Sociological trends from the previous two decades have found that college students in the United States are reporting decreasing rates of sexual activity, and that these rates are also lower than what students presume them to be. Despite these trends, sexual regret remains a prevalent and damaging issue among university students, for a number of potential reasons relating to non-consent, abuse, intoxication, etc. This study aimed to investigate possible relationships between regretted sexual experiences (RSE), alcohol use, protective behavioral strategies, and mental health symptoms among undergraduate students.
The study’s sample consisted of 1394 student from a large undergraduate university who were recruited from a research pool (N=1394, 57.68% female). Participants responded to a comprehensive questionnaire which measured the following variables for each participant: demographics, regretted sexual experiences, current sexual activity, sexual assault victimization history (via Sexual Experiences Survey-Short Form Victimization), anxiety symptoms (via Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 Item Screen), depression symptoms (via Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Item Depression Screen), trauma symptoms (via Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-V), suicidal symptoms (via Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale), problematic alcohol use (via Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test), and protective behavioral strategy engagement (via the Protective Behavioral Strategy Survey-20). Anxiety, depression, trauma, and suicidal ideation were all considered internalizing psychological symptoms, while problematic alcohol use and protective behavioral strategies were considered externalizing symptoms. Multiple-dependent variable regression models were used to elucidate possible correlations between these variable sets.
The results of the study found that participants with histories of RSE were more likely to present with internalizing symptoms regardless of when the RSE took place. Significant associations between problematic alcohol us and recent RSE were found, indicating the possibility of alcohol being used as a coping mechanism, or that its use is associated with increased risk of RSE. Additionally, individuals with a history of RSE were found to use protective behavioral strategies (avoiding drinking games, pacing, using designated drivers, etc.) much less frequently than those not reporting RSE.
Takeaway: individuals reporting regretted sexual experiences are at significantly increased risk for a variety of mental health diagnoses. A history of regretted sexual experiences can be used as a screening tool to identify students who are at risk for problematic drinking, as well as many who may need appropriate mental healthcare resources. Protective behavioral strategies and alcohol consumption interventions may help to reduce regretted sexual experience prevalence.