Collegiate Women's Definitions of Responsible Sexual Behavior.
Nicole Loew, Melissa Lehan Mackin, Lioness Ayres
PMID 28470114WHAT IT FOUND
College women defined sexual responsibility as self-advocacy driven by personal goals.
They prioritized pregnancy prevention and partner selection over STI protection, viewing abortion as a responsible choice when proactive strategies failed to protect their educational and life goals.
Key findings
01Women defined a sexually responsible person as one who self-advocates by taking action consistent with personal goals and values while being aware of consequences that threaten those goals.
02The most common consequence identified was unintended pregnancy, which women viewed as a barrier to goal attainment, financial strain, and unexpected parenting.
03Women described strategies including mindful partner selection, communication about boundaries, and pregnancy prevention, often prioritizing these over STI risk reduction.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 35 women, so the findings cannot be generalized to all college women or other populations. Participants were English-speaking students at a single Midwestern university, limiting diversity in cultural and geographic perspectives. The parent study focused on emergency contraception, which may have influenced how women prioritized pregnancy risk over STI risk in their responses. The study reports themes and definitions, not the effectiveness of any intervention or the actual health outcomes of the participants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these women's definitions of responsibility apply to all patients or that their prioritization of pregnancy prevention over STI protection reflects a lack of knowledge. The study describes how a specific group of college women framed their own behavior, not how they actually behaved or what their health outcomes were.