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Comparative Study of Contraceptive Attitudes of Male and Female College Students

Meagan Koehler

A variety of factors affect young adults’ decisions to use safe sex methods, particularly the use of condoms. This study was conducted to examine attitudes and uses of safe sex practices relative to relationship commitment. Participants were 100 college students, 50 of whom were men. Each was asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of scales measuring condom use and views towards contraceptive use, self-efficacy, and sexual activity history. Participants also evaluated the pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) risks of hypothetical couples varying in level of relationship commitment (casually dating or committed). Results indicated that when presented with a hypothetical situation, participants were more willing to accept pregnancy and STD risks within a committed relationship than between a casually dating couple. Additionally, men accepted more pregnancy and STD risks than did women. Women scored higher in sexual permissiveness, instrumentality, condom use, and self-preference in contraception choice than did men. Overall, it appears that young adults, especially men, involved in committed relationships may not take appropriate safe sex precautions. Of concern is the emergence of a false sense of immunity from STD exposure and unplanned pregnancies as dating relationships move toward monogamy.

College Students’ Perceptions of How Alcohol Use Impacts Academic Achievement

Christina M. Cantrell and Mary DeCiero

Alcohol abuse is a common problem on college campuses. This study surveyed college students (n = 180) with a mean age of 22 years. Females constituted 70% and males constituted 30% of the participants. Each participant was asked to complete a survey and respond to one of six scenarios. The scenarios depicted a male or female who varied in drinking behaviors (light, moderate, and heavy drinking patterns). Perceptions of the academic success of the scenario characters were rated. The results indicated that participants attributed more academic success to scenario characters who drank lightly or moderately than to scenario characters who drank heavily, regardless of gender.

This study was designed to examine Internet use and its possible effects on social interactions. Participants included 80 adults, ages 18 to 53. Internet use and social involvement were manipulated within four scenarios. Results showed that participants perceived scenario characters described as non-social as being more anxious and lonely than those described as social but did not perceive Internet use as having an impact on their social involvement, levels of loneliness, or social anxiety. Heavy Internet users reported high levels of loneliness and low preferences for solitude. Effects of Internet use on social interactions are discussed.

In an examination of persuasiveness of alcohol advertisements and perceived effectiveness of public service announcements based on imagery of advertisement and wording of announcements, volunteers (n = 103) were randomly assigned to one of four combinations. The alcohol advertisements varied in product representation (image or product) and the public service announcements varied in presentation of aversive consequences of alcohol (narrative or factual). Participants rated the alcohol advertisements and PSAs on relevance to college student life, emotions both the ad and announcement evoked, and believability. Measures of alcohol consumption, social desirability, and self-esteem were completed. Results indicated that the image advertisement was perceived as more persuasive than the product advertisement and the narrative public service announcement was favored over a factual announcement regardless of combination viewed. High levels of social desirability were associated with reported responses on persuasiveness of the alcohol advertisement.

This study was designed to examine the impact interracial classrooms has on college students’ self-esteem, academic achievements, and classroom climates. Participants included Caucasian (n = 61) and ESL (n = 39) students who were randomly assigned to reading one of the two scenarios, depicting school integration difficulties of either a Hispanic or Caucasian student. Participants then rated the hypothetical students’ academic achievement and self-esteem, as well as provided information regarding personal history of discrimination, ethnic identity, self-esteem, fear of receiving negative evaluations, academic achievement anxieties, and motivation to control racism. Analyses indicated that self-esteem was an important predictor of participants’ social anxieties, academic anxieties, ethnic identity and motivation to control racism. Self-report measures suggest that the ethnic identity of ESL students was higher than that of Caucasian students. Scenario analyses indicate that ESL students rated the depicted Hispanic student as having lower self-esteem and academic achievement than the Caucasian character.

The presence of companion dogs have been found to benefit stress. This study was conducted to examine perceptions of benefits companion animals have on stress reduction. One hundred twenty-five adults completed surveys including measures of animal liking, bonding, and companionship. They also evaluated the stress and depression levels of a hypothetical student varying in pet ownership status (dog, cat, ferret, parrot, no pet). Results showed that dog owners were viewed as experiencing less stress than non pet owners. Stress level perception did not differ among other pet owners. Perceptions of depression also did not vary by pet ownership. Participants’ liking of animals was positively related to feelings of animal attachment and companionship. Further, those who were primary caregivers of animals perceived the hypothetical student as lower in stress than did non-caregivers. Overall, results suggested that pets may serve to relieve stress and could have a variety of health related benefits.

This study was conducted to investigate adult attitudes and perceptions of teacher educational training and parental involvement. Participants were presented with one of six scenarios in which a teacher with one of two levels of parental involvement training and a parent with one of three levels of education were depicted. Participants also completed measures of parental involvement in their own childhood and their attitudes about parental involvement. A significant positive correlation between participants’ attitudes toward parental involvement and parental involvement from their own childhood was found. There was no significant difference between participants’ parental involvement in the participants’ own childhood and parents’ educational level. There were no significant effects involving the scenario condition. Conclusions from this study indicate that participants who had higher levels of parental involvement in their own childhood had more positive attitudes about parental involvement.

Stress-Related Experiences of Traditional and Nontraditional College Students and their Perceived Impact on Academic Performance

Robyn L. Joyce

This survey examined differences between traditional and nontraditional-aged college students’ in relation to factors affecting college integration and academic performance. Participants were 98 college students, 85% were women. The mean age for traditional-aged students was 21.56 years, and 33.54 years for nontraditional-aged students. College integration was manipulated within two scenarios and surveys were completed. Results showed traditional-aged students viewed college-related hassles as less important than nontraditional-aged students. However, the amount of hours worked per week was greater for the nontraditional-aged student group. Increased social integration was associated with traditional-aged students while higher GPA’s were associated with nontraditional-aged students. As expected the socially integrated scenario character was viewed as less stressed by both college groups.

Melissa Peltak and Larissa Combe

The purpose of this study was to assess gender differences in childhood exposure to parental verbal aggression, and the likelihood of participating in similar behaviors as adults. The 41 men and 54 women participating in this study completed questionnaires assessing family conflict and aggression. Responses to scenarios depicting verbal aggression within private or public contexts were also assessed. As expected, the results showed that men were more accepting of the use of verbal aggression than women. Women perceived greater family cohesiveness than did men, which may be related to their less frequent use and acceptance of verbal aggression. The implications of verbal aggression within the family are discussed.