ArticleJournal of sex research2014
Underestimating protection and overestimating risk: examining descriptive normative perceptions and their association with drinking and sexual behaviors.
Article in Journal of sex research, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed.
- Preventing College Sexual Victimization by Reducing Hookups: a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Personalized Normative Feedback Intervention.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2020Trial
- Randomized controlled trial of a web-delivered personalized normative feedback intervention to reduce alcohol-related risky sexual behavior among college students.Journal of consulting and clinical psychology · 2014Trial
- Web-based intervention to change perceived norms of college student alcohol use and sexual behavior on spring break.Addictive behaviors · 2014Trial
- A Peer Support Specialist-Delivered Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Program for Women in Substance Use Treatment: Protocol for a Single-Arm Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Assessing the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy of a Multiple Behavior Change Intervention Addressing Alcohol Use, Sexual Risk-Taking, and Bystander Intervention.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2025Article
- College men's use of protective behavioral strategies for sexual aggression, risky sexual behavior, and heavy episodic drinking.Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors · 2024Article
- The Differential Role of Perceived Same-Gender and Gender-Neutral Norms in Emerging Adult Risk Behavior.Substance use & misuse · 2024Article
- Let's Talk About Condoms: Social Engagement in a Sexual Health Intervention Targeting Young Adults in Denmark.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2024Article
- An eHealth Prevention Program for Substance Use, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Risk Behaviors for Adolescents in Primary Care: Pilot Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial of Teen Well Check.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- Article
- "Everything feels risky now": Perceived "risky" sexual behavior during COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of health psychology · 2022Article
- Protective behavioral strategies for sexual aggression and risky sexual behavior.Aggressive behavior · 2021Article
- Short-Term Consequences of Sex: Contextual Predictors and Change Across College.Archives of sexual behavior · 2021Article
- Correlates of STI Testing Among US Young Adults: Opportunities for Prevention.Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · 2021Article
- Meeting Kids Where They Are At-A Substance Use and Sexual Risk Prevention Program via Telemedicine for African American Girls: Usability and Acceptability Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Article
- Editor's Choice: Deliberative and non-deliberative effects of descriptive and injunctive norms on cancer screening behaviors among African Americans.Psychology & health · 2020Article
- Social Norms: Are Sexually Aggressive Men More Likely to Misperceive Other Men's Sexual Desires and Behavior?Journal of aggression, maltreatment & trauma · 2020Article
- Sextual Intercourse: Considering Social-Cognitive Predictors and Subsequent Outcomes of Sexting Behavior in Adulthood.Archives of sexual behavior · 2019Article
- Social norms, misperceptions, and mosquito net use: a population-based, cross-sectional study in rural Uganda.Malaria journal · 2019Article
- Growing Up, Hooking Up, and Drinking: A Review of Uncommitted Sexual Behavior and Its Association With Alcohol Use and Related Consequences Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States.Frontiers in psychology · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Individuals who engage in risky sexual behavior face the possibility of experiencing negative consequences. One tenet of social learning theory is that individuals engage in behaviors partly based on observations or perceptions of others' engagement in those behaviors. The present study aimed to document these norms-behavior relationships for both risky and protective sexual behaviors, including alcohol-related sexual behavior. Gender was also examined as a possible moderator of the norms-behavior relationship. Undergraduate students (n = 759; 58.0% female) completed a Web-based survey, including various measures of drinking and sexual behavior. Results indicated that students underestimate sexual health-protective behaviors (e.g., condom use and birth control use) and overestimate the risky behaviors (e.g., frequency of drinking prior to sex, typical number of drinks prior to sex, and frequency of casual sex) of their same-sex peers. All norms were positively associated with behavior, with the exception of condom use. Furthermore, no gender differences were found when examining the relationship between normative perceptions and behavior. The present study adds to the existing literature on normative misperceptions as it indicates that college students overestimate risky sexual behavior while underestimating sexual health-protective behaviors. Implications for interventions using the social norm approach and future directions are discussed.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.