Sexual Attitudes and Behavior of a Cross-Sectional Sample of United States Medical Students: Effects of Gender, Age, and Year of Study

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Abstract
A comprehensive sexual attitudes and behavior survey was administered anonymously to 409 second year medical students in 1988, 1990, and 1992 in the United States. The majority of students were male (64.3%), single (86.5%), and between the ages of 20 and 29 (92%). While most students were sexually active at the time of study, a significant minority (13.5%) were sexually inexperienced. Most respondents had been sexually involved with 2-5 partners over their lifetime, although 16% of male students reported sexual involvement with 11 or more sexual partners. Major gender differences included a significantly lower rate of masturbation among women, fewer lifetime sexual partners, greater difficulty in achieving orgasm, and increased frequency of both prepubertal and postpubertal sexual victimization. Female students were also more tolerant of abortion and homosexuality, but had less positive attitudes towards pornography than their male counterparts. Only two sexual attitudes showed significant change over the 5-year period of this study: Attitudes toward homosexuality became more positive, whereas endorsement of premarital sexual intercourse declined. The implications of these and other findings are discussed.