Relationships between women’s emotional reaction to first coital experience and subsequent sexual risk-taking behaviour

Abstract

Objectives: The study aimed to consider the affective reactions of young French women to their experience of first sexual intercourse and examine the relationship with subsequent risky sexual behaviours, using cluster profiles.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among women in France (n = 391) (mean age 22.36 years, standard deviation 3.08). Participants completed a questionnaire with self-reported measures of emotional responses to first sexual intercourse and risky sexual behaviours.

Results: Cluster analyses revealed four emotional reaction profiles: Pleasure, Guilty-pleasure, Negative-emotional and Anxiety-unpleasant. The Pleasure group reported overall and higher satisfaction and positive emotions towards first sexual intercourse; this group reported lower condom use. The Guilty-pleasure group felt pleasure tinged with guilt and reported fewer same-sex partners. The Negative-emotional profile group tended to feel major negative emotions related to initial coital experience, reporting lower or no pleasure. The Anxiety-unpleasant group reported little pleasure and major anxiety associated with first sexual intercourse. The latter two groups, respectively, reported a higher number of male sexual partners and higher alcohol consumption prior to sexual intercourse compared with the two pleasure groups.

Conclusion: These results suggest that women’s emotional reactions to first sexual intercourse may be associated with subsequent healthy versus risky sexual behaviours in young adulthood.

摘要

目的：本研究的目的是评估法国年轻女性对第一次性交经历的情感反应, 并使用聚类分析来检验与之后的危险性行为之间的关系。方法：对391名法国女性(平均年龄22.36岁, 标准差3.08)进行描述性横断面研究。参与者完成了一份问卷, 其中包含对第一次性行为的情绪反应和危险性行为的自我报告。结果：聚类分析显示四种情绪反应特征：愉悦、内疚-愉悦、消极-情绪和焦虑-不愉悦。愉悦组报告对第一次性交的总体满意度较高并且态度积极；这一组报告避孕套使用率较低。内疚-愉悦组感到愉悦, 并带有负罪感, 同性伴侣较少。消极情绪组倾向于主要感觉到与初次性交经历有关的负面情绪, 愉悦感较低或没有愉悦感。焦虑-不愉悦组报告, 第一次性交相关的愉悦感很少, 主要为焦虑。与两组愉悦组相比, 后两组女性分别报告男性性伴侣数量更多, 性交前饮酒量也更高。结论：这些结果表明, 女性对第一次性交的情绪反应可能与随后青年期健康性行为与危险性行为有关。

Keywords:

• Cluster analysis
• emerging adults
• emotional reactions
• first sexual intercourse
• risky sexual behaviours

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.