title: Situational factors involved in college students' safer and risky sexual encounters.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the differences between the situational factors of risky and safer sexual encounters in college students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community-dwelling college students from a large Midwestern university.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 84 college students ages 18 to 20 years. Fifty-five were female (67.5%), the majority (95.2%) were White, and all reported being heterosexual.
  
  
  METHODS
  Use of safer or risky practices in last or most memorable sexual encounter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Important situational characteristics of safer encounters were negative ambiance of the place, type of partner, unattractive qualities of the partner, communication with the partner, and having the encounter because of feeling desire. Important situational characteristics of risky encounters were a cozy ambiance, partner's attractiveness inducing desire, asking directly for the encounter, and encounters occurring after celebration or partying.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many characteristics were similar for both risk groups. However, practitioners can tailor interventions to make clients aware of factors that were more prevalent in risky sexual encounters, such as having the encounter with a boyfriend or girlfriend and having an encounter after drinking alcohol and partying.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, The Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. von-sadovszky.1@osu.edu
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: von Sadovszky
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Doris C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Vahey
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McKinney
authors.forename: Arpaporn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Powwattana
authors.forename: Atittaya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pornchiakate
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires