Having casual sex has been linked to a higher incidence of depression in young adults, according to a recent study.
Researchers from California State University found that both anxiety and depression were highest among those who engaged in sexual activity with people they knew for less than a week.
The study entitled Risky Business: Is There an Association between Casual Sex and Mental Health among Emerging Adults? is the largest of its kind, questioning 3900 heterosexual students from 30 different colleges and universities. While just 11 percent of participants said they’ve had casual sex before, it was this group who also scored highest for depression.
Further to this, lead researcher Dr Melina Bersamin noted that casual sex was associated with psychological distress by the students themselves.
Men were more likely to engage in casual sex than women, the study found – possibly due to social norms which make it less acceptable to be a woman with loose morals.
While previous studies have reported seeing different psychological states between the sexes reporting that women respond more negatively, both men and women reported similar psychological reactions to their casual sex forays in this study.
More extensive research is required to establish whether existing mental health issues can be associated with risky sexual behaviour.
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