Initiating and Responding? Modeling Sexual Consent Behaviors Among MSM and WSW.

Initiating and Responding? Modeling Sexual Consent Behaviors Among MSM and WSW, Melanie A. Beres, University of Alberta, Canada

Despite the volume of research related to sexual violence, sexual consent has received little attention from social science researchers. A handful of studies have attempted to describe behaviors used to indicate consent to sex between same-sex and different-sex partners. Findings suggested that consent is most often communicated nonverbally and consists of a wide range of behaviors. Existing research has categorized consent behaviors using either common-sense categories or data-reduction techniques, such as principle components analysis and factor analysis. Latent factors developed previously include indirect nonverbal, direct nonverbal, and no response. Another feature of previous research is the separation of behaviors used to initiate sexual activity from those used to respond to sexual initiations. Previously, data were collected from men who have sex with men and women who have sex with women regarding their use of consent cues. Exploratory factor analysis was used to suggest latent categories of consent behaviors. This study extends beyond previous research by using structural equation modeling techniques to understand how consent behaviors operate together. I challenge the current practice of separating consent behaviors into initiating and responding cues. Continued research on sexual consent is paramount for those interested in understanding sexual violence and sexual assault. I also provide suggestions for researchers interested in sexual consent, including implications for constructing data collection tools and analyzing quantitative sexual consent data.