Risky sex: testing moderated mediation among college students

Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, Ahead of Print. Purpose Risky sexual behavior (RSB) on college campuses contributes to elevated rates of sexually transmitted infections and sexual assault. Research indicates a positive association between sexual victimization history (SVH) and RSB with alcohol use and sexual sensation seeking as mediators to this association. Hypermasculinity has also been shown to play a moderating role amongst these associations. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to test the associations between RSB, SVH, alcohol use, sexual sensation seeking, and hypermasculinity. Design/methodology/approach Participants were 493 undergraduates who completed measures of RSB, SVH, alcohol use, sexual sensation seeking, and hypermasculinity. A moderated mediation model was run examining the association between SVH and RSB, with alcohol use and sexual sensation seeking tested as mediators of the relationship between SVH and RSB. In addition, hypermasculinity was tested as a moderator of the mediated relationship between SVH and the aforementioned mediator variables. Findings Alcohol use and sexual sensation seeking partially mediated the association between SVH and RSB. Masculinity moderated the association between SVH and RSB via sexual sensation seeking and between SVH and RSB via alcohol use. Research limitations/implications Individuals with SVH might be at a higher risk for alcohol use and sexual sensation seeking, ultimately increasing thei...
Source: Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research - Category: Criminology Source Type: research