It Only Happens Once: Adolescents’ Interpretations of Mediated Messages About Sexual Initiation

Abstract

The current study examines adolescents’ interpretations of a televised scene narrative describing a sexual initiation encounter. The study uses the media practice model as a theoretical framework. Two hundred ninety-three 10th, 11th, and 12th graders suggested possible endings to the narrative, reflecting their outcome expectancies for sexual initiation. The adolescents’ suggested scene endings were divided into 10 categories, including emotional, physical, and relational outcomes. A thematic analysis of their outcome expectancies revealed some shared themes, but important individual differences based on gender and sexual experience also were identified, consistent with media practice model assumptions. Male students were more technical and less emotional than female students in their scene interpretations. Adolescents without sexual experience suggested more simplistic and deterministic outcomes than more sexually experienced teens. The study contributes to the understanding of adolescents’ interpretation of mediated narratives in the context of sexual initiation and supports their complex, active, and developmentally consistent understanding of this topic.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Keren Eyal

Keren Eyal (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara, 2004) is a Senior Lecturer in the Sammy Ofer School of Communications at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. Her research interests include media content and effects, with an emphasis on youth socialization.

Yarden Ben-Ami

Yarden Ben-Ami (M.A., Tel Aviv University, 2012) is a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at Tel Aviv University. Her research interests include media effects on young audiences, political communication, psychology of intractable conflicts, and relationships between groups.