Young Women's Experiences and Perceptions of Cunnilingus during Adolescence

Recent studies indicate that cunnilingus may be as prevalent as fellatio among American adolescents. Despite this approximate equivalence in rates, there is an imbalance in the amount and type of attention paid to fellatio and cunnilingus. Furthermore, there has been little empirical examination of young women's experiences and perceptions of cunnilingus during adolescence. Two studies in response to this gap in knowledge were conducted. In Study 1, regression analyses indicated that a young woman's sexual assertiveness was linked to having more lifetime cunnilingus partners, as well as more cunnilingus experiences in the past three months. Study 2 explored young women's perceptions of cunnilingus and their speculations about their male partners’ perceptions thereof. Linear mixed modeling revealed that participants had highly favorable impressions of cunnilingus, which they believed their male partners shared. These findings are considered in terms of positive adolescent sexual development and cultural norms regarding female sexuality.     

Behavioral and Relational Contexts of Adolescent Desire,Wanting, and Pleasure: Undergraduate Women's Retrospective Accounts

Studies of adolescent female sexuality often focus on coitus to the exclusion of noncoital behaviors, the relational context of sexual interactions, and adolescent women's subjective perceptions of their experiences. In this study, 38 undergraduate women's retrospective accounts of their adolescent heterosexual experiences were examined. Generalized estimating equation models were used to test the relation of diverse heterosexual behaviors and relationship types to participants' subjective perceptions of desire, wanting, and pleasure. Of the sexual behaviors, coitus was the strongest predictor of participants' subjective perceptions. Compared to coitus, erotic touching, manual stimulation, and fellatio were significantly less predictive; there were no differences between coitus and cunnilingus or coitus and kissing. Of the relationships (serious, dating, “friends with benefits” [FWBs], and “hookups”), FWBs was the strongest predictor of participants' desire, wanting, and pleasure; in comparison, hookups were significantly less predictive. These findings offer insight into the sexual behaviors and preferences of young women, as well as distinctions between types of non-romantic sexual relationships.     

Premarital sexual behavior between females and males of two middlesized Midwestern cities

Abstract

As registrar at the First Australian Field Hospital, the author investigated the sexual behavior of Australian troops in Vietnam by questionnaire studies of 488 consecutive venereal disease clinic attenders and 230 soldiers of similar rank randomly selected from the troop population. Masturbation was the most frequent practice for 27% of soldiers, intercourse for 68%, and fellatio for 3.5%; whereas cunnilingus, anal intercourse and homosexual behavior were practiced less commonly. Single and married soldiers had distinctly different patterns of sexual experience, but in all groups those having frequent intercourse made a disproportionate contribution to those infected with V.D. Soldiers having intercourse on the roadside were younger, came from larger families, had less education and were more neurotic than other soldiers. Masturbation had low peer acceptability and was related to age and neuroticism and inversely related to frequent intercourse. Sociologically, fellatio in Vietnam was a different entity from fellatio in the stable environment of the homeland. Although 61% of the troops experienced fellatio in Vietnam and this was with comparative strangers, only 29% had done so in Australia and almost invariably had a close acquaintance with their partners. Fellatio in Australia was strongly associated with advanced education and extraversion, but in Vietnam these parameters were not significant factors. The findings demonstrate that environmental stress and relative peer acceptance may have a pronounced effect on sexual behavior but the sexual output of any individual is markedly influenced by his sociological background.     

Childhood sexual experiences and the perception of abuse among Latino men who have sex with men

There is a lack of consensus on how to define childhood sexual abuse (CSA). In this study we explore the perceptions of CSA among men who had such experiences. One hundred Latino men (predominately gay) who had childhood sexual experiences with an older partner (CSEOP) were asked whether they considered their experiences sexual abuse (41 said no; 59 said yes). Those who felt abused were younger when the events happened and were more likely to have been physically forced, physically hurt, threatened, and emotionally hurt. Negative correlates of CSEOP in adulthood were also explored. Men who considered themselves the victims of CSA differed from those without CSEOP in having more alcohol use, unprotected anal sex, and male sex partners.     

Childhood sexual experiences and the perception of abuse among latino men who have sex with men

There is a lack of consensus on how to define childhood sexual abuse (CSA). In this study we explore the perceptions of CSA among men who had such experiences. One hundred Latino men (predominately gay) who had childhood sexual experiences with an older partner (CSEOP) were asked whether they considered their experiences sexual abuse (41 said no; 59 said yes). Those who felt abused were younger when the events happened and were more likely to have been physically forced, physically hurt, threatened, and emotionally hurt. Negative correlates of CSEOP in adulthood were also explored. Men who considered themselves the victims of CSA differed from those without CSEOP in having more alcohol use, unprotected anal sex, and male sex partners.     

Young urban adults' heterosexual risk encounters and perceived risk and safety: a structured diary study

Using diary methods, the current study explored characteristics of young adults' sexual risk interactions over a two-week period and the associations between perceived risk and safety with regard to these sexual risk behaviors. We screened all participants to ensure a moderate to high scores on an HIV knowledge measure. Men (n = 44) and women ( n = 48) enrolled at an inner-city college collected diary data, generating reports of 440 sexual occasions over a 2-week period (1,278 person-days). Despite participation in sexual risk activities, including highly inconsistent condom use during intercourse, participants uniformly reported high safety and little to no risk. Only women's perceptions of safety (not risk) were associated with condom use, men's perceptions of both safety and risk were unrelated. Ratings of safety and risk appeared to operate independently for the most part. Sex with new partners and new sexual activity were associated with both judgments of greater risk and lower safety were associated for men only. These results add to the growing evidence that young people fail to integrate fully their general knowledge regarding HIV risk into their personal interactions. This study has implications for the development of cognitive models around sexual decision-making for young adults at risk for HIV and may provide insight into the contextual features of sexual interactions associated with young people's perceptions of risk and safety.     

"It Still Don't Make You Feel Like You're Doin' It": Welfare Reform and Perceived Economic Self-Efficacy

The massive federal welfare reform effort of 1996 contained an inherent assumption that welfare use negatively affected recipients' sense of self-efficacy. Little research attention has been given to examining this assumption. Using in-depth interviews, I explore economic self-efficacy perceptions of 31 young mothers who have experience receiving welfare. Financial choice, they said, was central to their perceptions of themselves as economic agents and therefore to their sense of self-efficacy. Findings presented here detail women's perceptions of their own economic abilities, as well as how welfare receipt, the character of work, and experiences related to parenting in poverty all affected women's opportunities for exercising agency.     

Intimate partner physical assault before and during pregnancy: how does it relate to women's psychological vulnerability?

Most studies of intimate partner violence tend to be behaviorally focused, with scant attention paid to women's perception of vulnerability in their relationships. Since past research has linked such feelings and cognitions to women's health problems, it is important to examine multiple aspects of relationships when studying partner violence. Therefore, this study examines women's perceptions of vulnerability as they relate to their experiences of physical assault by their partner before and during pregnancy. A sample of 86 prenatal care patients were interviewed. The women reported their experiences of partner physical assault using the Conflict Tactics Scale 2, and they reported their perceptions concerning their relationships using the Women's Experiences with Battering Scale. Bivariate and multivariate analyses found that experiencing intimate partner physical assault was highly predictive of women's perceptions of vulnerability and loss of control in their relationships, with women who have been in physically violent relationships for longer periods of time being the most likely to express such feelings. Given that previous research has found such perceptions tied to negative health outcomes, clinicians are urged to evaluate their female patients' feelings of vulnerability as well as their experiences of intimate partner physical assault.     

A review of research on women's use of violence with male intimate partners

This article provides a review of research literature on women who use violence with intimate partners. The central purpose is to inform service providers in the military and civilian communities who work with domestically violent women. The major points of this review are as follows: (a) women's violence usually occurs in the context of violence against them by their male partners; (b) in general, women and men perpetrate equivalent levels of physical and psychological aggression, but evidence suggests that men perpetrate sexual abuse, coercive control, and stalking more frequently than women and that women also are much more frequently injured during domestic violence incidents; (c) women and men are equally likely to initiate physical violence in relationships involving less serious "situational couple violence," and in relationships in which serious and very violent "intimate terrorism" occurs, men are much more likely to be perpetrators and women victims; (d) women's physical violence is more likely than men's violence to be motivated by self-defense and fear, whereas men's physical violence is more likely than women's to be driven by control motives; (e) studies of couples in mutually violent relationships find more negative effects for women than for men; and (f) because of the many differences in behaviors and motivations between women's and men's violence, interventions based on male models of partner violence are likely not effective for many women.     

Latent Classes of Adolescent Sexual and Romantic Relationship Experiences: Implications for Adult Sexual Health and Relationship Outcomes

Adolescents’ sexual and romantic relationship experiences are multidimensional but often studied as single constructs. Thus, it is not clear how different patterns of sexual and relationship experience may interact to differentially predict later outcomes. In this study we used latent class analysis to model patterns (latent classes) of adolescent sexual and romantic experiences, and then examined how these classes were associated with young adult sexual health and relationship outcomes in data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We identified six adolescent relationship classes: No Relationship (33%), Waiting (22%), Intimate (38%), Private (3%), Low Involvement (3%), and Physical (2%). Adolescents in the Waiting and Intimate classes were more likely to have married by young adulthood than those in other classes, and those in the Physical class had a greater number of sexual partners and higher rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some gender differences were found; for example, women in the Low-Involvement and Physical classes in adolescence had average or high odds of marriage, whereas men in these classes had relatively low odds of marriage. Our findings identify more and less normative patterns of romantic and sexual experiences in late adolescence and elucidate associations between adolescent experiences and adult outcomes.     

“It's a Different Condom,Let's See How It Works”: Young Men's Reactions to and Experiences of Female Condom Use During an Intervention Trial in South Africa

Although male partner cooperation is often essential for successful use of the female condom, only a few studies have directly assessed men's experiences of using the device. We examined barriers to and facilitators of female condom use via qualitative in-depth interviews with 38 young men (18 to 28 years) in South Africa whose partners, all university students, were enrolled in a female condom intervention trial. In all, 21 men used the female condom; the remaining 17 did not attempt use. The main facilitators to female condom use were convenience of use for men, curiosity to see how female condoms compared to male condoms, enhanced sexual sensation, and perceptions of better safety and comfort of the device compared to male condoms. The main barriers were men's limited familiarity with the device, insertion difficulties, and men's concerns about loss of control over sexual encounters. We recommend that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and condom promotion programs around the world target men directly for education on female condoms and that they also work with couples jointly around issues of safer-sex communication and negotiation.     

Trends in the prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence: a cohort analysis

Although recent statistics hint that rates of reported rape and child sexual abuse began to decline in the 1990s, little is known about changes in the characteristics of victimizations over time or about the implications of these changes for policy and services. This investigation uses data from a general population survey to examine sexual assault trends in two ways: by age cohort and by historical era in which a first sexual assault experience occurred. Findings suggest that the lifetime prevalence of sexual assault has not significantly changed across cohorts of women in their 20s to 50s. Characteristics of women's experiences across cohorts may be shifting, however, with early childhood experiences of sexual victimization showing a slight decline, accompanied by increases in assault rates during adolescence. Additionally, although help-seeking among victims has increased, women's perceptions of their community's responsiveness have worsened slightly. Research and intervention implications are discussed.     

HIV Testing Among Heterosexual Young Adults: The Influence of Partners' Risk Behaviors and Relationship Dynamics

Using relational theory and survey data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (n = 665), this article examined whether individuals were tested for HIV while intimately involved in a current or recent heterosexual relationship. The analyses included the respondent's and partner's sexual risk factors (non-exclusivity and lifetime number of partners), relational variables, prior testing, and demographic characteristics. It was found that 39% of respondents had an HIV test while involved in their current or most recent sexual relationship, and women (47%), compared with men (29%), were significantly more likely to have been tested. Whereas some predictors operated similarly (number of sex partners and pressured to have sex), others displayed significant gender differences (partner's sexual exclusivity, sexual communication difficulties, and pregnancy), particularly related to women's testing behaviors. Excerpts from qualitative interviews with male respondents suggested that some relational dynamics, not well reflected in relational theory, played a role in their testing. Results highlight the need to consider gendered dynamics when targeting young adults for routine HIV testing.     

Figuring It Out: How Late Adolescent and Young Adult Men and Women Perceive and Address Problems in Sexual Functioning

Although there are high rates of sexual problems and sexual dysfunction in adulthood (Mitchell et al., 2013), little is known about the circumstances under which problems are first experienced. A growing body of research addresses prevalence of problems in sexual functioning among adolescents and young adults, yet little is known about the meanings that young people give to these experiences or how they deal with them. We used content analysis of qualitative interviews with 53 heterosexual, sexually active Canadian adolescents (ages 18 to 21) to explore their perceptions of the sexual problems in functioning they had experienced and the strategies (if any) they used to address them over time. Problems among most young people originated early in their partnered sexual life. Figuring it out emerged as an intentional process directed toward improving sexual experiences, although certainly not all young people were successful. Strategies for figuring it out included informational or material help seeking, experimentation to inform future actions, mutual sharing and problem solving, and building emotional connection to improve sexual functioning. Implications for understanding the development of sexual dysfunctions in adulthood are discussed.     

Young Parents’ Relationship Characteristics,Shared Sexual Behaviors,Perception of Partner Risks,and Dyadic Influences

Rising rates of heterosexually transmitted HIV among youth and young adults, particularly from ethnic minorities, create an urgent need to understand risk factors and perceptions of risk within the context of couple relationships. This study examined reports of young mothers and fathers (predominantly Latino) about background characteristics, relationship quality and length, HIV-related risk factors, and perceptions of partners’ behaviors and personal history. Higher concordance was found for relationship characteristics and partners' personal history (e.g., incarceration) than on shared sexual behaviors. Most males and females stated that they were monogamous; however, those whose partners reported concurrency were unaware of this. Many were unaware of their partners’ HIV testing status. Relationship quality was higher when females accurately perceived their partners' self-reported HIV-related risk behaviors. Length of the relationship did not influence concordance. Findings support the need for HIV prevention programs to promote open discussion about condom use and HIV testing within sexual partnerships.     

When,If, and How: Young Women Contend With Orgasmic Absence

While cultural ideas about “healthy” and “fulfilling” sexuality often include orgasm, many young women do not experience orgasm during partnered sex. The current study examined how women described this absence of orgasm in their sexual experiences with male partners. We examined interviews (N = 17) with women ages 18 to 28 and focused on their ideas about orgasm and their explanations concerning when and why they do not orgasm. We explored three themes that illustrate the strategies young women use to contend with orgasmic absence: (1) What’s the big deal?; (2) It’s just biology; and (3) Not now, but someday. We found that young women’s explanations allowed them to reduce feelings of abnormality and enabled them to distance themselves from sexual expectations regarding the perceived value of orgasm. In analyzing the complicated gender and sexual dynamics surrounding orgasm, we turned to Fahs’ (2014) work on sexual freedom and the importance of articulating freedom from sexual obligations as a key intervention in critical sexuality research. In our discussion, we examine the implications of our findings for critical researchers looking to better understand the role of sexual norms in how young women imagine and discuss the role of pleasure in their own sexual lives.