Does university students at risk of developing alcohol problems are more likely to report sexual risky behaviour?

Presenting Author: Ondrej Kalina

Co-authors: Salonna F; Orosova O; Gajdosova B

Department of Educational Psychology and Health Psychology Faculty of Arts, P. J. Safarik University

Kosice, Slovakia

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-20-038205

and the Slovak Academy of Sciences under Contract No. VEGA 1/1092/12.

Background

Why to explore relations among drinking and sexual behaviour?

• Alcohol use is broadly understood as a common part of colege experience

• Alcohol use on sexual impairment

• This relationship is basic pattern for differences in health behaviour

• Individuals of lower SES are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, and have poor nutrition (e.g. Pomerleau et al., 1997).

They also tend to hold beliefs (e.g. health depends on luck) that are not conducive to healthy behavioral decisions (Wardle & Steptoe, 2003).

BackgroundPrevious findings on SES and risky behaviour

• The findings on the relationship between SES and risk behavior in youths are not as consistent (e.g. Tuinstra et al, 1998; Hanson and Chen, 2007)

• Higher SES was associated with» fast food consumption» smoking cigarettes» and lower physical activity

(Madarasova Geckova et al., 2003; Przeweda, Dobosz, 2003)

• SES and health is particularly important in the post-communist system, where SES is undergoing significant transformation (Piko and Fitzpatric, 2001)

BackgroundWhy to explore associations between SES and sexual behaviour?

• The quality of SES may have a direct impact on occurrence of adolescent childbearing and incidence of Sexually transmitted diseases (STD) as well (Santelli et al., 2000).

• Key factors childbearing: age at first sex, frequency of intercourse, use of contraception, decision about pregnancy continuation

• Key factors for STD: age at first sex, multiple sexual partners, use of barrier protection, use of diagnostic and treatment services

• Previous studies confirmed the associations between low SES and sexual

risky behaviour (SRB)

• The impact of poverty on sexual behaviour is still not well understood

BackgroundWhy to explore associations between (SES) and sexual behaviour on college students?

• Involvement with sexual behavior, alcohol and other drugs often begins during adolescence and young adulthood

• Sexually active adolescents has a higher rates of STD acquisition than any other group (9 milion cases per year in USA, CDCP, 2007)

• Sexual risky behaviour reach the highest rates between 15-25 year of age

• Accumulation of SRB with a number of other risky behaviors including substance use and delinquency is evident

• For sources of SES young adulthood may be a specific period of age

Sample characteristic

• Data collection in 2008

• 935 university students, 336 boys and 599 girls

• Mean age 20.5 years (SD=1.4)

• Students population at University: 7 500 students

• From different faculties : medicine, science and arts

Methods

• Explored 7 types of (risky) sexual behaviour

- ever had sexual intercourse

- age at first sex

- condom use during first/last sex

- sex with unknown partner

- number of sexual partners (lifetime)

- sex under alcohol or drug influence

- duration of relationship before first and last sex• Explored 2 indicators of SES

- mother and father education status (low, middle, high)

- parental education level (combination)

- financial monthly income (less than 40 €, 40 € to 100 €, more than 100 €) (the average monthly wage in Slovak economy for first half of 2010 was 741 € )

Descriptive characteristic of sample – sexual behaviour

Boys (n=336) n / % Girls (n=599)Ever had sex yes 238 / 73.7 428 / 74.2Age at first sex 16 and less 49 / 21.5 82 / 19.8Number of sexual partners 4 and more 64 / 28.7 82 / 20.4Condom use during first sex yes 163 / 70.0 304 / 72.0Condom use during last sex yes 112 / 55.4 207 / 55.2Ever had sex with unknown person yes 57 / 24.5 45 / 10.7

Ever had sex under alcohol or drug influence yes 140 / 60.1 183 / 43.6Duration of relationship before first sex less than month 73 / 31.2 54 / 12.9Duration of relationship before last sex less than month 26 / 17.0 39 / 6.3

Descriptive characteristic of sample – socioeconomic status

All sample(n=935)

Educattion level of mother low 164 / 17.7 middle 482 / 51.9 high 282 / 30.4Education level of father low 226 / 24.8 middle 353 / 38.7 high 334 / 36.6Education level of parents low 95 / 10.2 middle 618 / 66.1 high 200 / 21.4

Boys (n=336) n / % Girls (n=599)Income less than 40 Euro 56 / 22.2 128/32.6 40 to 100 Euro 98 / 38.9 153/38.9 100 and more 98 / 29.2 112/28.5

Results: SES on sexual behaviour

Table 1 Ever had sex Age of first sexNumber of sexual

partnersCondom use during

first sexCondom use during

last sexno 16 and less 4 and more yes yes

Education level of parents low **1.0 **1.0 *1.0 *1.0 **1.0 middle 4.72 (1,55-14,44) 0.81 (0.44-1.56) 0.65 (0.32-1.30) 1.68 (1.11-2.54) 1.60 (1.06-2.41) high 4.77 (1.07-21.12) 0.47 (0.22-0.84) 0.55 (0.32-0.95) 1.73 (1.12-2.64) 1.95 (1.12-3.22)

Income less than 40 Euro ***1.0 **1.0 ns ns ns 40 to 100 Euro 0.61 (0.28-1.30) 0.91 (0.49-1.68) 100 and more 0.21 (0.09-0.51) 2.11 (1.26-3.45)

* p. < .05. ** p. < .01 ***p.< .001

Results: SES on sexual behaviour

* p. < .05. ** p. < .01 ***p.< .001

Table 2Ever had sex with unknown person

Ever had sex under alcohol or drug

influence

Duration of relationship before

first sex

Duration of relationship before

last sex

yes yes month and more month and more

Education level of parents

low **1.0 ns **1.0 **1.0

middle 0.60 (0.28-1.28) 1.75 (0.94-3.26) 3.00 (0.97-9.18)

high 0.33 (0.15-0.71) 3.50 (1.34-8.80) 4.25 (1.53-11.83)

Income

less than 40 Euro *1.0 *1.0 ns ns

40 to 100 Euro 1.23 (0.71-2.12) 1.49 (0.98-2.27)

100 and more 1.95 (1.22-4.01) 1.75 (1.09-2.80)

Summing up

Among university students...

• Higher monthly income was associated with:» higher chance to have sex» higher chance to have a early sex (16 and less) » higher chance to have sex with unknown person» higher chance to have sex under drug or alcohol influence

• Higher education level of parents was associated with:» higher chance to stay a virgin» higher chance to have a sex later (17 and more)» higher chance to have less sexual partners (3 and less)» higher chance to use condom (first and last intercourse)» lower chance to have sex with unknown person» longer duration of relationship before first or last sex

Discussion and conclusion

• Some indicators of SRB may be a potential

risk for unintended pregnancies or STD

• SES is significantly associated with sexual

behaviour

• Education and income plays a different role

• Risky or protective?» Parental education attainment seems as a preventive factor» High income supports sexual risky behaviour

• For the sources and effect of SES the young adulthood is a specific period

“If the man evolved from apes, does that mean that we came from sea monkeys?“

Thank you

AcknowledgementsThis work was supported by the Research and Development Support Agency under the Contract No.

APVV-20-038 205 and VEGA 1/4518/07.

Correspondence to:Ondrej Kalina

Department of Educational Psychology and Health PsychologyFaculty of Arts

P.J.Safarik University, KosiceSlovakia

phone: +421 55 622 2414 , +421 55 234 2140e-mail: ondrej.kalina@upjs.sk