Reverse Logic

Want to know a college freshman's odds of engaging in risky sexual business? Watch the reaction when the student looks in the mirror, suggests a Penn State study. The study, in the current Journal of Youth and Adolescence, found sexually active males who were pleased with their appearance were more likely to have multiple partners and engage in unprotected sex than those with a poorer body image. Meanwhile, sexually active women who liked their own looks were less likely than others to take those same risks.

Mars vs. Venus Researchers -- led by Meghan Gillen, a doctoral candidate in human development and family studies -- questioned 434 college freshmen, ages 17 to 19, about their appearance and their sex-related attitudes and behaviors. Just over half the participants were female; 254 of the respondents indicated they'd been sexually active.

Guys who rated their appearance favorably tended to forgo condom use. "Because they feel good about their looks," the authors suggest, "these men may be especially confident in sexual situations, so that they ignore their partner's needs and instead focus on their own pleasure." Conversely, women who thought they looked good were inclined to use protection when they had sex. The authors surmise that that self-confidence may give women the wherewithal to insist on condom use.

Lessons Learned Eva Lefkowitz, an associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State and a co-author of the study, says the findings might help educators and parents shape discussions with college-age kids. "For young women, we suggest that they work on developing strategies that will make them feel better about their bodies," Lefkowitz wrote in an e-mail. "These feelings may be associated with being more confident, and ultimately, having healthier decision-making." For young men, she says, efforts to promote positive body image "should also include content to help them develop healthy sexual attitudes and respect for women."

-- Jennifer Huget