Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Momentary Affective States Surrounding Sexual Intercourse in Depressed Adolescents and Young Adults

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Depressed young people may have sexual intercourse (sex) to regulate their disordered affective states. This study sought to determine how momentary positive and negative affect relate to subsequent sex events in depressed adolescents and young adults. Fifty-four outpatients (87% female) 15–22 years who reported clinically significant depressive symptoms and having sex at least once a week completed a baseline survey, then reported momentary affective states and the occurrence of sex events on a handheld computer in response to 4–6 random signals per day for 2 weeks. Participants identified 387 unique sex events (median, 3.5/participant/week) on 3,159 reports (median, signal response rate 80%). Most (86–96%) reported low burden of participation on questions asked at study completion. Similar to what has been reported in non-depressed young people, momentary positive and negative affect were both improved beginning approximately 6 h before until approximately 6 h after a sex event. Positive affect was lower in the 24 h before this pericoital period, compared to other times. Negative affect did not significantly differ between before the pericoital period and other times. The findings suggest that depressed youth may have sex to regulate their positive affect and have implications for provision of their mental and physical health care.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. For an 18-year-old, the YSR was administered if the participant was still living at home and the ASR was administered if s/he was living independently.

  2. The momentary positive affect items were interested, strong, proud, alert, inspired, and determined. The momentary negative affect items were distressed, upset, guilty, scared, hostile, and irritable.

  3. The pericoital period included affect shortly before a sex event, which may be influenced by anticipation of the event (Sewell, 2005) and therefore it would not be appropriate to include in analyses of affect as predictive of sex. Affect shortly after sex is presumed to be influenced by the sex event and therefore it would not be appropriate to include in the comparison time blocks.

  4. Autocorrelation is an index of stability of affect, defined for any sequence of at least three reports as the Pearson correlation coefficient between pairs of successive affect levels.

References

  • Achenbach, T. M. (1997). Manual for the young adult self-report and young adult behavior checklist. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Axelson, D. A., Bertocci, M. A., Lewin, D. S., Trubnick, L. S., Birmaher, B., Williamson, D. E., et al. (2003). Measuring mood and complex behavior in natural environments: Use of ecological momentary assessment in pediatric affective disorders. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology, 13, 253–266.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J., Janssen, E., Strong, D., Carnes, L., Vukadinovic, Z., & Long, J. (2003). The relation between mood and sexuality in heterosexual men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 217–230.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A., Steer, R., & Brown, G. (1996). BDI-II manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation, Harcourt Brace & Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, M. S., & Isen, A. M. (1982). Toward understanding the relationship between feeling states and social behavior. In A. Hastorf & A. M. Isen (Eds.), Cognitive social psychology (pp. 73–108). New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 316–336.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, M. L., Agocha, V. B., & Sheldon, M. S. (2000). A motivational perspective on risky behaviors: The role of personality and affect regulatory processes. Journal of Personality, 68, 1059–1088.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, M., Shapiro, C., & Powers, A. (1998). Motivations for sex and risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults: A functional perspective. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 1528–1558.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Craske, M. G. (2009). Cognitive-behavioral therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crepaz, N., & Marks, G. (2001). Are negative affective states associated with HIV sexual risk behaviors? A meta-analytic review [Comment]. Health Psychology, 20, 291–299.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Larson, R. (1987). Validity and reliability of the experience-sampling method. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 175, 526–536.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, L. H., Shih, M.-C., de Moor, C., & Shrier, L. A. (2008). Reasons why adolescents and young adults have sex: Associations with psychological characteristics and sexual behavior. Journal of Sex Research, 45, 225–232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Department of Health and Human Services. (2009). Code of Federal Regulations. Title 45 Public Welfare, Part 46 Protection of Human Subjects. Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm#46.116.

  • Durrleman, S., & Simon, R. (1989). Flexible regression models with cubic splines. Statistics in Medicine, 8, 551–561.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, S. B., Easting, G., & Pearson, P. (1984). Age norms for impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy in children. Personality and Individual Differences, 5, 315–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, S. B., & Eysenck, H. J. (1977). The place of impulsiveness in a dimensional system of personality description. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 16, 57–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, S. B., Pearson, P. R., Easting, G., & Allsopp, J. (1985). Age norms for impulsiveness, venturesomeness and empathy in adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 613–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fortenberry, J., Cecil, H., Zimet, G., & Orr, D. (1997). Concordance between self-report questionnaires and coital diaries for sexual behaviors of adolescent women with sexually transmitted infections. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), Researching sexual behavior: Methodological issues (pp. 237–257). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fortenberry, J. D., Temkit, M., Tu, W., Graham, C. A., Katz, B. P., & Orr, D. P. (2005). Daily mood, partner support, sexual interest, and sexual activity among adolescent women. Health Psychology, 24, 252–257.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56, 218–226.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fredrickson, B. L., & Losada, M. F. (2005). Positive affect and the complex dynamics of human flourishing. American Psychologist, 60, 678–686.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, M., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Larson, R. (1986). Adolescence and its recollection: Toward an interpretive model of development. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 32, 167–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furman, W., & Wehner, E. A. (1994). Romantic views: Toward a theory of adolescent romantic relationships. In R. Montemayor, G. R. Adams, & T. P. Gullotta (Eds.), Personal relationships during adolescence (pp. 168–195). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenland, S. (1995). Avoiding power loss associated with categorization and ordinal scores in dose-response and trend analysis. Epidemiology, 6, 450–454.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hektner, J. M., Schmidt, J. A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2007). Experience sampling method: Measuring the quality of everyday life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hufford, M. R., Shields, A. L., Shiffman, S., Paty, J., & Balabanis, M. (2002). Reactivity to ecological momentary assessment: An example using undergraduate problem drinkers. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 16, 205–211.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Josephson, B. R., Singer, J. A., & Salovey, P. (1996). Mood regulation and memory: Repairing sad moods with happy memories. Cognition & Emotion, 10, 437–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, J. A., Kaplowitz, R. A., Goodman, E., & Emans, S. J. (2002). The association between impulsiveness and sexual risk behaviors in adolescent and young adult women. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 229–232.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C., & Weinhardt, L. (2001). Negative affect and sexual risk behavior: Comment on Crepaz and Marks (2001). Health Psychology, 20, 300–301.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, J. A., & Kalichman, S. C. (1995). Increased attention to human sexuality can improve HIV-AIDS prevention efforts: Key research issues and directions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 63, 907–918.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. R., Kaufman, J. S., Pence, B. W., Gaynes, B. N., Adimora, A. A., Weir, S. S., et al. (2009). Depression, sexually transmitted infection, and sexual risk behavior among young adults in the United States. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 163, 644–652.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby, D. (2003). Risk and protective factors affecting teen pregnancy and the effectiveness of programs designed to address them. In D. Romer (Ed.), Reducing adolescent risk: Toward an integrated approach (pp. 265–283). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. W., Clore, G. L., & Wood, G. A. (1999). The emotions of romantic relationships: Do they wreak havoc on adolescents? In W. Furman, B. B. Brown, & C. Feiring (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence (pp. 19–49). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1983). The experience sampling method. In H. Reis (Ed.), Naturalistic approaches to studying social interactions (Vol. 15, pp. 41–56). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehrer, J. A., Shrier, L. A., Gortmaker, S., & Buka, S. (2006). Depressive symptoms as a longitudinal predictor of sexual risk behaviors among US middle and high school students. Pediatrics, 118, 189–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lewinsohn, P. M., Solomon, A., Seeley, J. R., & Zeiss, A. (2000). Clinical implications of “subthreshold” depressive symptoms. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109, 345–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Longmore, M. A., Manning, W. D., Giordano, P. C., & Rudolph, J. L. (2004). Self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and adolescents’ sexual onset. Social Psychology Quarterly, 67, 279–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, J. (2001). Emotion, intelligence, and emotional intelligence. In J. P. Forgas (Ed.), Handbook of affect and social cognition (pp. 410–431). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, G. (2007). Diurnal mood variation in depression: A signal of disturbed circadian function? Journal of Affective Disorders, 102, 47–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Morrow, J. (1991). A prospective study of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 115–121.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Morrow, J., & Fredrickson, B. L. (1993). Response styles and the duration of episodes of depressed mood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 20–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Riediger, M., Schmiedek, F., Wagner, G. G., & Lindenberger, U. (2009). Seeking pleasure and seeking pain: Differences in prohedonic and contra-hedonic motivation from adolescence to old age. Psychological Science, 20, 1529–1535.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rostosky, S. S., Regnerus, M. D., & Wright, M. L. (2003). Coital debut: The role of religiosity and sex attitudes in the Add Health Survey. Journal of Sex Research, 40, 358–367.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sewell, K. W. (2005). The experience cycle and the sexual response cycle: Conceptualization and application to sexual dysfunctions. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 18, 3–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiffman, S. (2000). Real-time self-report of momentary states in the natural environment: Computerized ecological momentary assessment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrier, L. A., Aneja, P., Rice, P. A., Batteiger, B., Braslins, P. B., Orr, D. P., et al. (2009). Depression and STI risk within young, Chlamydia-infected, heterosexual dyads. Journal of Adolescent Health, 45, 63–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shrier, L., Harris, S., & Beardslee, W. (2002). Temporal associations between depressive symptoms and self-reported sexually transmitted disease among adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 156, 599–606.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shrier, L. A., Koren, S., Aneja, P., & de Moor, C. (2010). Affect regulation, social context, and sexual intercourse in adolescents. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 695–705.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shrier, L. A., Shih, M.-C., & Beardslee, W. R. (2005). Affect and sexual behavior in adolescents: A review of the literature and comparison of momentary sampling with diary and retrospective self-report methods of measurement. Pediatrics, 115, e573–e581.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shrier, L. A., Shih, M.-C., Hacker, L., & de Moor, C. (2007). A momentary sampling study of the affective experience following coital events in adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 40, 357.e1–357.e8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shrier, L. A., Walls, C., Lops, C., & Feldman, H. A. (2011). Correlates of incorrect condom use among depressed young women: An event-level analysis. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 24, 10–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spriggs, A. L., & Halpern, C. T. (2008). Sexual debut timing and depressive symptoms in emerging adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 1085–1096.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Goozen, S. H., Wiegant, V. M., Endert, E., Helmond, F. A., & van de Poll, N. E. (1997). Psychoendocrinological assessment of the menstrual cycle: The relationship between hormones, sexuality, and mood. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26, 359–382.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., & Tellegen, A. (1985). Toward a consensual structure of mood. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 219–235.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, E., & Rosen, E. (1991). The development of adolescent sexual intimacy: Implications for counseling. Adolescence, 26, 331–339.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wichers, M. C., Myin-Germeys, I., Jacobs, N., Peeters, F., Kenis, G., Derom, C., et al. (2007). Evidence that moment-to-moment variation in positive emotions buffer genetic risk for depression: A momentary assessment twin study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 115, 451–457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wrosch, C., & Miller, G. E. (2009). Depressive symptoms can be useful: Self-regulatory and emotional benefits of dysphoric mood in adolescence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 1181–1190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health grant R21072533 and Maternal Child Health Bureau grant T71MC00009. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Carl de Moor in study design and of Parul Aneja in data management. The authors also wish to thank the clinicians for aiding in recruitment and the participants for sharing their experiences in the service of this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Lydia A. Shrier, Ashley D. Kendall & Christopher Lops

  2. Clinical Research Program, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    Henry A. Feldman & Courtney Walls

  3. Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Shimrit K. Black

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA

    William R. Beardslee

Authors
  1. Lydia A. Shrier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Henry A. Feldman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shimrit K. Black
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Courtney Walls
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ashley D. Kendall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Christopher Lops
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. William R. Beardslee
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lydia A. Shrier.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shrier, L.A., Feldman, H.A., Black, S.K. et al. Momentary Affective States Surrounding Sexual Intercourse in Depressed Adolescents and Young Adults. Arch Sex Behav 41, 1161–1171 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9787-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-011-9787-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation