How does it work? An exploration into psychosocial mechanisms that underlie associations between religiosity/faith and sexual risks in emerging Croatian adults

Although a number of studies reported negative associations between young people's religiosity and risky sexual behavior, psychosocial mechanisms that might underlie these links have not been directly assessed. Utilizing structural equation modeling approach, the current study explored three such mechanisms: (a) internal motivation (internalization), (b) external motivation (peer influence), and (c) mixed motivation (collective identity), using data from a population-based online panel of 1,200 emerging Croatian adults aged 18-25 years. Observed mechanisms were gender-specific: while a combination of internal and external motivation was observed among female participants, both mixed and internal motivations were relevant for male participants. Contrary to expectations, the link between the mixed motivation mechanism and sexual risk taking was positive. Overall, the weak associations found in this study suggest that religiosity and personal faith do not play a substantial role in emerging Croatian adults' sexual and reproductive health.