College men’s use of protective behavioral strategies for sexual aggression, risky sexual behavior, and heavy episodic drinking.

Abstract

Objective: Sexually aggressive behavior (SAB), risky sexual behavior (RSB), and heavy episodic drinking (HED) are serious behavioral health problems among college men. The present study substantially revises and validates protective behavioral strategies (PBS) measures in the SAB and RSB domains; evaluates the relations among PBS usage in the SAB, RSB, and HED domains; and determines whether college men with SAB, RSB, or HED histories report lower PBS usage. Method: College students who identified as men (n = 1,121) completed measures of PBS, SAB, RSB, HED, rapesupportive attitudes, sociosexuality, and bar/party attendance. Results: Factor analyses resulted in three PBS scales (SAB, RSB-General, and RSB-Protection) that showed good fit and cross-validated well. Average scores for all four PBS measures converged moderately to strongly. Men reporting histories of SAB, RSB, or HED reported much lower domain-specific PBS use, and domain-specific PBS predicted concurrent SAB, RSB, or HED in the presence of other established predictors. Conclusions: Four welldeveloped and validated PBS measures now provide an expanded set of potential harm-reduction strategies for college men who drink and engage in sexual activity. Given the strong concurrent associations between PBS use and problems, as well as the interrelatedness of PBS use across domains, future research should examine the impact of simultaneous personalized normative feedback on PBS use across alcohol and sexual domains. Public Health Significance StatementCollege men commonly use cognitive-behavioral strategies that reduce the risks associated with consuming alcohol and engaging in sexual behavior. Men who report a history of sexual aggression, risky sexual behavior, or heavy drinking rely substantially less than their peers on such protective strategies. The findings suggest the potential utility of incorporating education and normative feedback about these harm reduction strategies into prevention programs targeting problematic drinking and sexual behavior.