Title:
Emotion regulation as a predictor of risky sexual behavior among college students
Author:
Allison Schimmel-Bristow
Thesis Advisor:
Rachel L. Grover
Committee Member:
Matthew W. Kirkhart
Committee Member:
Beth A. Kotchick
Committee Member:
Amanda M. Thomas
Committee Member:
Theresa E. DiDonato
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2016
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
College students are a high risk population for negative consequences of risky sexual behavior such as unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and psychosocial stress (Ahern, 2009; Cooper, 2002). Despite widely-broadcasted risk-reduction strategies, many college students do not regularly use safe sex practices (Hoyle, Fejfar, and Miller, 2000). The current study sought to further explore one of the many possible predicting factors of engagement in risky sexual behavior among college students by examining maladaptive emotion regulation in relation to specific risky sexual behaviors including sexual activity without protection, having sex with multiple partners, hazardous sexual activity, and consenting to unwanted sexual activity. The primary goal of the present study was to explore if college students with maladaptive emotion regulation strategies were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than college students with adaptive emotion regulation strategies. The secondary goal was to investigate if this relation was moderated by gender. A total of 117 sexually-active college students (90 female, 27 male) completed an online self-report questionnaire measuring difficulties in emotion regulation and risky sexual behaviors. Results revealed that maladaptive emotion regulation did not predict engagement in unprotected sex, multiple partners (sexual behavior or sexual intercourse partners), hazardous sexual activity, or unwanted sexual activity. Results also revealed that this relation was not moderated by gender. However, results did indicate a significant association between maladaptive emotion regulation and number of sexual intercourse partners when controlling for gender. The current study demonstrates the importance of continuing to investigate predicting factors of risky sexual behavior among college students.
Subject:
Electronic dissertations
Degree:
Master of Science
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Clinical Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online to Loyola Notre Dame Library basic constituency.
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Identifier:
Schimmel-Bristow-16
