Hookups reflect extended sexual adolescence, an average of seven additional pre-marital years of youthful singlehood during which many young people are celibate while many others experiment with short-term pairings

Kettrey, HH and AD Johnson. “Hooking Up and Pairing Off: Correlates of College Students’ Interest in Subsequent Hookup and Romantic Relationships with Other-Sex and Same-Sex Hookup Partners,:” Journal of Sex Research (2021) 58:915. DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2020.1766403

Abstract: Contrary to popular media claims that college hookup culture has made romantic relationships obsolete, research indicates many college students see hookups as a pathway to relationships. However, relatively few college hookups actually produce relationships. This study used a sex market framework to explore correlates of college students’ interest in future hookups and relationships with hookup partners across other-sex and same-sex hookup markets. Using Online College Social Life Survey data (N = 10,141) we explored variables classified in the following contexts that may shape choices in a sex market: demographic characteristics, the hookup dyad, the hookup event, post-hookup reactions, attitudes toward hookup partners, and hookup opportunity structures. Logistic regression analyses indicated post-hookup reactions (e.g., satisfaction, emotional responses) explained the highest percentage of variance in interest in a subsequent hookup (56% to 61% across markets) and interest in a relationship (35% to 45% across markets). Although past research suggests there are different markets for other- and same-sex hookups, these findings suggest similarity in contexts that may shape interest in relationship formation among other-sex and same-sex hookup markets. Suggestions for fostering positive relationship development on campuses are discussed.

Popular version: New Insights Into Young Adult Casual Sex Hookups. Michael Castleman. Jan 15 2022. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-about-sex/202201/new-insights-young-adult-casual-sex-hookups

Discussion

In this study, we explored correlates of college students’ interest in a subsequent hookup or romantic relationship with their most recent hookup partner. We paid particular attention to the sex composition of hookup dyads and broke down findings as they applied to four different hookup markets: women with other-sex hookup partners, men with other-sex hookup partners, women with same-sex hookup partners, and men with same-sex hookup partners. Findings from this study are especially important because most research on college hookups has (1) employed a risk framework with minimal attention to positive outcomes of hookups and (2) focused on hookups among other-sex dyads, with the few studies that do exist on same-sex hookups suggesting these encounters are part of a distinct hookup culture (Pham, 2017; Watson et al., 2017).

We employed a sex market framework (Ellingson et al., 2004), to theorize different markets, or hookup cultures, for other-sex and same-sex hookup dyads. More specifically, we examined correlations between contexts that can shape preferences for subsequent hookups or relationships with hookup partners in a given hookup market. We examined the relationship between the following contexts and interest in a subsequent hookup or relationship with hookup partners: demographic characteristics, the hookup dyad, the hookup event, post-hookup reactions, attitudes toward hookup partners, and hookup opportunity structures.

Through this study, we sought to answer two main research questions. First, we asked which contexts were the strongest predictors of interest in a subsequent hookup or relationship with hookup partners. Second, we sought to explore the similarities and differences in predictors of interest in a subsequent hookup or relationship with hookup partners across hookup markets (i.e., women with other-sex hookup partners, men with other-sex hookup partners, women with same-sex hookup partners, men with same-sex hookup partners).

Although previous research suggests there are separate sex markets, or hookup cultures, for women and men with other-sex or same-sex partners, our analysis suggests there is great similarity in the degree to which the contexts that compose those markets may facilitate relationship formation. Across all four hookup markets, we found post-hookup reactions to be most strongly correlated with the two outcomes in our study (i.e., interest in a subsequent hookup and interest in a relationship with hookup partners). The variables in this context collectively explained between 35% and 62% of the variance in the two outcomes across the four hookup markets. The second strongest context to correlate with the outcomes across the four contexts was the hookup dyad. The variables in this context collectively explained between 12% and 22% of the variance in the two outcomes across markets.

These findings point to the importance of how college students feel about their hookups – as well as their history and familiarity with hookup partners – in facilitating future hookups and romantic relationships. That is, our findings suggest that being familiar with a specific hookup partner and experiencing positive feelings after a hookup are the best predictors of subsequent interest in that partner. This is the case for both men and women with other-sex and same-sex partners. In other words, the same contexts matter across markets. However, this is not meant to diminish variation within contexts across markets. For example, hookup enjoyment was a significant predictor of subsequent interest in hookup partners across all four markets; however, women with same-sex hookup partners reported the highest level of hookup enjoyment.

Limitations and Directions for Future Research

Findings from this study should be interpreted within the confines of important limitations pertinent to its theoretical conceptualization and methodological implementation. Regarding the conceptualization of the study, as previously noted, the hookup market contexts that we examined represents a classification of variables that the larger body of research indicates can shape interest in a future hookup or relationship with one’s partner. These contexts are not meant to be exhaustive, as it is not possible to account for every variable that might be associated with college students’ post-hookup interest in partners. Rather, it is meant to provide a rough template for understanding interest in the formation of romantic relationships among college students across hookup markets.

Additionally, a number of methodological limitations are worth noting. First, the sample for this study was nonrandom and composed of college students enrolled in sociology classes. Thus, respondents’ hookup preferences and behaviors may not be representative of those among general college students. Second, OCSLS data were collected at a single point in time and, thus, findings from this study are correlational. It is not clear whether the predictor variables (i.e., variables corresponding to each of the contexts) influenced participants’ post-hookup interest in their partners or whether post-hookup interest influenced participants’ reporting of these variables.

Relatedly, although the OCSLS dataset is widely used in analyses of college hookup attitudes and behaviors, readers should be mindful of the fact that the survey was administered between 2005 and 2011. Thus, findings from this analysis may not accurately represent the dynamics of relationship formation among current college students.

Finally, the outcome variables in this study measured respondents’ interest in a subsequent hookup or romantic relationship with their most recent hookup partner. They do not indicate whether the hookups in question actually resulted in a subsequent hookup or relationship. The OCSLS did not measure the actual incidence of future commitment from hookup partners and, even if it did, the numbers would presumably produce a much smaller number of positive cases for analysis.

To address these limitations, future research should include qualitative investigations that capture narrative accounts of college students’ hookup experiences – as well as their longitudinal trajectories with particular hookup partners (e.g., how and under what conditions hookups yield relationships). This could involve recruiting a sample of college students who are asked to complete journals chronicling their hookup experiences across an academic year. Those who report hookups with serial partners could be invited to participate in follow-up interviews to discuss emerging interests in these partners. Ideally, some of these interviews should include participants’ partners, as the body of research would benefit from studies that use hookup partner dyads (instead of individual college students) as the unit of analysis.