Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2002 Jul;63(4):476-85.
doi: 10.15288/jsa.2002.63.476.

The effects of alcohol and expectancies on risk perception and behavioral skills relevant to safer sex among heterosexual young adult women

Stephen A Maisto  1 , Michael P Carey, Kate B Carey, Christopher M Gordon
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

The effects of alcohol and expectancies on risk perception and behavioral skills relevant to safer sex among heterosexual young adult women

Stephen A Maisto et al. J Stud Alcohol. 2002 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: This study was undertaken to test the hypotheses that acute alcohol intoxication and alcohol-rated sex expectancies are negatively related to both risk perception (a motivational factor) and ability to negotiate safer sex (a behavioral skills factor) with a partner. Motivation and behavioral skills are determinants of safer sex according to the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills (IMB) model.

Method: A total of 102 heterosexual females ages 21-30 years participated in two sessions. The first session involved the administration of various measures to confirm eligibility status, and random assignment to one of three beverage conditions: "water control:" "alcohol" (0.65 g alcohol/kg body weight) or "placebo:" The second session involved administration of the beverage and then completion of a risk perception measure and an audiovisual role-play measure of behavioral skills.

Results: Regression analyses showed that alcohol expectancies and the perception of intoxication contributed independent variance to both risk perception and behavioral skills. Actual alcohol intoxication had little influence on these dependent variables.

Conclusions: Alcohol expectancies and related factors can be related to variables that theoretically precede the occurrence of risky sex. Research is needed on the processes through which expectancies might be related to the occurrence of safer sex, as well as on person and situation variables that moderate the effects of alcohol and alcohol expectancies on safer sex.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cahalan D, Cisin I, Crossley H. American drinking practices. New Brunswick, N. J.: Rutgers Center for Alcohol Studies; 1969.
    1. Center for Disease Control. Strategies for preventing HIV in women. Atlanta: Author; 2000.
    1. Cooper ML. Alcohol and risky sex among college students: Evaluating the evidence. University of Missouri; 2000. Unpublished manuscript.
    1. Crowe LC, George WH. Alcohol and human sexuality: Review and integration. Psychol Bull. 1989;105:374–386. - PubMed
    1. Derman KH, Cooper ML. Inhibition conflict and alcohol expectancy as moderators of alcohol’s relationship to condom use. Exp Clin Psychopharm. 2000;8:198–206. - PubMed

Publication types