Closes 29 August 2025
A recent study conducted by Latimer et al (2018) at a sexual health clinic in Melbourne, found one in three women and one in five men have experienced non-consensual condom removal (NCCR) behaviour.
Risk factors implicated in NCCR include condom use resistance (CUR), sexual aggression, hostility towards women and impulsivity (Davis et al., 2014). NCCR has also been linked to the Dark Triad (DT) personality traits of machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. In the case of the latter, psychopathy is comprised of two key components: 1) deficits in affect (i.e. callousness) and deficits self-control (i.e. impulsivity) (Cleckley, 1941, 1976; Hare, 1970; Hare & Neumann, 2008). As such, individuals higher in psychopathy tend to act impulsively and demonstrate greater engagement in riskier or poorer decision-making. Importantly, sensation-seeking, impulsivity, and risky decision-making have each been implicated in a range of risky sexual behaviours (e.g., Charnigo et al., 2012; Donohew et al., 2000). Yet, despite the overlap between sensation-seeking, impulsivity, and decision making, these factors have not yet been examined together in the context of NCCR. Moreover, where these individual factors have been investigated in the context of risky sexual behaviour, they have been mostly conceptualised as personality traits and have not yet been explored using experimental cognitive tasks.
Aim: To explore the relationship between NCCR and cognitive indices of impulsivity, inhibition, and decision-making.
Significance: NCCR has received increased media and legislative attention; however, there is limited research which specifically examines this behaviour in the context of cognition. This research will contribute to understanding individual factors that may influence NCCR and CUR in Australia and may inform therapeutic intervention when working with clients in forensic, clinical, or sub-clinical populations.
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