Nonconsensual Sexual Activity Research Articles

Conceptions of Consensual versus Non-Consensual Sexual Activity among Young People from Colombia.

Conceptions or ideas that couples hold about sexual consent could be a key factor in their communication, mutual respect, and the prevention of sexual violence. The multifaceted nature of sexual consent makes it a complex concept. The aim of the present study was to explore individuals' ideas and understanding of sexual intercourse in two distinct contexts: consensual and non-consensual. We used a qualitative approach, adopting the methodology of thematic analysis. In total, 113 surveys obtained from the general population (76.1% women and 23.9% men aged 18 to 59 years) were studied. Two open-ended questions were asked about the general topic of sexual consent, where we distinguished sexual activity in which there is sexual consent vs. no consent. The phases of the thematic analysis approach were applied. For the consensual context, the following themes emerged: mutual reciprocity and respect; open, clear communication and agreements; and awareness and emotional well-being. For the non-consensual context, the following themes emerged: violence and sexual assault, absence and ambiguity of sexual consent, and lack of communication. All of these aspects should be considered in couples' communication and sexual education to facilitate and improve sexual relationships and, in turn, prevent violence and sexual aggression.

Reclaiming Pleasure: Does Satisfying Consensual Sexual Activity Predict Next-Day Positive Affect Among Women with a History of Sexual Assault?

ABSTRACT Substantial research documents the psychosocial benefits of sexual activity, including heightened positive affect and lowered negative affect following sexual encounters. However, it is important to examine whether affective benefits of consensual sexual activity are present among individuals who have also experienced non-consensual sexual activity (i.e. sexual assault), given that sexual assault may have harmful consequences for sexual functioning and pleasure during consensual encounters. This study tested consensual sexual activity and satisfaction as predictors of next-day positive and negative affect among 82 women sexual assault survivors. Participants completed ecological momentary assessment measures for three weeks, including measures of past-day dyadic (i.e. partnered) sexual activity and satisfaction in the morning and current affect in the afternoon. As hypothesized, dyadic sexual activity and greater than usual sexual satisfaction predicted increased next-day positive affect after controlling for past-day positive affect. In contrast, and partially supporting hypotheses, sexual satisfaction, but not activity alone, predicted lowered next-day negative affect after controlling for past-day negative affect. At the between person level, greater sexual satisfaction (but not overall frequency of dyadic sexual activity) was associated with greater positive and lower negative affect on average after controlling for several covariates. Findings indicate that satisfying dyadic sexual encounters lead to relatively long-lasting positive affect changes in women who have experienced sexual assault.

Female adolescent sexual reproductive health service utilization concerns: A qualitative enquiry in the Tema metropolis of Ghana.

Evidence globally indicates that female adolescents face numerous sexual and reproductive health (SRH) risks. Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among adolescents is of global health importance and plays a crucial role in adolescent sexual reproductive health outcomes and their quality of life. The current study explored sexual reproductive health service utilization concerns among female adolescents in the Tema Metropolis in Southern Ghana using the Anderson and Newman Behavioural model of Health Service Utilization as a guiding framework. The study utilized a qualitative exploratory descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit female adolescents. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. In all, 12 interviews were conducted. Each interview lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Thematic analysis was guided by the constructs of the Anderson and Newman Behavioural model of health service utilization. Utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents is low in the Tema metropolis. Factors such as unprotected non-consensual sexual activity or an unwanted pregnancy sometimes triggered the use of these services. Barriers to utilization identified include lack of awareness on sexual reproductive health services, unreliable sources of SRH information, underestimation of the severity of sexual reproductive health problems faced, unmet expectations and poor experiences with service providers. The current study identified poor utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents within the Tema metropolis of Ghana. There is the need to increase the number of adolescent health corners, increase awareness about SRH services among adolescents, improve parent-child SRH communication and provide adequate training for healthcare providers to improve provider attitude towards adolescent SRH service delivery in order to increase utilization of sexual reproductive health services among female adolescents in the Metropolis.

Extracurricular Involvement as a Predictor of Bystander Intervention to Prevent Interpersonal Violence

Nonconsensual sexual activity remains a prominent and troubling aspect of undergraduate student life at U.S. colleges and universities. Past research revealed that 23.6% of female undergraduate students, and 5.8% of male undergrads, had experienced nonconsensual sexual contact. Given the scope of the problem, identifying groups of students inclined to intervene to prevent violence is crucial. This research examines whether students who participate in extracurricular activities on campus are more likely to have heard of antiviolence prevention efforts, and to be willing to intervene in two types of scenarios” those that involve emergent situations and those that involve attempting to change cultural norms that support violence. Greek-affiliated students and student athletes are included as special cases of extracurricular involvement. Data are drawn from a random cluster sample of students at a college in the Northeastern United States. Results demonstrated that students involved in extracurricular activities were more likely to have heard about campus antiviolence campaigns but were not necessarily more likely to intervene to prevent violence. However, students involved in multiple extracurricular activities were significantly more likely than their noninvolved peers to intend to intervene. Greek-affiliated males and male athletes were no less likely to intervene than were other involved males and were more likely to say that they would intervene in emergent situations. Regression analyses revealed that students with more marginalized identities (students of color and those coming from low-income backgrounds) were more likely to intervene in ways that disrupt prevailing cultural norms around violence, as were males who were in extracurricular activities (excluding Greek-affiliated males and male athletes). Educators can use this information to tailor their antiviolence programming to groups of students who are involved on campus.

The Need for The Entrenchment of Marital Rape in Nigeria’s Criminal Jurisprudence

The need for the entrenchment of marital rape in Nigeria's criminal jurisprudence is a pressing issue that requires urgent attention. Marital rape refers to any non-consensual sexual activity perpetrated by a spouse against their partner within the institution of marriage. Despite being a prevalent form of gender-based violence, marital rape is not explicitly recognized as a crime under Nigeria's legal framework. This paper examines the need for the entrenchment of marital rape in Nigeria’s Criminal jurisprudence. Marital rape is rampant in Nigeria, just like any form of rape. Marital rape victims have experienced a lot of psychological trauma, depression, emotional imbalance; the experience has resulted in divorce, medical, physical and mental health to its victims. Unfortunately, marital rape victim is unable to report their victimization to the appropriate authorities, this is because there is no law criminalizing marital rape in Nigeria. This paper further looks at the historical review of marital rape exemption, the theories about the exemption and need to criminalize marital rape in harmony with other jurisdiction. The paper therefore recommended the imperatives steps towards protecting the rights and well- being of individuals within the institution of marriage and legal support for victims of gender-based violence.

Acute alcohol intoxication and alcohol expectancy effects on women's memory for consensual and non-consensual sexual activity.

To test whether acute alcohol intoxication and alcohol expectancy affects how accurately women remember consensual and non-consensual sexual activity that occurred during an interactive hypothetical dating scenario. A balanced placebo randomized study that varied alcohol dose (mean Breath Alcohol Content; BrAC = 0.06%) and alcohol expectancy prior to participants encoding a hypothetical interactive rape scenario was implemented. Participants could elect to consent to sexual activity with a male partner in the hypothetical scenario. If they stopped consenting, non-consensual sexual intercourse (i.e., rape) was described. Seven days later, participants' memory for consensual and non-consensual sexual activity in the scenario was tested. Memory accuracy, confidence, and feelings of intoxication. A total of 90 females (M age = 20.5, SD = 2.2) were tested regarding their memory accuracy for the consensual and non-consensual sexual activities in the scenario. A multi-level logistic regression predicting memory accuracy for the perpetrator's behaviors during the rape indicated no effect of alcohol intoxication. However, a main effect of alcohol expectancy was found, whereby participants who expected to consume alcohol, compared to those who did not, recalled the perpetrator's behaviors during the rape more accurately. A second regression predicting memory accuracy for consensual sexual activity found no main effects for alcohol intoxication or alcohol expectancy. Participants recalled consensual sexual activity with a high degree of accuracy. Calibration analyses indicated that accuracy increased with confidence level, regardless of intoxication level or alcohol expectancy condition, but that women tended to be overconfident in general. This study provides an important test of how accurately women remember consensual and non-consensual sexual activities. The accuracy of this information is important for forensic medical examinations and police investigations following an allegation of sexual assault. Increased memory accuracy was found for offence details when participants expected to consume alcohol, suggesting there may be important differences in attentional processes (e.g., hypervigilance) depending on whether threat is present. Further research is necessary to investigate memory for sexual violence in real-world settings and to test methods for ascertaining the most complete and reliable accounts.

Relationship of sexual quality of life and mental well-being in undergraduate women in a Canadian university

As young women transition from adolescence to adulthood, they begin to explore their sexual identities and sexual relationships. The current literature supports the relationship between sexual quality of life (QOL) and mental well-being. However, this relationship has not yet been replicated in undergraduate women. In order to address this gap, the authors assessed the correlation between sexual QOL and mental well-being among a sample of women undergraduate students in Canada. The study design was cross-sectional in nature, and demographic information was collected, along with the completion of validated measures of sexual QOL and mental well-being. A total of 157 individuals participated. After removing those who did not meet inclusion criteria and those with > 90% incomplete responses, 124 valid survey responses remained for analysis. A hierarchical multivariable linear regression was conducted while controlling for age, sexual orientation, exercise, history of nonconsensual sexual contact, household income, and self-perceived health status. Every one-unit increase in sexual QOL was associated with a 0.35 increase in mental well-being (95% CI 0.105–0.428, p = .002). A history of unwanted or nonconsensual sexual activity had a significant negative correlation with mental well-being ( p = .027). The authors’ findings suggest a significant relationship between sexual QOL and mental well-being. There is a strong opportunity for universities to bolster the support services available to students, with a required focus on women with a history of nonconsensual sexual contact.

Examining substance-involved sexual experiences and consent communication by sexual identity

ABSTRACT Substance use can occur prior to nonconsensual and consensual sexual activity and affect how sexual consent is communicated and felt. Yet, researchers’ understanding of how substance use relates to these sexual experiences is still developing. Few researchers examine these behaviors among the intersection of sexual minority (SM) identity and gender. The goal of this study was to assess if experiences of nonconsensual and consensual substance-involved sexual activity, consent communication and feelings varied by the intersection of SM identity and identifying as a woman. Participants were recruited from a Prolific Academic panel to complete a survey about their substance use, sexual experiences, and sexual consent. SM persons and SM women reported more nonconsensual and consensual substance involved sexual experiences than heterosexual participants and SM men. Consent communication and feelings did not differ by across groups. Prevention initiatives for substance use and sexual activity may want to take an intersectional approach that addresses why different subgroups are at elevated risk to coalesce these two behaviors. Because consent feelings and communication did not differ by SM identity and gender, consent initiatives should expand their discussion to be inclusive of SM as these initiatives are often presented within a heteronormative framework.

Teaching sexual consent to young people in education settings: a narrative systematic review

ABSTRACT The recent outpouring of testimonies about teenage sexual assault has reinvigorated calls for improved education on sexual consent. Better understanding of the approach, content and delivery of these programmes is key to informing best practice. In this paper, we systematically searched for peer-reviewed articles on programmes in education settings for young people aged 15–29 that purport to teach sexual consent, with 18 meeting the inclusion criteria. Nearly all reviewed programmes were implemented in the USA (n = 16) in university settings (n = 15), with short-term duration (1–2-hour sessions), with varied facilitators and interactive teaching strategies. Thematic analysis identified four main approaches to sexual consent education, some of which were interwoven within programmes: risky behaviour, sex-positive, life skills, and socioculturally adapted. In line with existing research into best practice sex and relationship education, we recommend that consent education programmes take a sex-positive and whole-school approach, are interactive and inclusive, and facilitate critical analysis of how experiences of consensual and non-consensual sexual activity are connected to socio-structural forces within socio-cultural contexts. Future research should evaluate a larger number of programmes and ensure consistent measurement of programme outcomes, whilst taking account of complex social systems and their shifting influence on consent.

Computer-Mediated Consent to Sex

This paper reports an interview study about how consent to sexual activity is computer-mediated. The study's context of online dating is chosen due to the prevalence of sexual violence, or nonconsensual sexual activity, that is associated with dating app-use. Participants (n=19) represent a range of gender identities and sexual orientations, and predominantly used the dating app Tinder. Findings reveal two computer-mediated consent processes: consent signaling and affirmative consent. With consent signaling, users employed Tinder's interface to infer and imply agreement to sex without any explicit confirmation before making sexual advances in-person. With affirmative consent, users employed the interface to establish patterns of overt discourse around sex and consent across online and offline modalities. The paper elucidates shortcomings of both computer-mediated consent processes that leave users susceptible to sexual violence and envisions dating apps as potential sexual violence prevention solutions if deliberately designed to mediate consent exchange.

Z-drugs for drug facilitated sexual assaults

Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) is a type of sexual savagery against an individual debilitated by a psychealtering substance, such as alcohol or “date rape drugs”. It is estimated that 75% of all acquaintance rapes involve alcohol or drugs. When used with alcohol, drugs can result in a loss of consciousness and a loss of the ability to consent to sexual intercourse. Most DFSA victims are women, and the culprits are men, although men can also be victims. The psychoactive substance most commonly relatedto DFSA is alcohol. However, recreational drug use levels are rising, and drug markets expand, providing faster and cheaper ways to incapacitate a victim. Using drugs for non-consensual sexual activity has led to the introduction of terms such as “date rape drugs” and “drink spiking.”

Two Studies Investigating Associations Between Sexual Assault Victimization History and Bystander Appraisals of Risk.

Across two studies, we examined sexual assault history and bystander appraisals of risk and the moderating roles of danger cue salience (Study 1) and alcohol intoxication (Study 2) in women. Participants (Study 1 = 148, Study 2 = 64) read vignettes ending with cues of nonconsensual sexual activity and an opportunity to intervene. Participants also completed self-report measures of vignette appraisals and history of sexual assault victimization. Across both studies, sexual assault victimization was unassociated with bystander risk appraisals. Alcohol intoxication and subtlety of nonconsent cues did not interact with sexual assault victimization history to influence appraisals of dangerousness.

031 Can We Give What We Don't Own: Self-objectification's Role in Sexual Consent Behaviors and Attitudes

Sexual assault and other non-consensual sexual activity is an epidemic in the United States. It is estimated that 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Sexual consent is the fine line that determines if an individual has been sexual assaulted. Even with the popular affirmative consent campaigns, the frequency of sexual assault on college campuses remains high, suggesting a new approach is needed to help reduce victimization. Self-Objectification theory (Fredrikson and Roberts, 1997), suggests there are psychological consequences to being a woman in the United States. Self-Objectification theory states that women who constantly receive objectifying messages through the mass media and interpersonal interactions might come to internalize these messages and subsequently start to self-objectify. Self-Objectification has been linked to depression, eating disorders, and sexual dysfunction in women. Self-objectification can cause women to take an observer’s perspective on their body, decreasing their interoceptive awareness (IA), or their capacity to recognize and interpret internal and bodily signals. Past research has found that a women’s level of IA is a valid measure of how much she self-objectifies.As self-objectification leads to a decreased IA, it could be possible that women are unable to interpret bodily signals of consent. This is consistent with the current conceptualizations of consent as having three distinct forms: (1) an internal state of willingness, (2) an act of explicitly agreeing to something, and (3) a behavior that someone interprets as willingness (Muehlenhard et al., 2016). Very little research has been conducted to find what factors are related to consent behaviors.

Policies on Consensual Sexual Activity in State Prisons

During times of imprisonment, inmates have limited opportunities to relieve sexual urges. Nearly all sexual behaviors (e.g., coerced, consensual, masturbation) are restricted or outright banned in most prison systems. The restriction on sexual behavior is implemented, in part, to maintain control and limit possible violence. However, the policies set forth by prisons restricting sexual behavior do not remove sexual urges and, by some estimates, between 2% and 60% of inmates engage in consensual sexual activities during incarceration. This study explores 51 Department of Correction (DOC) policies on sexual behavior in prisons and examines how DOCs define and punish consensual sexual activity. Findings indicate that most DOCs have policies, which do not differentiate between consensual and nonconsensual behaviors and allow for the punishment of consensual and nonconsensual sexual activity with the same penalties. These findings are evaluated considering current research, and policy implications are discussed.

Sexual Satisfaction, Sexual Attitudes, and Shame in Relation to Religiosity

Given the historical coexistence of religion and sexuality, the main aim of this study was to examine how religiosity is related to sexusal attitudes and sexual satisfaction and, besides that, to examine the potential role of sexual shame and shame proneness in religiosity and sexual satisfaction. The study also focused on gender and marital differences in sexual attitudes, sexual satisfaction, shame, and religiosity. The research was conducted on 411 participants ranging in age from 18 to 44 years (M = 23.66; SD = 4.17). The data were obtained by the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale, Sexual Satisfaction Scale, Swedish Religious Orientational Scale, Test of Self-Conscious Affect-3, and Kyle Sexual Shame Inventory. The data were analysed with correlational and regression analysis. The study confirmed a negative association between intrinsic religiosity and permissiveness. Sexual shame was positively related to religiosity and negatively related to sexual satisfaction. Intrinsic religiosity, shame proneness, and sexual shame explained 19% of the variance of sexual satisfaction, while the strongest negative predictor was sexual shame. We highlight the potential benefits of focusing on unpleasant feelings of sexual shame in therapy in order to potentially increase sexual satisfaction. This seems to be particularly important for individuals who have experienced non-consensual sexual activity in the past.

High Prevalence of Sexual Assault Victimization Experiences Among University Fraternity Men.

Limited research has examined sexual victimization among U.S. college men, and particularly fraternity men. We report the prevalence of sexual assault (SA) victimization among a sample of college fraternity members and the sociodemographic variables associated with this victimization. In April 2018, we conducted a web-based survey study among a random sample of fraternity members (n = 102) from a list of all fraternity members at a large Midwestern university. We used Fisher's exact tests, Student's t-tests, and log-binomial regression models to assess associations between sociodemographic variables and any SA victimization (attempted or completed penetrative sexual assault). Over a quarter (27.5%) of respondents reported experiencing any SA victimization-penetrative sexual assault (13.7%) or attempted penetrative sexual assault (25.5%)-since entering college. Age, school year, and being on a varsity sports team were significantly associated with any SA victimization (p-values: <.01, <.01, and .02, respectively). Regression analyses showed older fraternity men had experienced significantly greater prevalence of any SA victimization compared to younger fraternity men (prevalence ratio [PR]: 2.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.35-5.73). Furthermore, any SA victimization was also more common among varsity sports team members (3%) compared to nonmembers (0%). These findings indicate that college men, particularly fraternity members, may experience sexual assault victimization at high rates. Our more inclusive survey language may have captured sexually violent experiences that traditional measures have not, such as "made to penetrate" experiences. We encourage the use of queries that are sensitive to the specific characteristics of male sexual violence victimization, including experiences of nonconsensual sexual activity where the victim is either the penetrated or the penetrator. Furthermore, prevention efforts and supportive services for survivors should be expanded to better address male SA victimization on college campuses.

P197 Down with the kids – are we doing enough to provide a holistic sexual health service to vulnerableyoung people?

Background/introduction The sexual health of young people in the UK is amongst the worst in Europe, with high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies. Although most are involved in consensual sexual activity, they may also be victims of sexual abuse or exploitation, usually unrecognised by themselves or health care professionals. We have developed a proforma based on the BASHH young persons’ proforma for patients under 18 attending the service which includes safe guarding issues. Aim(s)/objectives To review the management of young persons’ sexual health in an inner city sexual health clinic. Methods Retrospective case note review of all patients Results 93 patients were identified; 34 (36.6%) were 14 (41.2%) of the patients had contact with social services; 10 (29.4%) had non-consensual sexual activity; 15 (44.1%) had mental health issues and 4 (11.8%) used recreational drugs. All of them have been followed up according to local guidelines. Conclusion The proforma enables us to identify those with safeguarding issues and STIs. An appropriate safeguarding referral pathway and local multi-agency arrangements are in place to help and protect these young people. Further education and communication are needed to raise the awareness and improve the sexual health and wellbeing of the young people.

Masculinity and medicalization: Gender and vocabularies of motive in the narrative of a sex offender

This paper explores the tension between vocabularies of motive provided by a serial sex offender in his narrative construction of his nonconsensual sexual activity. Current discourses on the topic emphasize the efficacy of social control measures and behavioral and pharmacological interventions. There is a dearth of sociological literature exploring the social meanings of sexual offense. Employing a symbolic interactionist approach to a sex offender’s account of self provides an opportunity for making visible the discursive construction of social processes. Deploying broad gender stereotypes in depictions of the women against whom he offended, the case presented here also relied on three dominant therapeutic constructions of the sexual deviant, the psychosocial, the addiction/compulsion model, and the bio-psychiatric—all of which neglect the gendered aspect of his offenses. Positing himself as a “true sex offender” and voluntarily taking hormonal suppressants that rendered him impotent, he was the ideal subject of bio-psychiatric discourse. The paper analyses his narrative in terms of contrasting notions of gender and deviance, masculinity and medicalization, and explores the ways language of institutionally supported interventions are used to make meaningful both normal and deviant identities, while disengaging from gender discourses.

Condoms for prisoners: no evidence that they increase sex in prison, but they increase safe sex

ObjectivesTo determine if the provision of condoms to prisoners in two Australian state prison systems with different policies affects sexual behaviour. In New South Wales’ (NSW) prisons, condoms are freely...

Acute Sexual Assault

Acute sexual assault includes a broad spectrum of nonconsensual sexual activity. Care of victims of acute sexual assault can be challenging, especially given the significant potential psychological and legal ramifications of the event and subsequent medical care and forensic evidence collection. In some emergency department settings, utilization of sexual assault response teams and sexual assault nurse examiners has demonstrated that a systematic approach to these patients improves care. However, given that victims of acute sexual assault are likely to present for care in emergency departments where such teams do not exist, it is critical for the emergency medicine physician, pediatrician, and family physician to have knowledge of key aspects of history taking, the physical examination, evidence collection, and medical record documentation. This review of care of the victim of acute sexual assault will provide practitioners with the tools needed to effectively evaluate these patients.