This month in the Article Highlight Series we talked to Dr. Weiqi Chen about her new article in Psychology of Men and Masculinities. She took us through how her research explores condomless sex among male heteroxexual couples and how or why it comes about. Looking through the frame of adversarial sexual beliefs the authors were able to come to conclusions on behaviors tied into those beliefs and how those behaviors link to condomless use. We asked the researchers about their article and the implications as well as where they would see this line of research expanding in the future.
Chen, W., Hammett, J. F., Bahrami, R., Juwadi, K., & Davis, K. C. (2026). Adversarial heterosexual beliefs moderate the effects of daily emotion modulation and sex motives on condom use resistance: A 32-day daily diary study among young men. Psychology of Men & Masculinities. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000568
What were the key questions you were addressing in this article?
In this study, we examined how men’s adversarial heterosexual beliefs (i.e., beliefs that relationships between men and women are inherently competitive, exploitative, and manipulative), emotion regulation difficulties, and motivations for sex influence their use of condom use resistance tactics (i.e., behaviors used to obtain condomless sex when a sexual partner wants to use a condom). Because people’s ability to regulate their emotions and their motivations for sex can change from day to day, we used 32 days of daily reports to examine how these daily changes interacted with men’s adversarial heterosexual beliefs to influence their engagement in condom use resistance.
What were the main conclusions of your article?
We found that men with stronger adversarial heterosexual beliefs were more likely to engage in condom use resistance. Men were also more likely to report condom use resistance on days when they were more motivated to use sex as a way to feel powerful or in control. Men who reported stronger motivations to use sex to cope with negative emotions, on average across the study period, were also more likely to engage in condom use resistance.
Additionally, our results indicate that adversarial heterosexual beliefs among men may increase the likelihood of condom use resistance, especially when they struggle with emotion regulation. However, motivations to have sex to cope with negative emotions present a different pathway to increase the likelihood of condom use resistance among men with lower levels of adversarial heterosexual beliefs. Together, these results highlight the importance of considering both trait-level factors (e.g., attitudes and beliefs) and state-level factors (e.g., emotion regulation and sex motives) to understand when condom use resistance risks become elevated.
What are the key implications of your article for research, policy, or practice?
Our findings emphasized the need to consider men’s beliefs about heterosexual relationships and their day-to-day emotional regulation abilities and motivations for sex when developing interventions to prevent condom use resistance. Prevention efforts should not only address harmful beliefs about women and sexual relationships but also help men develop healthier ways to manage negative emotions and cope with distress. Because these factors can change from day to day, interventions that provide support during higher-risk situations may be particularly useful. More broadly, our findings suggest that different men may engage in condom use resistance for different reasons, highlighting the need for tailored intervention efforts to address unique risk factors.
Where do you see this line of research heading in the future (i.e., what’s next)?
Future research should examine whether the factors identified in our study play different roles in coercive (i.e., manipulative, violent, and deceptive tactics) and noncoercive forms of condom use resistance, which we were unable to examine separately in this study. It is also important to examine these relationships among more diverse populations, including people from different cultural backgrounds and sexual and gender minorities. Additionally, our findings demonstrated the importance of understanding how emotions and motivations for sex change from day to day. Future research could build on these findings to develop interventions that address harmful beliefs about sexual relationships, strengthen emotion regulation skills, and promote healthier coping strategies, particularly during situations when individuals may be at greater risk of engaging in condom use resistance.
How did you become interested in this line of inquiry?
My interest in this line of research grew from seeing how sexual violence and coercive sexual experiences have affected people around me. These experiences motivated me to seek answers about what factors contributed to the perpetration of these behaviors. I am particularly interested in identifying factors that may increase the risk of perpetration, with the goal of developing effective prevention strategies. Ultimately, I hope my research can contribute to creating safer and healthier communities where people can make sexual decisions free from pressure, manipulation, or coercion.
Dr. Weiqi Chen
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing
University of Wisconsin - Madison
