The Impact of Non-Volitional Sexual Interaction on Sexual Agency in Adolescent Women

Adrianna M. Pierson* and Kristin L. Moilanen
Department of Counseling and Learning Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506-6045

Presentation No.: 123

Assigned Category (Presentation Format): Social & Behavioral Sciences (Poster Presentations)

Student’s Major: Psychology

Due to gender socialization, which often encourages women to take on relational and communal roles in society, women may be more likely to fall victim to sexual coercion in order to please or to avoid conflict with their partner. It was hypothesized that adolescent women who experienced more unwanted sexual interactions would report diminished levels of sexual autonomy, and increased levels of sexual anxiety. The sample included 273 women between 18-22 years old. A Pearson r correlation was conducted to examine the relationship between the number of non-volitional sexual interactions experienced and perceived levels of sexual autonomy and anxiety in adolescent women. Results revealed that higher frequencies of non-volitional sexual encounters were correlated with decreased sexual autonomy and increased sexual anxiety. Another correlation was conducted to examine the relationship between sexual autonomy and communal traits, but results did not yield significant findings. By understanding the threat that non-volitional sexual encounters pose on sexual agency, we can begin to motivate others to practice consent in a way that serves to protect sexual agency.

Funding: SURE Undergraduate Research Program

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's SURE program (Rita Rio & Michelle Richards-Babb)