Self-Esteem, Aids Knowledge, and Reasons of Late Adolescents with One-Night Stand Behavior

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to examine one-night stand behavior of 20 male and 20 female late adolescents in Bangkok. The reasons for their one-night stand behavior, their self-esteem, and their AIDS knowledge were analyzed. Data were collected through indepth interviews which were content-analyzed into three domains of reasons for such behavior in each gender group: 1) intrapersonal domain, 2) interpersonal domain, and 3) environmental domain. As regards data analysis, t-tests were conducted to compare the self-esteem and AIDS knowledge of late adolescents with one-night stand behavior and those without such behavior. The study findings were as follows: 1) There were no statistically significant differences in selfesteem and ADIS knowledge between adolescents with and without one-night stand behavior. 2) The main reasons for one-night stand behavior reported by the majority of late-adolescent males were in the interpersonal domain (60%) such as the attractiveness of their partner. In contrast, the main reasons for one-night stand behavior reported by the majority of lateadolescent females were in the intrapersonal domain (60%) such as their pride in their sexual attractiveness. 3) Reasons that tended to be related to one-night stand behavior of late adolescents of both genders were their positive values and attitudes toward such behavior, their lack in familial communication, their past sexual experiences, their attraction toward their one-night stand partners, their witnessing social modeling of such behavior, their following their peer norm in such behavior, their being separated from their families to live alone or with their friends, and their alcohol consumption.