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The current investigation assessed the denotative or descriptive meaning that college students attach to the word abstinence. A sample of 1101 students indicated whether a series of sexual behaviors were abstinent or not abstinent. Their categorizations were analyzed for consistency with the CDC's definition of abstinence as “refraining from sexual activities that involve vaginal, anal, and oral intercourse.” Many students categorized behaviors high in risk of HIV-transmission as abstinent, e.g., anal intercourse (24%), oral intercourse (37%), and oral-anal contact (47%). The implications for HTV/STD prevention education and future research are discussed.
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Horan et al. (1998) studied this question.
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