HIV-transmission knowledge, five-factor personality traits and psychopathy as determinants of risky sexual behaviors
Year: 2007
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This paper is a part of research project "Personality traits, emotional and social processes as determinants of health" (009-0092660-2658), supported by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education, and Sports. HIV-transmission knowledge, five-factor personality traits and psychopathy as determinants of risky sexual behaviorsJASNA HUDEK-KNEŽEVIĆ, IGOR KARDUM and NADA KRAPIĆ On a sample of 203 males and 219 females the effects of HIV-transmission knowledge, five-factor personality traits and three components of psychopathy (antisocial behavior, interpersonal manipulation and impulsive thrill seeking) on overall risky sexual behaviors as well as risky sexual behaviors during previous month were explored by using a series of hierarchical regression analyses.The main hypothesis tested in this research is that psychopathy is an important predictor of risky sexual behaviors beyond and above the knowledge about the consequences of risky sexual behavior and personality traits.The results show that HIV-transmission knowledge predicts only overall risky sexual behaviors on the sample of men.Five-factor personality traits do not predict either measure of risky sexual behaviors in men and on the sample of women extraversion is a positive predictor of both measures of risky sexual behaviors.Antisocial behavior significantly and positively predicts both criterion variables on the sample of men and on the sample of women impulsive thrill seeking positively predicts only overall risky sexual behaviors.Also, HIV-transmission knowledge predicts both measures of risky sexual behaviors in interaction with interpersonal manipulation only on the sample of women.Women with less HIV-transmission knowledge and high in interpersonal manipulation show a higher increase on both measures of risky sexual behaviors in comparison with women who know more about HIV-transmission.The results obtained were explained mainly by proximal physiological processes and possible distal evolutionary mechanisms which determine reproductive success and sexual behaviors of men and women.
Authors: Jasna Hudek‐Knežević, Igor Kardum, Nada Krapić
Institution: University of Rijeka
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2163143785