# Sexual health behaviors among US adolescents and young adults

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS · 2024 · $724,358

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Rough sexual behaviors (i.e., sex that involves slapping, hard spanking, punching, choking, and/or other 
physically aggressive acts) appear to be increasingly common among adolescents and young adults (ages 15–
29; AYA) in the United States (US). Rough sex can have negative mental and sexual health consequences for 
AYA. Even when rough sex is consensual, it can cause injury (e.g., concussion, bruising, lacerations) and—in 
rare cases—death. Further, preliminary data suggests that youth may feel pressured or coerced into rough 
sex. In these cases, the distinction between rough sex and sexual assault is unclear and the after-effects may 
mirror those experienced by sexual assault survivors including an increased likelihood of physical and 
emotional dating abuse; depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms; unintended pregnancy; and sexually 
transmitted infection (STI). Lastly, some AYA may consent to rough sex, only to be unprepared for the level of 
intensity or aggression used by their partner or the health consequences of those actions. This differentiation 
between expectations and experience may prove to be emotionally harmful in addition to any physical harm 
that is caused. Presently, there are no national estimates of the prevalence of rough sexual behaviors across 
adolescence and young adulthood. There is an urgent need for us to assess the prevalence and diversity of 
rough sexual behaviors among AYA, explore which factors influence whether and how AYA engage in rough 
sex (e.g., partners, peers, media), and examine how engaging in rough sex relates to the mental and sexual 
health of AYA. As such, the aims of this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study are to: (1) use a 
nationally representative survey of 800 adolescents (15–17 years old) and 1,000 young adults (18–29 years 
old) to determine the prevalence and correlates of rough sexual behaviors among AYA in the US; (2) conduct 
follow-up in-depth interviews with a diverse subsample of AYA from Aim 1 (N = 150) to assess how rough sex 
behaviors are understood, experienced, and related to health by AYA; and (3) examine whether rough sex 
experiences, expectations, and consequences vary for demographic subgroups. A youth advisory board will be 
involved in all stages of the study. This study will provide critical information about the prevalence, correlates, 
and consequences of rough sex, including how rough sex relates to the mental and sexual health of AYA.
Results will inform meaningful and impactful mental and sexual health programming aimed at addressing 
sexual assault, mental health, unintended pregnancy, and STI acquisition among AYA.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10867066
- **Project number:** 1R01HD112411-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CAMPUS
- **Principal Investigator:** Debra Lynne Herbenick
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $724,358
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-17 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10867066

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10867066, Sexual health behaviors among US adolescents and young adults (1R01HD112411-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10867066. Licensed CC0.

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