Male and female adolescents' perceived interpersonal communication skills according to history of sexual coercion.
This report summarizes the experience of 61 female adolescents recruited through a private adolescent family planning clinic, and 183 9th through 12th-grade adolescents recruited from a private suburban high school regarding their experiences with dating relationships, sexual communication skills, and psychological status. The samples were predominantly white and middle to upper income. Perceptions of interpersonal communication skills were analyzed according to gender, clinic versus school, and history of sexual coercion. The adolescents were generally confident that they could assert their own preferences and stand up to other regarding sexual issues with the exception of the small group of high school males reporting having had experienced sexual coercion. This group (N = 20) expressed difficulty in talking to their partners about safer sex, getting their partner(s) to listen to them, or turning down alcohol or drugs prior to having sex. These boys were also more likely to report missing classes or having other kinds of trouble with school, to be concerned about use of alcohol and drugs, and about feeling unpopular. None of the female groups had this profile of communication and emotional problems. Implications for preventive education programming on interpersonal skills and sexuality are considered.
Anderson
V
V
LINKS, Northfield, Illinois, USA.
Reis
J
J
Stephens
Y
Y
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D003068:Coercion; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012736:Sex Education