TEMPE, Ariz., Aug. 31 (UPI) — College students will intervene using three communication strategies to keep a female friend from risky sexual behavior after drinking, researchers say.
Linda C. Lederman, a professor of communication at Arizona State University, says 75 percent of the study participants reported they would make sure a female friend is safe while under the influence of alcohol by persuading the friend not to go home with a new male acquaintance or making sure she got home safely.
The participants reported three ways they prevent friends from going home with strangers after drinking:
– Stress the regret associated with negative health and social consequences of casual sex, include getting pregnant, developing a bad reputation and regretting their decision in the morning.
– Use trickery or deception to remove friends from a risky situation by getting food or putting them into a cab to go home.
– Directly confronting friends by specifically telling them they need to leave, or physically removing them from a situation.
“Our research suggests that the claim that college students routinely engage in risky sexual behavior while intoxicated may be exaggerated,” Lederman says in a statement.
The findings are published in the journal Communication Education.
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