ضرورت منفی و رفتارهای پرخطر جنسی: ابهام زدایی از رابطه بین تکانشگری و رفتارهای جنسی پرخطر

How does impulsivity relate to risky sexual behavior? Whereas some research has attempted to answer this question in terms of global impulsivity, past research has demonstrated the need to conceptualize impulsivity as a multifaceted trait (Whiteside & Lynam, 2001). Research has been mixed as to which facets of impulsivity predict risky sexual behavior. The major aim of this project was to further the understanding between the five facets of impulsivity (positive urgency, negative urgency, lack of premeditation, sensation-seeking, and lack of perseverance) and risky sexual behavior. This study used a longitudinal design and showed that risky sex was highest among people who act rashly on the basis of negative emotion (negative urgency) and who crave novel, exciting situations (sensation seeking). These findings add to a growing body of literature on the importance of different facets of impulsivity in predicting risky sexual behavior.

Sex is an exciting, but sometimes risky behavior. Who is most prone to engage in risky sexual behavior? Current research suggests that personality traits, such as impulsivity, are one piece of this puzzle (Sher & Trull, 1994). Whereas some people might engage in risky sex because they crave excitement, others may engage in risky sex when they are overwhelmed with negative emotion. We propose that impulsivity should be broken down into individual facets (Cyders and Smith, 2008 and Whiteside and Lynam, 2001) when exploring the link between impulsivity and risky sexual behavior. Various research projects have shown a relationship between all five of these facets and risky sexual behavior. For example, one line of research showed that people engage in more risky sexual behavior if they are the kind of people who act rashly when they are especially happy (Zapolski, Cyders, & Smith, 2009). People also make irrational decisions when experiencing strong negative emotions (Jackson, 1984 and Wallace et al., 1991). But there is not a clear consensus regarding the relationship between separate facets of impulsivity and risky sexual behavior. This project aims to resolve these inconsistencies in the literature by investigating how the separate facets of impulsivity predict risky sexual behaviors. Our hypothesis is that people who are prone to making rash decisions on the basis of strong negative emotions and people who desire novel and exciting activities will engage in heightened levels of risky sexual behaviors.

This study set out to further investigate the relationship between facets of impulsivity and risky sexual behavior. Our study supported the hypothesis that negative urgency and sensation seeking would relate to increased risky sexual behavior. These findings suggest that not all forms of impulsivity have implications for risky sexual behavior. Although sex can be a thrilling activity, people who act impulsively on the basis of strong negative emotion and who crave novelty and excitement are at risk for engaging in sex that can bring risks to their health.