Is Regulatory Focus Related to Condom Use, STI/HIV Testing, and Sexual Satisfaction?

Evans, Reina; Widman, Laura; Javidi, Hannah; Lipsey, Nikolette P.

doi:10.1080/00224499.2021.1961671

Cited by 13 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…People more focused on prevention are motivated by security maintenance and tend to take fewer risks, whereas people more focused on promotion are motivated by pleasure and gratification and have greater risk propensity (Higgins et al, 2001;Idson et al, 2000). The importance of this motivation system for goal pursuit has also extended to the health domains (Ferrer et al, 2017;Fuglestad et al, 2013;Zou & Scholer, 2016) and, more recently, to the sexual health domain (Evans-Paulson et al, 2021;Rodrigues et al, 2020;Rodrigues, Lopes, & Carvalho, 2021). Building upon these recent findings, a cross-sectional study examined if being more focused on prevention or promotion was uniquely associated with condom use attitudes and whether the perceived risk of infection was one of the underlying mechanisms explaining these associations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As prevention focus is linked to security motives in sex Zou & Scholer, 2016), we expected people more focused on prevention to hold more positive condom use attitudes (H1a). In contrast, as promotion is linked to pleasure motives in sex (Evans-Paulson et al, 2021) and condoms are often perceived as barriers to pleasure (Randolph et al, 2007), we expected people more focused on promotion to hold more negative condom use attitudes (H1b). We also expected these associations to be mediated by the perceived risk of HIV infection (H2).…”

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Indeed, young adults more focused on prevention tend to feel less safe having sex with casual partners, were more likely to have used condoms with casual partners, and believe they have more control over condom use, whereas those more focused on promotion report having used condoms less frequently with causal partners and got tested for STIs more often (Rodrigues et al, 2020;Rodrigues, Lopes, & Carvalho, 2021). This seems to occur because health risks and threats are more salient in a prevention focus and sexual satisfaction is more salient under a promotion focus (Evans-Paulson et al, 2021).…”

Section: Regulatory Focus and Perceived Riskmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…showing that people who are motivated to maintain security (i.e., focused on prevention) tend to be more careful with their actions, whereas people motivated to seek pleasure (i.e., focused on promotion) tend to be more eager to pursue new opportunities. In the sexuality domain, people more focused on prevention strive to take fewer risks with their health (Rodrigues et al, 2020;Rodrigues, Lopes, & Carvalho, 2021), whereas those more focused on promotion strive to attain sexual satisfaction (Evans-Paulson et al, 2021). However, no research to date has examined how and why having a focus on prevention or promotion shape attitudes toward condom use.…”

Section: Motives Shape Condom Use Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Motivations and attitudes are intrinsically correlated (Glasman & Albarracín, 2006) and motives for security and pleasure determine informing health-related goal pursuit (Zou & Scholer, 2016). People more focused on prevention are more willing to enact sexual health behaviors, , whereas people more focused on promotion are more likely to pursue sexual satisfaction and take health risks (Evans-Paulson et al, 2021;Rodrigues et al, 2020;Rodrigues, Lopes, & Carvalho, 2021). However, research examining the role of regulatory focus in sexuality has mostly relied on a composite index instead of examining the unique contribution of prevention and promotion scores for sexual health behaviors.…”

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeking security or seeking pleasure in sexual behavior? Examining how individual motives shape condom use attitudes

Rodrigues

Lopes

2022

Curr Psychol

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Research has consistently shown that motives for security (i.e., prevention focus) or pleasure (i.e., promotion focus) determine risk perception and behaviors in several domains, including sexual health. We tested if being more focused on prevention or promotion was associated with condom use attitudes and if the perceived risk of HIV infection explained these associations. Participants (N = 405, 61.7% women; Mage = 23.10, SD = 5.06) took part in an online cross-sectional study. We found positive associations between both regulatory foci and condom use attitudes. Mediation analyses also showed that participants who were more focused on prevention perceived condoms as more reliable, attributed less stigma to condom use, and were less embarrassed about condom use negotiation. These associations were explained by the perception of less risk of HIV infection. Results also revealed a few associations with personality traits and moderations by age and gender. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual motives to gain an understanding of how the perceived risk of infection can shape sexual health decision-making.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Regulatory Focus and Perceived Riskmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Motives Shape Condom Use Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overview and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeking security or seeking pleasure in sexual behavior? Examining how individual motives shape condom use attitudes

Rodrigues

Lopes

2022

Curr Psychol

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Having a prevention regulatory focus longitudinally predicted distress and health‐protective behaviours during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Rodrigues

Balzarini

2022

Stress and Health

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People focussed on prevention (vs. promotion) are motivated by safety and are less inclined to take risks. We tested if having a prevention (vs. promotion) focus before the COVID‐19 pandemic outbreak predicted threat perceptions and health outcomes throughout the pandemic. Participants ( N = 161) took part in a longitudinal study. Measures were assessed before the pandemic was declared (on November 2019, T1) and after a global pandemic was declared (on June 2020, T2). Participants who were more focussed on prevention prior to the onset of the pandemic (at T1) perceived greater risk and were more worried about contracting COVID‐19, and engaged in more preventive behaviours during the pandemic (at T2). They also reported less anxiety and felt healthier later on (at T2). Exploratory analyses revealed that enacting preventive behaviours helped people cope with pandemic‐related anxiety. Being motivated by security and enacting preventive behaviours seems to have helped people reduce anxiety over risk even during the pandemic.

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Prevent2Protect Project: Regulatory Focus Differences in Sexual Health Knowledge and Practices

et al. 2023

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The way people perceive risks and make decisions about their health is regulated by two motivational systems—prevention of harm or promotion of pleasure. People more focused on prevention strive to avoid negative outcomes and enact more health-protective behaviors. In contrast, people more focused on promotion strive to attain positive outcomes and take more risks with their health. Building upon recent evidence extending this framework to sexual behaviors and health, we conducted a pre-registered online survey (OSF) with Portuguese and Spanish adults (N = 742; Mage = 31.42, SD = 9.16) to examine whether self-reported STI knowledge and sexual health practices differ based on predominant regulatory focus. This study was part of the Prevent2Protect project (OSF). Results showed that prevention-focused participants had heard about more STIs and retrieved more of their knowledge from scientific sources but had been tested for fewer STIs in the past. In contrast, promotion-focused participants indicated they had specific knowledge about more STIs, retrieved more of their knowledge from medical and peer sources, and had been tested for more STIs in the past. They also reported more frequent STI testing, using free testing facilities or asking their family practice doctor to get tested, more routine sexual health check-ups, and more use of other contraceptive methods, such as birth control pills. These results remained unchanged after controlling for demographic differences. Overall, our findings showed that different motives in sexuality shape sexual health knowledge and sexual health practices.

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Is Regulatory Focus Related to Condom Use, STI/HIV Testing, and Sexual Satisfaction?

Cited by 13 publications

References 53 publications

Seeking security or seeking pleasure in sexual behavior? Examining how individual motives shape condom use attitudes

Seeking security or seeking pleasure in sexual behavior? Examining how individual motives shape condom use attitudes

Having a prevention regulatory focus longitudinally predicted distress and health‐protective behaviours during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Prevent2Protect Project: Regulatory Focus Differences in Sexual Health Knowledge and Practices

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