Infidelity in young university students: interpersonal relationships and sexual behavior based on the analysis of proximal variables

Abstract

Infidelity is a multi-causal phenomenon, with personal, family, and social consequences that affect physical and emotional health. The aim of this study is to identify groups of young university students with a relationship in the last year, based on the variable infidelity and to describe their features from proximal variables. A total of 172 women and 44 men between the ages of 18 and 30 participated in the study. The variables infidelity, conflict management, communication, jealousy, and sexual behavior were measured. As a result, three groups with different particularities were identified: "emotional infidelity desire" who establish romantic bonds; "non-infidels" who do not commit adultery and "sexual infidels" who are those people who practice sexual infidelity; concluding that "non-infidels" are less jealous, communicate assertively and resolve couple conflicts more effectively in contrast to "sexual infidels".