Social Sex Research Articles

Iranian Couples Conceptualization of the Role of Sexual Socialization in Their Sexual Desire: A Qualitative Study

Background: Some researchers consider sexual desire as a biological phenomenon, while others stress its psychological aspect. The question is why people experience different levels of sexual desire in different societies. This question can be answered from a sociological perspective. Objectives: This study aimed at exploring Iranian couples’ perceptions of the role of sexual socialization in their sexual desire. Methods: This research had a qualitative thematic analysis method. Data collection was performed through 14 individual semi-structured interviews with seven couples, selected through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was performed concurrently with data collection. Results: Analyzing participants’ perceptions led to the extraction of 333 codes, five sub-sub-themes and two sub-themes “dual role of the parents” and “dual role of the community” in sexual development. The participants’ dual role of parents, included parents’ ability for sexual training of children and adolescents and the affectionate relationship between parents in the presence of children. Dual role of the community included sources of sexual information and sexual health education, beliefs and sociocultural taboos in sexual issues, and perception of couples from religious teachings about sexual issues. The main theme shared between sub-themes was “dual role of sexual socialization”. Conclusions: Sexual desire was stronger in those whose sexual development had occurred in an active social context. In most cases, however, the couple’s sexual desire had weakened because their sexual development had occurred in a passive social context. Educating sexual health experts, who can provide the sexual training needed at the individual, family, and community levels and act as reliable educational resources in line with the religious, cultural and social structure of the Iranian society seems necessary.

Exploring barriers to consistent condom use among sub-Saharan African young immigrants in Switzerland

ABSTRACTNo study to date has focused on barriers to condom use specifically among young immigrants to Europe from sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a qualitative study in sociology, this paper explores generational differences in barriers to condom use between first-generation immigrants (born in Africa and arrived in Switzerland after age 10) and second-generation immigrants (born in Switzerland to two native parents or arrived in Switzerland before age 10). Results are based on in-depth, semistructured individual interviews conducted with 47 young women and men aged 18 to 25 to understand how individual, relational, and cultural dimensions influence sexual socialization and practices. Six main barriers to consistent condom use were identified: reduced pleasure perception, commitment and trust, family-transmitted sexual norms and parental control, lack of accurate knowledge on HIV transmission, lack of awareness about HIV in Switzerland, and gender inequalities. The three first barriers concerned both generations of immigrants, whereas the three last revealed generational differences. These findings can help sexual health providers identify social causes for young sub-Saharan immigrants not using condoms. The findings also highlight the necessity of offering accurate, accessible, and adapted information to all young immigrants, as well as the particular importance of addressing families’ lack of discussions about sex, understanding the sexual norms transmitted by parents, and taking into consideration cultural differences among young people born in immigration countries.

Creation and validation of a scale of sexuality for adolescents: Scale of Myths about Sexuality

IntroductionIn recent decades western countries have become more open about sexuality and sexual relations, and adolescents get information about these issues mainly through the internet, TV and social networks. Often such information is incomplete, wrong or even contradicts itself. What favors them to develop myths, false beliefs and/or negative attitudes about sexuality, love, equality in relationships, or Sexually Transmitted Infections. At the same time, the presence of myths favors double standards, sexism, and a negative attitude toward toward personal, partner and/or social sexuality. ObjectivesTo create a scale for evaluating the permanence of myths about sexuality in adolescents, and to analyze the structural reliability and validity of this scale. MethodThe sample was formed by a pilot group (n=216) and a final group (n=661), both with adolescents from high schools in the province of Malaga, obtained by non-probability cluster sampling. The first 69 initial items were given to the pilot sample to determine the final questions making up the “Escala de Mitos sobre la Sexualidad”. ResultAll final items have an item-total correlation over 0.29. A final questionnaire was obtained of 27 items, grouped into 6 components. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient indicated a high internal consistency of the test (0.881). Moreover, it confirms a significant difference between the sexes and between grades (cohorts). ConclusionThe Scale has appropriate parameters for use in sex education and research. The use of this scale would help to discover adherence to the myths of adolescents, in order to eliminate them and build a solid, free and personal concept of sexuality.

The Language of Ethics and Double Standards in the Affective and Sexual Socialization of Youth. Communicative Acts in the Family Environment as Protective or Risk Factors of Intimate Partner Violence

One of the explanatory factors for the perpetuation of intimate partner violence (IPV) is the socialization process. There is broad literature on the role of family in socializing gender roles and the influence on reproducing IPV. However less research has been developed on the effects of communicative acts in the family environment as a protective or risk factor in front of IPV. This article presents sound evidence confirming the presence of language of ethics that is reproducing stereotyped models of attraction in heterosexual relationships, which empties good people of attractiveness and indirectly contributes to maintain the link between desire and aggressiveness. The language of ethics is characterized by integrating speech acts that exclusively include ethics and exclude desire when talking about egalitarian boys or men. To analyze this reality, a qualitative study has been conducted framed in the communicative methodology. This methodology has been recommended by the European Commission to conduct research on vulnerable groups and social inequalities, which has the aim to advance knowledge on social transformation. Drawing on this approach, three different data-collection techniques have been implemented: in-depth interviews, daily-life stories and focus groups. The fieldwork includes a sample of 52 young men and women between the ages of 18 and 23 from a vocational training high school, and 4 fathers and 4 mothers of some of these young people. The findings confirm the existence of a model of socialization that replicates family relations based on the maintenance of the double standards. Thus, mothers used to employ the language of ethics with their daughters fostering a controversial effect, that is, the latter prefer to start affective and sexual relationships with boys who are aggressive and not egalitarian. On the other hand, fathers used to employ language of desire with their sons stimulating the performance of chauvinist behaviors that denigrate women and girls.

The imagination of sexuality in graduate student

To describe and explain imaginaries about sexuality that university students have at the beginning of their professional training. Study with a qualitative approach, for which grounded theory was used as methodology and method. 11 students enrolled in the first semester of different undergraduate programs were included. The information was collected through 25 in-depth interviews, with an average of two interviews per reporter. Six categories emerged from the data: socialization of sexuality in the family; socialization of sexuality in the school; socialization of sexuality in the media; socialization of sexuality with peers; traditional imaginary of sexuality; and liberal imaginary of sexuality. The grounded theory emerged based on these general categories: "Sexuality imaginaries between adaptation and resistance". The theoretical approach describes how young people internalize the symbols and views of sexuality that they learn before entering university during socialization processes with their family, the school, the media, peers and own experiences. This internalization is not completely passive, as the youth go through some confrontation processes in relation to these visions that lead them to adapt or resist.

Self-perceived effects of pornography consumption among heterosexual men.

Pornography has been identified as playing an increasingly important role in the sexual socialization of men. However, relatively little attention has been paid to men's perceptions of their own pornography consumption. This study investigated self-perceived effects of pornography consumption among an online sample of heterosexual men (N = 312). The study used a short form version of the Pornography Consumption Effects Scale (PCES–SF). The PCES–SF measures both self-perceived positive and negative effects of pornography consumption across the domains of sex life, attitudes toward sex, life in general, perceptions, and attitudes toward the opposite gender, and sexual knowledge. Level of pornography use (measured in terms of frequency of use and average length of use) was positively predictive of both self-perceived positive and negative effects of pornography consumption. Those who indicated that they had never been regular users of pornography reported more negative effects than regular users. Older participants reported fewer negative effects than younger participants, even after controlling for level of pornography use. However, the relationship between age and perceived positive effects was nonsignificant. Religiosity was positively predictive of perceived negative effects, but unrelated to actual level of use. Overall, the sample perceived pornography to have a significantly greater positive than negative effect on their lives. This research is part of a growing body of literature that suggests that most men consider pornography to have a positive impact on their sexual self-schema and lives more generally.

Calculating dating goals: data gaming and algorithmic sociality on Blued, a Chinese gay dating app

ABSTRACTAlthough studies on gay dating apps have shown the ways through which technical features intervene in sexual sociality, seldom do they shed light on the central feature that undergirds their use ‒ algorithms. This article examines Blued, China’s largest gay dating app, aiming to unfold the data structure and algorithms that navigate the use of its two prime functionalities: browsing and live streaming. Rather than seeing users as passive audiences that are subject to being measured and calculated based on algorithmically filtered information, this article argues that users can act on the data they provide to dating apps to influence and shape the algorithmic dating outcomes. For Blued browsing, gay men are datafied with numbers and tags for users to sort and filter. For Blued live, gay men are evaluated by the yanzhi algorithm, which literally means ‘value of a person’s face’, for users to pinpoint dating goals. By gaming the data and shaping their algorithmic outcomes, an algorithmic sociality is animated through the filter browsing and the yanzhi metric. In this way, algorithms have become ritual tools for gay sociality on Blued. This article ends by opening up critiques on the justification of social biases lurking inside this algorithmic sociality.

Pornography Consumption, Perceptions of Pornography as Sexual Information, and Condom Use

ABSTRACTPornography use is becoming more commonplace and may be a modality by which individuals receive sex education. This survey study assessed pornography consumption, perceptions of pornography as a source of sexual information, and condom use in a heterosexual sample of 200 sexually active German adults who were not in monogamous relationships. At the bivariate, overall sample level, there was only a modest association between consuming pornography and a decreased frequency of condom use. However, consistent with the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of sexual media socialization, this association was moderated by differential perceptions of pornography as a source of sexual information. Interaction decomposition revealed that there was no association between pornography consumption and condom use among participants who disagreed that pornography is a source of sexual information. Conversely, pornography consumption was associated with a lower frequency of condom use among participants who agreed that pornography is a source of sexual information. As the perception that pornography is a source of sexual information strengthened, the relationship between pornography consumption and less frequent condom use increased. Gender did not moderate these associations. These findings point toward the importance of fostering a critical reading of pornography through media literacy education.

Sex Education, Public Opinion, and Pornography: A Conditional Process Analysis

This study assesses the relationship between pornography consumption and support for sex education in public schools among adults in the United States. Goals were theoretical and applied. At the theoretical level, conditional process analyses are needed to further evaluate the predictions of the primary theory applied to pornography and social influence, the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of sexual media socialization. At the applied level, themes in pornography are most often associated with socialization outcomes that are a threat to the public health. In certain instances, however, pornography may socialize its users in ways that lead to health-promoting attitudes. An increased likelihood of support for sex education among youth may be one such example. Probabilistic national survey data gathered between 1988 and 2016 from 16 unique samples were utilized. A moderated-mediation path analysis indicated that pornography consumption was associated with support for sex education through more acceptance of teenage sex, but that this indirect effect (IE) was moderated by religiosity. Specifically, as religiosity decreased, the magnitude of the IE increased. These results are consistent with 3AM tenets about the role of sexual scripts in mass media socialization and factors that increase the likelihood of sexual scripting effects.

Motives, barriers, and ways of communicating in mother-daughter sexuality communication: a qualitative study of college women in Tanzania

In Tanzania, young women aged 15–24 are at high risk for HIV and nearly half (45%) of women experience pregnancy or childbirth before age 19. The HIV epidemic has motivated many parents to overcome cultural taboos and talk with their children about sexuality, but few studies in Tanzania have examined how young adults perceive these discussions. In-depth interviews with 31 Tanzanian college women (ages 18–25) reveal how they make sense of sexuality messages from mothers that are sometimes vague, admonishing and fear-based. Participants identified how mothers focused on the health, educational and social consequences of premarital sex and emphasised the avoidance of men as a strategy to maintain virginity. Mothers avoided providing specific information about safer-sex practices, or strategies to negotiate romantic relationships, sexual pressures or sexual desires. Findings offer insight into how relational and cultural contexts influence mothers’ sexual socialisation and can inform education and intervention approaches that consider the changing cultural landscape. Future qualitative research with mothers is recommended to develop programmes that are more responsive to mothers’ and daughters’ needs.

Buffer or Brake? The Role of Sexuality-Specific Parenting in Adolescents\u2019 Sexualized Media Consumption and Sexual Development

One main source of sexual socialization lies within family interactions. Especially sexuality-specific parenting may determine adolescents’ sexual development—adolescents’ sexual behavior and sexual risk behavior, sexualized media consumption and permissive sexual attitudes—to a significant extent, but different ideas exist about how this works. In this longitudinal study, we examined two hypotheses on how sexuality-specific parenting—parenting aimed specifically at children’s sexual attitudes and behaviors—relates to adolescents’ sexual development. A first buffer hypothesis states that parents’ instructive media discussions with their children—called instructive mediation—buffers the effect of sexualized media consumption on adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behavior and, vice versa, the effect of adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behavior on sexualized media consumption. A second brake hypothesis states that parents, by communicating love-and-respect oriented sexual norms, slow down adolescents’ development toward increased sexualized media use, permissive sexual attitudes, and sexual behavior and sexual risk behavior. Using four-wave longitudinal data from 514 Dutch adolescents aged 13–16 years (49.8% female), we found evidence to support a brake effect. More frequent parental communication of love-and-respect oriented sexual norms was associated with less permissive sexual attitudes and, for boys, with less advanced sexual behavior and a less rapid increase in sexual risk behavior. Parents’ instructive mediation regarding adolescents’ sexualized media consumption was associated with less permissive sexual attitudes at baseline, but only for girls. No systematic evidence emerged for a buffer effect of parents’ instructive mediation. In conclusion, although our data seem to suggest that parent–child communication about sex is oftentimes “after the fact”, we also find that more directive parental communication that conveys love-and-respect oriented sexual norms brake adolescents’ move toward sexual maturity.

Linking Pornography Consumption to Support for Adolescents' Access to Birth Control: Cumulative Results from Multiple Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal National Surveys

ABSTRACTThis article reports the results of three meta-samples investigating U.S. adults' pornography consumption, attitudes toward teen sex, and support for teen access to birth control. Findings were based on multiple independent samples totaling more than 11,000 people. Pragmatic motivations included examining what public health advocacy groups would consider a positive public opinion effect of pornography at a potentially pivotal time for U.S. policy makers. Theoretical motivations included probing key tenets from the sexual script acquisition, activation, application model (3AM) of sexual media socialization and the reinforcing spirals model (RSM) of media uses and effects. Consistent with the 3AM, path and mediation analyses of both cross-sectional and longitudinal data suggested that pornography consumption may increase support for teens' birth control access through a shift in perspective on teen sex. In alignment with the RSM, participants' prior beliefs and attitudes were prospectively predictive of their likelihood of future pornography consumption.

Role and Impact of Mass Communication on Sexuality in TV Programs

The consequences of sexual material on young people's sexual views, opinions, and behaviours as shown on television as well as other electronic media are a major cause for worry. Sexual content and depictions of sexual behaviour on television have been shown to be on the rise, and studies have shown a correlation between adolescents' watching habits and their sexual behaviour. This section examines how the media affects the sexual socialisation of today's teenagers and young adults. According to the Sexual Media Practice Model, which relies on the following presumptions: (1) media customers are active participants as well as content producers; (2) the choice and consumption of sexual media is driven by the adolescent's identity and sexually self-concept; (3) the effects of sexually media are cyclical, such that explicit material may be reinforced by subsequent exposure to it. Suggestions for further study are offered, and possible media-related solutions to the problem of unhealthy teenage sexuality are explored.

Associations Between Croatian Adolescents’ Use of Sexually Explicit Material and Sexual Behavior: Does Parental Monitoring Play a Role?

The use of sexually explicit material (SEM) has become a part of adolescent sexual socialization, at least in the Western world. Adolescent and young people's SEM use has been associated with risky sexual behaviors, which has recently resulted in policy debates about restricting access to SEM. Such development seems to suggest a crisis of the preventive role of parental oversight. Based on the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model, this study assessed the role of parental monitoring in the context of adolescent vulnerability to SEM-associated risky or potentially adverse outcomes (sexual activity, sexual aggressiveness, and sexting). Using an online sample of Croatian 16-year-olds (N=1265) and structural equation modeling approach, parental monitoring was found consistently and negatively related to the problematic behavioral outcomes, regardless of participants' gender. While SEM use was related to sexual experience and sexting, higher levels of parental monitoring were associated with less frequent SEM use and lower acceptance of sexual permissiveness. Despite parents' fears about losing the ability to monitor their adolescent children's lives in the Internet era, there is evidence that parental engagement remains an important protective factor.

PAVLO BLONSKYI – THE FOUNDER OF SEXUAL PEDAGOGY

The topicality of senior pupils’ sexual socialization has been analyzed. Historical preconditions of forming a new trend in pedagogy have been determined. Pavlo Blonskyi’s role in the history of sexual pedagogy has been disclosed, its methodological foundations determined by the researcher have been analyzed. A critical analysis of his main works devoted to the development of the ideas of sexual pedagogy has been carried out. The character of the sexual anomaly which the scientist investigated for better understanding of the children’s sexuality was analyzed. The analysis of Blonskyi’s main methods of experimental study of children’s sexuality was critically evaluated. Great attention is paid to the main idea of Blonskyi’s theory according to which in normal conditions libido increases only during puberty. The tries of Blonskyi to point out the peculiarities of sexual feelings and worries of children of different genders were characterized and that is valuable for the development of sexual pedagogics. The ideas of Blonskyi about the first love and its sublimating influence on the sexual desire of children were analyzed. Main reasons of premature erotization and deviations from the norms of children’s sexuality, characterized by P. Blonskyi in different works, have been determined. Blonskyi’s approaches to sex education have been analyzed, his anxiety about teachers and parents ignorance of the problem has been shown.

THE PROBLEM OF SECXUAL SOCIALIZATION OF PUPILS IN THE NATIONAL PEDAGOGICS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

In the article the analysis of the national sexual pedagogics formation is done, the difficulties of understanding the term “sexual pedagogics” are shown; sexual pedagogical discourse of the 20th century is generalized. The ideas of the main trends of sexual socialization of the 1920-30’s are analyzed; the causes which restrained sexual pedagogics development in 1970-80’s are pointed out. In the article the different trends of sexual socialization development are presented, in particular a gender education, sexual education and sexual culture formation. The main problems of national sexual-pedagogical discourse are pointed out: the age in which the gender education and sexual awareness should start was grounded and also the main sources of social socialization were defined, its content and process were analyzed. The main concepts of sexual socialization were analyzed. The main stress was made on the influence of total ideologization of soviet society on sexual socialization of the school youth. The contribution of the prominent pedagogues P. Blonskyi, A. Makarenko, V. Suhomlynskyi and others into the development of the national sexual pedagogics was analyzed. The unsuccessful attempts to implement the course of “Ethics and Pedagogics of Sexual Life” into a soviet school were shown. The perspectives of the development of sexual pedagogics in independent Ukraine were sketched.

Gap analysis of service needs for adults with neurodevelopmental disorders.

In Florida, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities provides waivers for adults with the following types of disabilities: intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, and Prader-Willi syndrome. This review examined the peer-reviewed literature to indicate and assess the common needs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Current models of service delivery, the efficacy of these services, and remaining gaps in the need fulfillment of individuals within the six diagnostic categorizations of interest were examined. Severity level within each diagnostic category was plotted on a matrix according to whether the needs of individuals were minimal, moderate, severe, or universal. The study found that sexual health education, socialization, and adult-focused medical care are universal needs among the six conditions. The study indicates that health-care professionals must work toward addressing the many unmet needs in comprehensive life span care services for adult individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Reproducing (and Disrupting) Heteronormativity: Gendered Sexual Socialization in Preschool Classrooms

Using ethnographic data from 10 months of observations in nine preschool classrooms, I examine gendered sexual socialization children receive from teachers’ practices and reproduce through peer interactions. I find heteronormativity permeates preschool classrooms, where teachers construct (and occasionally disrupt) gendered sexuality in a number of different ways, and children reproduce (and sometimes resist) these identities and norms in their daily play. Teachers use what I call facilitative, restrictive, disruptive, and passive approaches to sexual socialization in preschool classrooms. Teachers’ approaches to gendered sexual socialization varied across preschools observed and affected teachers’ response to children’s behaviors, such as heterosexual romantic play (kissing and relationships), bodily displays, and consent. Additionally, my data suggest young children are learning in preschool that boys have gendered power over girls’ bodies. I find that before children have salient sexual identities of their own, children are beginning to make sense of heteronormativity and rules associated with sexuality through interactions with their teachers and peers in preschool.

Understanding the relationship between religiosity and caregiver-adolescent communication about sex within African-American families.

Caregiver-adolescent communication about sex plays a critical role in the sexual socialization of youth. Many caregivers, however, do not engage their youth in such conversations, potentially placing them at risk for negative sexual health outcomes. Lack of caregiver-adolescent communication about sex may be particularly harmful for rural African American youth, as they often report early sex initiation and are disproportionately impacted by STIs. Moreover, sexual communication may be particularly challenging for families with strong religious backgrounds, potentially affecting the occurrence and breadth of topics covered during communication. Study aims were to: determine whether there was a relationship between caregiver religiosity and type of topics covered during communication about sex (e.g., general sexual health vs. positive aspects of sexuality) among 435 caregivers of early adolescent, African American youth; and if so, identify factors that might explain how religiosity affects communication about sex. Results indicated that caregiver religiosity was positively associated with communication about general, but not positive aspects of sexuality for caregivers of males. Attitudes towards communication about sex and open communication style mediated the relationship. There was no association between religiosity and communication about sex for caregivers of females. The findings from this study could provide a base to better understand and support the sexual socialization process within religious, African American families.

Romantic Parasocial Attachments and the Development of Romantic Scripts, Schemas and Beliefs among Adolescents

ABSTRACTFrom the Beatles to One Direction, adolescent crushes on media figures have fueled media industry success throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Adolescent girls turn to these media figures to practice romantic relationships via parasocial (perceived, mediated) attachments. This study examines recalled adolescent romantic parasocial attachments as they relate to the development of scripts, schemas, and normative beliefs about romance. In a survey of college women, more intense recalled romantic parasocial attachments in adolescence were associated with increased relationship-contingent self-esteem, increased negative evaluations of sexual experience, and an increased likelihood of experiencing passionate love. This analysis argues that parasocial romantic attachments are a common aspect of adolescent development, with potential implications for sexual socialization.