Exploring Young Adults’ Impressions of Sexual Socialization to Foster Innovation in Sexual Violence Primary Prevention

Background and Purpose

Despite increased awareness and attention to prevention, sexual violence (SV) rates in the U.S. have failed to improve over time, necessitating prevention innovations. SV primary prevention (SVPP) commonly addresses potential victims or bystanders but overlooks would-be perpetrators. Targeting potential future perpetrators is challenging since risk indicators are often unapparent until SV has occurred. Social work’s person-in-environment perspective would suggest one approach to mitigate SV risk for potential perpetrators and victims alike could be identifying and addressing sources of risk factors within the social environment. Sexual socialization (SS)—the ways individuals learn and internalize sexual values and norms—is a construct largely overlooked in SV prevention. Understanding social-ecological origins and influences of behavior and seeking to address those associated with SV before they manifest in individual behavior is a worthwhile consideration for enhancing SVPP.

The purpose of this study was to assess the scope and current salience of existing conceptualizations of SS found in literature and psychometric measurement tools. By understanding the elements and dynamics of SS in U.S. culture today, social work researchers and practitioners may begin to identify targets for research and intervention in the social ecosystems within which perpetrators and victims of SV are socialized.

Methods

Five semi-structured virtual focus groups (N=29) were held to elicit young adults’ impressions of influences, information, and processes significant to SS. A convenience sample was purposively recruited through email and social media announcements. To obtain diverse perspectives, participants were selected based partially on individual characteristics (i.e., race/ethnicity, sexual and gender identity, religious and sociopolitical upbringings). Participants received $10 gift cards. Participants were asked about the influences, information, and processes they perceive as significant to SS. Directed content analysis and a 4-stage theme-development process were conducted. A priori codes based on SS components from existing measures and literature were compared to emergent codes. Overlap and discrepancy between code sets were reviewed to elucidate a preliminary comprehensive conceptualization of SS.

Results

The study sample was 55.2% students of color (n=16); 69% LGBQ (n=20); 17.2% male (n=5) and 10.3% gender-minority (n=3). Participants corroborated themes in existing SS conceptualizations, such as parental, peer, school, media, and cultural-religious influences. Additionally, new themes emerged, indicating contemporary SS is further influenced by technology (internet, digital communication), intersecting socialization processes (racial and sexual), gender role nonconformity, discourses of consent, and sense-making of conflicting or scarce information.

Conclusions and Implications

The findings of this study offer preliminary insight into ways existing conceptualizations of SS might be updated to incorporate the perspectives of current young adults. Formulating a comprehensive set of factors involved in SS experienced by youth today can direct social work research in examining particular facets of SS associated with SV risk or social environments within which problematic behaviors emerge. Practitioners may then, in turn, develop and implement interventions to address problematic SS at individual, family, community, and societal levels. Seeking to change attitudes and norms about sexuality could move us toward targeting roots of problematic sexual behaviors and, hopefully, addressing SV before it ever occurs.