Alcohol, Helping Young Adults to Have Unprotected Sex with Casual Partners: Findings from a Daily Diary Study of Alcohol Use and Sexual Behavior
Received 19 December 2007; accepted 13 May 2008. published online 29 September 2008.
Abstract
Purpose
To examine the event-level association between alcohol consumption and the likelihood of unprotected sex among college-age young adults considering contextual factors of partner type and amount of alcohol consumed.
Methods
A 30-day, Web-based, structured daily diary was used to collect daily reports of sexual behaviors and alcohol use from 116 sexually active young adults, yielding 2,764 diary records. Each day we assessed the prior evening's behavior regarding alcohol consumption, opportunities for sex, sexual intercourse, condom use, and contextual factors including type of sexual partner.
Results
Based on multilevel models, drinking proximal to events of sexual intercourse increased the likelihood of unprotected sex with casual but not steady partners. For women there was a positive association between number of drinks and a greater likelihood of unprotected sex with casual partners but a negative association with steady partners. Drinking during situations involving opportunities for sex with casual partners increased the likelihood of sex. For women especially, drinking more increased the likelihood of sex occurring regardless of partner type.
Conclusions
Failure to assess the contextual determinants of the alcohol—unprotected sex association may result in underestimates of the magnitude of this association. These data highlight an important area for intervention with young adults: reducing alcohol-involved sexual risk behavior with casual partners, especially among women.
aDepartments of Medicine and Community Health, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Substance Abuse Research Unit, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island
bCenter for Health, Intervention & Prevention, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
cDepartment of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut
dDepartment of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey
Address correspondence to: Howard Tennen, Ph.D., Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, MC 6325, Farmington, CT 06030-6325
ABSTRACT