The moderating effect of emotion regulation on body image, sexual self schemas, and sexual health outcomes in emerging adult women

Risky sexual behaviors, including engaging in unprotected sex, can lead to negative sexual health outcomes, including sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy, which can in turn lead to a plethora of other physical health and psychosocial outcomes. Emerging adults (ages 18-25), particularly those who identify as women, are at an increased risk for these deleterious health outcomes. Previous research has examined associations between potential risk factors that may predispose individuals toward engaging in risky sexual behavior, but little research has explored potential protective factors. The present study sought to explore the relationships between body image (an individual’s perception and attitude toward their body), sexual self-schemas (cognitive generalizations about oneself as a sexual being), and risky sexual behavior, and examines emotion regulation (one’s characteristic ability to modulate their emotions) as a possible moderator of these relationships. The current study utilized four measures that assessed U.S. emerging adult women’s body image (The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Scale), sexual self-schemas (Sexual Self-Schema Scale), sexual risk (Sexual Risk Survey), and emotion regulation (Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale).This research is important as it helps fill a gap in the literature and may have implications for interventions that may help decrease risk for unfavorable health outcomes.