Sexual Behaviors during the First Year of College: An Exploratory Comparison of First and Second Semester Freshmen

The transition from high school to college offers adolescents more freedom that may result in increased risky sexual behaviors. This exploratory study examines sexual behaviors of freshmen. Half of participants completed a questionnaire during the first week of college and the other half during the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAmerican journal of sexuality education Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 171 - 188
Main Authors Vail-Smith, Karen, Maguire, Rachel L, Brinkley, Jason, Burke, Sloane
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 28.05.2010
Subjects
Adolescents
At Risk Persons
College Freshmen
Comprehensive School Health Education
Contraception
Gender Differences
Pregnancy
Prevention
Program Effectiveness
Questionnaires
Racial Differences
Sex Education
Sexuality
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Student Behavior
Substance Abuse
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Summary:The transition from high school to college offers adolescents more freedom that may result in increased risky sexual behaviors. This exploratory study examines sexual behaviors of freshmen. Half of participants completed a questionnaire during the first week of college and the other half during the last week of their freshmen year. Significant differences in sexual behaviors between the semesters and subgroups of students who may be more likely to engage in high risk behaviors are identified. The results suggest that freshmen need more effective targeted educational programming about the importance of condom use in preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and pregnancy.
ISSN:1554-6128
DOI:10.1080/15546128.2010.491064