Oral Sex: Gateway or Alternative to Vaginal Intercourse?

Abstract

Oral sex – a highly prevalent behavior that is independently associated with STIs – has been constructed as an alternative to vaginal intercourse (VI), and as a gateway to VI. No studies have evaluated these competing constructions, or in-the-moment factors contributing to oral sex. This study evaluated whether 1) acute alcohol intoxication and sexual sensation seeking (SSS) predicted intentions to engage in unprotected oral sex with an unfamiliar partner, and 2) oral sex intentions predicted subsequent unprotected VI intentions. Following assessment of SSS, participants (N=324 heterosexual men and women) were randomized to the alcohol or control groups, and read and projected themselves into an eroticized scenario assessing risky sex intentions. Results demonstrated that only SSS predicted oral sex intentions, and that oral sex intentions mediated the relationship between SSS and VI intentions differentially among men and women. Implications regarding risk-related predictors and putative “gateway” effects of oral sex are discussed.