Considering the absence of Black college women in hookup research: Implications for sexual health interventions

Few researchers have examined sexual hookups among black college women, despite the high prevalence of STIs, gender ratio disparities, and low sexual-risk perception that specifically threaten the sexual health of this population. This review investigated the absence of Black college women in existing hookup literature.

Methods: Eighteen studies were identified using EBSCO and ProQuest databases. The keywords in the search included: “Hook-up", “Hookup”, “Hooking Up” AND “College Students” AND “Women”. Only studies that examined gender differences and/or women were included; literature reviews were not included.

Results: Of the 18 studies reviewed, 14 specifically included Black male and female participants (N=1,569; 5-21% of the study participants). Nine studies included or reported data for Black women (N=211; 5-21% of the study participants). Only 2 studies explored both racial and gender differences, while 3 explored racial differences among women in hookup behavior. All the studies were conducted on predominantly white campuses.

Conclusions: Our results provide evidence of the lacuna of hookup research focused on diverse samples. The specific exclusion of Black college women in hookup research neglects the influence of race and gender on the sexual health and wellbeing of Black women on US college campuses. Suggestions for inclusion in future research include (1) examining the language used to define hookups among this population and (2) investigating the specific sexual practices and behaviors of Black women across a diverse sample of colleges. Understanding the sexual experiences of Black college women could help inform culturally competent approaches to sexual health interventions on college campuses.