitudes and what they stated as their actual sexual behavior. The significant negative findings indicated that there was a tendency for more males and females to be in accordance with permissive attitudes than were actually experiencing the behavior.

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Social Anthropology March 2019 / Compensated relationships between younger women and older, moneyed men have been established as the cause of new HIV infections in South African women aged 15 – 24 years old. A great portion of the literature on young love in South Africa reproduces the connection between compensated relationships and illness. In this dissertation, I establish how young women in Johannesburg define and practice love and intimacy in their compensated relationships in the era of social media and the #blessed lifestyle. It highlights the spaces and relationships that inform their romantic choices. The research setting is Johannesburg and social media. The methods that are used this study are face-to-face and WhatsApp interviews as well as participant observation on Twitter. I argue that social media use is reconfiguring the meanings of love and intimacy for young women in Johannesburg. The physical context affects their views and actions around their relationships. Through increasing engagements in virtual spaces, young women recognise their individual choices to date with compensation as a response to the wider social vulnerability collectively experienced by women in private and public spaces all over South Africa. In response to that danger, young women use their individual romantic relationships to supplement their lifestyles monetarily in the case of personal endangerment as well as for pleasure. / NG (2020)