Abstract
The relationship between attitudes for casual sex and casual sex behavior was investigated for a group of older adolescents between the ages of 17 and 19. In addition, factors that influence casual sex orientations were studied. Models of behavior that emphasize disease issues as a primary determinant of casual sex behavior were compared with models that emphasize a broader range of social-psychological motivations. Results showed that the relationship between attitudes and behavior was stronger for females than males. In addition, disease-related variables were found to be correlated with behavior in a direction opposite to what traditional disease models would predict. The results were interpreted in the context of a behavioral inference model. It was found that casual sex behavior is more heavily influenced by a broad range of social-psychological motivations as compared to disease-based variables. Implications for educational interventions were developed.
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Received Ph.D. in education from Stanford University. Major research interests are in self-efficacy and adolescent sexual risk behavior.
Received Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana. Major research interests are in parent-adolescent communication and quantitative methods.
Received M.A. in psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. Major research interests are in attitudes and attitude change.
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Levinson, R.A., Jaccard, J. & Beamer, L. Older adolescents' engagement in casual sex: Impact of risk perception and psychosocial motivations. J Youth Adolescence 24, 349–364 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537601
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01537601