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Paquette MM, Dion J, Bőthe B, O'Sullivan LF, Perrier Léonard D, Bergeron S. How Does Sexual Subjectivity Vary on the Basis of Gender and Sexual Orientation? Validation of the Short Sexual Subjectivity Inventory (SSSI-11) in Cisgender, Heterosexual and Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024; 53:275-292. [PMID: 37679506 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02675-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Through sexual exploration, adolescents learn that they are sexual beings with choices, desires, and are deserving of pleasure, which corresponds to sexual subjectivity. However, the two measures of this construct (i.e., Female Sexual Subjectivity Inventory and Male Sexual Subjectivity Inventory) have not been validated with younger adolescents and have different items for boys and girls (with no scale available for gender diverse individuals), limiting gender comparisons. This study examined (1) the factor structure of the adapted Short Sexual Subjectivity Inventory-11 items (SSSI-11) in a large sample of young cisgender, heterosexual and sexual and gender minority adolescents, (2) measurement invariance across language (English and French), gender, and sexual orientation, (3) validity with sexuality-related outcomes, and (4) one-year temporal stability. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis among 2001 adolescents (Mage = 15.5 years, SD = 0.60) revealed a multidimensional factor structure. The SSSI-11, in both English and French, showed adequate reliability and one-year temporal stability, and was invariant across genders, sexual orientations, and languages. Girls had lower scores on the entitlement to self-pleasure and self-efficacy in achieving pleasure factors, and higher scores on the entitlement to pleasure from a partner factor. No significant differences were observed on the basis of language or between heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents. The SSSI-11 correlated positively with sexuality-related variables. Findings support the strong psychometric properties of the SSSI-11, rendering it of considerable use in clinical, education, and research applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Michèle Paquette
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
| | - Jacinthe Dion
- Département des Sciences de la Santé, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, QC, Canada
| | - Beáta Bőthe
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Lucia F O'Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Delphine Perrier Léonard
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Sophie Bergeron
- Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
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Sovetkina E, Weiss M, Verplanken B. Perception of vulnerability in young females’ experiences of oral sex: Findings from the focus group discussions. COGENT PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/23311908.2017.1418643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elena Sovetkina
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Marjorie Weiss
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Bas Verplanken
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
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Bay-Cheng LY. Seeing How Far I've Come: The Impact of the Digital Sexual Life History Calendar on Young Adult Research Participants. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2017; 54:284-295. [PMID: 26940905 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2016.1139033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The Digital Sexual Life History Calendar (d/SLHC) is a Web-based platform for collecting young adults' sexual histories. In addition to collecting diverse data, the d/SLHC was designed to benefit participants by enabling reflection on their sexual and relationship experiences in the context of other life events and circumstances. In a pilot study of the d/SLHC, survey data were collected to test whether creating a d/SLHC timeline had any impact on sexual well-being. A sample of 18- to 25-year-old participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) completed an online survey about sexuality and relationships. Of those, 113 also completed d/SLHC timelines and 262 served as a comparison group. Six months later, participants from both groups were invited to complete a follow-up survey (total N = 249). Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicated that participants who completed d/SLHC timelines exhibited higher sexual esteem immediately following d/SLHC completion and at follow-up. No changes in sexual esteem were observed in the comparison group, and there were no differences between the groups with regard to sexual health behaviors and outcomes. These findings suggest that sexuality studies may have the potential to yield not only rich data for researchers but also rich experiences for participants.
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Lewis R, Marston C. Oral Sex, Young People, and Gendered Narratives of Reciprocity. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2016; 53:776-87. [PMID: 26849152 PMCID: PMC4960515 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2015.1117564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Young people in many countries report gender differences in giving and receiving oral sex, yet examination of young people's own perspectives on gender dynamics in oral heterosex are relatively rare. We explored the constructs and discourses 16- to 18-year-old men and women in England used in their accounts of oral sex during in-depth interviews. Two contrasting constructs were in circulation in the accounts: on one hand, oral sex on men and women was narrated as equivalent, while on the other, oral sex on women was seen as "a bigger deal" than oral sex on men. Young men and women used a "give and take" discourse, which constructed the mutual exchange of oral sex as "fair." Appeals to an ethic of reciprocity in oral sex enabled women to present themselves as demanding equality in their sexual interactions, and men as supporting mutuality. However, we show how these ostensibly positive discourses about equality also worked in narratives to obscure women's constrained agency and work with respect to giving oral sex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Lewis
- Department of Sociology, University of the Pacific, and Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
| | - Cicely Marston
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
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Fahs B, McClelland SI. When Sex and Power Collide: An Argument for Critical Sexuality Studies. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2016; 53:392-416. [PMID: 27105445 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2016.1152454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Attentive to the collision of sex and power, we add momentum to the ongoing development of the subfield of critical sexuality studies. We argue that this body of work is defined by its critical orientation toward the study of sexuality, along with a clear allegiance to critical modalities of thought, particularly feminist thought. Critical sexuality studies takes its cues from several other critical moments in related fields, including critical psychology, critical race theory, critical public health, and critical youth studies. Across these varied critical stances is a shared investment in examining how power and privilege operate, understanding the role of historical and epistemological violence in research, and generating new models and paradigms to guide empirical and theoretical research. With this guiding framework, we propose three central characteristics of critical sexuality studies: (a) conceptual analysis, with particular attention to how we define key terms and conceptually organize our research (e.g., attraction, sexually active, consent, agency, embodiment, sexual subjectivity); (b) attention to the material qualities of abject bodies, particularly bodies that are ignored, overlooked, or pushed out of bounds (e.g., viscous bodies, fat bodies, bodies in pain); and (c) heteronormativity and heterosexual privilege, particularly how assumptions about heterosexuality and heteronormativity circulate in sexuality research. Through these three critical practices, we argue that critical sexuality studies showcases how sex and power collide and recognizes (and tries to subvert) the various power imbalances that are deployed and replicated in sex research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Breanne Fahs
- a Women and Gender Studies Program , Arizona State University
| | - Sara I McClelland
- b Department of Psychology and Women's Studies , University of Michigan
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Wood JR, McKay A, Komarnicky T, Milhausen RR. Was it good for you too?: An analysis of gender differences in oral sex practices and pleasure ratings among heterosexual Canadian university students. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN SEXUALITY 2016. [DOI: 10.3138/cjhs.251-a2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Oral sex has become a standard component of the heterosexual sexual script, though little is known about the level of pleasure men and women experience from giving and receiving oral sex and the extent to which relationship context is associated with levels of pleasure. The purpose of this study was to investigate gender differences in giving and receiving oral sex, and associations with pleasure experienced and partner type. Participants were 899 heterosexual university students who reported on their sexual activities in their most recent sexual encounter in an online survey. Over two-thirds of participants reported that their last sexual encounter included giving and/or receiving oral sex. More women (59%) than men (52%) reported giving oral sex to their partner. More men (63%) than women (44%) reported receiving oral sex. Most men (73%) and women (69%) reported that receiving oral sex was “very pleasurable.” Though most participants rated giving oral sex as at least “somewhat pleasurable,” men were significantly more likely than women to report that giving oral sex was very pleasurable (52% vs. 28%). Overall, ratings of pleasure for giving oral sex were higher for men, but no gender differences were found for overall pleasure ratings of receiving oral sex. Regardless of gender, higher pleasure ratings were reported when giving and receiving oral sex with more committed partners compared to more casual ones. Findings highlight the utility of discussing gendered norms for sexual behaviour with young people, and including pleasure-enhancing information in sexual health education programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica R Wood
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
| | - Alexander McKay
- Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN), Toronto, ON
| | | | - Robin R Milhausen
- Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON
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Lefkowitz ES, Vasilenko SA, Leavitt CE. Oral vs. Vaginal Sex Experiences and Consequences Among First-Year College Students. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2016; 45:329-37. [PMID: 26597646 PMCID: PMC4707067 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-015-0654-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2014] [Revised: 10/22/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
To fully understand late adolescents' experiences of oral sex, we must consider both risk and normative developmental perspectives. Sexual experiences include a range of behaviors, but research on sexual behaviors and consequences focuses primarily on vaginal sex. Oral sex occurs at rates similar to vaginal sex, and carries some, though less, risk than vaginal sex. The current study examined the event-level prevalence and consequences of oral sex compared to vaginal sex with other-sex partners in first-year college students. Daily data were from recently sexually active first-year college students (N = 253 people, 834 days; M age, 18.4 years; SD = 0.4; 56% female; 31% Hispanic/Latino; 17% African American, 14% Asian American/Pacific Islander, 25% European American, 12% multiracial) who reported on sexual behaviors and consequences. Both positive (intimacy, physical satisfaction) and negative (worrying about health, guilt) consequences were less common for oral than vaginal sex. Gender differences suggested that female adolescents may find vaginal sex more rewarding than oral sex, whereas male adolescents may find them equally rewarding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva S Lefkowitz
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, 119 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
| | - Sara A Vasilenko
- Methodology Center, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Chelom E Leavitt
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, 119 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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Holway GV. Vaginal and Oral Sex Initiation Timing: A Focus on Gender and Race/Ethnicity. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SEXUAL HEALTH : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE WORLD ASSOCIATION FOR SEXUAL HEALTH 2015; 27:351-367. [PMID: 26435763 PMCID: PMC4591541 DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2015.1014954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Most previous studies on sexual initiation timing have examined its effects on a variety of subsequent outcomes without first examining the correlates and predictors of these timing categories. Studies that do exist often do not utilize samples through young adulthood, leading to a misclassified set of sexual timing categories. In addition, the literature does not adequately address the issues of oral sex timing. Therefore, the objectives of this study were 1) to explore age-cutoffs that mark the "normative" and "non-normative" entry into vaginal and oral sex among young women and men in the U.S., creating sexual four sexual initiation timing categories - "early," "normative," "late," and "inexperienced," and; 2) to examine the association between race/ethnicity and sexual initiation timing by gender. METHODS The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) was used in both descriptive and multivariate contexts to determine the net association of gender and race/ethnicity with vaginal and oral sex initiation timing. RESULTS Age-cutoffs for vaginal sex timing were similar for women and men, yet differed by gender for oral sex timing. Women were more likely than men to initiate vaginal sex (20% vs. 18%) and oral sex (19% vs. 16%) at an early age and less likely than men to initiate these behaviors at a late age (18% vs. 19% for vaginal sex, and 15% vs. 16% for oral sex). Although most respondents initiated these two behaviors by young adulthood, a considerable proportion remained inexperienced, with men more likely than women to report inexperience with vaginal sex (7% vs. 5%), and women more likely than men to report abstaining from oral sex (8% vs. 6%). Race/ethnic differences in sexual initiation timing remained robust in the face of controls for both women and men. CONCLUSIONS Understanding the timing at which adolescents and young adults transition to first vaginal and first oral sex is critical for sex education curriculum and policy makers.
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Vasilenko SA, Maas MK, Lefkowitz ES. "It felt good but weird at the same time": Emerging adults' first experiences of six different sexual behaviors. JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT RESEARCH 2014; 30:586-606. [PMID: 26366039 DOI: 10.1177/0743558414561298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Although sexual behavior is multidimensional, little research has focused on the experience of non-intercourse behaviors for adolescents and emerging adults. This paper uses open-ended coded data from a longitudinal study of college students (N = 346; Mean age = 18.5, 52% female, 27% Hispanic/Latino [HL], 25% non-HL European American, 23% non-HL Asian American, 16% non-HL African American, 9% non-HL Multiracial) to examine what emotional responses emerging adults report about their first experiences of six sexual behaviors. The four most common emotional reactions were happy, excited, fearful, and indifferent. Descriptions were largely positive, although mixed reactions were relatively common and emotional reactions varied by behavior. Results suggest the importance of including multiple types of sexual behaviors, as well as their possible positive and negative outcomes, in sexuality education programs.
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Backstrom L, Armstrong EA, Puentes J. Women's negotiation of cunnilingus in college hookups and relationships. JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH 2011; 49:1-12. [PMID: 22010825 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2011.585523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Using in-depth interviews with 43 college women who were, on average, 21 years old (SD = 0.79), the authors explored women's attitudes toward and experiences of cunnilingus. The authors found that cunnilingus posed interactional challenges for women, but that these varied by relationship context. Drawing on scripting theory, the authors argue that the sexual scripts available to contemporary American college students assume cunnilingus in relationships, but not in hookups, where the incorporation of the practice is more contested. For individual women, tension emerged when their preferences for cunnilingus contradicted the sexual script of the relationship context. Women who desired cunnilingus in hookups had to be assertive to get it, whereas those who did not want cunnilingus in hookups were relieved that it was not expected. The taken-for-granted nature of cunnilingus in relationships was a source of pleasure for women who enjoyed it and of difficulty for women who wished to avoid it. In relationships, some women's reluctance about cunnilingus was transformed by men's enthusiasm. More generally, this study implies that ambiguity in sexual scripts may heighten the interactional challenges of sex by creating uncertainty about expectations and gaps between sexual scripts and individual preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Backstrom
- Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
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