Examining the link between sexual self-concept and sexual communication among adolescents

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to move beyond a sexual risk framework to investigate the possible associations among three sex-positive constructs for adolescents: their sexual self-concept (i.e., their positive/negative feelings about themselves as sexual beings), their sexual communication with romantic/sexual partners, and their sexual communication self-efficacy. We also examined differences in these constructs by sexual intercourse experience and gender. Participants were 171 adolescents who had been in a dating or sexual relationship in the past year (M_age = 16.32 years; 64.3% girls). Compared to girls, boys had more positive sexual self-concepts but less self-efficacy to communicate with their partners about sex. Adolescents who reported having had sexual intercourse had more positive sexual self-concepts as well as more frequent partner sexual communication compared to adolescents without sexual intercourse experience. Adolescents with a more positive sexual self-concept had higher sexual communication self-efficacy and reported more frequent sexual communication. In addition, sexual communication self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between sexual self-concept and sexual communication. Results highlight the connection between sexual self-concept and sexual communication and contribute to a growing body of work on the positive aspects of adolescent sexuality.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual self-concept
• sexual communication
• sex-positive
• sexual health
• adolescence

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Reina Evans-Paulson, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health under grant number R00 HD075654. This material is also based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research 515 Fellowship under Grant No. 1940700 awarded to Anne Maheux. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF or NIH.

Notes on contributors

Reina Evans-Paulson

Reina Evans-Paulson, PhD, is a Research Scientist at innovation Research & Training in Durham, North Carolina. She conducts research related to adolescent and young adult health with a focus on implementation and evaluation of sexual health interventions, parent and family influences on adolescent sexuality, and sexual communication. She holds a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from St. Edward’s University and a PhD in Applied Social and Community Psychology from North Carolina State University.

Laura Widman

Laura Widman, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on understanding and improving adolescent health, with an emphasis on sexual communication skill development and HIV/STD prevention. Her recent research also incorporates digital technologies to deliver health programming to teens.

Julia Brasileiro

Julia Brasileiro is a PhD Student in the Department of Applied Social and Community Psychology at North Carolina State University. She holds B.A. and MPH degrees in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research focuses on understanding how psychosocial factors intersect with adolescent sexual health. In addition she is interested in using behavioral and implementation science theories to adapt and implement programs to improve adolescent sexual health and wellbeing.

Anne J. Maheux

Anne J. Maheux is a Ph.D. student in Developmental and Social Psychology at the University of Delaware. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Vermont and M.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Anne studies sociocultural influences on adolescent development with a focus on the role of gendered norms in sexual behavior, mental health, and academic achievement.

Sophia Choukas-Bradley

Sophia Choukas-Bradley, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Delaware. She holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Brown University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on understanding interpersonal and sociocultural influences on adolescent mental health, with an emphasis on gender and sexuality.