Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Using a Daily Diary Approach to Examine Substance Use and Negative Sexual Experiences Among College Students

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article examined substance use and sexual behavior by conducting an analysis of college students’ reported behaviors using a daily diary approach. By isolating particular sexual events across a 2-month period, we examined situational predictors of engagement in sex and of negative sexual experiences (coerced sex and/or sex that lacks perceived control) for college men and women. Data come from the daily diary sub-study of the Sexual Health Initiative to Foster Transformation. These data include 60 days of daily responses from 420 undergraduates at one New York City institution. This was a relatively diverse sample comprised of 49% women, 28% identifying as non-heterosexual, 60% non-white, and a roughly equal number of college freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Analyses examined the effects of alcohol use, binge drinking, marijuana use, and other drug use on sexual experiences. Between-person and within-person substance uses were related to an increased likelihood of having at least one sexual encounter during the study period. After adjusting for each participants’ average substance use, both the number of alcoholic drinks consumed (AOR 1.13 (1.05–1.21)) and binge drinking scores (AOR 2.04 (1.10–3.79)) increased the likelihood of negative sex. Interaction analyses showed that compared to men, women were more likely to use alcohol and marijuana prior to sexual encounters. Given that sex and substance use are co-occurring, current prevention approaches should be paired with strategies that attempt to prevent negative sexual experiences, including sexual assault, more directly. These include consent education, bystander training, augmentation of sexual refusal skills, and structural change. Efforts promoting increased sex positivity might also help make all students, and women in particular, less likely to use substances in order to facilitate sex.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Studies estimate that over 55% of college women will report negative sex—including either oral, vaginal, or anal intercourse that is coerced, out of control, or unwanted—by the end of college (Armstrong & Budnick, 2015; Dijulio et al., 2015; Flack et al., 2007; Sprecher, Hatfield, Cortese, Potapova, & Levitskaya, 1994).

  2. At the time when these data were collected, only Columbia had signed on for this portion of the larger SHIFT study. Barnard had other concurrent projects going on and did not want to have competing studies happening at once. Therefore, the daily diary data were only collected at Columbia.

  3. This includes 4.8% gender-non-conforming and 45.7% male identifying students.

  4. Of note, we considered controlling for relationship status in all logistic regression models; however, this item was only asked at baseline. Our daily questionnaires did not have accurate measures of how relationship status was changing across time. Therefore, we opted not to include it in models.

  5. We also tried running all models as 1 multinomial logistic model (coerced, less in control, vs. not negative sex), but two biostatisticians on this paper found that this led to convergence problems. Thus, we opted to instead run logistic regressions.

References

  • Abbey, A., Wegner, R., Woerner, J., Pegram, S. E., & Pierce, J. (2014). Review of survey and experimental research that examines the relationship between alcohol consumption and men’s sexual aggression perpetration. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15, 265–282.

    Google Scholar 

  • Adams-Curtis, L. E., & Forbes, G. B. (2004). College women’s experiences of sexual coercion: A review of cultural, perpetrator, victim, and situational variables. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 5(2), 91–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allison, R., & Risman, B. J. (2013). A double standard for “hooking up”: How far have we come toward gender equality? Social Science Research, 42(5), 1191–1206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2013.04.006.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, E., & Budnick, J. (2015). Sexual assault on campus: Part of Council of Contemporary Families’ Online Symposium on Intimate Partner Violence. Retrieved July 18, 2019 from http://thesocietypages.org/ccf/2015/05/07/sexual-assault-on-campus/.

  • Armstrong, E. A., England, P., & Fogarty, A. C. (2012). Accounting for women’s orgasm and sexual enjoyment in college hookups and relationships. American Sociological Review, 77(3), 435–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, E. A., Hamilton, L., & Sweeney, B. (2006). Sexual assault on campus: A multilevel, integrative approach to party rape. Social Problems, 53, 483–499. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2006.53.4.483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K., Calafat, A., Juan, M., Ramon, A., Rodriguez, J. A., … Phillips-Howard, P. (2008). Sexual uses of alcohol and drugs and the associated health risks: A cross sectional study of young people in nine European cities. BMC Public Health, 8, 155. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-155.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor, D., Fisher, B., Chibnall, S., Townsend, R., Lee, H., Bruce, C., & Thomas, G. (2015). Report on the AAU campus climate survey on sexual assault and sexual misconduct: Columbia University. Rockville, MD: The American Association of Universities.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, M. L., O’Hara, R. E., & Martins, J. (2016). Does drinking improve the quality of sexual experience?: Sex-specific alcohol expectancies and subjective experience on drinking versus sober sexual occasions. AIDS and Behavior, 20(1), 40–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Visser, R., Rissel, C., Richters, J., & Smith, A. (2007). The impact of sexual coercion on psychological, physical, and sexual well-being in a representative sample of Australian women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36(5), 676–686.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dijulio, B., Norton, M., Craighill, P., & Brodie, M. (2015). Survey of current and recent college students on sexual assault. Menlo Park, CA: Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved July 18, 2019 from https://www.kff.org/other/poll-finding/survey-of-current-and-recent-college-students-on-sexual-assault/.

  • Fedina, L., Holmes, J. L., & Backes, B. L. (2018). Campus sexual assault: A systematic review of prevalence research from 2000 to 2015. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 19(1), 76–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flack, W. (2008). “The red zone:” Temporal risk for unwanted sex among college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(9), 1177–1196.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flack, W. F., Jr., Daubman, K. A., Caron, M. L., Asadorian, J. A., D’Aureli, N. R., Gigliotti, S. N., … Stine, E. R. (2007). Risk factors and consequences of unwanted sex among university students: Hooking up, alcohol, and stress response. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22, 139–157.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ford, J. V. (2017). Sexual assault on college hookups: The role of alcohol and acquaintances. Sociological Forum, 32(2), 381–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ford, J., & Soto-Marquez, J. (2016). Sexual assault victimization among straight, gay/lesbian, and bisexual college students. Violence and Gender, 3(2), 107–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franz, M. R., DiLillo, D., & Gervais, S. J. (2016). Sexual objectification and sexual assault: Do self-objectification and sexual assertiveness account for the link? Psychology of Violence, 6(2), 262–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentzler, A. L., & Kerns, K. A. (2004). Associations between insecure attachment and sexual experiences. Personal Relationships, 11(2), 249–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, L., & Armstrong, E. A. (2009). Gendered sexuality in young adulthood double binds and flawed options. Gender & Society, 23(5), 589–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heldman, C., & Wade, L. (2010). Hook-up culture: Setting a new research agenda. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 4, 323–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, J. S., & Khan, S. (2020). Sexual citizens: A landmark study of sex, power, and assault on campus. New York City, NY: WW Norton & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, J. S., Khan, S. R., Wamboldt, A., & Mellins, C. A. (2019). Social dimensions of sexual consent among cisgender heterosexual college students: Insights from ethnographic research. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64, 26–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirsch, J. S., Reardon, L., Khan, S., Santelli, J. S., Wilson, P. A., Gilbert, L., … Mellins, C. A. (2018). Transforming the campus climate: Advancing mixed-methods research on the social and cultural roots of sexual assault on a college campus. Voices, 13(1), 23–54. https://doi.org/10.1111/voic.12003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howells, N. L., & Orcutt, H. K. (2014). Diary study of sexual risk taking, alcohol use, and strategies for reducing negative affect in female college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 75, 399–403.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kahler, C. W., Wray, T., Pantalone, D., Kruis, R., Mastroleo, N., Monti, P., & Mayer, K. H. (2015). Daily associations between alcohol use and unprotected anal sex among heavy drinking HIV-positive men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 19, 422–430.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, J., Moore, J. A., & Tkachuk, S. (2007). Verbal sexual coercion and perceived victim responsibility: Mediating effects of perceived control. Sex Roles, 57(3–4), 235–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kavanaugh, P. R. (2015). Pathways on the sexual violence continuum: A lifestyles theory of victimization in urban nightlife. Journal of Crime and Justice, 38(4), 454–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, D., Washburn, I. J., Morris, M., Lewis, K., & Tiberio, S. (2015). Event-level associations of marijuana and heavy alcohol use with intercourse and condom use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(5), 733–737.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kettrey, H. H., & Marx, R. A. (2019). Does the gendered approach of bystander programs matter in the prevention of sexual assault among adolescents and college students? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(7), 2037–2053.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, S. R., Hirsch, J. S., Wamboldt, A., & Mellins, C. A. (2018). “I didn’t want to be ‘that girl’”: The social risks of labeling, telling, and reporting sexual assault. Sociological Science, 5, 432–460. https://doi.org/10.15195/v5.a19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiene, S., Barta, W., Tennen, H., & Armeli, S. (2009). Alcohol, helping young adults to have unprotected sex with casual partners: Findings from a daily diary study of alcohol use and sexual behavior. Journal of Adolescent Health, 44(1), 73–80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. S. (2010). Masculinity as homophobia: Fear, shame, and silence in the construction of gender identity. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krahé, B. (2016). Societal responses to sexual violence against women: Rape myths and the “real rape” stereotype. In H. Kury, S. Redo, & E. Shea (Eds.), Women and children as victims and offenders: Background, prevention, reintegration (pp. 671–700). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawyer, S., Resnick, H., Bakanic, V., Burkett, T., & Kilpatrick, D. (2010). Forcible, drug-facilitated, and incapacitated rape and sexual assault among undergraduate women. Journal of American College Health, 58, 453–460.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loeb, T. B., Gaines, T., Wyatt, G., Zhang, M., & Liu, H. (2011). Associations between child sexual abuse and negative sexual experiences and revictimization among women: Does measuring severity matter? Child Abuse and Neglect, 35(11), 946–955.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mellins, C. A., Walsh, K., Sarvet, A. L., Wall, M., Gilbert, L., Santelli, J. S., … Bah, K. (2017). Sexual assault incidents among college undergraduates: Prevalence and factors associated with risk. PLoS ONE, 12(11), e0186471. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186471.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Mitka, M. (2009). College binge drinking still on the rise. Journal of the American Medical Association, 302(8), 836–837. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2009.1154.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mohler-Kuo, M., Dowdall, G. W., Koss, M. P., & Wechsler, H. (2004). Correlates of rape while intoxicated in a national sample of college women. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 65(1), 37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moorer, K. D., Madson, M., Mohn, R., & Nicholson, B. (2013). Alcohol consumption and negative sex-related consequences among college women: The moderating role of alcohol protective behavioral strategies. Journal of Drug Education, 43, 365–383.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muehlenhard, C. L., Humphreys, T. P., Jozkowski, K. N., & Peterson, Z. D. (2016). The complexities of sexual consent among college students: A conceptual and empirical review. Journal of Sex Research, 53(4–5), 457–487. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1146651.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neal, D. J., & Carey, K. B. (2007). Association between alcohol intoxication and alcohol-related problems: An event-level analysis. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 21(2), 194–204. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-164X.21.2.194.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Northcote, J., & Livingston, M. (2011). Accuracy of self-reported drinking: Observational verification of “last occasion” drink estimates of young adults. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 46(6), 709–713.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Owen, J. J., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Fincham, F. D. (2010). “Hooking up” among college students: Demographic and psychosocial correlates. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3), 653–663. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9414-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, M. E., & Maggs, J. L. (2009). Does drinking lead to sex? Daily alcohol-sex behaviors and expectancies among college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 23(3), 472–481. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016097.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ray, R., & Rosow, J. A. (2010). Getting off and getting intimate: How normative institutional arrangements structure black and white fraternity men’s approaches toward women. Men and Masculinities, 12(5), 523–546. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X09331750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rennison, C. M., & Addington, L. A. (2014). Violence against college women: A review to identify limitations in defining the problem and inform future research. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15(3), 159–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838014520724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ridgeway, C. L. (1993). Gender, status, and the social psychology of expectations. In P. England (Ed.), Theory on gender/feminism on theory (pp. 175–198). Hawthorne, NY: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scaglione, N. M., Turrisi, R., Mallett, K. A., Ray, A. E., Hultgren, B. A., & Cleveland, M. J. (2014). How much does one more drink matter? Examining effects of event-level alcohol use and previous sexual victimization on sex-related consequences. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 75(2), 241–248.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Schwalbe, M., Holden, D., Schrock, D., Godwin, S., Thompson, S., & Wolkomir, M. (2000). Generic processes in the reproduction of inequality: An interactionist analysis. Social Forces, 79(2), 419–452. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/79.2.419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shorey, R. C., Moore, T. M., McNulty, J. K., & Stuart, G. L. (2016). Do alcohol and marijuana increase the risk for female dating violence victimization? A prospective daily diary investigation. Psychology of Violence, 6, 509–518.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Skalski, L. M., Gunn, R., Caswell, A., Maisto, S., & Metrik, J. (2017). Sex-related marijuana expectancies as predictors of sexual risk behavior following smoked marijuana challenge. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 25, 402–411.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sprecher, S., Hatfield, E., Cortese, A., Potapova, E., & Levitskaya, A. (1994). Token resistance to sexual intercourse and consent to unwanted sexual intercourse: College students’ dating experiences in three countries. Journal of Sex Research, 31, 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499409551739.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turchik, J. A., & Hassija, C. M. (2014). Female sexual victimization among college students: Assault severity, health risk behaviors, and sexual functioning. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(13), 2439–2457.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ullman, S. E. (2007). A 10-year update of “Review and critique of empirical studies of rape avoidance.” Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(3), 411–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Bruggen, L. K., Runtz, M. G., & Kadlec, H. (2006). Sexual revictimization: The role of sexual self-esteem and dysfunctional sexual behaviors. Child Maltreatment, 11(2), 131–145.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wade, L. (2017). American hookup: The new culture of sex on campus. New York City, NY: WW Norton & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wamboldt, A., Khan, S., Mellins, C. A., Wall, M. M., Reardon, L., & Hirsch, J. S. (2017). Wine night, “bro-dinners”, and jungle juice: Disaggregating practices of undergraduate binge drinking. Journal of Drug Issues, 49, 643–667.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wechsler, H., & Nelson, T. F. (2001). Binge drinking and the American college students: What’s five drinks? Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15(4), 287–291. https://doi.org/10.1037//0893-164x.15.4.287.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wilhite, E. R., Mallard, T., & Fromme, K. (2018). A longitudinal event-level investigation of alcohol intoxication, alcohol-related blackouts, childhood sexual abuse, and sexual victimization among college students. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 32(3), 289–300.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Woerner, J., Schleider, J., Overstreet, C., Foster, D., Amstadter, T., & Sartor, C. E. (2019). The role of drinking motives and perceived controllability of events in the association between college women’s sexual assault victimization and binge drinking. Addictive Behaviors, 90, 210–216.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by Columbia University through generous support from multiple donors. The authors thank our research participants; the Undergraduate Advisory Board; Columbia University’s Office of the President and Office of University Life, and the entire SHIFT team who contributed to the development and implementation of this ambitious effort.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St., New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Jessie V. Ford, Leigh Reardon, Jennifer S. Hirsch & Patrick A. Wilson

  2. Mental Health Data Science, Departments of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Jean Choi & Melanie Wall

  3. Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Kate Walsh

  4. Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Kate Walsh

  5. Division of Gender, Sexuality and Health, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Claude Ann Mellins

  6. Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    John Santelli

Authors
  1. Jessie V. Ford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jean Choi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kate Walsh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Melanie Wall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Claude Ann Mellins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Leigh Reardon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. John Santelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jennifer S. Hirsch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Patrick A. Wilson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jessie V. Ford.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Ethical Approval

All study procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board at Columbia University Medical Center (IRB-AAAP0458).

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from participants through an electronic form describing the study, confidentiality, compensation for time and effort, data handling procedures, and the right to refuse to answer any question.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ford, J.V., Choi, J., Walsh, K. et al. Using a Daily Diary Approach to Examine Substance Use and Negative Sexual Experiences Among College Students. Arch Sex Behav 50, 277–287 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01714-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01714-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation