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Sexual coercion occurs when a person applies pressure to force another person to have unwanted sex. Yet, sociocultural expectations may also impact women’s sexual consent/refusal behaviors in the absence of partner pressure. We conducted a qualitative meta-synthesis to investigate factors contributing to incongruent sexual decision-making (i.e. internal feelings which are inconsistent with their consent/refusal behaviors) among women from westernized nations. A scoping review of eight databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Our search yielded 2,946 articles, with 41 meeting inclusion and quality appraisal criteria. Results revealed sources of incongruent consent/refusal behaviors through five themes: (1) women experience communication barriers, (2) women internalize relationship norms and prioritize men, (3) women experience situational pressure, (4) women experience a fear of sexual violence, and (5) women manage a double bind of sexual behavior. We propose a novel concept to understand sociocultural factors influencing people’s consent/refusal behaviors that are incongruent with their internal feelings, labeled internalized sociocultural sexual pressure (ISSP). We conceptualize ISSP as a framework for internalizing sociocultural norms to a degree that they are influential or may even feel coercive, resulting in a spectrum of sexual consent/refusal behaviors, like acquiescing to unwanted sex and declining wanted sex. The intensity of ISSP experiences can vary significantly; some people may perceive these pressures as mild, whereas others may experience them to a degree that they feel coercive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teens commonly use the internet for seeking information about sex and sexual relationships, particularly in the absence of comprehensive sex education from offline sources. The social media platform, Reddit, has become a popular forum for teens seeking information about sex from peers, due to its culture of anonymity. To explore teens’ use of Reddit for this purpose, we asked: What advice/information about sexual behaviors are teens seeking out on Reddit? We performed qualitative content analysis with secondary, publicly available social media posts (n = 180) from a large community on Reddit (r/teenrelationships) designed for teens to ask questions about relationships. Five primary, non-mutually exclusive categories of advice/information were identified, with 26 subcategories: 1) Sexual issues within their relationship (42%; e.g., differences in desire, past trauma); 2) Identifying/responding to “red flag” or abusive behaviors (41%; e.g., sexual coercion, harassment); 3) Responding to cheating or jealousy issues (27%; e.g., partners’ past sexual behaviors; porn use); 4) Making decisions about having sex (19%; e.g., timing, anxiety over first time); and 5) General sex education (10%; e.g., concerns about being pregnant). These findings emphasize the importance of including information on socioemotional dynamics and healthy relationship building in comprehensive sex education for teens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence of sexual assault remains high on American college campuses, and sexual consent education is lacking within school-based sexual health education programming. Much empirical research has aimed to reduce sexual violence through a deeper understanding of college students' perceptions of sexual consent. However, researchers have not yet examined the impact of broader social discourse, such as that initiated by the #MeToo movement, on emerging adults' conceptualizations of sexual consent. Gendered focus groups were conducted with 34 college students at a large midwestern university in spring of 2019. Qualitative analyses using a phenomenological framework revealed a developmental process of consent education shaped by socialized sexual scripts and public discourse of the #MeToo movement. Four distinct themes emerged: (1) Introductions to Consent in Childhood, (2) Lack of Sexual Consent Education in Adolescence, (3) The Nuanced College Context, and (4) Consent in the Era of #MeToo. Findings reveal that consent is introduced in childhood, outside the context of sexuality, but is generally not revisited within the context of sexual consent by parents or educators during adolescence, leaving media messaging and socialized sexual scripts to serve as guides for sexual consent. This lack of sexual consent education in adolescence then leaves emerging adults unprepared for nuanced sexual experiences in the college context and unable to critically engage with public discourse surrounding consent such as the #MeToo movement, which has caused both fearful and positive outcomes. Findings support the need for earlier and more comprehensive education about sexual consent in childhood and adolescence and the need for college sexual assault prevention programs to include further instruction on navigating ambiguous sexual consent experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As sexting continues to develop as a facet of sexual behavior among emerging adults, it is important to examine precursors and outcomes of such behavior. Current research is beginning to examine potential positive outcomes of consensual sexting in addition to negative consequences, as well as the motivations and contexts in which these consequences manifest. The purpose of the present study was to examine motivations for consensual sexting across gender and relationship status, as well as a range of perceived consequences of sexting in undergraduate emerging adults (N = 536; 77.2% women). With regards to motivations for sexting, men and those in committed romantic relationships more frequently reported that their sexting was incited by relational motives compared to women and those in casual sexual relationships. In examining consequences of sexting, women reported higher levels of punishment compared to men. A significant interaction was present between gender and relationship status, revealing that women in casual sexual relationships reported the highest amounts of negative consequences. These findings highlight the complexity of sexting behaviors and suggest the need for more nuanced research to accurately conceptualize and contextualize the motivations for and the consequences of sexting as a function of relationship status and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine how specific aspects of a hookup are related to feelings of regret among college students, and how these patterns vary by gender and college context. Participants: Freshmen and sophomore men (n = 92) and women (n = 283) from a Midwestern university and community college. Methods: Participants answered questions about their most recent hookup and feelings of regret. Results: Frequency of engaging in a hookup was similar across gender and college context. Men and women were more likely to regret hookups with strangers and when alcohol was involved. Women had fewer regrets when their last hookup occurred with a partner they had also hooked up with in the past than when the hookup occurred only once with that partner. University students reported more regret when the hookup occurred with a stranger, occurred only one time, and when alcohol was used, but this was not found for community college students. Conclusions: Future research should examine hookup experiences through a developmental lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]