UNITED STATES: Study Links Drinking with Sex

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

UNITED STATES: Study Links Drinking with Sex

Washington Post (12.25.07) - Monday, December 31, 2007
Laura Sessions Stepp

Studies have shown that young adults who drink heavily are more likely to have multiple sex partners compared to non- heavy drinkers. A team of researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis set out to determine if the number of partners increases with the intensity of drinking and whether having a diagnosed conduct disorder affects that number.

A total of 601 unmarried adults ages 18-25 at six US universities were studied. The participants were grouped into three categories that reflected their alcohol consumption: around 45 percent were identified as alcohol-dependent, 31 percent as problem drinkers, and 22 percent as non-dependent. Participants were also grouped according to conduct disorders: Those who had no conduct problems, those who had some, and those who had a medically defined disorder, such as attention- deficit hyperactivity disorder. The participants were then questioned about their sexual behavior.

The mean age for first-time intercourse was almost 16, and the number of reported sex partners ranged from one to 200 (mean=9). On average, those who were judged not to have a drinking problem reported seven partners, while problem drinkers reported 11 and alcohol-dependent 12. Persons reporting a diagnosed conduct disorder averaged 16 partners. Those with both alcohol dependence and conduct disorder had the highest average number of partners. Other factors associated with a higher number of partners included not having a high school diploma, being male, being African American, and - especially - having first intercourse at age 14 or earlier.

According to lead author Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, the findings suggest that when a young adult seeks help for a particular problem - for example alcohol abuse, an STD or impulsive conduct - clinicians and other authorities such as university faculty members should inquire about the possibility of other concerns. "We need to have comprehensive interventions, not treat problems in silos," she said.

Cavazos-Rehg noted that all study participants were related to at least one individual who was being treated for alcoholism. Thus, the study results may be generalizable only to the one- quarter of Americans with alcohol-dependent relatives.

The study, "The Relationship Between Alcohol Problems and Dependence, Conduct Problems and Diagnosis, and Number of Sex Partners in a Sample of Young Adults," was published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research (2007;31(12):2046-2052).
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