Pathways From Individual Characteristics to Subjective Consequences of Sex: The Mediating Role of Risky Sexual Encounters.

Objectives: This study examined associations between young adults' psychological characteristics and psychosocial consequences of sex, and whether risky sexual encounters mediated these associations. Methods: College students (N = 265; Mage = 19.49) completed questionnaires concerning risky sexual relationships, behaviors, situations, and psychosocial consequences during their most recent encounter and over the last year. Results: Sexual restraint indirectly predicted positive consequences of the most recent encounter via risky sexual behaviors. Sexual restraint and permissiveness predicted positive and negative consequences over the past year via risky relationships. Conclusions: Psychological characteristics may influence the likelihood of risky sexual encounters, thereby influencing consequences.

Positive, Negative, or Mixed Feelings? A Person-Centered Approach to Consequences of First Penile-Vaginal Intercourse in College Students.

Many adolescents and young adults have mixed feelings about their experience of first vaginal intercourse, experiencing both positive consequences like physical satisfaction and love, as well as negative consequences like guilt and anxiety. However, no study has examined the patterns of consequences individuals experience after first vaginal intercourse, which can provide a more nuanced sense of young adults' feelings. We used latent class analysis to examine consequences of first vaginal intercourse in a longitudinal study of college students in the Northeastern United States (N = 191; 45.6% female, 30.9% White/European American, 23.6% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 22.5% Hispanic/Latino, 14.7% Black/African American, 8.4% multiracial). For male college students, classes included Multidimensional Positive (49.4%), Intimacy and Satisfaction (4.39%), and Guilt and Regret (16.22%). For female college students, classes included Intimacy, Satisfaction, and Pain (40.84%), Primarily Negative (31.11%), and Mixed Feelings (20.86%). For male students, age at first vaginal intercourse, first intercourse with a non-relationship partner, religiosity, and non-use of contraceptives were associated with class membership; for female students, first intercourse with a non-relationship partner was associated with being* in classes marked by multiple negative consequences. Findings differ by gender and are partially in line with the sexual double standard, but provide a more nuanced picture, with the majority of both male and female college students likely to report positive consequences, specifically intimacy and physical satisfaction.

Positive and negative perceived consequences of first intercourse among middle and high school students in Puebla, Mexico.

Relatively little is known about young people's interpretations of sexual behaviour in Latin America. In this study, we examine the most commonly perceived consequences of first sexual intercourse among Mexican middle and high school students, how perceived consequences differ by gender, and factors that may predict experiencing more positive or negative consequences. Sexually active Mexican students aged 12-19 years (n = 268) reported whether they had experienced each of 19 consequences following first intercourse. Both positive consequences, such as physical satisfaction and closeness to partner, and negative consequences, such as worry about STDs and pregnancy, were common. Sex with a non-relationship partner was associated with fewer positive and more negative consequences, with the effect for positive consequences being stronger for young women. Pressure to have sex was associated with fewer positive consequences of first intercourse, and pressure to remain a virgin was associated with more positive and negative consequences. These findings suggest that young people often report mixed feelings about their first sexual intercourse and that relationship context and sexual socialisation influence their perceptions of the event.