Naming is power! Black and white adolescents define sexual coercion: A mixed methods study

This study sought to explore adolescent conceptualizations of sexual coercion (i.e., any unwanted sexual experience) among Black and White girls and women. Adolescents are at significant risk for sexual coercion with over 50% of sexual assault survivors between the ages of 12 and 20 (Catalano, 2005). Smaller studies suggest that nonviolent sexual coercion (e.g., verbal pressure, substance use) occurs more frequently than the threat or use of force (Basile, 2002; Spitzberg, 1999; Poitras & Lavoie, 1995), and are related to deleterious mental health outcomes (e.g., increased depression, lowered self-esteem; Broach & Petretic, 2006; Cecil & Matson; French & Neville, 2008; Testa & Dermen, 1999). Despite existing sexual coercion knowledge, much of the existing research relies primarily on adult White samples Thus, there is a paucity of research on Black adolescent perceptions of sexual coercion. Given the pervasive nature of sexual coercion, its harmful influence on Psychological adjustment, limited research on Black populations, and the overrepresentation of adolescents in sexual Victimization, continued research is needed to examine the breadth of adolescent sexual coercion from racially diverse perspectives. Sexual violence scholars have advocated for research that uncovers socially constructed definitions to acknowledge differences in cultural realities (Kelly & Radford, 1998; Muehlenhard & Kimes, 1999). Thus, this study uses a social constructionist, mixed methods approach to explore the sexual coercion conceptualizations of Black and White girls and women. Openended responses and survey data with 256 Black and White high school and college women were qualitatively analyzed for themes and statistically analyzed using logistic regression to explore relations between responses, race, grade level, and sexual coercion history. Data from 3 semistructured focus groups with high school and college women were analyzed using thematic and dimensional analyses to explore the subjective realities of participants. Statistical analyses show relationships within sexual coercion definitions but not between definitions and demographic variables. The following themes emerged in the focus group results: (a) The Relationship IS the Problem, (b) Keep Him Strategies, (c), Women Control Relationships, (d) Act Your Age, (e) Its Not Always Black or White, and (e) Coercion in Context. These findings suggest that sexual coercion for adolescent girls and women encompasses a complex system of coercion that influences and pressures sex from cultural, peer, and internal sources

What Is Nonconsensual Sex? Young Women Identify Sources of Coerced Sex

Extending the American Psychological Association (APA) report on the Sexualization of Girls, this study investigated how young women identified sources of coerced sex. Findings from three focus groups with 25 Black and White adolescent women uncovered a perceived overarching force that “pushed” them to have sex before they felt ready. Participants identified four domains of coerced sex: (a) Sociocultural Context, (b) Internalized Sexual Scripts, (c) Partner Manipulation of Sexual Scripts, and (d) Developmental Status. Coerced sex was a complex system consisting of cultural, peer, and internal messages that create pressures to engage in sexual activities. Future implications for research and practice are presented

Exploratory Factor Analysis and Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Coercion Inventory

The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Sexual Coercion Inventory (SCI; Waldner, Vaden-Goad, & Sikka, 1999), revised by the authors (SCI-R). Overall, 514 high school and college students from a Midwestern state completed the SCI-R. To complete the SCI-R, high school participants completed paper-pencil surveys with those younger than 18 obtaining parental consent; college students older than 18 completed computer-based and paper-pencil surveys. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analyses were conducted to examine the validity of score interpretation and reliability of scores for the measure. Results suggested that a 13-item multidimensional measure consisting of two factors, Manipulation and Substance Use and Aggression, provided the best parsimony and theoretical fit. Examination of convergent and discriminant validity of scores provided additional psychometric support for the revised SCI-R, specifically pertaining to other measures of sexual victimization. The SCI-R may be a useful tool for researchers to explore manipulation tactics in more depth while also assessing and differentiating between victimization that meets legal definitions of rape and non-criminal sexual victimization

Portraits of Well-Being: Photography as a Mental HealthSupport for Women With HIV

Many women living with HIV/AIDS (WL-HIV/AIDS) experience significant mental distress. Although creative arts strategies are well positioned to help support women by inspiring creativity and meaning-making, few arts programs have been implemented and evaluated with this population. The authors conducted a photography project with 30 WL-HIV/AIDS from three United States cities. Participants took pictures to capture their lives with HIV/AIDS and described their photos and stories in group and individual sessions. Using thematic analysis, the authors identified that the project supported women’s mental health in four ways by facilitating empowerment and helping women to express themselves, address their mental health with new tools like photography, and process past traumas. Photography projects may help WL-HIV/AIDS understand and manage their mental health

A Path Analysis of Racially Diverse Men’s Sexual Victimization, Risk-Taking, and Attitudes

Nationally, 1 in 6 men report some form of sexual victimization in his lifetime, and rates differ across racial and ethnic groups. Although research has explored the relations between sexual victimization,sexual risk behavior, and sexual attitudes among women, a dearth of literature investigates these relationships among men. Using structural equation modeling among 284 racially diverse young men,this cross-sectional study tested the mediating role of sexual risk-taking behavior on sexual victimization and attitudes about sex. Two models were tested, one to explore general attitudes toward women and the other to explore racially stereotyped attitudes toward women. The general model was a good fit of the data and showed full mediation for White men and Men of Color. The racially stereotyped mediation model fit the data for Men of Color but not White men. Implications for counseling and future research are discussed

Planting the TREE: A Faith-Based Program for Teen Dating Violence Prevention

In this case study, we describe Teen Relationship Education Empowerment (TREE), a faith-based prevention program to reduce teen dating violence (TDV). Faith communities have tremendous potential to address multilevel risk and protective factors for TDV. We first describe the program, which is a 2-session psychoeducational training for congregation members designed to encourage discussion and programming in their own faith communities on TDV prevention. We also outline lessons learned based on our experiences and the extant literature, including practical strategies for identifying and engaging potential church partners, as well as designing and delivering evidence-based, culturally resonant TDV education within faith communities. These strategies may help others who wish to contest the “holy hush” in churches around TDV and engage the larger community in important conversations about healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed

Radical Hope in Revolting Times: Proposing a Culturally Relevant Psychological Framework

Growing research supports the link between individual expressions of hope and psychological well‐being. In this paper, we draw on psychological theories of hope, racial and ethnic studies, and the literature on radical healing to propose a framework of radical hope. Although the proposed multidimensional framework integrates cultural practices of People of Color in the United States, it is flexible enough to be adapted to other contexts. The paper begins by providing a brief review of the literature that conceptualizes the concept of hope in the field of psychology as a prelude to comparing the concept to the interdisciplinary notion of radical hope. Based on this body of work, we then introduce a culturally relevant psychological framework of radical hope, which includes the components of collective memory as well as faith and agency. Both components require an orientation to one of four directions including individual orientation, collective orientation, past orientation, and future orientation. The framework also consists of pathways individuals can follow to experience radical hope including (a) understanding the history of oppression along with the actions of resistance taken to transform these conditions, (b) embracing ancestral pride, (c) envisioning equitable possibilities, and (d) creating meaning and purpose in life by adopting an orientation to social justice. We conclude with a proposed research agenda for radical hope