Effect of Normative Feedback on College Students' Perceptions of Sexual Behavior

College students who engage in unsafe sexual behaviors are at risk for STIs, including HIV. This study examined the use of normative feedback in reducing the false consensus effect [FCE] about risky sexual behaviors. The FCE occurs when people who engage in specific behaviors over-estimate the percentage of their peers who also engage in them. It was hypothesized that an FCE would be observed at baseline for risky sexual behaviors and would be eliminated after the presentation of normative feedback (intervention).

Study design: quasi-experimental pretest-posttest no control group. 78 undergraduates, 18 to 57 years (M = 22, SD = 6.6) completed a 41-item survey assessing their sexual behaviors and their perceptions of peer behaviors at baseline, directly following intervention, and two-weeks later.

At baseline significant differences were obtained for performing oral sex t (76) = 2.7, p = .008, receiving oral sex t (76) = 2.5, p =.016, level of agreement for oral sex t (76) = 2.5, p = .016, and anal sex t (76) = 2.3, p = .03. Students who reported performing and/or receiving oral sex provided higher peer estimates for these behaviors than those students without these experiences. Directly following presentation of the normative feedback, there were no significant differences. Similar results were found at two-weeks for oral sex and anal sex, indicating the FCE was absent for these behaviors.

Results suggest that normative feedback may be an effective at correcting misperceptions about peer performance of unsafe sexual behaviors and should be considered in prevention programming.