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The Influence of Traits of Disinhibition on the Association Between Alcohol Use and Risky Sexual Behavior
Author(s) -
Justus Alicia N.,
Finn Peter R.,
Steinmetz Joseph E.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2000.tb04646.x
Subject(s) - disinhibition , impulsivity , psychology , association (psychology) , personality , sensation seeking , big five personality traits , clinical psychology , risky sexual behavior , developmental psychology , alcohol , social psychology , psychiatry , medicine , population , sexually active , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry , psychotherapist
Background: Past research has demonstrated a link between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior; the processes that may underlie this association remain largely unexplored, however. Recent studies suggest that personality traits such as excitement seeking, impulsivity, and social deviance proneness may play an important role in both behaviors. Methods: A structural model of the association between disinhibited personality traits, alcohol use, and risky sexual behavior (sex with stranges/one‐night stands) was tested. We recruited a sample of 410 college students that reported a wide range of scores on self‐reported measures of disinhibition. We hypothesized that disinhibited personality characteristics would be primarily responsible for the association between risky sexual behavior and alcohol problems. A third‐variable model was proposed to demonstrate this association. Results: The results suggested that the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior is best explained by their common association with excitement seeking. There was a significant correlation between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior when considered alone. However, when controlling for the effects of personality, the correlation was nonsignificant. In a final model, both excitement seeking and social deviance proneness were found to be significantly associated with alcohol use, and excitement seeking was significantly related to risky sexual behavior. Conclusions: Results suggest the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior is best characterized by a common association with excitement seeking.