Identification of Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences and the Sexual Self-Schemas of Women: Implications for Sexual Functioning

Abstract

Many individuals who experience nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) do not identify their experiences with common sexual violence labels (e.g., sexual assault, rape, or abuse), and cognitive mechanisms of identification have yet to be examined. Identification may involve the integration of the experience into sexual self-schemas, which would have implications for sexual well-being. Women were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (N = 818) to take part in an anonymous online study of sexual experiences. The current study assessed the relationship between textually derived sexual self-schemas and sexual function (measured by the Female Sexual Function Index) in women (M = 35.37 years, SD = 11.27) with NSEs who both did (identifiers, n = 305) and did not (non-identifiers, n = 176) identify with common sexual violence labels, in comparison with those with no NSEs (n = 337). Text analyses revealed nine sexual self-schema themes in participants' essays: Virginity, Openness, Erotophilia, NSEs, Romantic, Sexual Activity, Warmth, Relationships, and Reflection. Analyses demonstrated that identifiers reported significantly poorer sexual functioning and less use of both the Warmth and Openness themes than those with no NSEs. Identifiers also invoked the NSE theme more frequently than both those with no NSE histories and non-identifiers. While greater prominence of the Warmth theme was predictive of greater sexual functioning for both non-identifiers and those with no NSEs, this was not true for identifiers. Instead, the NSE theme was significantly predictive of lower sexual functioning in identifiers. The results suggest that NSE identification may result in greater internalization of the NSE into one's sexual self-schema and, in turn, predict decrements in sexual functioning. The results are discussed in relation to identification interpretation and clinical intervention.

Young Women Subjected to Nonconsensual Condom Removal: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Sexual Self-Perceptions

“…This finding was somewhat surprising, given NCCR is conceptualized as a male-perpetrated sexual act, so it could be assumed that women who only have sex with men are exposed to more opportunities for NCCR to occur than women who do not have sex with men exclusively. Nonetheless, the finding is consistent with research on sexual orientation and other nonconsensual sexual experiences (Kilimnik et al, 2018; Mellins et al, 2017), which suggest that sexual minorities experience disproportionate rates of nonconsensual sexual acts compared with heterosexual populations. While the precise mechanisms behind this elevated risk remain speculative (Rothman et al, 2011), it has been proposed that male-perpetrated violence toward sexual minority groups is an attempt to police and reinforce sexual hierarchies built on masculine understandings of a sexual mainstream (Tomsen, 2013).…”

“…For example, Mellins et al (2017) found exposure to a nonconsensual sexual experience was more likely among female students who had at least one casual sexual partner compared with students who were in exclusive relationships, which could suggest that participation in more casual sexual encounters increases the opportunity to be subjected to NCCR. Sexual orientation may also be a risk factor, given women with higher levels of same-sex attraction or who identify as nonheterosexual (i.e., bisexual, asexual, pansexual, or queer) were more likely to report a nonconsensual sexual experience, compared with heterosexual women (Kilimnik et al, 2018; Mellins et al, 2017). Indeed, rates of sexual assault perpetrated against nonheterosexual individuals are elevated compared with heterosexual populations (Rothman et al, 2011), which may be a consequence of enduring stigma and discrimination as well as a lack of tailored sexual violence prevention programs (Mellins et al, 2017).…”

“…Therefore, alterations to an individual’s sexual self-concept may be one mechanism through which nonconsensual sexual acts generate acute and ongoing distress among victims (Stanton et al, 2015). Kilimnik et al (2018) contend that women incorporate past sexual experiences into cognitive representations of their sexual self, which then influence psychological functioning as well as sexual behavior and decision-making. As such, nonconsensual experiences such as NCCR, which threaten a person’s sexual sovereignty, may generate negative sexual self-perceptions of their sexual agency and efficacy.…”

You’re Only Jung Once: Building Generalized Motivational Systems Theories Using Contemporary Research on Language

“…As a final illustrative example, consider the realm of sexual motivation -a topic that has been researched extensively via language. Important motivated outputs such as sexual and romantic behaviors have well-established motivational underpinnings (e.g., Hill & Preston, 1996) -motives that can be captured by language (Griffin & Fingerman, 2017;Groom & Pennebaker, 2005) -and predictable, well-understood disruptions resulting from past experience can be accurately gleaned from language variations (Kilimnik, Boyd, Stanton, & Meston, 2018;Rellini, 2008;Stanton, Meston, & Boyd, 2017). With an increasingly head-to-tail view of sexual motivational processes that are measurable from language, it becomes easier to see regularities that necessarily span several motivational subsystems.…”

A Large-Scale Test of the Replicability and Generalizability of Survey Measures in Close Relationship and Sexuality Science

“…Although related to some of the previously discussed potential sources of noninvariance, histories of nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) may prove to be a uniquely powerful force in shaping constructions of sexuality and relational schemas (Kilimnik, Boyd, Stanton, & Meston, 2018). For example, individuals whose first experiences with sexuality were nonconsensual may begin schema development with sexual traumatization, stigmatization, and feelings of shame, betrayal, and powerlessness (Finkelhor & Browne, 1985).…”