Liquid Courage: Alcohol Fosters Risky Sexual Decision-Making in Individuals with Sexual Fears

Abstract

The interaction of sexual fear and acute alcohol intoxication on the likelihood of risky sexual behavior was explored. Participants (Ps; N = 115) completed a measure of sexual fears and were randomly assigned to no-, low-, or high-dose alcohol conditions. Ps then read an eroticized vignette, where they were the protagonist, and rated their likelihood of sex with a new partner when no condom was available. Controlling for gender and social desirability, compared to sober Ps, highly intoxicated Ps indicated that they were more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. Sexual fear was modestly negatively related to risky sex likelihood among sober or mildly intoxicated Ps but strongly positively related to risky sex likelihood among highly intoxicated Ps. Findings underscore the notion that alcohol affects different types of individuals differently and indicate that alcohol may foster sexual risk-taking, in part, by attenuating or counteracting fear or anxiety.

Indirect Effects of Acute Alcohol Intoxication on Sexual Risk-taking: The Roles of Subjective and Physiological Sexual Arousal

“…Although lab analogues of sexual situations can never fully capture all elements-including the timing of sexual stimuli and alcohol intake-involved in real sexual situations, participants reported that the vignette was very realistic and arousing. Such vignettes have effectively analogized real-life encounters for both sexual risk-taking (Stoner, George, Norris, & Peters, 2007) and sexual assault (Davis, George, & Norris, 2004;Norris et al, 2006). Another strength was present in our sampling of both college students and urban community residents, including higher risk individuals recruited from neighborhoods with elevated HIV prevalence rates, bolstering the generalizability of our findings.…”

Male alcohol use and unprotected sex with non-regular partners: Evidence from wine shops in Chennai, India

“…Qualitative analysis-In-depth interviews were recorded in local language, transcribed to English and analyzed for content using Atlas.ti (32). The data were reviewed for three main codes: alcohol consumption patterns, sexual behavior and use of alcohol, factors influence alcohol use and sexual risk.…”

“…Randomized designs have shown that under controlled conditions those exposed to alcohol and a sexual vignette report increased intentions to engage in unsafe sex, but have low sexual risk perceptions (Weinhardt and Carey, 2000). Studies also show that individual differences in impulsivity, cognitive responses and differential reaction to alcohol may account for risky sexual outcomes (Stoner et al, 2006;Hendershot and George, 2006). Studies that have explored alcohol use related factors and their associations with sexual risk have not been widely reported from India where there are now over 5 million individuals infected with HIV (National AIDS Control Organization, 2006) since the first case of HIV was reported in 1986 (Simoes et al, 1987).…”

Exploring “Wine Shops” as a Venue for HIV Prevention Interventions in Urban India

“…Alcohol dependence has been associated with decreased ability to adopt safe sexual behavior 26 and, depending upon individual cognitive abilities and fears, it may foster risky sexual behaviors. 27 Patrons in Chennai drank for various reasons: to be social and stress-free, to feel disinhibited, and to give confidence to have sex. Other factors such as lack of a steady sexual partner, frustration with life, expectations from family, and poverty were also reported as motivators for alcohol consumption.…”