Research into the impact of hookups on mental health has focused on possible detriments to self-esteem. To better understand why hooking up is associated with lower self-esteem, this study focused on the impact of religious beliefs on shame following a hookup, and the subsequent impact on self-esteem. I theorized that more religious individuals would experience greater shame following a hookup, which in turn would cause lower self-esteem. Additionally, I hypothesized that more religious individuals would experience greater shame following a hookup, and in turn decreased self-esteem, but only for those high on the moderator religiosity. Moderated-mediation and simple mediation models did not support my hypotheses, indicating that religiosity did not increase shame following a hookup, and in turn decrease self-esteem. Future research may need to focus on connecting moral incongruence and religiosity to self-esteem and shame proneness in hopes of determining the cause of shame, and ultimately lower self-esteem, following a hookup. Implications for this research include a better understand of clinical and counseling practices to address incongruence between one’s religious beliefs regarding sex and their sexual behaviors
