A Qualitative Enquiry into Psychological Consequences of Casual Sexual Experiences

Casual sexual experiences are becoming common among emerging adults. With uncertainties in their career, busy work schedule, and geographic location changes, it is getting quite intense to be in a committed relationship. A lot of the existing research focuses on the negative consequences of casual sex and hardly any study has been conducted in the Indian context. This study aims to qualitatively understand the psychological consequences of casual sex and further attempts to elucidate why it happens among emerging adults in India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 individuals. Thematic analysis on the collected data uncovered four global themes to understand the psychological consequences: benefits, implications of morality and society, fear, and good feelings. The implications of the study can be used by mental health workers and educators who work closely with the young adult population.