Hauser 1
Lauren Hauser
November 17, 2008
Consumer Health
Monday 4:45-7:15pm
Peer Pressure and Alcohol use influence on college students’ sexual behavior
Chapter 1: Introduction
Risky sexual behavior among college students has become more of a common topic in health related issues over the past couple of years. Several factors come into play when partaking in sexual behavior, such as peer pressure, alcohol and drug use. Examples of these factors can include having unprotected sex, multiple partners, intoxication of alcohol and/or drugs, pressure to do things against one’s own morals, and unwanted pregnancies. This topic is a major concern for college students, who all have the freedom to choose to do anything they want now that they don’t have their parents watching their every move.
Health education discusses these topics throughout one’s schooling and is a common topic in today’s society. Many public institutions educate their students enough to guide them toward making good decisions when in future circumstances and giving plenty of consequences in an attempt to deter them from making mistakes. This is a topic of concernin society because with all the information students are provided, they continue to make the wrong choices. Dr. Walsh from IllinoisStateUniversity has posed “a concern for college students and their excessive alcohol use leading to sexual behavior throughout the United States” (Walsh, p. 50, 2008). A major area pinpointed by Dr. Walsh’s research was on the largest study in the U.S. about this subject matter. “With a nationally representative sample of 140 four-year colleges and more than 17,000 student participants across multiple waves of data, has consistently found that more than 40 percent of U.S. college students qualify as "binge" drinkers” (Walsh, p. 50, 2008). After seeing all this data and getting the answers, we need to make an impression on students during their pre-college years, because with new freedoms, students are easily influenced to use or pressured leading to inhibited decision making.
Research Question:
After having stated all of the above, the question for this research paper is: among college students, does peer pressure and alcohol use influence risky sexual behavior?
Significance of the Problem:
This question is important to answer because college students should be aware of the potential consequences that they could face upon making decisions for themselves. It is safe to say a majority of college students aren’t ready to deal with negative outcomes of risky sexual behavior. This study is designed to look at the college atmosphere, background knowledge about these behaviors all students face, and how they influence the types of choices college students make when it comes to their own sexual behavior.
Chapter 2: Review of Literature
Sexual Behavior:
When considering how college students behave sexually, it is important to understand their knowledge background. By eighteen, the majority have seen, heard, or taken a class that has discussed many common topics such as peer pressure, alcohol and drug use, or sexual behavior. Most of the time people who are educated are well aware of the potential risks and dangers of participating in any unsafe behaviors. But for college students this sometimes takes a back seat when they know peers are partaking in such activities. In a journal article by Dr. Cooper, she states that “sexual experimentation in college, similar to alcohol consumption, is a rite-of-passage for most college students with many learning through their newfound autonomy and self-governance how to, for the first time, manage their sexual relationships and their sexuality” (Cooper, p.101, 2002). They learn by listening and watching others in hopes to fit in. They tend to make a decision to become a follower, which tends to lead to some immediate risks.
In an article by Davidson, he focused on the risks taken by students being sexually active and under the influence of alcohol as one portion of his research. He found that in “the 1990s, the percentage of college students who were under the influence of alcohol at the time of first sexualintercourse ranged from 31% and continually on subsequent occasions” (Davidson, p.3, 2008). Additionally, “research reveals that individuals engage in their most extensive identity exploration during emerging adulthood rather than early adolescence as previously believed. This developmental stage of individuation is well in process for college-age students as they arrive on university campuses that no longer provide personnel acting in loco parentis. Instead, while surrounded by peerpressure that encourages premarital sexual activity, they encounter infinite opportunities to develop a new sense of self” (Davidson, p. 8, 2008). Years of amplified rates of premarital sexual intercourse (PSI) and risk-taking sexual practices verify thisdata. Nevertheless, as sexual attitudes became more liberal, both genders’ views about sexuality united, narrowing the gap in levels of PSI between women and men. However, Davidson found that motives for engaging in sexual intercourse remained divergent, with more women than men insisting that sexual intercourse occur within an affectionate relationship (Cooper, 2002). There are many reasons why students engage in these situations upon reaching college, even though after previously being taught in school the danger doesn’t discourage young people to turn away from these behaviors. Changes need to be made so that the high numbers in these results can decrease and the education be stressed, as a precursor to change for future college bound students.
Alcohol use:
Drinking runs high among the majority of college students these days. Many incidents of date rape and other traumatic experiences have occurred across campuses nationwide. It is important to investigate the role of alcohol and other drugs when it comes to risky sexual behavior. In the journal article by Cooper, it discusses a study that was done to determine how college students reacted when they were under the influence and how they made sexual decisions while intoxicated. In the journal, they found that drinking and sex were strongly related. Additionally, Cooper gives a definition of high-risk sexual behavior and defines it as “any behavior that increase the probability of negative consequences associated with sexual contact, including AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases, and unplanned pregnancy. A nationwide survey was conducted and 15% of college students reported having negative consequences. They examined the effects of alcohol use in relation and how drinking was associated with lower rates of using condoms, leading to the poor decision making as a result” (Cooper, p.104, 2002). “They found that alcohol effects on sexual risk taking are likely to be conditional on individually held beliefs about alcohol effects on sexual behavior, situation specific contingencies controlling the behavior or a combination of the two” (Cooper,p. 104, 2002). This article also describes how it is more likely to predict the level of sexual involvement with the level of alcohol. People associate extreme drinking with behavior and in the article it describes how beliefs about the effects of alcohol have an effect on the likelihood of risky sexual behavior. In conclusion of this journal piece, it states that the relationship appears most compelling in the content of new or casual dating and sexual relationships heightens the importance of this issue among college students (Cooper, 2002). Lastly, because of the newly acquired freedom that collegesgrant to adolescents, they combine drinking and sex, which ultimately jeopardizes their mental and physical well-being.
In an article by Brown, the study had 547 participants that were at least eighteen years old. The participants took a questionnaire that included demographic items and a behavioral measure of sexual orientation and dichotomous items assessing their sexual history (Brown, 2007). They were asked if any participants were diagnosed with STDs and most recent sexual experience. Researchers wanted to know which type of sexual behaviors occurred such as vagina, oral or anal sex, if a condom was uses, and if alcohol was consumed. The researchers asked the relationship status between the partners. All participants were specifically asked if they considered their partner was a steady partner or someone they just met and barely knew well. When it came to alcohol consumption, participants were asked the average number of days a week they consumed alcohol and then the quantity of alcohol consumed per day. There was a sexual sensation seeking scale that was devised and it measured the extent of which the participants wanted to have exciting sexual encounters. One of the phrases was, “I like exciting, uninhibited sexual encounters”. The participants were then to pick a number on the scale to how true that statement was to them. The results of that survey found 39% of the participants reported to having vaginal sex and nearly one third of the consumed alcohol before the sexual encounter (Brown, p. 6, 2007). They found that alcohol consumption was high, about five or more drinks prior to having sex. In conclusion, this study found that in college, there are high rates of unprotected sex when it comes to alcohol related situations. Drinking on college campuses allows social gatherings where students can seek out new partners. This study did find a link that there is a relation between alcohol and risky sexual behavior.
Chapter 3: Methodology
Subjects:
This study is designed to study college students who fall within the range of 18-24 years old. A total of thirty students will be surveyed and all must be enrolled at RowanUniversity. Approximately half will be female and the other half male. This study is aimed towards figuring out if college students normally acted responsible and made good decisions before and during sexual activity. Additionally, this study will be designed to look at the college students atmosphere, personal background knowledge about peer pressure, alcohol effects, and risky sexual behavior, relating to how it influence their choices that they make when it comes to each person’s behavior.
Data Collection:
A survey was designed for the student to answer a series of questions about the research topic. No additional changes were made post pilot test for this research. I plan to gather information from the thirty surveys I pass out.
Timeline:
The survey will be handed out during class, as well as in other courses to get a variety of college students to participate. My fellow college peers will take as much time as needed to answer all of the survey’s questions to the best of their ability. I plan to have all thirty surveys completed within a two week period and realistically I think this outcome is possible to be completed.
Works Cited
Brown, J.L. & Vanable, P.A. (2007). Alcohol Use, Partner Type, and Risky Sexual Behavior Among College Students: Findings from an Event-Level Study. Addictive Behaviors, 12, 2940-2952.
Cooper, M. L. (2002). Alcohol use and risky sexual behavior among college students and youth: Evaluating the evidence, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Suppl. 14, 101-117.
Davidson J.K. Sr.,Moore N.B.,Earle J.R.,Davis R. (2008). Sexual attitudes and behavior at four universities: do region, race, and/or religion matter?, Adolescence, 1-9.
Walsh, J. A. &Braithwaite, J. (2008). Self-Reported Alcohol Consumption andSexual Behavior in Males and Females:Using the Unmatched-Count Techniqueto Examine Reporting Practices ofSocially Sensitive Subjects in a Sampleof University Students, Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education,49-72.