Self-injury, Sexual Self-concept, and a Conservative Christian Upbringing: An Exploratory Study of Three Young Women's Perspectives

Abstract

In this exploratory study we used qualitative methods to examine possible relations between young women's self-injurious behaviors, sexual self-concept, and a conservative Christian upbringing. Structured interviews were conducted with three young women fitting these characteristics from a private Christian university in the Northeastern United States. Phenomological data analysis revealed themes for these women that support a relation between their SIB and the development and expression of both their spirituality and sexuality. Implications for counseling practice include the need for a thorough assessment of past and present spirituality and the inclusion of sexual self-concept into counseling discussions.

What are the characteristics of ‘sexually ready’ adolescents? Exploring the sexual readiness of youth in urban poor Accra

“…Knowing that males consider themselves more sexually ready than females speaks to the gender differentials in the community, which are similar to global views [ 7 , 27 ]. Butler et al [ 37 ] noticed that among a sample of mostly African American preadolescent boys and girls, larger proportions of boys progressed across the stages of sexual readiness after six months while more girls remained stable or retrogressed. In that setting boys initiated sex earlier than girls; however, this is not the case for youth in the localities under study (as well as across Ghana) where generally higher proportions of girls start sex prematurely compared to boys.…”

“…Even more studies suggest no such differences between boys and girls, but highlight age differentials [ 21 , 25 , 34 ]. Socio-cultural characteristics such as religion and ethnicity also play a role in shaping their sexual self-concept, through them developing a fear of sexual expression and exhibiting sexual anxiety, respectively [ 26 , 37 ].…”

Spirituality/Religiosity, Life Satisfaction, and Life Meaning as Protective Factors for Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury in College Students

“…There have been only a few studies investigating the relationship between self‐injury and spirituality/religiosity. In a qualitative study (Wagner & Rehfuss, ), participants who self‐injure reported that they were negatively influenced by a Christian upbringing, but exploration and development of personal spiritual and religious beliefs and practices had positive effects on reducing the occurrence of participants' self‐injury rates. Borrill, Fox, and Roger () found that individuals who endorsed a religion (i.e., Christian, Muslim, Hindu) were less likely to report repeated NSSI than individuals who did not endorse a religion.…”

Sexual without sex: A qualitative study of single emerging adult evangelical women.

“…More specifically, religiosity, as measured through religious attendance, has been demonstrated to predict decreased likelihood of engaging in sex (i.e., vaginal, oral, anal) and decreased amount of “hook ups” that included sexual intercourse among female college students (Penhollow, Young, & Bailey, 2007). In addition, three qualitative studies have suggested that a conservative spiritual upbringing invalidates women’s sexuality, contributing to outcomes of unworthiness, shame, denial and repression, and objectification (Daniluk, 1993; Mahoney, 2008; Wagner & Rehfuss, 2008). These outcomes also demonstrate decreased personal exploration and integration of spirituality with sexuality.…”