Diverse Reactions to Hooking Up Among U.S. University Students

Abstract

Hooking up is defined as a physical encounter between two people who are not romantically committed. This study explored whether there were subgroups of young adults with unique reactions to hooking up (N = 879). Psychosocial predictor variables (gender, depression, loneliness, intoxication level, college adjustment, and hope for a committed relationship) were investigated along with emotional reactions as the outcome variables. Through the use of cluster analysis, four distinct clusters were identified: Happy Hopeful, Content Realist, Used and Confused, and Disappointed and Disengaged. The majority (62 %) of the sample reported mostly positive reactions to hooking up and fell within the Happy Hopeful or Content Realist clusters. Protective factors in these two clusters included hope for a committed relationship, having realistic expectations, and healthy psychological adjustment. The Used and Confused and Disappointed and Disengaged clusters reported the most negative hooking up reactions and consisted of 38 % of the overall sample. These two groups reported increased depression and loneliness symptoms and lower levels of social adjustment as compared to those clusters with more positive reactions.

Heterosexual Casual Sex and STI Diagnosis: A Latent Class Analysis

“…For example, some research that used college-based samples found that casual sex was correlated with decreased well-being and higher psychological distress, substance use, and depressive symptoms (Bersamin et al, 2014; Fielder & Carey, 2010a; Grello et al, 2006). Other research that used college students reported that casual sex was not always associated with negative emotional and social ramifications (Strokoff, Owen, & Fincham, 2015). In fact, college students claimed more positive emotional consequences of hooking up compared to negative ramifications (Snapp, Ryu, & Kerr, 2015).…”

Latent Classes of Sexual Behaviors: Prevalence, Predictors, and Consequences

“…Research on emotional consequences of different sexual behaviors often focuses on short-term consequences, which may be a mechanism through which behaviors influence longer term mental health and well-being (Strokoff, Owen, & Fincham, 2014; Vasilenko, Lefkowitz, & Welsh, 2014). Research on short-term consequences of sexual behavior distinguishes between the valence of consequences (positive versus negative), and whether consequences are intrapersonal or interpersonal (Campbell, 2008; Vasilenko et al, 2012).…”

The Relationship Between Perceived Hookup Attitudes and Negative Hookup Consequences: Do Perceived Attitudes of Close Friends Matter?

“…Recent research suggests that approximately 60% to 81% of college students report having engaged in some form of hooking up (Bachtel, 2013; Fielder & Carey, 2010). While most college students report hooking up to be a positive experience (Lewis, Granato, Blayney, Lostutter, & Kilmer, 2012; Owen & Fincham, 2011; Owen, Quirk, & Fincham, 2014; Plante, 2014; Strokoff, Owen, & Fincham, 2015), some students do experience negative consequences (Napper, Montes, Kenney, & LaBrie, 2015). For example, in a study on the negative impacts of hooking among undergraduate students, 77.4% of students reported experiencing at least one negative hookup consequence in the past three months in a sample that was representative of both male and female college students (Napper et al, 2015).…”