This study examined sociocultural factors that impact dating and sexual experiences of heterosexual African American undergraduate college students attending a historically Black institution in the Southeastern United States. Specifically, mate availability and relationship involvement were analyzed to document students’ experiences, and how these influences may be associated with sexual decision making and behavior. Data from nine focus groups (N = 57) were aggregated and four subthemes were identified: competition among women, acceptability of mates, high prevalence of casual relationships, and lowered expectations for commitment. Power dynamics emerged as a contributing factor to the types of relationship involvement, sexual decision-making, and behavior among participants. The importance of prevention programs focusing on situational and cultural variables is highlighted. Additionally, implications for professionals working with emerging adults to consider the impact of the gender ratio imbalance, and perceived power distributions on perceptions of dating relationships, and sexual decision making and behavior are addressed.
AdimoraA. A.SchoenbachV. J. (2005). Social context, sexual networks, and racial disparities in rates of sexually transmitted infections. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 191, S115–S122.
2.
AlleyneB.GastonG. (2010). Gender disparity and HIV risk among young Black women in college: A literature review. Affilia: Journal of Women & Social Work, 25, 135–145. doi:10.1177/0886109910364348
3.
BogleK. A. (2008). Hooking up: Sex, dating, and relationships on campus. New York: New York University Press.
4.
BontempiJ.EngE.QuinnS, C. (2008). Our men are grinding out: A qualitative examination of sex ratio imbalances, relationship power, and low-income African American women’s health. Women & Health, 48, 63–81. doi:10.1080/03630240802132005
5.
BrownJ. L.SalesJ. M.DiClementeR. J.Latham DavisT. P.RoseE. S. (2012). Characteristics of African American adolescent females who perceive their current boyfriends have concurrent sexual partners. Journal of Adolescent Health, 50, 377–382.
6.
BussD. M. (1988). The evolution of human intrasexual competition: Tactics of mate attraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 616–628. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.54.4.616
ConnellR. W. (1987). Gender and power. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
9.
DavisC.SloanM.MacMasterS.KilbourneB. (2007). HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual activity: An examination of racial differences in a college sample. Health & Social Work, 32, 211–218. doi:10.1093/hsw/32.3.211
10.
DixonP. (2009). Marriage among African Americans: What does the research reveal?Journal of African American Studies, 13, 29–46. doi:10.1007/s12111-008-9062-5
11.
DolciniM. M.HarperG. W.CoeM. (2007). Urban African American adolescent heterosexual males talk about masculinity and sexuality: Implications for tailored HIV/STI programs. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC.
12.
El-BasselN.CaldeiraN. A.RuglassL. M.GilbertL. (2009). Addressing the unique needs of African American women in HIV prevention. American Journal of Public Health, 99, 996–1001.
13.
FergusonY. O.QuinnS. C.EngE.SandelowskiM. (2006). The gender ratio imbalance and its relationship to risk of HIV/AIDS among African American women at historically Black colleges and universities. AIDS Care: Psychological and Socio-medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, 18, 323–331. doi:10.1080/09540120500162122
14.
FielderR. L.CareyM. P. (2010). Predictors and consequences of sexual “hookups” among college students: A short-term prospective study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 1105–1119. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9448-4
15.
FisherM.CoxA. (2011). Four strategies used during intrasexual competition for mates. Personal Relationships, 18, 20–38. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01307.x
16.
FreemanK. (2005). African Americans and college choice: The influence of family and school. Albany: State University of New York.
17.
GallagherC. A. (2000). White like me? Methods, meaning, and manipulation in the field of white studies. In TwineF. W.WarrenJ. W. (Eds.), Racing research, researching race: Methodological dilemmas in critical race studies (pp. 67–92). New York, NY: University Press.
18.
GarciaJ. R.ReiberC. (2008). Hook-up behavior: A biopsychosocial perspective [Special Issue]. The Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology, 2, 192–208.
19.
HallN. M.WitherspoonD.D. (2011). The influence of sociosexuality and perceived susceptibility on the sexual behavior of African American college students. Journal of Best Practices in Health Professions Diversity: Research, Education, and Policy, 4, 681–694.
HomansG. C. (1961). Social behavior: Its elementary forms. New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace, & World.
22.
JemmottL.CatanV.NyamathiA.AnastasiaJ. (1995). African American women and HIV-risk-reduction issues. In O’LearyA.JemmottL. (Eds.), Women at risk: Issues in the primary prevention of AIDS (pp. 131–157). New York, NY: Plenum Press.
23.
JordanW. J.CooperR. (2001, December). Racial and cultural issues related to comprehensive school reform: The case of African American males. Paper presented at the Symposium on African American Male Achievement, Washington, DC.
24.
KalmussD.AustrianK. (2010). Real men do…real men don’t: Young Latino and African American men’s disclosures regarding sexual health care utilization. American Journal of Men’s Health, 4, 218–230.
25.
KnappL. G.Kelly-ReidJ. E.GinderS. A. (2012). Enrollment in postsecondary institutions, fall 2010; Financial statistics, fiscal year 2010; and graduation rates, selected cohorts, 2002-07 (NCES 2012-280). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May, 2013, fromhttp://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch
26.
ManningW. D.LongmoreM. A.GiordanoP. C. (2000). The relationship context of contraceptive use at first intercourse. Family Planning Perspectives, 32, 104–110.
27.
MaysV. M.CochranS. D. (1988). Issues in the perception of AIDS risk and risk reduction activities by Black and Hispanic/Latina women. American Psychologist, 43, 949–957. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.43.11.949
28.
McAdooH. (2007). African American demographic images. In McAdooH. (Ed.), Black families. (4th ed., pp. 157–172). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. doi:10.4135/9781452226026.n11
29.
NewsomeV.AirhihenbuwaC. O. (2013). Gender ratio imbalance effects on HIV risk behaviors in African American women. Health Promotion Practice, 14, 459–463.
30.
OwenJ. J.FinchamF. D. (2011). Young adults’ emotional reactions after hooking up encounters. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 321–330. doi:10.1007/s10508-010-9652-x
31.
OwenJ. J.RhoadesG. K.StanleyS. M.FinchamF. D. (2010). “Hooking up” among college students: Demographic and psychosocial correlates. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 653–663. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9414-1
32.
PeplauL. A.SpaldingL. R. (2000). The intimate relationships of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. In HendrickC.HendrickS. S. (Eds.), Close relationships: A sourcebook. (pp. 111-124). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
33.
PougetE. R.KershawT. S.NiccolaiL. M.IckovicsJ. R.BlankenshipK. M. (2010). Associations of sex ratios and male incarceration with multiple opposite-sex partners: Potential social determinants of HIV/STI transmission. Public Health Reports, 125, 70–80. PMCID: PMC2882977.
34.
PratherC.FullerT. R.KingW.BrownM.MoeringM.LittleS.PhillipsK. (2006). Diffusing an HIV prevention intervention for African American women: Integrating afrocentric components into the SISTA diffusion strategy. AIDS Education and Prevention, 18, 149–160. doi:10.1521/aeap.2006.18
35.
SennT. E.CareyM. P.VanableP. A.UrbanM. A.SliwinskiM. J. (2010). The male-to- female ratio and multiple sexual partners: Multilevel analysis with patients from an STD clinic. AIDS and Behavior, 14, 942–948. doi:10.1007/s10461-008-9405-1
36.
ShafferL. (2000, March). Sexual activity in non-romantic other-sex-friendships. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society of Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.
37.
ShulmanS.ConnollyJ. (2013). The challenge of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood: Reconceptualization of the field. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 27–39.
38.
SimonsR. L.SimonsL. G.LeiM. K.LandorA. M. (2012). Relational schemas, hostile romantic relationships, and beliefs about marriage among young African American adults. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 29, 77–101. doi:10.1177/0265407511406897
39.
SimpsonJ. A.GangestadS. W. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 870–883. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.60.6.870
40.
SoboE. J. (1995). Choosing unsafe sex: AIDS-related denial among disadvantaged women. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
41.
StephensD.PhillipsL. (2005). Integrating Black feminist thought into conceptual frameworks of African American adolescent women’s sexual scripting processes. Sexualities, Evolution & Gender, 7, 37–55. doi:10.1080/14616660500112725
42.
StinsonR. D. (2010). Hooking up in young adulthood: A review of factors influencing the sexual behavior of college students. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 24, 98–115. doi:10.1080/87568220903558596
43.
SyedM.MitchellL. L. (2013). Race, ethnicity, and emerging adulthood: Retrospect and prospects. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 83–95. doi:10.1177/2167696813480503
44.
ThomasT. L.FreemanA. (2011). Project genesis: Self-reported religiosity and spirituality and sexual risk-taking in young African-American women attending a historically African-American college. The Journal of the National Black Nurses Association, 22, 27–35.
45.
TownerS. L. (2013). What’s romance got to do with it? Sexual health outcomes of relationship dynamics among urban African American adolescents(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.
46.
UeckerJ. E.RegnerusM. D. (2010). Bare market: Campus sex ratios, romantic relationships, and sexual behavior. The Sociological Quarterly, 51, 408–435. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.2010.01177.x
47.
Van CampD.BardenJ.SloanL. R.ClarkeR. P. (2009). Choosing an HBCU: An opportunity to pursue racial self-development. The Journal of Negro Education, 78, 457–468.
48.
U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration. (2011). School enrollment in the United States: 2008(Current Population Reports). Retrieved fromhttp://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p20-564.pdf
49.
WinfieldE. B.WhaleyA. L. (2005). Relationship status, psychological orientation, and sexual risk taking in a heterosexual African college sample. Journal of Black Psychology, 31, 189–204. doi:10.1177/0095798405274719
50.
WingoodG. M.DiClementeR. J. (1997). The effects of an abusive primary partner on the condom use and sexual negotiation practices of African-American women. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 1016–1018. doi:10.2105/AJPH.87.6.1016
51.
YoungeS. N.CorneilleM. A.LydeM.CannadyJ. (2013). The paradox of risk: Historically Black college/university students and sexual health. Journal of American College Health, 61, 254–262. doi:10.1080/07448481.2013.799480
