Sex, drugs, relationships, contraception, and fears of disease on a college campus over 17 years.

Sexual behavior was surveyed in 1991 for the fourth time in 17 years at a northeastern college with 98 male and 148 female participants. Variables included virginity, religiosity, relationship to parents, relationship to last sex partner, sex philosophy, attractiveness, drug use, contraceptives used, fear of AIDS and effect of this fear on behavior. Results indicated a 91% nonvirginity rate for men, 76% for women. Both genders initiated sex at the same age. Men exhibited a more liberal sexual philosophy. Neither gender had a sexual double standard. Women's attractiveness, but not men's, related to nonvirginity. Relationship with parents was not associated with virginity, but religiosity was. Drug use was related to nonvirginity. Frequent drug users had less commitment to last sex partner than did infrequent users. Nondisease-protective contraceptive methods decreased. Despite fear of AIDS, only one-third of the students practiced "safe sex" consistently, and men were less concerned with practicing it than women. Commitment has not increased since the 1986 survey.