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Does Casual Sex Harm College Students’ Well-Being? A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Motivation

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Abstract

Engagement in casual sex (or hooking up) is generally feared to have negative well-being consequences; however, empirical evidence is inconclusive, pointing toward potential moderators. Using self-determination theory (SDT), we hypothesized that well-being following hookups would depend on the type and level of motivation for hooking up. A university-wide sample of 528 undergraduates completed online surveys at the beginning (T1) and end (T3) of one academic year. After controlling for demographics, personality traits (i.e., neuroticism and extraversion), prior casual and romantic sex, and T1 well-being, having genital hookups between T1 and T3 for non-autonomous reasons (i.e., due to self-imposed pressures, external contingencies and controls, or complete lack of intentionality) was linked to lower self-esteem, higher depression and anxiety, and more physical symptoms. Autonomous hookup motivation (i.e., emanating from one’s self) was not linked to any outcomes. Compared to peers without hookups, those with high non-autonomy in their hookups typically had inferior well-being; this was not true of those with low non-autonomy hookups. Gender differences, implications for SDT and casual sex research, and implications for educational programs and clinical work are discussed.

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Notes

  1. The results were virtually identical, albeit somewhat weaker, when the amotivation item was excluded from the non-autonomous motivation score or when controlled motivation and amotivation weree treated as separate variables (data available on request).

  2. Initial analyses also controlled for sexual orientation (heterosexual vs. nonheterosexual) and race (White vs. Nonwhite). Neither was significant and both were excluded from final models.

  3. Initial analyses also controlled for interactions between T1–T3 hookups and all control variables (as recommended by Yzerbyt, Muller, & Judd, 2004); most of these interactions were non-significant and, in all cases, had no impact on the main results, so we excluded them from the final analyses.

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Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by a grant-in-aid from the Foundation for Scientific Study of Sexuality, a grant-in-aid from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and a grant from the Human Ecology Alumni Association, Cornell University, all awarded to Zhana Vrangalova for conducting her doctoral dissertation research. I would like to thank Rachel Mack, Melany Bradshaw, and Vickie Liang for their help with data collection and preparation.

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  1. Department of Human Development, Cornell University, B40 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA

    Zhana Vrangalova

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  1. Zhana Vrangalova
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Correspondence to Zhana Vrangalova.

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Vrangalova, Z. Does Casual Sex Harm College Students’ Well-Being? A Longitudinal Investigation of the Role of Motivation. Arch Sex Behav 44, 945–959 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0255-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0255-1

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