Rose Wesche

Latent Classes of Sexual Behaviors: Prevalence, Predictors, and Consequences

Scholars of adolescent and emerging adult sexuality have recently begun to study how diverse patterns of sexual behaviors contribute to development and well-being. A person-oriented approach to studying sexual behaviors provides a nuanced understanding of sexual repertoires. The goals of this paper were to document patterns of sexual behaviors ranging from kissing to penetrative sex, and to examine how latent classes of behaviors, gender, and partner type (romantic versus nonromantic) predict intra- and interpersonal consequences of sexual behaviors. Latent class analysis of a stratified random sample of US college students revealed four classes of sexual behaviors: Kissing Only, Kissing and Touching, All Behaviors, and Oral and Penetrative Only. Compared to individuals in the All Behaviors class, individuals in the Kissing Only class were less likely to experience a positive or a negative intrapersonal consequence of sexual behaviors. Men were less likely to report a negative intrapersonal consequence than women were. Partner type predicted negative interpersonal consequences for the All Behaviors class. Implications are discussed in terms of normative sexual development, prevention, and sexual and relationship education.

Changes in Diverse Sexual and Contraceptive Behaviors Across College

Researchers have made repeated calls for a better understanding of normative sexuality development during adolescence and young adulthood. We examined how the occurrence of seven penetrative, nonpenetrative, and contraceptive behaviors changed longitudinally across seven waves, and how individual (gender) and contextual (romantic relationship status) factors related to these changes in a sample of college students (N = 730, M age = 18.4 at Semester 1; 51% female; 26% Hispanic/Latino American, 22% Black/African American, 30% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 45% White/European American). Across college, reported kissing, touching, performing and receiving oral sex, and penetrative sex rates increased, and contraception use (any type) and condom use (in particular) rates decreased, demonstrating changes with age independent of young adults’ romantic relationship experiences. Rates of all sexual behaviors were higher, and of contraception use lower, when students were in serious romantic relationships. Contraception use decreased more for men than for women, particularly in semesters men were not in serious relationships. Condom use decreased for men, and for women in semesters they were in serious relationships. Findings demonstrate normative trends in sexuality development, as well as suggesting the value of enhanced sexual health promotion programming, with a particular focus on contraceptive behaviors, across college.

Evaluations and Future Plans After Casual Sexual Experiences: Differences Across Partner Type

Casual sexual relationships and experiences (CSREs) are common among emerging adults, and their diversity may contribute to variability in their associations with mental health and future romantic relationship development. The present research used multiple regression analyses to examine how CSRE type (casual dating, friends with benefits [FWB], or booty call/one-night stand) is associated with short-term outcomes of these experiences, including positive and negative evaluations, plans to start a romantic relationship with a CSRE partner, and general plans for future CSREs. College students and non-college-attending emerging adults (N = 192, 80% female, mean age = 22.09 years) reported on recent sexual encounters through daily diaries collected around an alcohol consumption holiday. Individuals with casual dating partners evaluated their experiences more positively and/or less negatively than individuals with booty calls/one-night stands; these associations were moderated by gender and sexual behavior type. Individuals with casual dating partners were more oriented toward pursuing a romantic relationship with their partners than individuals with FWB or booty calls/one-night stands. However, no association was found between CSRE type and plans for future CSREs in general. Results highlight the diversity of CSREs and suggest that casual dating may be more rewarding than FWB and booty calls/one-night stands, particularly for women.

Long-Distance Dating Relationships, Relationship Dissolution, and College Adjustment

Long-distance dating relationships (LDDRs) and the dissolution of these relationships may have implications for day-to-day affect and behaviors. The current study examined the associations of relationship status, long-distance relationship dissolution, and daily location with daily positive affect, loneliness, university activity engagement, and alcohol use. College students (n = 718, 51.5% female, 43.9% White/European American, 29.7% Asian/Asian American/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 25.5% Hispanic/Latino American, and 21.7% Black/African American; M = 18.4 [0.4] years old) completed up to 14 consecutive daily diary surveys twice during their first year. Students in LDDRs had less positive affect and were lonelier when they were on campus than off campus and tended to engage in university activities on fewer days than other students. Daily affect and behavior did not differ depending on whether students dissolved or maintained their LDDR.

Are We There Yet? Gender and Equality in Couple Relationships

In this concluding chapter, we look back at the perspectives and evidence put forth during Penn State’s 22nd Annual Symposium on Family Issues and in this volume, and reflect on some of the questions that were at the heart of the discussion: How have marriage and couple relationships changed for men and women? How could they be better? What do changes in marriage and couple relationships mean for policymakers and researchers? We conclude that marriage is still a gendered institution, though not as much as when Jessie Bernard demonstrated that marriage was better for men than for women in her 1972 book The Future of Marriage. We also find that historical changes in the gendered benefits of marriage and couple relationships are shaped by race/ethnicity, class, and sexual identity. We argue that, in order for marriage to continue to improve for both men and women, policy shifts and research must address the needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds.