Sex-Related Alcohol Expectancies, Alcohol Consumption, and Risky Sexual Behavior Among African American College Women

<p>African American college women are experiencing sex-related negative consequences (e.g., contracting sexually transmitted diseases or human immunodeficiency virus, having an unplanned pregnancy) at disproportionate rates in comparison to Caucasian college women. Furthermore, African American college women are likely engaging in risky sexual behaviors (e.g., unprotected anal, vaginal, oral sex) that may be placing them at a greater risk for experiencing sex-related negative consequences. Research suggests that increased alcohol consumption is predictive of more risky sexual behavior among college women. Additionally, sex-related alcohol expectancies, or beliefs about the effects of alcohol on sexual behavior, are positively associated with increased alcohol consumption and risky sexual behavior and therefore, may attenuate the association alcohol use has with risky sexual behaviors among African American college women. Because of the underrepresentation of African American college women in research examining the aforementioned factors, the purpose of the present study was to examine the link between sex-related alcohol expectancies (i.e., enhancement, sexual risk taking, disinhibition), alcohol consumption, and risky sexual behaviors exclusively among a sample of African American college women at a mid-sized Southern university. Multiple and hierarchical linear regression analyses yielded the following results: (a) enhancement sex-related alcohol expectancies predicted increased risky sexual behavior, (b) sex-related alcohol expectancies did not predict increased alcohol consumption and (c) did not moderate the relationship between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviors. Clinical and research implications will be discussed.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• Cottonham, Danielle P

Contributors dc:contributor

• Michael Madson
• Bonnie Nicholson
• Richard Mohn

• sex-related alcohol expectancies
• alcohol use
• risky sex
• African American women
• Counseling Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/163

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1186