“What Am I Supposed to Be?”: Embodied Tensions of Sexual Scripts in Adolescents’ Anonymous Chat Inquiries

Conceptual Overview (Portrayals of Sexuality in Pornography)

The pervasiveness of sexual assault among college women prompted examination of college students' sexual-consent expectancies using sexual scripting theory as a framework. We aimed to understand how personal beliefs, experiences with sexual violence, and dominant cultural gendered sexual scripts in music media inform sexual-consent expectancies among a sample of primarily White heterosexual college students at a northwestern university (n = 364). Participants viewed music videos with sexual and objectifying content and reported their perceptions of how women were portrayed. Linear mixed modeling with Maximum Likelihood with interactions by biological sex revealed associations between past sexual victimization and lower expectancies to adhere to a sexual partner's consent wishes. Men with a history of perpetrating sexual violence had lower expectancies to ask for consent, and women with more traditional sexual stereotypes had lower expectancies to seek consent or refuse unwanted sex. Having lower expectancies to adhere to a partner's consent wishes was associated with holding more traditional sexual stereotypes for both men and women. Participants who perceived women as powerlessness in viewed music videos had lower expectancies to ask for consent from a sexual partner, to refuse unwanted sexual advances, and to adhere to a decision regarding sexual consent. Through the lens of sexual scripting theory, results advance understanding of how the intersection of biological sex, experiences of sexual violence, gendered beliefs, and cultural scripts in music media inform young adults' sexual expectancies and potential for sexual risk. Implications for prevention include addressing gendered sexual scripts to reduce ambiguity around sexual consent among college students. Media-based interventions are discussed as a strategy toward this end.

There appear to be widespread misunderstandings and disagreement regarding the definition and execution of sexual consent among postsecondary students. Without a clear understanding of what constitutes sexual consent, navigating consent-related situations can be challenging for individuals. Sexual script theory may explain gaps in consent knowledge by highlighting the social normative references, or sexual scripts, individuals may rely on when knowledge of consent is insufficient or challenging to apply. The goal of the current study was to qualitatively explore Canadian undergraduate students’ perceptions and experiences of sexual consent within the framework of sexual script theory. Using focus groups, N = 56 undergraduates discussed perceptions of sexual consent, under what circumstances they perceive it to be required, potential “grey areas” of sexual consent and how they are navigated, and how gender may intersect with sexual consent. Transcripts were analyzed within a framework of sexual script theory using inductive coding and thematic analysis. Although participants understood Canadian legally codified scripts well, they seemed to rely on socio-cultural and gendered sexual consent scripts when legal scripts were insufficient or challenging to apply, particularly in ambiguous consent scenarios. The findings suggest that beyond providing educational opportunities and interventions within formal school settings that encompass a wider range of sexual consent scenarios, there is a need to address socio-cultural norms/sexual scripts regarding consent within the broader population.

HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to affect men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in Peru at disproportionately high rates. The ineffectiveness of traditional prevention strategies may be due to the disconnect between health promotion messages and community-level understandings of sexual cultures. We conducted 15 workshops with MSM and TW to develop a community-based sexual health intervention. Intervention development consisted of focus groups and scenic improvisation to identify sexual scripts for an HIV prevention telenovela, or Spanish soap opera. Workshops were stratified by self-reported socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and gender identity: (1) low-income MSM (n = 9); (2) middle/high-income MSM (n = 6); and (3) TW (n = 8). Employing a conceptual model based on sexual scripts and critical consciousness theories, this paper reports on three themes identified during the telenovela-development process as participants sought to “rescript” social and sexual stereotypes associated with HIV-related vulnerability: (1) management of MSM and TW social identities at the intersection of socioeconomic status, sexuality, and gender performance; (2) social constructions of gender and/or sexual role and perceived and actual HIV/STI risk(s) within sexual partnership interactions; and (3) idealized and actual sexual scripts in the negotiation of safer sex practices between MSM/TW and their partners. These findings are key to reframing existing prevention strategies that fail to effectively engage poorly defined “high-risk populations.” Leveraging community-based expertise, the results provide an alternative to the static transfer of information through expert–patient interactions in didactic sessions commonly used in HIV prevention interventions among MSM and TW.

Using sexual scripts theory, this web-based quantitative cross-sectional survey research study was designed to examine the associations among supervisors' sexual scripts, comfort, training, and supervisors' management of sexual attraction towards supervisees in a sample of 174 marriage and family therapy supervisors. Approximately half of the participants were females (54%) and most participants identified themselves as heterosexual (88.5%), White (78.7%) and Christian (55.7%). The participants' ages were distributed as follows: 19% were less than 39 years old; 21.8% were between 40 and 49 years old; 23% were between 50 and 59; 25.9% were between 60 and 69 years old, 6.3% were older than 70 years old; 7 participants did not identify their age in the survey. Approximately 60% identified their theoretical style of supervision as "integrative", approximately 20% reported their style as post-modern, and approximately 5% each identified their styles as Bowenian, Structural, Strategic, or Contextual. The experience of the participants (in years) as clinical supervisors was as follows: 35.6% had less than 10 years experience; 41.4% had between 11 and 21 years experience; 15.5% had 22 to 30 years experience; 6.3% had more than 31 years of clinical experience; and 2 participants did not complete this part of the survey. Finally, the self-reported sexual scripts of participants were as follows: 59.2% reported being liberal; 24.7% reported being traditional; 10.9% reported being conservative or religious; and 9 participants did not complete this part of the survey. Participants completed one survey for this study. The survey included questions about supervisors' demographic information, sexual scripts (values), and experiences with sexual attraction in supervision. Survey questions were designed to explore supervisors' levels of comfort with sexual attraction, the role of "self of the therapist" training in increasing supervisors' awareness of their own sexual scripts, and abilities to make sound clinical decisions. The survey also examined how supervisors' awareness of socio-cultural messages (cultural sexual scripts) influence their comfort (i.e., less emotional reactivity) with being sexually attracted to supervisees; and the resources (e.g., training, codes of ethics, or supervision) that have helped supervisors manage sexual attraction to supervisees. The results of the study demonstrated poor reliability of measure and very weak associations among supervisors' sexual scripts, comfort, training and management of sexual attraction towards supervisees. The psychometrics of this study was not sound. Furthermore, in order to determine whether supervisors' sexual scripts, comfort, or training were directly associated with their management of sexual attraction towards supervisees, the variables which had the highest correlations with five management parameters were analyzed in linear regression models. Nevertheless, the results produced very low r-squared values (ranging from .07 to .057), indicating little, if any, explanation of the variance in the management parameters. As a result, linear regression models could not be used to predict how supervisors manage their sexual attraction towards supervisees. In future studies, other variables may be explored in lieu of or in combination with the variables addressed in this study to improve the predictability of management through regression models with a reliable valid survey and a representative sample (probability) of AAMFT approved supervisors.

Rooted in sexual script and gender minority stress and resilience (GMSR) theories, the present study investigated how a nationally recruited sample of 169 transgender and gender diverse (TGD) undergraduates perceived a typical sexual encounter involving a TGD undergraduate (i.e., their sexual scripts), as well as the extent to which various forms of distal stress, proximal stress, and resilience factors were embedded within and affected these scripts. Using thematic analysis, 12 themes were identified within three overarching categories: types of sexual/romantic relationships, gender minority stress experiences, and resilience factors. TGD undergraduates’ scripts in some ways mirrored those of their heterosexual and cisgender peers (i.e., enacting gendered roles in sex initiation, differing emotional responses following sex by gender identity), but scripts also differed in many notable ways. In their scripts, TGD students frequently described how distal (i.e., enacted stigma, trauma history) and proximal (i.e., gender dysphoria, self-stigma) stressors affected the sexual experiences of TGD undergraduates. However, resilience themes such as open communication and discussing one's gender identity were also commonly included and presented as providing protection against minority stress. Results demonstrate how GMSR experiences inform TGD undergraduates’ sexual scripts and suggest several critical potential points of intervention for this population. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843231218699 .

Silencing (Homo)Sexualities in School ... A Very Bad Idea

Prior research suggests that parents, peers, and media are popular sources of sexual information and beliefs among emerging adults. Sex-positivity is an orientation toward sex that emphasizes open-minded beliefs and communication about varying sexual behaviors, preferences, and orientations. The current study investigated whether these sexual information sources were associated with emerging adults' endorsement of sex-positive and sexual orientation-related sexual scripts, and if these sources and scripts were associated with sexual communication among a sample of college students ages 18-22 (n = 341). Results indicate that learning from television was positively related to sex-positive sexual script endorsement, and that sex-positive scripts were associated with more positive sexual communication. An interaction also emerged between gender and learning from television on sex-positive script endorsement, and between gender and learning from social media on sexual orientation-related script endorsement. The implications of these findings are contextualized within emerging adults' sexual agency and behavior. Future directions of research are also discussed.

BackgroundUS schools increasingly implement commercially available technology for social media monitoring (SMM) of students, purportedly to address youth mental health and school safety. However, little is known about how SMM is perceived by stakeholders, including the students who are the focus of these efforts.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess attitudes toward SMM in schools among 4 stakeholder groups and examine reasons for holding supportive, neutral, or unsupportive views toward the technology. We also sought to explore whether any differences in attitudes were associated with binary sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.MethodsIn October 2019, we conducted a convergent parallel mixed methods web-based survey of young adults (aged 18-22 y; n=206), parents (n=205), teachers (n=77), and school administrators (n=41) via Qualtrics web-based panels. We included Likert-type survey items to assess perceived benefits, risks, and overall support of SMM in schools and test for differences based on stakeholder group or demographic characteristics. We also included open-ended questions, and the responses to these items were analyzed using thematic content analysis of reasons given for holding supportive, neutral, or unsupportive views.ResultsThe tests of group differences showed that young adults perceived lower benefit (P<.001) as well as higher risk (P<.001) and expressed lower overall support (P<.001) of the use of SMM in schools than all other stakeholder groups. Individuals identifying as nonheterosexual also perceived lower benefit (P=.002) and higher risk (P=.02) and expressed lower overall support (P=.02) than their heterosexual counterparts; respondents who identified as people of racial and ethnic minorities also perceived higher risk (P=.04) than their White counterparts. Qualitative thematic content analysis revealed greater nuance in concerns about SMM. Specifically, the primary reasons given for not supporting SMM across all stakeholder groups were (1) skepticism about its utility, (2) perceived privacy violations, and (3) fears of inappropriate or discriminatory use of the data. Within the young adult group in particular, concerns were also raised about (4) unintended and adverse consequences, including the erosion of trust between students and school institutions and administrators, and the chronic adverse effects of constant or prolonged surveillance. Thematic analysis also showed that individuals in every stakeholder group who indicated overall support of SMM were likely to cite the potential for enhanced school safety as the reason. Young adults’ overall stances toward SMM were the most polarized, either strongly for or strongly against SMM, and responses from teachers indicated similar polarization but more often favored support of SMM in schools.ConclusionsThis study found differing perspectives among stakeholder groups regarding SMM in schools. More work is needed to assess the ways in which this type of surveillance is being implemented and the range and complexity of possible effects, particularly on students.

Gender role, sexual orientation and suicide risk

Background: The sexual orientation of students is influenced by various factors. Islamic boarding school is one of the places where risky sexual orientation can occur among students. This behaviour must be addressed so that it does not cause more severe health impacts.Objective: This study aims to explore the risk and protective factors of sexual orientation from the experiences of students at Islamic Boarding School in Jember Indonesia. Methods: This study was a qualitative study with a phenomenological approach. There were 16 informants consisting of key informants, main informants, and additional informants. The research informants were selected using the snowball sampling techniques. In-depth interviews were conducted to study the risk and protective factors of sexual orientation among Islamic Boarding School students in Jember, Indonesia. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Results: The study showed that, in terms of risk factors, all informants had been victims of bullying because of a negative social, which made the informants feel depressed. All informants experienced mental trauma due to stigma and discrimination which caused the informants to feel depressed. The presence of protective factors was considered beneficial for individuals because this condition transformed negative emotional perceptions into positive perceptions, thereby strengthening personal development and resilience. The influence of religion and internal factors have a strong influence on making individuals have heterosexual desires and helping them recover from the bad effects experienced during periods of homosexual behaviour. Conclusion: Factors that influence students’ sexual orientation towards homosexuality include discrimination, weak individual resilience, and oppression. Based on this, assistance is needed to help students with homosexual orientation maintain a stable condition.

Adult offspring of lesbian parents: How do they relate to their sperm donors?

Since its formal introduction in the early 1970s, sexual script theory has been a popular conceptual framework among social scientists examining human sexuality. In this chapter the basic tenants, history, and foundational sources of sexual script theory are presented. Next, sexual script theory is compared to several other theoretical approaches in psychology and sociology that entail script concepts implicitly or explicitly. Researchers employing sexual script theory have tended to take two primary approaches to data collection and analysis: critical examination of cultural artifacts or previously published research results versus analysis of self-report data from respondents. These methods are examined and illustrative examples described, thereby highlighting research topics and questions to which sexual script theory has been applied. Last, the status of sexual script theory is critically examined, and future research directions proposed. Sexual script theory has played an important role in sex research, but resolution of key criticisms and unanswered questions is necessary for the advancement of sexual script theory beyond its frequent use as a convenient metaphor.

Research has a long tradition of quantitative research which still dominates many university courses on research methods. Qualitative research is a younger phenomenon that was established in research after the second world war. An emerging research field that needed new analysis methods tailored for qualitative data. Two of the most frequently used approaches in qualitative data analysis are content analysis and thematic analysis. In several aspects content analysis and thematic analysis both share a common approach to analytically examine qualitative data, and the fact that they have been used interchangeably has made it difficult for the more unexperienced researchers to distinguish and choose between them. The aim of this study is to examine doctoral students’ perceptions of qualitative analysis with content analysis and thematic analysis. The study had a qualitative approach with data collected from two webinars on qualitative data analysis, where a total of 76 doctoral students participated. Data consists of participant reflections in a Padlet on content analysis and thematic analysis at the two webinars. Webinar participants have given their consent to use their reflections in the Padlet for research. Content analysis with an abductive coding approach was used to analyse the collected data and formulate categories that answer the study’s aim and research question. Results show both perceived similarities and differences between content analysis and thematic analysis. Both are perceived to have a similar process in the coding of data, although content analysis has a wider selection of coding approaches and thematic analysis support deeper immersion. Content analysis is also perceived as more practical and straightforward, while thematic analysis is perceived as more intuitive and faster to learn. Both content analysis and thematic analysis are perceived to have individual opportunities and challenges that make them appropriate for different types of research. Findings presented in this study can be used by researchers at any level to explore similarities and differences between content analysis and thematic analysis, and where to apply them in research.

Attachment Style, Sexual Orientation, and Biological Sex in their Relationships With Gender Role.