A Content Analysis of Sexual Consent and Refusal Communication in Mainstream Films

Marcantonio, Tiffany L.; Rhoads, Kelley; Canan, Sasha N.; Hunt, Mary E.; Willis, Malachi

doi:10.1080/00224499.2019.1595503

Cited by 32 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…not wanting to have sex with a long-term partner but feel obliged to do so (Peterson and Muehlenhard, 2007). Indeed, research highlights the variability in external emotions and behaviours as cues for sexual consent (Muehlenhard et al, 2016), and the ability to misinterpret cues as consent (Jozkowski et al, 2019).…”

Section: Intricacies Of Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 99%

UK university students’ perceptions and negotiations of sexual consent

Wignall

Stirling

Scoats

2020

Psychology & Sexuality

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There is a growing recognition of the importance of trying to understand how sexual consent is understood and negotiated, yet research in this area is still developing. In particular, there is a need to better understand how young adults, a group significantly more likely to be victims of sexual assault, negotiate sexual consent across a range of cultural settings. Utilising semi-structured interviews, this research explores 20 British University students' perspectives and behaviours regarding sexual consent. Through thematic analysis, three key themes were identified: consent is often assumed in sexual settings; consent is understood to be important, but often taboo to discuss; and consent can be negotiated in complex ways. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the realities of how consent is being enacted and understood and have implications for campaigns which aim to reduce instances of sexual assault on campus.

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Section: Intricacies Of Sexual Consentmentioning

confidence: 99%

UK university students’ perceptions and negotiations of sexual consent

Wignall

Stirling

Scoats

2020

Psychology & Sexuality

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“…Active consent communication refers to anything people do to indicate their willingness to engage in sexual activity and is diverse in practice; cues can be explicit or implicit and verbal or nonverbal (Beres, 2010 ; Orchowski et al, 2020 ; Righi et al, 2019 ). These types of active communication are independent – explicit cues might be verbal or nonverbal, and similarly verbal cues might be explicit or implicit (Hickman & Muehlenhard, 1999 ; Jozkowski et al, 2019 ; Willis et al, 2020 ). According to Harris ( 2018 ), being a more effective communicator does not require a single standard for how explicit or implicit one might be; rather, an awareness of the range of possible styles is needed to make informed decisions about how to address the ambiguities of interaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Lay beliefs that affirmative consent can be arousing or exciting contradict traditional sexual scripts and media representations of consent ( Jozkowski et al, 2019 ), but are compatible with newer messaging around consent (i.e. ‘consent is sexy’).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived barriers and rewards to sexual consent communication: A qualitative analysis

Edwards

Rehman

Byers

2022

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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Increasingly, affirmative consent – direct, unambiguous and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity ( Craig & McKinley, 2015 ) – is the standard being adopted by educational institutions in North America ( Bennett, 2016 ). Yet, studies show that most individuals continue to communicate consent through nonresistance ( Jozkowski et al., 2014a ). Given this discrepancy, it is critical to understand what factors prevent individuals from engaging in affirmative consent. Furthermore, a better understanding of the perceived rewards of consent communication could incentivize the adoption of affirmative consent. To understand the range of perceived barriers and rewards, we conducted an online, qualitative study where 231 participants answered two open-ended questions. We used inductive content analysis to categorize participants’ perceptions of sexual consent barriers and rewards into four general content areas: (1) Communication Quality, (2) Relational and Emotional Experiences, (3) Sexual Quality and (4) Safety and Coercion. These perceived rewards and barriers were examined through the lens of the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model. Participants viewed consent communication not only as a means of ensuring safety but also as away to enhance relational and sexual quality. However, they also perceived barriers in all three of these domains as well as barriers to ensuring that sexual consent communication is fluid and easily understood. These findings provide important avenues for future research investigating how individuals reconcile perceived rewards and costs of affirmative consent communication. We also suggest ways to enhance sexual education by discussing potential rewards and validating the normative nature of fears and anxieties around affirmative consent.

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A Content Analysis of Sexual Consent and Refusal Communication in Mainstream Films

Cited by 32 publications

References 44 publications

UK university students’ perceptions and negotiations of sexual consent

UK university students’ perceptions and negotiations of sexual consent

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

Perceived barriers and rewards to sexual consent communication: A qualitative analysis

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