An Exploratory Study on the Context of Casual Sex among Young Filipino Adults

Abstract

This is a descriptive, purposive and comparative study which intends to discover the context of casual sex among young Filipino adults. The study particularly aims to describe the occurrence of casual sex among young Filipino adults and measure respondents’ level of impulsivity. This study also compares the sexual activities, contraceptive utilization and sexual satisfaction that accompany casual and romantic sex respectively. One hundred seven young Filipino adults from Metro Manila, aged 18-35 participated in this study. Among these, sixty-eight are males and thirty-nine are females; all of which have experienced casual sex. Respondents were asked to answer the questionnaire which was particularly constructed for the purpose of the study. One on one interview was also conducted among willing respondents. Barratt Impulsivity Scale was used to measure the level of impulsivity among young adults. The scale was re-tested for reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha of .803. Impulsivity was found to be at moderate level for both males and females. Chi-square test indicated that the incidence of casual sex does not necessitate a high level of impulsivity. Occurrence of casual sex varies by gender, as more males than females engage in casual sex. Motivations for engaging in casual sex, emotions associated to casual sex, its consequences, and respondent’s eagerness to do it again were different between male and female respondents. One hundred one responses were considered for the final part which compares casual sex and romantic sex. It was observed that respondents experience both casual and romantic sex to be able to compare their experiences. Results showed that sexual activities were more frequently done in romantic sex than in casual sex. Difference in contraceptive utilization between casual sex and romantic sex was insignificant as implied by the paired t-test. This means that respondents, when engaging in casual sex are as equally cautious when they engage in romantic sex. Despite the prevalence of casual sex, results showed that respondents still favor romantic sex over casual sex. Recommendations regarding the improved support from social institution and additional study on the same topic were made based on the results.