Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Phone: Fax: lewisma uw. Research has demonstrated ambiguity about the definition of hooking up among college students. The current research examined whether there were multiple hooking up definitions among college students and how different definitions might be associated with participant's own hooking up behavior and normative perceptions of peer hooking up behavior. Open-ended definitions of hooking up were content coded and analyzed using a mixture model to explore discrete definitions of hooking up among college students.
Findings indicated three clusters of student definitions of hooking up. Cluster 1 had the broadest definition, referring to sex in general, not specific sexual acts, and to making out. Cluster 2 placed an emphasis on interpersonal and social aspects. Cluster 3 defined hooking up as sex with notable references to specific sexual acts. Results further indicated that hooking up behavior and normative perceptions differentiated these three groups of definitions.
Clinical implications regarding the inconsistency of student definitions of hooking up and how they may impact negative consequences associated with hooking up are discussed. Keywords: sexual behavior, casual sex, hooking up, normative perceptions, social norms, college students. While the phenomenon of casual sex among college students has been well studied, recent years has shown an increase in publications focusing on sexual hookups on college campuses e.
Hooking up may be a developmentally normative behavior Stinson, that results in positive sexual experiences for individuals; however, emerging research on hooking up has demonstrated that it is prevalent and potentially problematic. Moreover, nearly half of men and one third of women report engaging in sexual intercourse during hookups Paul et al. Additional research has shown that hooking up is sometimes associated with emotional, social, and physical consequences, such as experiencing a loss of respect, depression, embarrassment, difficulties in a relationship with a steady partner, unwanted pregnancy, contracting a sexually transmitted infection, and sexual regret in women e.
In spite of this growing base of research, there is still considerable ambiguity about the definition of hooking up among college students. The current research explored whether there were multiple hooking up definitions among college students.
