Document Type
Article - post-print
Publication Date
6-2015
Abstract
Limited research has explored the influence of perceived injunctive norms for distal (e.g., typical student) and proximal (e.g., close friend and parents) referents on hooking up. The current study examined the longitudinal relationships among perceived injunctive norms, personal approval and hooking up behavior, and the moderating effects of gender in a sample of heavy drinking college students. At Time 1, participants completed web-based assessments of personal approval of hooking up and perceptions of close friend, parent, and typical student approval. Three months later, participants reported on whether they had hooked up. The results of a path analysis indicated that greater perceived friend and parent approval predicted greater personal approval. Further, greater perceived approval by close friends and parents indirectly contributed to hooking up behavior as mediated by participants’ own approval. Multigroup analyses indicated that close friend injunctive norms were a stronger predictor of student approval for males, as compared to females. While previous research has often failed to find an association between perceived injunctive norms and hooking up, the current findings suggest that this may reflect the use of distal referents. The findings underscore that perceptions of close friend and family approval may be useful predictors of hooking up behavior.
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Napper, L. E., Kenney, S. R., & LaBrie, J. W. (2015). The Longitudinal Relationships among Injunctive Norms and Hooking Up Attitudes and Behaviors in College Students. Journal of Sex Research, 52(5), 499–506. http://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2014.952809
Publisher Statement
This is an author-manuscript of an article accepted for publication in Journal of Sex Research following peer review. The version of record: Napper, L. E., Kenney, S. R., & LaBrie, J. W. (2015). The Longitudinal Relationships among Injunctive Norms and Hooking Up Attitudes and Behaviors in College Students. Journal of Sex Research, 52(5), 499–506 is available online at: http://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2014.952809.
