Abstract

Adverse sexual outcomes (ASOs) including sexual violence, risky sex, and sexual regret are highly prevalent among college students, with 20-25% of female undergraduates experiencing sexual assault, at least 60% of undergraduates engaging in risky sex, and lifetime rate of regretted sexual experiences as high as 72%. ASOs are associated with increased psychological problems, increased alcohol use, and decreased protective behavioral strategies (PBS). The most recent measure of dating and sexual PBS was published over a decade ago. The current study is the development and validation of an updated measure of dating and sexual PBS; the Sexual and Negative Dating Inventory (SANDI). Data was examined from n=1,298 participants at baseline and N=336 at one-month follow-up. Participants were 19.59 (2.90 SD) years old, 67.51%, female, and 71.42% white. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) identified a five-factor structure with good fit to the data including: Location Sharing, Assertiveness, Self-Protection, Risk Reduction and Privacy. Of sixty original items, a CFA identified a final measure of 24-items. Factors functioned differently across demographic groups, primarily for sexual and gender minorities. Convergent validity was observed with previous dating and sexual PBS measures. Divergent validity was analyzed using the PBSS-20 and accounted for 15-20% shared variance across the five SANDI factors. Test-retest reliability revealed acceptable reliability of 0.74. Logistic regression revealed significant concurrent predictive validity of ASOs at baseline with SANDI total score, Location Sharing, and Risk Reduction factors. History of risky sex and sexual regret revealed significant associations with the Assertiveness factor at baseline. At one-month follow-up, logistic regression revealed significant associations with Risk Reduction for victimization and risky sex; risky sex was also associated with total SANDI score at follow-up. Overall, the SANDI is a comprehensive measure that assesses dating and sexual PBS, validated within a college student population, and provides specific prevention and intervention targets.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Dvorak, Robert

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0009398; DP0027121

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0027121

Language

English

Release Date

December 2022

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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Included in

Psychology Commons

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