The relationship between risky sexual behaviour practices and attachment styles in a university sample.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between attachment styles and risky sexual behavior in youth. A secondary aim was to explore the relationship between particularly risky sexual behaviors and participants' membership in an attachment dimension. A negative relationship was shown between risky sexual behavior and participants in the close attachment dimension.

A positive relationship was found between risky sexual behavior and participants on both the dependent and anxious dimensions of attachment. A goal of this study is to examine the relationship between risky sexual behavior and attachment dimensions in young adults.

Literature Review

Risky Sexual behaviour

A definition
Etiology of Risky sexual behaviour

Environmental Factors
Individual Developmental Factors
Personal Factors

Risky sexual behaviour and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases
Strategies for reducing sexually transmitted infections

Persistent gender stereotypes mean that young women continue to experience their sexual behavior differently from young men (Haffner, 1995, as cited in Taylor et al., 2000; Brook et al., 2006). This has been cited by many authors as being the main contributor to the high prevalence of STDs among young female adults (MacPhail & Campbell, 2001; Brook et al., 2006; Taylor-Seehafer et al., 2000). Young women with higher levels of self-esteem may be better able to resist pressure to engage in risky sexual behavior than women with lower self-esteem (Gillmore, Butler, Lohr, & Gilchrist, 1992, as cited in Taylor-Seehafer et al. , 2000).

Research indicates that women with high levels of self-esteem used condoms frequently and consistently and engaged in the lowest levels of STI risk behaviors (Taylor-Sheehafer et al., 2000; Knodel et al., 1996). Furthermore, there was no significant increase in HIV test seeking among this population (Wellings et al., 2006).

Attachment theory

Bowlby’s contribution
Ainsworth’s contribution
Attachment in adolescents and adults
Attachment theory as applied to a South African cross-cultural population
Attachment as romantic love
Attachment styles and sexuality
Attachment styles and motivations to engage in risky sexual behaviour
Attachment styles, sexual behaviour and self-esteem
Summary

Separation protest: Threats to the continued accessibility of the attachment figure give rise to protest and an active effort to impede separation. She began to elaborate on Bowlby's view that affect and emotion are part of the infant's or child's assessment processes. Main (1996) argues that the greater variation in the distribution of patterns A, B and C exists within, rather than between, countries.

Most of the research on adult attachment patterns indicates that approximately half of the population is securely attached. They argued that this is a more accurate reflection of the level of attachment, as their study included a cross-section of different cultures (Minde et al., 2006). Many of the homes in the sample consisted of one room, meaning that all of the mother's daily activities took place in the presence of the child.

Many of the mechanisms by which attachment styles develop and change are clearly related to the processes involved in the formation of self-concept and self-esteem (Ahern & LeBrocque, 2003; Cassidy, 1990).

Figure 1: Model of adult attachment (Bartholomew and Horowitz, 1991)

Methodology

Rationale
Aims and hypotheses
Research Design
Sample
Instruments

Measure of self-esteem
Past and present sexual Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire
Adult Attachment Scale

Procedure and Ethical Considerations
Analysis of Data

There will be a significant correlation between the attachment dimension and the past and present sexual behavior questionnaire subscales. 2b An anxious attachment style will be associated with multiple sexual partners and casual sexual encounters (one-night stands). However, given the simplicity of the measure and the specific behavior it measures, it is likely to be reliable.

The Adult Attachment Scale (AAS) is a self-administered measure that requires subjects to read each of 18 statements and then rate themselves on a 5-point Likert scale indicating the extent to which the statements describe their feelings about romantic relationships. The lecturers agreed and expressed their willingness to provide the last twenty minutes of their lecture for data collection. students were informed about the purpose of the study and were told that the purpose of the study was to consider the relationship between sexual behavior and dimensions of their attachment. Appendix A) Study hypotheses were not disclosed to prevent or limit the potential effect of expectancy.

It was explained that participation was entirely voluntary and would not form any part of the course evaluation. They were assured that access to the questionnaire would be limited to the researcher and the study supervisor to maintain privacy. Participants were encouraged to contact the campus Clinic or the Student Counseling Center if any concerns were raised while completing the questionnaires.

Reliability coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) were calculated for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire, the Past and Current Sexual Behavior Questionnaire and on the three sub-scales of the AAS to examine the level of internal consistency for this measure. Principal component factor analysis, with varimax rotation, was performed on the 18 items of the AAS to explore Collins & Read's (1990) rationale for reducing the 18 items to three dimensions and to examine whether this rationale applies to the current study's sample. Correlation coefficients were calculated between the subscales of the ASD and the Past and Current Sexual Behavior Questionnaire subscales to observe the overall pattern.

Results

Descriptive Statistics
Reliability

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire
Past and Present Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire
Adult Attachment Scale (AAS)

Hypothesis 1

Relationship between total risk behaviour and AAS scales
Summary of Findings

Hypothesis 2

Relationship between Past and Present Sexual Behaviour subscales and AAS Dimensions
Summary of Findings

Hypothesis 3

A moderate negative relationship (Table 7) was found between the scores on the Past and Present Sexual Behavior Questionnaire and the Close attachment dimension (0.247, p <.01). A positive relationship was found between the Past and Present Sexual Behavior Questionnaire and the Dependent attachment dimension (0.575, p < .01). Overall, these results suggest that students with an anxious and dependent attachment style are more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior, and students with a close attachment style are less likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior.

It was hypothesized that there would be a significant correlation between the attachment dimension and the past and present subscales of the Sexual Behavior Questionnaire. The results show that the dependent attachment dimension is more likely to have one-night stands per year, consume alcohol before engaging in sexual activity, and is more likely to engage in unprotected sex. A positive relationship was found between the number of sexual partners per year and the anxious attachment dimension indicating that anxious participants were more likely to have more sexual partners per year.

The results further show that they are likely to engage in casual intercourse. The above results confirm that there is a correlation between the subscales of the past and present sexual behavior questionnaire and the AAS dimensions. It was further found that anxiously attached students were less likely to use condoms, and those who rated higher on the Close Attachment dimensions were more likely to use condoms regularly.

Participants who scored higher on the Anxious Attachment dimension were also likely to have more sexual partners per year. Furthermore, it was found that participants on the Anxious and Dependent Attachment dimension were more likely to engage in casual sex (one night stands) than participants who scored high on the Close Attachment dimension. Regarding alcohol use before sex, the findings show that participants with anxious attachment are likely to consume alcohol before entering into a sexual relationship, while participants who score high on the close dimension of attachment are less likely to use alcohol before sex, confirming the hypothesis (2c ). ).

Table 1: Chronbachs alpha calculated for The Rosenberg Self-esteem Items Self-Esteem Item Total Correlation Alpha if Item Deleted

Discussion

Relationship between risk behaviour and attachment dimension
Comparison of Adult Attachment Style Dimensions on Past and Present Sexual Behaviour Sub-scales
Self-Esteem, attachment dimensions and risk behaviour
Limitations of this study
Implications of study and recommendations for future research

Based on the literature, it was proposed that anxiously attached and dependent adults are more likely to engage in risky sexual practices than well-attached adults (Davis, et al. Individuals high in dependent attachment reported more tending to engage in risky sexual behavior.who rated higher on dimensions of closeness were more likely to use condoms regularly (-0.236, p<.05).

However, it was hypothesized that participants on the Anxious attachment dimension were more likely to use condoms; this hypothesis was not confirmed. The finding that participants on the Anxious attachment dimension of attachment were less likely to use condoms is inconsistent with other studies and claims. In was found that participants on the close dimension of attachment were more likely to use condoms.

Participants on the dependent dimension were found to be highly correlated with engaging in casual sexual encounters (.270, p<.01). Participants who scored high on the anxious dimension of attachment were found to have more sexual partners and more casual sexual encounters. This study showed that self-esteem did indeed have a moderating effect on the risk behavior of individuals, but only of people with an anxious attachment style.

Individuals on the close attachment dimension are likely to have a good secure attachment that leads to good self-esteem (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). In this study, self-esteem was indeed found to be a moderating factor in the relationship between anxious attachment style and risky sexual behavior. Many anxiously attached participants with high self-esteem were less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior.

Conclusion

Intergenerational transmission of attachment style in children of depressed mothers, paper presented at the 8th Australian Institute of Family Studies Conference, Melbourne, February 12-14. 1991) Attachments and other affective bonds across the life cycle. An experimental study of the effects of increased physical contact on the development of attachment. Seeking and giving support within couples in an anxiety-provoking situation: the role of attachment styles.

Adolescents' risk behaviors in an era of HIV/AIDS infection: a case study of youth in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Shaver (Eds.), Handbook of Attachment: Theory, Research, and Clinic Applications (pp Attachment style as a predictor of adult romantic relationships', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The influence of knowledge of HIV/AIDS and self-esteem on the sexual practices of students.

2006) Perceptions of the combination of HIV/AIDS and alcohol as a risk factor among STI clinic providers in South Africa:. Epidemiological fact sheet on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in South Africa: World Health Organization.

Study Information Sheet

Lindeggar [email protected]. participants' full names) hereby confirm that I understand the content of this document and the nature of the research project, and I.

Thank you for your Participation

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