CLAXTON, SHANNON E., M.A. DECEMBER 2012 PSYCHOLOGY
DIVERSITY OF SEXUAL EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS (54 pp.)
Director of Thesis: Manfred H.M. van Dulmen
Having high levels of physical attractiveness has been linked with having a greater number of lifetime sexual partners and more permissive attitudes towards casual sex. The current study expands this literature by examining the role of physical attractiveness in involvement in a variety of casual relationships and experiences (i.e., casual dating relationships, friends with benefits relationships, booty-call relationships, and one-night stands). Negative binomial regressions were used to examine the role of both other and self-rated physical attractiveness, along with alcohol use, intimacy goals, self-esteem, and gender, in predicting involvement in these casual relationships and experiences. Results indicate that age, alcohol use, and intimacy goals were associated with involvement in several different casual relationships and experiences. Other-rated attractiveness was only significantly associated with involvement in one-night stand relationships, suggesting that attractiveness may be a determinant of participation in relationships lacking both intimacy and commitment.