Who is at risk? Gendered psychological correlates in Italian students\u2019 sexual risk profiles

Elena Pirani,Camilla Matera

doi:10.1186/s41118-020-00080-9

Abstract

Recent research has shown that sexual risk behaviours are rising substantially among Italian youth, but this evidence is still undervalued in public discussion. Adopting a multidimensional perspective for sexual risk and addressing gender differences, the present study investigates if and how some individuals’ psychological characteristics—namely body satisfaction, self-esteem and body sensation-seeking—are associated with unsafe and risky sexual behaviours of Italian emerging adults. We exploited the survey SELFY—Sexual and Emotional LiFe of Youths—conducted in 2017 in Italy. Several key points may be highlighted from our study. First, we identify two clusters characterized by high sexual risk-taking behaviours, which include one third of our sample, a non-negligible proportion. Second, we prove that women are generally less inclined to adopt risk-taking behaviours in sexual life. Third, our findings show that body satisfaction, self-esteem and sensation seeking are differently linked to sexual risk taking among women and men. Body satisfaction is associated with a higher probability of adopting risky and promiscuous sexual behaviours among men, while the relationship is not significant among women. Sensation seeking shows a certain relevance in defining sexual risk profiles, especially for men. Overall, our research suggests that body image and self-worth could be relevant areas of intervention for sexual health programs targeting emerging Italian adults. Notably, communication and education strategies on these issues should be differentiated for women and men.

Highlights

Researchers define risky sexual behaviour as comprising sexual activities that expose individuals to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with significant consequences to their health (Chawla & Sarkar, 2019; Italian National Institute of Health—ISS, 2018a, 2018b; Satterwhite et al, 2013)
In the “Background” section, we present the multidimensional approach followed in our study for risky sexual behaviour, and we critically review results concerning the role of body satisfaction, self-esteem and sexual sensation seeking
We investigated if and how some individuals’ psychological characteristics, namely, body satisfaction, selfesteem and body sensation seeking, were associated with unsafe and dangerous sexual behaviours among Italian young adults

Summary

Introduction

Researchers define risky sexual behaviour as comprising sexual activities that expose individuals to the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with significant consequences to their health (Chawla & Sarkar, 2019; Italian National Institute of Health—ISS, 2018a, 2018b; Satterwhite et al, 2013). In many Western countries, STIs are still a public health concern: every day, there are more than 1 million new STI cases among people aged 15–49 years (Rowley et al, 2019), and approximately half of newly diagnosed STIs occur among adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 24. According to the ISS, year-by-year relevant growth is recorded for various types of STIs in Italy (Italian National Institute of Health, 2018a, 2018b): in 2017, about 11 new cases of STIs per 100,000 inhabitants were diagnosed, and the HIV infection incidence was 5.8 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in line with the European average. The multidimensional approach might offer additional information about behavioural risk patterns, which could be profitably exploited in the development of interventions (Beadnell et al, 2005)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion