14 documents found, page 1 of 2

Condom use beliefs differ according to regulatory focus: A mixed-methods study ...

Reports worldwide have been showing increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and condomless sex in recent years. Research has identified several individual and situational variables that can determine the decision to use condoms or forgo their use. We argue that such a decision can also be shaped by motives related to pleasure and safety (i.e., regulatory focus in sexuality). Using open-ended ...

Perceived social support buffers the consequences of internalized negativity am...

Departures from monogamy are socially discouraged and met with negative judgments, and being a target of stigmatization has consequences for the way individuals in consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships connect to others, including their partner(s). However, social support seems to be an important factor associated with increases in wellbeing and relationship quality. Aligned with this reasoning, results...

Safety and pleasure motives determine perceived risks and rewards in casual sex

People differ in their predispositions to value safety maintenance (i.e., disease prevention regulatory focus) or pleasure pursuit (i.e., pleasure promotion regulatory focus). Extending recent research, results of a cross-sectional study with participants living in Portugal and Spain (N = 770) showed that these individual differences resulted in a trade-off between potential health risks and pleasure rewards in...

Examining the role of mononormative beliefs, stigma, and internalized consensua...

Interest in consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships has been increasing in the general population in recent years. However, given the cultural dominance of monogamy and the normative expectations often imposed through socialization (i.e., mononormativity), people in CNM relationships may experience negativity, which can become internalized and harm their individual and relationship health. The present s...

Study 3

Prevent2Protect Project: Regulatory focus differences in sexual health knowledg...

The way people perceive risks and make decisions about their health is regulated by two motivational systems—prevention of harm or promotion of pleasure. People more focused on prevention strive to avoid negative outcomes and enact more health-protective behaviors. In contrast, people more focused on promotion strive to attain positive outcomes and take more risks with their health. Building upon recent evidenc...

Relationship and sexual quality in the wake of COVID-19: Effects of individual ...

Research has shown mixed findings regarding the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on relation-ship and sexual quality and activity. We argue that some of these findings might be understood considering people’s predisposition to maintain safety (i.e., prevention focus) or take risks (i.e., promotion focus), and sharing concerns with one’s partner about the pandemic. A longitudinal study (N = 153) tested if regulat...

Love in the time of COVID: Perceived partner responsiveness buffers people from...

External stressors can erode relationship quality, though little is known about what can mitigate these effects. We examined whether COVID-related stressors were associated with lower relationship quality, and whether perceived partner responsiveness—the extent to which people believe their partner understands, validates, and cares for them—buffers these effects. When people in relationships reported more COVID...

Motives for security and sexual activity among single individuals at the onset ...

Amidst a global pandemic, survival needs become salient and the ability of individuals to regulate feelings and actions might be particularly relevant to protecting themselves from harm. Drawing from Regulatory Focus Theory individuals who are more focused on prevention are also more likely to enact health-protective behaviours, including sexual health behaviours, because they are more aware of threats. Extendi...

Study 1a: Regulatory focus differences in sexual health knowledge and behavior

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