| dc.description.abstract | This study investigated the relationships between state body image during sexual activity, sexual assertiveness and sexual risk behavior among female young adults who are not involved in a romantic relationship. It was predicted that sexual assertiveness would mediate the positive relationship between body image self-consciousness during sexual intimacy, as a measure of state body image during sexual activity, and sexual risk behavior. A total of 104 Dutch female university students, who filled out a self-report questionnaire including the Body Image Self-Consciousness scale (Wiederman, 2000), the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness (Hurlbert, 1991) and questions concerning sexual risk behavior, were included in the analyzed sample. Contrary to earlier surveys, the results showed that lower body image self-consciousness during sexual intimacy was related to higher sexual risk behavior. Consistent with the predictions, the results indicated that body image self-consciousness during sexual intimacy had a significant negative relationship with sexual assertiveness. A significant association between sexual assertiveness and sexual risk behavior was not found. Therefore, sexual assertiveness did not have a mediating role. Accordingly, this study suggests only direct links between body image self-consciousness during sexual intimacy and sexual risk behavior, and between body image self-consciousness during sexual intimacy and sexual assertiveness. These results implicate that the focus of interventions, targeting sexual risk behavior of Dutch female university students, does not have to be on improving their state body image during sexual activity. | |
