Internalizing Symptoms, Alcohol Use, and Protective Behavioral Strategies: Associations with Regretted Sexual Experiences of College Students.

ABSTRACT: One of the most pervasive forms of regret, often connected to alcohol use, is sexual regret. Lifetime rates of regretted sexual experiences (RSE) for college students is between 29%-71.9%, with 31.8% endorsing past year RSE and 31.7% stating alcohol negatively influenced decision making. While past research has focused on psychological symptoms following sexual assault, psychological effects and subsequent outcomes of RSE remains under-studied. Whether a history of sexual regret is associated with mental health symptoms, alcohol use, and protective behavioral strategy (PBS) use in the past month was analyzed. Participants (n = 1,394; 57.68% females, 26.96% racial/ethnic minority) reported on internalizing symptoms (anxiety, depression, trauma symptoms, and suicidal ideation) and externaliz

SUBMITTER: Peterson R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8459333 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature