Does Casual Sex Harm College Students’ Well-Being? A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Motivation

Abstract

Engagement in casual sex (or hooking up) is generally feared to have negative well-being consequences; however, empirical evidence is inconclusive, pointing toward potential moderators. Using self-determination theory (SDT), we hypothesized that well-being following hookups would depend on the type and level of motivation for hooking up. A university-wide sample of 528 undergraduates completed online surveys at the beginning (T1) and end (T3) of one academic year. After controlling for demographics, personality traits (i.e., neuroticism and extraversion), prior casual and romantic sex, and T1 well-being, having genital hookups between T1 and T3 for non-autonomous reasons (i.e., due to self-imposed pressures, external contingencies and controls, or complete lack of intentionality) was linked to lower self-esteem, higher depression and anxiety, and more physical symptoms. Autonomous hookup motivation (i.e., emanating from one's self) was not linked to any outcomes. Compared to peers without hookups, those with high non-autonomy in their hookups typically had inferior well-being; this was not true of those with low non-autonomy hookups. Gender differences, implications for SDT and casual sex research, and implications for educational programs and clinical work are discussed.

Casual Sex: Integrating Social, Behavioral, and Sexual Health Research

“…To this end, some researchers have begun employing longitudinal methods to better understand changes over time. However, these studies primarily follow college students across a semester or an academic year (e.g., Fielder and Carey 2010;Vrangalova 2015), with some recent studies following individuals through developmental trajectories (e.g., Lyons et al 2015). Uncommitted sexual encounters have become somewhat of a hallmark of early or emerging adulthood Stinson 2010), and can begin in adolescence.…”

Psychological Well-Being as a Predictor of Casual Sex Relationships and Experiences among Adolescents: A Short-Term Prospective Study

“…They should also encourage adolescents to clarify their expectations about CSREs and under what conditions they could become a positive experience. Vrangalova (2015b) showed that having motivations that are not considered to be egosyntonic, such as social or internalized social pressure, was linked to worse psychological outcomes of genital CSREs. Some gender issues should be considered.…”

Casual Sex and College Students: Sex Differences and the Impact of Father Absence

“…For example, in shortterm mating, the following female goals can be associated with positive outcomes and reactions: Assess partners' investment potential; test own attractiveness (mate value); gain opportunity to acquire higher investment; and acquire superior genes (Buss 1994;Buss and Schmitt 1993). In contrast, women who use short-term mating to establish relationships are often disappointed (Paul and Hayes 2002;Townsend 1995;Vrangalova 2015). In comparison, men's emotions motivate them to engage in low-cost sex with a variety of women when the opportunities present themselves and to be less concerned about long-term intentions (Salmon and Symons 2001).…”

“…In contrast, some studies report positive associations for both sexes between casual sexual relations and confidence, self-esteem, and sexual satisfaction (Campbell 2008;Owen and Fincham 2011). Vrangalova (2015) proposed that these mixed results suggest that there may be moderators that influence these dynamics, such as the different motivations that could lead to hooking-up.…”

“…A number of studies (Paul and Hayes 2002;Townsend and Wasserman 2011;Vrangalova 2015) have reported both positive and negative emotional reactions to casual sex as well as outcomes related to physical and mental well-being. Townsend and Wasserman (2011) reported that attitudes of sexual permissiveness were positively associated with number of sex partners for both sexes; however, even women who deliberately engaged in casual sex experienced more worry and vulnerability.…”