Family systems, psychosocial characteristics, and communicationin college student dating relationships: Implications for

Abstract

This study examined the associations among family environmental factors, psychosocial characteristics, such as social anxiety, social desirability and social skill, and relational factors with HIV communication, number of past sexual partners, and current condom usage. Seventy-two college aged dating couples completed a sexual communication interaction task in a laboratory and then completed self-report measures of family environment, psychosocial characteristics, and past and current sexual behavior. Results indicated that family environment factors were a major predictor of situational social skill for women, but not men. Additionally, participants who indicated higher levels of HIV communication were also more likely to engage in HIV risk behaviors. Individuals whose partners reported more HIV communication were more likely to engage in HIV risk behaviors. A bias effect was also demonstrated for reports of social skill during the sexual communication interaction task, such that individuals who reported their own social skill to be high, also reported high social skill for their partners.