Effect of Sexual Motivation, Benevolence Toward Men, and Sexual Assertiveness on Chinese Women's Relationship Cognitions and Condom Negotiation Under Partner Resistance.

This study examined Chinese women's condom negotiation under men's condom use resistance and how individual difference variables interact with resistance pressure to predict relationship maintenance cognitions and condom negotiation. A total of 208 Chinese women (Mage = 24.1, SD = 3.35) not in a romantic relationship participated in an online experiment in September 2023 and were randomly assigned to a scenario depicting high or low resistance pressure. After reading the scenario, participants reported relationship maintenance cognitions, use of condom negotiation strategies (direct request, withholding sex, and risk information), individual difference variables (avoidance sexual motives, benevolence toward men, and sexual assertiveness), and demographics. Three path analyses examined each individual difference variable and its interaction with resistance pressure as predictors, relationship maintenance cognitions as the mediator, and negotiation strategies as outcomes. Results showed that the interactions between resistance pressure and avoidance sexual motives, and between resistance pressure and benevolence toward men, positively predicted relationship maintenance cognitions, whereas the interaction between resistance pressure and sexual assertiveness negatively predicted relationship maintenance cognitions. Specifically, in the high condom resistance pressure condition, women were more likely to report higher relationship maintenance cognitions if they had higher levels of avoidance sexual motives and benevolence toward men, whereas they were less likely to report such cognitions if they had higher sexual assertiveness. Stronger relationship maintenance cognitions were associated with less use of direct request and withholding sex strategies. These findings underscore the importance of sexual assertiveness, gender equality awareness, and communication in sexual health education.