Document Type
Article - post-print
Publication Date
2013
Abstract
This study used content analysis techniques to explore 221 first-year college women's perceptions of female peers’ reasons (i.e., normative perceptions) for hooking up. Data on personal participation in hooking up were also collected. The well-established Drinking Motives Questionnaire (Cooper, 1994) was used as a framework for coding positive (enhancement or social) and negative (coping or conformity) normative hookup motivations. Participants most commonly indicated that enhancement reasons motivated peers’ hookup behaviors (69.7%). Coping (23.5%), external (21.7%), social (19.5%), and conformity (16.3%) motives were cited less frequently. Furthermore, women who had hooked up since matriculating into college (61.5%, n = 136) were significantly more likely to state that their female peers hook up for enhancement reasons (a positive motive), but they were significantly less likely to perceive that typical female peers hook up for coping or conformity reasons (negative motives) (ps < .001). Findings indicate not only that college women uphold overwhelmingly positive perceptions for peers’ hooking up, but there appears to be a strong relationship between college women's own hooking up participation and the positive versus negative attributions they ascribe to hooking up among their peers. This study extends the understanding of college women's perceptions and potential influences of hooking up and provides implications for harm reduction efforts.
Original Publication Citation
Kenney, S. R., Thadani, V., Ghaidarov, T., & LaBrie, J. W. (2013). First-Year College Women's Motivations for Hooking up: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Normative Peer Perceptions and Personal Hookup Participation. International Journal of Sexual Health : Official Journal of the World Association for Sexual Health, 25(3), 212–224. http://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2013.786010.
Publisher Statement
This is an author-manuscript of an article accepted for publication in International Journal of Sexual Healthfollowing peer review. The version of record: Kenney, S. R., Thadani, V., Ghaidarov, T., & LaBrie, J. W. (2013). First-Year College Women's Motivations for Hooking up: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Normative Peer Perceptions and Personal Hookup Participation. International Journal of Sexual Health : Official Journal of the World Association for Sexual Health, 25(3), 212–224 is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2013.786010.
Digital Commons @ LMU & LLS Citation
Kenney, Shannon R.; Thadani, Vandana; Ghaidarov, Tehniat; and LaBrie, Joseph W., "First-Year College Women's Motivations for Hooking up: A Mixed-Methods Examination of Normative Peer Perceptions and Personal Hookup Participation" (2013). Psychological Science Faculty Works. 14.
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/psyc_fac/14
