Self-esteem and the relation between risk behavior and perceptions of vulnerability to unplanned pregnancy in college women.
This article reports 2 studies testing the hypothesis that individuals with high self-esteem are more likely than those with low self-esteem to interpret information about their personal vulnerability to health risks in a self-serving manner. Study 1 used an experimental paradigm to demonstrate that self-esteem moderates the influence of review of sexual and contraceptive behavior on college women's perceptions of vulnerability to unplanned pregnancy (N = 125). Study 2 used a longitudinal design to demonstrate that self-esteem also moderates the relation between naturally occurring changes in college women's sexual behavior and changes in their risk perception (N = 273). Together, these studies provide evidence that people with high self-esteem use self-serving cognitive strategies to maintain their risk perceptions.
Smith
G E
GE
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University, USA. g_smith@fre.fsu.umd.edu
Gerrard
M
M
Gibbons
F X
FX
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012649:Self Concept; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology