Alcohol use has been implicated as a risk factor for sexual negative consequences, such as unprotected sexual intercourse. The present research was conducted to examine the relationship between drinking protective behavioral strategies and consensual sex-related alcohol negative consequences, and whether this relationship varied by gender. Additionally, typical number of drinks during sexual behavior was evaluated as a potential mediator of this association. Heavy drinking, sexually active college students (N = 297, 50.2% female) completed self-report measures of drinking protective behavioral strategies, alcohol consumption, and sex-related alcohol negative consequences. Findings indicated that women who used drinking protective behavioral strategies more frequently were less likely to experience sex-related alcohol negative consequences whereas this relationship was not significant for men. For women, this relationship was mediated by the typical number of drinks consumed during sexual behavior. The current research demonstrates that use of drinking protective behavioral strategies is related to a reduction in women's sex-related risks when drinking. Findings are discussed in terms of alcohol myopia theory. Implications for interventions aimed to reduce higher risk sexual behavior among college students are discussed. Keywordsalcohol; alcohol-related problems; protective behavioral strategies; sexual behavior; sexual risk taking Please send correspondence concerning this article to Melissa A. Lewis, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Box 354944, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195. Phone: 206-221-6932 Fax: 206-616-1705 lewisma@u.washington.edu. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/journals/adb NIH Public Access (ACHA, 2008;Henshaw, 1998). The use of alcohol and other substances appears to be related to sex-related risks. Previous research indicates that young adults who report substance abuse are at greater risk for STIs (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2007) and unprotected sex when drinking (Hingson, Heeren, Winter, & Wechsler, 2005). Because of the negative consequences associated with alcohol-related sexual risk taking behaviors, it is critical to identify factors that may decrease these consequences. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between drinking protective behavioral strategies (PBS) and consensual sexrelated alcohol negative consequences among college students, and whether this relationship varied by gende...

The present research aimed to (1) determine if students underestimate gender-specific descriptive normative perceptions for protective behavioral strategies; (2) to evaluate the relationships among perceived gender-specific descriptive and injunctive drinking norms and perceived gender-specific descriptive norms for protective behavioral strategies; and (3) to examine whether normative perceptions for protective behavioral strategies relate to use of these strategies when controlling for relevant drinking behavior factors (i.e., alcohol consumption, negative consequences, and attitude toward drinking behavior) and social norms factors (i.e., perceived descriptive and injunctive norms). Students (N = 666; 56.6% male) completed measures assessing drinking behavior and attitudes toward drinking, perceived descriptive and injunctive norms, perceived protective behavioral strategies, and protective behavioral strategies. Findings demonstrated that students consistently underestimated the use of strategies for the typical male student, whereas results were less consistent for the typical female student. In addition, results indicated that same-sex normative perceptions for protective behavioral strategies were associated with personal use of these strategies, even when controlling for relevant drinking behavior and social norms factors. Results stress the importance of evaluating factors that are associated with use of protective behavioral strategies. Implications for social norms preventative interventions are discussed. Keywords normative perceptions; social norms; alcohol; protective behavioral strategies Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) for drinking are behaviors that individuals engage in to reduce or limit alcohol consumption and related negative consequences, such as alternating alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks (Glassman, Werch, & Jobli, 2007;Martens et al., 2004Martens et al., , 2005Martens, Pederson, LaBrie, Ferrier, & Cimini, 2007;Werch, 1990;Werch & Gorman, 1988). While research has found that more frequent use of PBS is negatively associated with drinking behavior (Martens et al., 2004(Martens et al., , 2005 and that increasing use of PBS can reduce alcohol consumption , few studies have examined factors related to the use of PBS. Understanding why students use PBS may aid in developing efficacious preventative interventions to increase the use of these strategies. Specifically, the present study expands previous research by determining if college students misperceive the use of PBS for gender-specific normative referents, and whether these normative perceptions relate to genderspecific descriptive and injunctive drinking norms. Additionally, this research will aid in determining whether normative perceptions for PBS relate to personal use of strategies when controlling for gender, drinking behavior factors (i.e., alcohol consumption, negative consequences, and attitude toward drinking behavior), and social norms factors (i.e., genderspecific descriptive and injunctive drinking norms).Prior...

This study evaluated the relationship between condom-related protective behavioral strategies (PBS; including those that require active behavior and mental planning) and condom use at both global and event levels. College students (N= 623; 57.8% female) completed self-report measures of condom-related PBS, as well as drinking and sexual behavior. Logistic regression findings indicated that students who reported greater use of condom-related PBS were more likely to discuss their and their partner’s HIV status, sexually transmitted infection (STI) history (other than HIV), and protection against STIs (such as HIV and other STIs) the first time they had sex with their most recent vaginal sexual partner. Logistic regression findings also indicated that more frequent use of condom-related PBS was associated with being more likely to use a condom during the most recent vaginal sexual experience. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression results showed that condom-related PBS predicted condom non-users and that condom-related PBS were associated with increased use of condoms during sexual behavior in the previous three months. These results extend prior research by demonstrating that both active and mental planning condom-related PBS are associated with condom use at both the global and event levels, which suggests that condom-related PBS may be useful to incorporate in interventions targeting risky sexual behavior among young adults.

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