College Times

Issue date: 1/7/10 Section: News

Casual encounters, as illustrated by the models in this stock photo, may not mess with the mind, but they can still be physically risky.

Hooking up might not be as detrimental to a person's psyche as everyone thinks, according to a new study.

Research out of the University of Minnesota finds that 20 percent of the 1,311 students surveyed said their most recent partner was either a close, but not exclusive, partner or it was a casual acquaintance.

The findings, combined with other data, showed that the majority of those surveyed were in committed relationships, but those students who reported a more casual experience weren't any more psychologically damaged, accord to the recent report, published in the journal Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

The study lasted one year, spanning from 2003 to 2004. It surveyed 574 males and 737 females in Minnesota between the ages of 18 and 24 years old, about their sexual behaviors and emotional well-being.

Of the sexually active, only a fifth of them said their most recent partner was, on some level, a casual hook-up. Meanwhile, 55 percent reported that their last sexual partner was an exclusive dating partner, and 25 percent said their most recent partner was a fiancé, spouse, or life partner.

When it came down to it, research shows that twice as many males as females reported that their last partner was either a "casual acquaintance" or "close but not exclusive partner."

Even though there was no psychological damage to those who engaged in more casual sexual activity, the researchers urged in their findings that the physical risks of having too many casual hook-ups is still a danger.

Marla Eisenberg, the lead researcher and an assistant professor of adolescent health and medicine at the University of Minnesota, said the study wasn't able to address the why question.

"We don't know exactly what's behind the associations - or lack of associations - that we found," she says. "We do know, however, that casual sex is nothing new - certainly young people were having it in the '60s, '70s and '80s, too. I think the public discourse about it is what has changed.

"With the onset of federally funded abstinence-only education in the '90s, we began teaching kids that sex outside of marriage would be psychologically harmful (which was based on ideology rather than research). Many people buy into that, so it was surprising when we didn't find that result in our study."

She also said that while the findings do not show that there is no physological damage done by engaging in casual sexual relationships, this aspect of the relationships should not be ignored either.

"While the findings from this study show that young adults engaging in casual sexual encounters do not appear to be at increased risk for harmful psychological outcomes compared to those in more committed relationships, this should not minimize the legitimate threats to physical well-being associated with casual sexual relationships."

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