Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Psychology
Date of Award
8-2008
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Ginette C. Blackhart
Committee Members
Peggy J. Cantrell, Stacey L. Williams
Abstract
Casual sex is common on college campuses and is potentially relevant to a person's self-esteem. Unfortunately, data are mixed regarding how self-esteem is influenced by casual sex. This thesis is an attempt to understand how casual sex influences women's self-esteem through a series of questionnaires. Three hypotheses were of interest. The first predicted that sociosexuality and desire would explain casual sex engagement. Second, that casual sex behaviors and attitudes would predict self-esteem. Third, looking only at those who engaged in casual sex; casual sex attitudes and affect would predict self-esteem. Using hierarchical regression, results indicated that there was a curvilinear effect for sociosexuality on number of casual sex partners. Results for the second hypothesis showed an interaction between behavior and attitudes to predict selfesteem. Finally, for hypothesis three, results showed a moderation effect for attitudes on negative affect regarding overall casual sex experience and self-esteem.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Bieda, Kathryn, "Self-Esteem in Relation to Casual Sex Behavior, Attitudes, and Affect." (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1949. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1949
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.