Prospective Associations Between Alcohol and Drug Consumption and Risky Sex Among Female College Students

• NCJ Number: 228422
• Journal: Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 53 Issue: 2 Dated: August 2009 Pages: 71-92
• Author(s): Kimberly M. Caldeira; Amelia M. Arria; Elizabeth M. Zarate; Kathryn B. Vincent; Eric D. Wish
• Date Published: August 2009
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This longitudinal study of a cohort of 386 unmarried female college students' sexual behaviors focused on risky sexual behaviors (multiple sex partners, nonuse of condoms during sex, and sex while intoxicated) over time and how drug use and alcohol consumption might influence changes in these risky sexual behaviors over time.

Abstract

The study found that drug use and drinking alcoholic beverages were independently associated with having multiple sex partners. Having vaginal sex while intoxicated independently predicted the nonuse of condoms and multiple sex partners. Having sex while intoxicated apparently mediated the association between substance use and having multiple sex partners. During the first year of the 2-year study, 60.2 percent of the cohort had sex while intoxicated; 31.4 percent had multiple sex partners; and 48.9 percent had sex without the use of a condom. During the second year, there were high rates of persistence in these behaviors as well as in their initiation. The women who drank more frequently were at greater risk for having multiple sex partners, but not for the nonuse of condoms. The findings indicate the need for safer-sex education programs to continue throughout the college years. Many female college students might benefit from practical skill-building programs aimed at reduction in risky sexual behaviors, such as rehearsing ways to talk about protected sex with their partners. In order to be eligible for the final study sample, the women must have had vaginal sex at least once in their lives by their first interview, must have participated in both interviews, and must have provided complete data on all variables. In both years, questions on vaginal sex were modeled after the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The association between drug and alcohol use and risky sex was tested in two series of multiple regression models. 40 references and 3 tables