Sexual Hookups and Alcohol Consumption Among African American and Caucasian College Students: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This study investigated college students' sexual hooking up and its associations with alcohol consumption for men and women; furthermore, potential differences related to ethnicity were investigated. Students at a midsized southeastern university who identified as Caucasian or African American (N = 227) completed a survey assessing sexual behavior, demographics, and alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking was associated with ever hooking up, number of hookup partners, hookup frequency, and level of sexual contact during hooking up for Caucasian students, but not for their African American peers. Among Caucasians, moderate drinking men reported more intense sexual contact during hookups than their female peers who were moderate drinkers; sexual contact levels were more similar for men and women who were either nondrinkers or heavy drinkers. Limitations and strengths are discussed, as are ideas for future studies on hooking up and for educational efforts to protect against potentially negative outcomes of hooking up.

Growing Up, Hooking Up, and Drinking: A Review of Uncommitted Sexual Behavior and Its Association With Alcohol Use and Related Consequences Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States

“…Alcohol consumption has been consistently linked to hooking up such that those who consume alcohol at high levels and use it more often are more likely than those who do not to engage in hookups overall, to hook up more frequently, and to report having a greater number of hookup partners (Desiderato and Crawford, 1995; Owen et al, 2010, 2011; Barriger and Vélez-Blasini, 2013; Olmstead et al, 2013a; Bernston et al, 2014; LaBrie et al, 2014; Roberson et al, 2015; Thomson et al, 2015). Although most research in this area has been conducted on college students, the general relationship between overall alcohol use and hooking up has been upheld in middle and high school students (Fortunato et al, 2010; Johnson, 2013).…”

Examining the influence of gender and sexual motivation in college hookups

“…Gender differences have been noted in some studies, with women reporting fewer hookups, fewer hookup partners, and a preference for traditional dating over hooking up. 7–9 Hookups often occur under the influence of alcohol, 4,10 and in fact, heavier drinkers are more likely to have penetrative sex when hooking up. 10,11 This is important because approximately half of college students do not use condoms during penetrative hookups, 2,4 and penetrative hookups can place young adults at risk for sexually transmitted infections and/or unwanted pregnancy.…”

“…7–9 Hookups often occur under the influence of alcohol, 4,10 and in fact, heavier drinkers are more likely to have penetrative sex when hooking up. 10,11 This is important because approximately half of college students do not use condoms during penetrative hookups, 2,4 and penetrative hookups can place young adults at risk for sexually transmitted infections and/or unwanted pregnancy. Yet despite the potential risks, many college students report positive consequences from hooking up, 12–15 suggesting that there are rewards – not just risks – associated with these sexual encounters.…”

“…22 Heavier drinkers are more likely to hookup, report a greater number of hookup partners, and are more likely to have penetrative sex when hooking up. 10,11 Alcohol may help facilitate hooking up sexual behavior, but it can also increase risk for sexual and emotional consequences. 4,12,23 To our knowledge, no studies have examined how typical drinking may influence the relationship between sexual motivation, gender, and hooking up sexual behavior.…”

Ancestry‐specific and sex‐specific risk alleles identified in a genome‐wide gene‐by‐alcohol dependence interaction study of risky sexual behaviors

“…There are multiple adverse effects of chronic exposure to alcohol, including the development of alcohol use disorders [Polimanti et al, 2017c]. Heavy drinking is associated with negative behavioral traits such as risky sexual behaviors (RSB).For example, heavy drinking is associated with an increased likelihood of sexual activity [Thompson et al, 2014], with heavy drinkers being more likely to have multiple sexual partners in a year [Thomson Ross et al, 2014], and an elevated blood alcohol concentration is associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex [Davis et al, 2009]. “Alcohol myopia theory” describes the alcohol-induced behavioral changes: alcohol ingestion leads to a state of short-sightedness by reducing cognitive processing capacity [Sevincer and Oettingen, 2014].…”