Associations between internal and external sexual consent in a diverse national sample of women

Willis, Malachi; Blunt-Vinti, Heather

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.05.029

Cited by 48 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Therefore, our sample size was relatively high for this type of study design; however, generalizing findings to the larger population of sexually active adults should be done with caution. That said, the present study's sample was more heterogeneous regarding age, gender, and sexual orientation than most previous cross-sectional studies on sexual consent (Willis, Blunt-Vinti et al, 2019).…”

Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…Further investigating the nature of the associations between internal and external sexual consent, Willis, Blunt-Vinti et al (2019) proposed a model whereby internal consent feelings predicted the consent communication cues participants reported using -based on previous evidence that sexual cognitions tend to precede sexual behaviors (e.g., O'Sullivan & Brooks-Gunn, 2005). Their data supported this model and further corroborated findings that passive consent cues do not reliably reflect internal feelings of consent, which were instead more closely aligned with actions or words (Willis, Blunt-Vinti et al, 2019).…”

Section: Internal and External Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Specifically, during sexual encounters in which participants more strongly experienced feelings associated with internal sexual consent, they were more active in communicating their willingness via cues that were explicit, implicit, verbal, or nonverbal. Previous research has similarly suggested that each of these consent cues reflects greater feelings of willingness but that passive consent communication (e.g., not resisting or not saying "no") is not associated with internal consent feelings (Willis, Blunt-Vinti et al, 2019). Therefore, sexual consent education initiatives should encourage people to be familiar with and able to use diverse active consent communication cues to infer whether their partner is ready and willing to engage in sexual activity; relying solely on an explicit and verbal "yes" does not necessarily represent humans' capacity to navigate complex social situations (Harris, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…First, women are generally less direct and less verbal in their consent communication (Jozkowski & Peterson, 2013); extant literature regarding internal consent indicates that gender differences may depend on the feeling in question . Second, people aged 18-25 in one study reported higher internal consent scores compared with those who were older than 45 (Willis, Blunt-Vinti et al, 2019). Third, racial/ethnic minorities might be less explicit and verbal in their consent cues than White participants (Walsh et al, 2019).…”

Section: Variability Of Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 91%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Assessing the Within-Person Variability of Internal and External Sexual Consent

Willis

Bridges

Veilleux

et al. 2021

The Journal of Sex Research

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Sexual consent is often conceptualized as an internal willingness to engage in sexual activity, which can be communicated externally to a sexual partner. Internal sexual consent comprises feelings of physical response, safety/comfort, arousal, agreement/want, and readiness; external sexual consent includes communication cues that may be explicit or implicit and verbal or nonverbal. Most previous research on sexual consent has focused on between-person differences; little attention has been devoted to examining the within-person variation of sexual consent across time. We conducted a 28-day experience sampling methodology (ESM) study with a sample of adults (N = 113) to assess fluctuations in internal and external sexual consent across a given person's sexual events. We found that more than 50% and up to 80% of the variance in sexual consent scores could be accounted for by within-person variability. The type of sexual behavior participants engaged in during a sexual event predicted their internal and external consent. Further, internal consent feelings predicted external consent communication. Overall, our findings provided initial evidence regarding the extent that situational contexts are relevant for sexual consent. ESM study designs may be used to further investigate the potential contextual, intrapersonal, and interpersonal factors associated with internal and external sexual consent.

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Section: Strengths and Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Internal and External Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Variability Of Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 91%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Assessing the Within-Person Variability of Internal and External Sexual Consent

Willis

Bridges

Veilleux

et al. 2021

The Journal of Sex Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most of the previous studies assessing the nuances of sexual consent have investigated the between-person variability of internal consent feelings and external consent communication. For example, sexual consent can vary by gender (Jozkowski & Peterson, 2013), age (Willis, Blunt-Vinti et al, 2019), or race/ ethnicity (Walsh et al, 2019). However, little is known regarding the within-person variability of internal or external sexual consent.…”

Section: Variability Of Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Valid and Feasible Measures of Sexual Consent for Experience Sampling Methodology

Willis

Bridges

Davis

et al. 2021

The Journal of Sex Research

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Preliminary evidence indicates that people’s sexual consent (i.e., their willingness to engage in sexual activity and communication of that willingness) varies across time and context. Study designs that assess sexual consent at multiple time points (e.g., experience sampling methodology [ESM]) are needed to better understand the within-person variability of sexual consent. However, extant validated measures of sexual consent are not appropriate for ESM studies, which require shorter assessments due to the increased burden this methodology has on participants. As such, the goal of the present study was to develop ESM measures of sexual consent based on items that have previously been validated for use in cross-sectional surveys. We selected items that balanced face validity as evidenced by cognitive interviews ( n = 10) and content validity as evidenced by experts’ ratings ( n = 6). To assess the construct validity and feasibility of these items, we administered the selected ESM measures of sexual consent in a seven-day pilot study ( n = 12). The results suggested that the ESM measures developed in the present study were a valid and feasible assessment of people’s experience-specific internal consent feelings and external consent communication. We conclude with recommendations for sex researchers interested in ESM.

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The Nonverbal Communication of Sexual Interest

Horgan

2024

The Nonverbal Communication of Our Gendered and Sexual Selves

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Associations between internal and external sexual consent in a diverse national sample of women

Cited by 48 publications

References 22 publications

Assessing the Within-Person Variability of Internal and External Sexual Consent

Assessing the Within-Person Variability of Internal and External Sexual Consent

Developing Valid and Feasible Measures of Sexual Consent for Experience Sampling Methodology

The Nonverbal Communication of Sexual Interest

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