Edwards Jessica, Rehman Uzma S, Byers E Sandra
Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, ON, Canada.
J Soc Pers Relat. 2022 Aug;39(8):2408-2434. doi: 10.1177/02654075221080744. Epub 2022 Mar 12.
Increasingly, affirmative consent - direct, unambiguous and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity (Craig & McKinley, 2015) - is the standard being adopted by educational institutions in North America (Bennett, 2016). Yet, studies show that most individuals continue to communicate consent through nonresistance (Jozkowski et al., 2014a). Given this discrepancy, it is critical to understand what factors prevent individuals from engaging in affirmative consent. Furthermore, a better understanding of the perceived rewards of consent communication could incentivize the adoption of affirmative consent. To understand the range of perceived barriers and rewards, we conducted an online, qualitative study where 231 participants answered two open-ended questions. We used inductive content analysis to categorize participants' perceptions of sexual consent barriers and rewards into four general content areas: (1) Communication Quality, (2) Relational and Emotional Experiences, (3) Sexual Quality and (4) Safety and Coercion. These perceived rewards and barriers were examined through the lens of the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model. Participants viewed consent communication not only as a means of ensuring safety but also as a way to enhance relational and sexual quality. However, they also perceived barriers in all three of these domains as well as barriers to ensuring that sexual consent communication is fluid and easily understood. These findings provide important avenues for future research investigating how individuals reconcile perceived rewards and costs of affirmative consent communication. We also suggest ways to enhance sexual education by discussing potential rewards and validating the normative nature of fears and anxieties around affirmative consent.
越来越多的机构采用积极同意的标准，即直接、明确且自愿地同意进行性行为（克雷格和麦金利，2015年），这已成为北美教育机构所采用的标准（贝内特，2016年）。然而，研究表明，大多数人仍通过不抗拒来传达同意（约兹科夫斯基等人，2014年a）。鉴于这种差异，了解哪些因素阻碍人们采用积极同意至关重要。此外，更好地理解同意沟通的预期回报可以促使人们采用积极同意。为了了解一系列预期障碍和回报，我们进行了一项在线定性研究，231名参与者回答了两个开放式问题。我们采用归纳式内容分析法，将参与者对性同意障碍和回报的看法分为四个一般内容领域：（1）沟通质量，（2）关系和情感体验，（3）性质量，以及（4）安全与胁迫。我们通过信息 - 动机 - 行为技能模型来审视这些预期回报和障碍。参与者认为同意沟通不仅是确保安全的一种方式，也是提升关系和性质量的一种途径。然而，他们也察觉到在这三个领域以及确保性同意沟通流畅且易于理解方面都存在障碍。这些发现为未来研究个体如何权衡积极同意沟通的预期回报和成本提供了重要途径。我们还建议通过讨论潜在回报以及确认围绕积极同意的恐惧和焦虑的规范性本质来加强性教育。
