title: Risky business: Is there an association between casual sex and mental health among emerging adults?
abstract: A multiethnic sample of single, heterosexual, emerging-adult college students (N = 3,907) ages 18 to 25, from 30 institutions across the United States, participated in a study about identity, culture, psychological well-being, and risky behaviors. Given ongoing debates about the connection between casual sex and psychological adjustment, in the current study we assessed the cross-sectional association of participation in casual sex with psychological well-being and distress. A greater proportion of men (18.6%) compared to women (7.4%) reported having had casual sex in the month prior to assessment. Structural equation modeling indicated that casual sex was negatively associated with well-being (ß = .20, p < .001) and positively associated with psychological distress (ß = .16, p < .001). Gender did not moderate these associations. For emerging-adult college students, engaging in casual sex may elevate risk for negative psychological outcomes.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Child Development , California State University , Sacramento.
authors.forename: Melina M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Bersamin
authors.forename: Byron L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Zamboanga
authors.forename: Seth J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: M Brent
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Donnellan
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Weisskirch
authors.forename: Su Yeong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: V Bede
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Agocha
authors.forename: Susan Krauss
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Whitbourne
authors.forename: S Jean
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Caraway
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012933:Social Identification; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D047568:Unsafe Sex / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult