Regulatory Focus and Perceived Safety with Casual Partners: Implications for Perceived Risk and Casual Sex Intentions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Fundamental motives for survival help people regulate their goal pursuit, by shaping perceptions, feelings and actions. Motives for security (i.e., prevention focus) are associated with risk awareness and risk avoidance, whereas motives for pleasure (i.e., promotion focus) are associated with risk taking. Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, survival needs and health risks are particularly salient. Hence, people focused on prevention (vs. promotion) should be more aware of health risks, more careful in their sexual behaviors, and less likely to take sexual health risks with casual partners. However, feeling safer with casual partners might mitigate some of the risks associated with sexual behaviors during this pandemic. Methods: We administered an online survey in English, Spanish and German to 550 single participants (57.6% women; Mage = 24.72, SD = 5.75). Results: Prevention focused participants were less fearful of COVID-19 infection, perceived to be better informed, and retrieved their information from scientific sources. They were also less likely to have condomless sex with casual partners, regardless how safe they perceived to be with them. Promotion focused participants were more fearful of COVID-19 infection and perceived to be better informed, but retrieved their information from non-scientific sources. They were more willing to have sex with casual partners, and more likely to consider having condomless oral sex, but only if they felt safer (vs. less safe) with their casual partnersConclusions: Our findings show the importance of individual motivations and interpersonal dynamics for risk perception and sexual health behaviors.

Individual Motives for Security Influence Sexual Activity During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Although single people increase their risk of COVID-19 infection by having sex with casual partners, recent research has shown that single people are using condoms less frequently since the pandemic Dacosta et al, 2021). Yet, another study has shown that single people with a prevention (vs. promotion) focus reported stronger intentions to use condoms with casual partners (Rodrigues & Kärgel, 2020). However, this research did not establish if people's motives translate into sexual activity during the pandemic.…”

“…According to Regulatory Focus Theory (Higgins, 1998(Higgins, , 2015, people with a prevention (vs. promotion) focus tend to be more averse to risks and perceive more threats to their health (e.g., Lemarié et al, 2019;Rodrigues et al, 2019;Zou & Scholer, 2016) and are more likely to engage in health protection behaviors (e.g., Fuglestad et al, 2013;Rodrigues, Lopes, Pereira, et al, 2020;Zou & Scholer, 2016). For single people, this extends to stronger intentions to protect their sexual health (Rodrigues et al, 2019;Rodrigues & Kärgel, 2020).…”

“…Early research has tested the role of regulatory focus in modulating risk perception and health preventative behaviors (e.g., washing hands; Rodrigues, Lopes, & Balzarini, 2020) and in predicting sexual behavioral intentions (e.g., intentions to have condomless sex with causal partners; Rodrigues & Kärgel, 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, to the best of our knowledge, studies have yet to examine if and how regulatory focus informs actual sexual behaviors among single people during this time.…”

“…However, to the best of our knowledge, studies have yet to examine if and how regulatory focus informs actual sexual behaviors among single people during this time. Having a prevention focus heightens risk perception (e.g., Higgins et al, 2001;Rodrigues et al, 2019;Zou & Scholer, 2016) and motivates people to retrieve COVID-19 knowledge from more objective sources of information (e.g., official reports), and fosters health protection (e.g., official reports; Rodrigues & Kärgel, 2020). Hence, people with a prevention (vs. promotion) focus should be particularly aware of the risks and implications of being infected with COVID-19 (see also Rodrigues, Lopes, & Balzarini, 2020).…”

“…Past research has examined the effects of regulatory focus on health (e.g., Avraham et al, 2016;Leder et al, 2015;Rodrigues, Lopes, & Balzarini, 2020) and sexual health (Rodrigues et al, 2019;Rodrigues, Lopes, Pereira, et al, 2020;Rodrigues & Kärgel, 2020).…”