Hooking Up and Psychological Well-Being in College Students: Short-Term Prospective Links Across Different Hookup Definitions

Abstract

Hooking up (sex outside committed, romantic relationships) is feared to result from or lead to compromised psychological well-being among undergraduates, yet longitudinal evidence is scarce and inconclusive, and different hookup definitions complicate cross-study comparisons. This study examined short-term longitudinal associations with four well-being indicators (depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and self-esteem) across several definitions of hookups based on relationship length (one time, longer casual, and any) and physical intimacy level (kissing, genital touching, oral sex, and intercourse). A university-wide sample of 666 Northeastern U.S. freshmen and juniors (63% female, 68% White) completed online surveys at the beginning and end of one academic semester. Linear and logistic regressions explored whether hookups over the semester were linked to later well-being, and whether initial well-being was linked to later hookups. Across all 96 regressions, statistically significant associations between well-being and hookups were infrequent (23%), predominantly confined to anxiety and life satisfaction, equally likely in the direction of higher (13%) as lower (10%) well-being, and affected by both casual relationship length and intimacy level. When gender differences emerged (11%), hookups were associated with higher well-being for women and lower well-being for men. This complex set of results points to the importance of researchers' choices in hookup definitions.

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

“…Among young adults, a similar result of no association between self-esteem and engagement in CSREs was found over a few months (Fielder & Carey, 2010;Vrangalova, 2015a). The relationship between self-esteem and sexual behaviors among adolescents, including the initiation of sexual intercourse as well as CSREs, appears to be complex.…”

“…Higher self-esteem has been reported as a predictor of fewer CSREs involving oral sex among young women (Fielder et al, 2013). Nevertheless, other studies have found no predictive role of self-esteem on CSREs among women or men (Fielder & Carey, 2010;Vrangalova, 2015a). Conclusions based on convergent findings are impossible to draw regarding whether higher or lower self-esteem is linked to a greater likelihood of engaging in CSREs among young adults and among adolescents, as there are no available prospective studies.…”

“…A comprehensive theoretical framework to guide research on CSREs during adolescence is not available, partially due to the complexity of adolescent sexuality. While CSREs frequently are regarded as a cause or a result of compromised well-being in adolescents and young adults (Vrangalova, 2015a), empirical results are actually mixed for both populations. This current study examined one direction of influence of this association, psychological well-being as a predictor of engagement in CSREs, using a prospective longitudinal design in a subsample from a representative sample of adolescents.…”

“…According to data collected in the United States, more boys than girls are involved in CSREs (Manning et al, 2005;. Gender differences in the association between depressive symptoms and CSREs (Bersamin et al, 2013;Grello, Welsh, & Harper, 2006;Owen, Rhoades, Stanley, & Fincham, 2010) as well as divergent conclusions regarding the extent to which self-esteem is linked to CSREs among young adults (Fielder & Carey, 2010;Fielder et al, 2013;Vrangalova, 2015a) and the absence of prospective studies on this association among adolescents emphasize the relevance of investigating the influence of gender on sexual behaviors. Our study also explored the influence of frequent alcohol and drug consumption as well as suicidal ideation because gender has not been examined so far (Johnson, 2013;Johnson & Chen, 2014;Sandberg-Thoma & Kamp Dush, 2014;Tapert et al, 2001).…”

The Tridimensional Structure of Sociosexuality: Spanish Validation of the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory

“…We also found that dissatisfaction with sexual life is related to sociosexual desire but not to past behavior or to attitudes. Even so, further research in this field is necessary to examine the antecedents of sociosexuality and their possible role as mediators between casual sex and its consequences (Owen, Fincham, & Moore, 2011;Vrangalova, 2015;Vrangalova & Ong, 2014).…”