The Longitudinal Relationships among Casual Sex and Psychological Well-Being in Chinese College Student

Abstract

This study integrates the important psychological well-being indicators (i.e., life satisfaction, psychological distress, and self-esteem) into a model framework. We used a cross-lagged panel design (CLPD) to examine the bidirectional relationship between casual sex and psychological well-being among Chinese college students. Chinese college students (N = 833) completed self-report measures (i.e., hookup behavior, life satisfaction, psychological distress, and self-esteem) at six-month intervals. The results show that the ratio of college students who reported engaging in at least one hookup experience in the past year or half a year was lower than that of Western college students. We find that college students with hookup behavior had poorer psychological well-being in later six months than those who did not engage in hookup behavior. However, previous psychological well-being did not predict subsequent hookup behavior. We discuss these findings in terms of China’s unique sexual culture to provide useful information for preventing and interfering with risky sexual behaviors and their negative consequences among Chinese college students. Specifically, this study could provide students with a more in-depth understanding of associated risks, assisting those engaged in or intending to engage in hookups to evaluate the advantages and drawbacks of such behavior. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of implementing targeted educational programs in China that address the psychological consequences of casual sex.

Keywords:

• Hookup behavior
• psychological well-being
• self-esteem
• life satisfaction
• psychological distress

Author contributions

KY: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, validation, result interpretation, writing – original draft, and writing – review & editing; PYS and GGZ: project administration, resources, and investigation. All authors contributed to and approved this version of the manuscript.

Internal review board (IRB) statement

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. All participants were required to read and sign the informed consent before participating in the study.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This study is sponsored by PH. D Fund program of Southwest University of Science and Technology, China (21sx7110). This study was supported by the Education and Teaching Reform Research Project of Southwest University of Science and Technology, China (22xn0003).