Gender, sexual orientation, and the desire to form lasting romantic relationships appear to influence sexual risk-taking among young adults, according to a new research published in the Journal of Sex Research. As far as the researchers are aware, this is the first study to directly compare how heterosexual men, heterosexual women, and men who have sex with men MSM differ in their approach to condom decision-making with a new sexual partner. The findings may help explain why some young people engage in unsafe sex even though they are aware of the risk for sexually transmitted infections STIs , HIV, cervical cancer, and unplanned pregnancy.
Participants were presented with a vignette describing an encounter with a hypothetical new sexual or romantic partner and were asked to rate their attitudes and likelihood of choosing particular courses of action, as well as their relationship motivation. Results showed that all three groups had a preference for different condom negotiation strategies— heterosexual men tended to choose more passive strategies and were most likely to agree to sex without a condom ; heterosexual women tended to choose more assertive strategies like withholding sex ; and MSM tended to aim for a balance, choosing more verbal strategies than heterosexual men, but selecting strategies that were not confrontational.
The findings may also explain some of the motives and reasoning that influence risky behaviours. For example, the study suggests that heterosexual women may be more willing to take risks when they both have stronger relationship motivation and view their partner as having more relationship potential. The authors conclude that the findings have important implications for policy and prevention and should inform the creation of more effective sexual health education programs and interventions.
They also note that a hypothetical scenario may not invoke the same emotional response or reflect real-life behavior. Open Newsroom Menu. Breaking research 19th March Study suggests why some young adults may be more likely to engage in unsafe sex.
