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Abstract
Content analyses have cataloged the sexual scripts present in magazines largely because of their perceived value to readers and their potential role as sex educators. Although it is generally agreed that magazines have the potential to influence sexual attitudes and behavioral intentions, the effects of this medium are not as frequently researched as are other forms of media. The current study tested whether exposure to magazines was associated with intentions related to sexual consent negotiation. A survey of 313 college students indicated that exposure to men's magazines was significantly associated with lower intentions to seek sexual consent and lower intentions to adhere to decisions about sexual consent. In contrast, exposure to women's magazines was significantly associated with greater intentions to refuse unwanted sexual activity. Overall, the findings of this study further reinforce the critical need for responsible and realistic portrayals of sex in entertainment media, specifically magazines.
Notes
Note. The scales range from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree) for consent-related behavior intention indices and rape myth acceptance index. The scales range from 1 (Never) to 7 (Very often) for exposure to women's magazines and men's magazines.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.
1We also computed regressions using maximum likelihood parameter estimates with standard errors and a mean-adjusted chi-square test statistic that are robust to nonnormality (Muthén & Muthén, Citation2010; Satorra & Bentler, Citation2001). The results are consistent with those from the hierarchical OLS regressions that are reported in this article. In the regressions with robust standard errors, one-tailed p values were used for directional hypotheses and two-tailed p values were used for research questions.
a The unstandardized coefficients were reported for gender.
*p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.