Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 12-2008 Examining the Perceived Benefits for Engaging in Cybersex Behavior among College Students Delores D. Rimington Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Health and Medical Administration Commons, and the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Rimington, Delores D., "Examining the Perceived Benefits for Engaging in Cybersex Behavior among College Students" (2008). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 145. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/145 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXAMANING THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS FOR ENGAGEING IN CYBERSEX BEHAVIOR AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS by Delores D. Rimington A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Health, Physical Education and Recreation Approved: _______________________ _______________________ Julie Gast Phillip Waite Major Professor Committee Member _______________________ _______________________ Renee Galliher Byron Burnham Committee Member Dean of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 2008 ii Copyright © Delores D. Rimington 2008 All Rights Reserved iii ABSTRACT Examining the Perceived Benefits for Engaging in Cybersex Behavior among College Students by Delores D. Rimington, Master of Science Utah State University, 2008 Major Professor: Dr. Julie A. Gast Department: Health, Physical Education and Recreation This study examined college students‟ cybersex use, perceived benefits of use, time spent online, and compulsive cybersex. Participants consisted of students attending Utah State University Spring semester 2007. Data were collected via an online survey, and 262 surveys were used in the correlation and regression analyses. Results indicated that age, religion and gender are predictive of perceiving more benefits for cybersex participation. A strong positive correlation was found between perceived benefits and compulsive cybersex use. Students‟ lack of social skills was predictive of more time spent online. Time spent online for cybersex was predictive of sexually compulsive behavior. There was a positive correlation between sex by phone behaviors, compulsive cybersex, time spent online, and benefits perceived among college students, and cybersex activities were associated with offline relationships. (133 pages) iv ACKNOWLEDGMETNS Special thanks to my college professors who helped me to understand what it means to be a researcher: Amy Odum, Melanie Domenech Rodríguez, Renee Galliher, Phillip Waite, and Julie Gast. Thanks to the OMDS staff, for helping me wrap my mind around multiple regression. To my husband, Keith, who not only made data collection possible, but whose support made this degree possible, and to Abigail, who helps me keep everything in perspective. Thank you! Delores Rimington v CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Conceptual Overview................................................................................................. 3 Scope of the Problem ................................................................................................. 7 Problem Statement ..................................................................................................... 9 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 9 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 10 Delimitations ............................................................................................................ 11 Limitations.. ............................................................................................................. 11 Definition of Terms.................................................................................................. 12 Summary .................................................................................................................. 14 II LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 15 Characteristics of Cybersex Users ........................................................................... 15 Compulsive Behaviors ............................................................................................. 21 Perceived Benefits ................................................................................................... 24 Sex by Phone............................................................................................................ 33 Impact on Real Relatinships .................................................................................... 34 Conclusion.. ............................................................................................................. 36 Summary .................................................................................................................. 37 III METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 39 Design……. ............................................................................................................. 39 Sample...................................................................................................................... 39 Instrumentation ........................................................................................................ 47 Procedures… ............................................................................................................ 53 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 55 vi Summary .................................................................................................................. 59 IV RESULTS ................................................................................................................... 60 Question Number One ............................................................................................. 60 Question Number Two ............................................................................................. 72 Question Number Three ........................................................................................... 73 Question Number Four ............................................................................................ 74 Question Number Five ............................................................................................. 75 Question Number Six ............................................................................................... 76 Question Number Seven .......................................................................................... 77 Summary .................................................................................................................. 79 V DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................. 80 Conclusions. .............................................................................................................. 80 Impliciations for Health Education ........................................................................... 97 Future Research ......................................................................................................... 99 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 102 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 107 Appendix A: Permission E-mails........................................................................... 108 Appendix B: Sexual Behavior Scale (SBS) ........................................................... 109 Appendix C: Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS) .................................................... 113 Appendix D: Quality of Relatinoships Inventory (QRI) ....................................... 114 Appendix E: Demographics ................................................................................... 118 Appendix F: Study Annoncement .......................................................................... 120 Appendix G: Letter of Information ........................................................................ 121 Appendix H: IRB Approval Letter ........................................................................ 124 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Frequency of Participants‟ Demographic Characteristics .................................... 43 2 Frequency of Time Spent