AUTHOR=Chan Heng Choon (Oliver) 

TITLE=Risky Sexual Behavior of Young Adults in Hong Kong: An Exploratory Study of Psychosocial Risk Factors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2021

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658179

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.658179

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=There is limited knowledge of the prevalence and nature of risky sexual behavior (RSB) among young adults in Hong Kong. This study explored the psychosocial risk factors of RSB with a sample of 1,171 Hong Kong university students (aged 18–40 years). Grounded in the theoretical propositions of several criminological theories (i.e., the theories of self-control, general strain, social learning, social control, and routine activity), engagement in three types of RSB (i.e., general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative) was studied alongside a range of psychosocial risk factors. Relative to female participants, male participants reported significantly higher levels of general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. Male participants also reported significantly higher levels of negative temperament, use of alcohol and other drugs, and paraphilic interests than female participants, who reported significantly higher levels of self-control and social bonds than their male counterparts. The results of multivariate analyses revealed that to a large extent, the male and female participants shared a similar set of psychosocial risk factors (i.e., use of alcohol and other drugs, and paraphilic interest) for their involvement in general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. Furthermore, a high level of negative temperament was significantly associated with penetrative RSB for both genders, while a high level of perceived neighborhood disorganization was found to be an important factor in the participation of females in general, penetrative, and nonpenetrative RSB. The findings of this study may have important implications for practice in regard to reducing, if not entirely preventing, the tendency to engage in RSB.