and Zurb
JAR27410.1177/0743558411432637Morgan
Abstract
The present study identified emerging adults’ self-generated sexual val-
ues and sources of sexual values upon entering college and a year later to
assess how these values and sources may have changed. Participants included
148 college students (86 women and 62 men) who were 17 to 19 years old
at Time 1 (M = 18.1). Generative coding revealed seven thematic sexual
values: casual versus relational criteria for sexual intercourse, respect, giving
or obtaining consent, pleasure for self and partner, intimacy, trust, and physi-
cal safety. Regarding sources of values, participants reported interpersonal,
intrapersonal, and societal sources. Analyses revealed few gender differences
in sexual values. Valuing casual criteria for sexual intercourse increased in
frequency from Time 1 to Time 2 and valuing relational criteria decreased.
Peers and dating partners increased in frequency and parents decreased in
frequency as sources of sexual values.
Keywords
gender, romantic relationships, sexuality, transition to university
1
Boise State University, Boise, ID, USA
2
University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Corresponding Author:
Elizabeth M. Morgan, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr. Boise, ID 83706-1715, USA
Email: emorgan@boisestate.edu
Experiences in the areas of love and sexuality are generally considered impor-
tant aspects of emerging adults’ development (Arnett, 2004; Lefkowitz, 2005).
Not surprisingly, researchers have extensively explored adolescents’ and young
adults’ sexual attitudes and behavior. However, despite the vast literature on
sexual attitudes, few studies have focused specifically on assessing sexual val-
ues. Although sexual attitudes and sexual values may overlap, values are under-
stood as moral convictions regarding what is right and wrong, are typically
thought to be more stable than attitudes, and are linked strongly with sexual
behavior (Richey, Knox, & Zusman, 2009). For example, although higher lev-
els of general communication about sexuality from parents has often been asso-
ciated with greater sexual activity, when parents communicate the specific
value that premarital sex is wrong or undesirable, their adolescent children are
less likely to be sexually active (DiIorio, Pluhar, & Belcher, 2003; Usher-Seriki,
Bynum, & Callands, 2008). Thus, understanding the sexual values that college
students hold and the sources and origins of these sexual values will expand our
knowledge of sexual development during emerging adulthood in important
ways. This exploratory study used qualitative methods to analyze college stu-
dents’ reports of their sexual values and the sources of these values.
In addition to identifying and describing emerging adults’ self-reported
sexual values and sources of sexual values, this study also sought to identify
potential changes in these values and sources during the 1st year of college.
As such, participants were surveyed at the beginning of both their 1st and 2nd
years of college to assess potential changes in these values and their sources
during this important developmental transition. The 1st year of college is
generally understood as an important transitional period for emerging adults,
particularly with regard to sex and dating (Lefkowitz, 2005). Most notably,
many 1st-year college students are likely engaging in exploratory sexual and
dating behavior (Lefkowitz & Gillen, 2006; Siegel, Klein, & Roghmann,
1999), which may foster personal reflection on and reassessment of their own
sexual values and beliefs. Furthermore, interpersonal and social contexts
shift dramatically during this time, with less parental contact and increased
peer contact (Lefkowitz & Espinosa-Hernández, 2007). As such, it is likely
that this brief, but significant, transitional period would evidence shifts in
sexual values and sources of sexual values as evidenced by changes from the
beginning of the 1st year to the beginning of the 2nd year of college.
Sexual Values
Although researchers frequently assess college students’ sexual attitudes
(Lefkowitz & Gillen, 2006), few researchers have specifically focused on
college students’ sexual values. Those studies that have been conducted gen-
erally have a fairly narrow focus. For example, two recent studies investigat-
ing college students’ sexual values used a narrow definition of sexual values,
namely, having participants self-select into one of three researcher-generated
categories: absolutism (abstinence until marriage), relativism (sexual activity
dependent on the relationship context), and hedonism (doing what feels good
without hurting anyone; Knox, Cooper, & Zusman, 2001; Richey et al.,
2009). The more recent study reported that over half of students placed them-
selves in the “relativism” category, followed by a quarter in the hedonism
category and about 13% in absolutism (Richey et al., 2009). Other studies
measuring sexual values have also focused mainly on whether participants
value abstinence until marriage (De Gaston, Weed, & Jensen, 1996; Miller,
Norton, Fan, & Christopherson, 1998; Petersen & Donnenwerth, 1997). On
the other hand, some other studies speaking to sexual values among diverse
populations have offered a slightly broader examination of sexual values,
including the immorality of extramarital sex (Treas & Giesen, 2000), sexual
acceptance, comfort and communication (Deardorff, Tschann, & Flores,
2008), and beliefs about society’s current level of sexual morality (Weeden &
Sabini, 2007). However, none of these studies have allowed participants to
generate their own sexual values, relying instead on a restrictive set of
researcher generated items and topics.
As there is so little research on sexual values among college students,
gender and age-related patterns in sexual values have yet to be established
beyond assessing generally “permissive” versus “restrictive” sexual val-
ues. Richey et al. (2009) found that male college students were more likely
than female college students to self-identify as “hedonistic,” indicating
more permissive values. De Gaston et al. (1996) also found that female
adolescents indicated greater commitment to abstinence. A recent literature
review revealed similar results with regard to general sexual attitudes: Men
generally hold more permissive sexual attitudes than women (Fugere,
Escoto, Cousins, Riggs, & Haerich, 2008). Age-related patterns in sexual
values have also been identified, such that older college students (e.g.,
those over the age of 19 or 20) were more likely to identify with hedonistic
values (Knox et al., 2001; Richey et al., 2009). Other research on sexual
attitudes has identified more permissive sexual values as students progress
through college (Crawford & Popp, 2003; Knox et al., 2001; Lefkowitz,
2005; Morgan, Thorne, & Zurbriggen, 2010). Overall, it appears as though
older students and men tend to endorse more permissive sexual values,
although richer and more detailed information (beyond simple levels of
permissiveness) is lacking.
Present Study
We had three goals for this project. First, we were interested in reviewing
changes in participants’ sexual and dating experiences during the 1st year of
college as a backdrop to understanding changes in sexual values and sources
of sexual values. Increased sexual and dating behavior from Time 1 to Time
2 would evidence developmental shifts in sexual experience that could pro-
vide emerging adults with the opportunity to reexamine their sexual values.
As past research suggests that college is often a time of sexual exploration
and dating experiences (Lefkowitz & Gillen, 2006), we anticipated that par-
ticipants’ sexual and dating experiences would increase during this time
period. We also explored gender differences in sexual behavior, but made no
directional hypotheses because past studies of sexual behavior among col-
lege students have revealed varied findings regarding gender and sexual
experience (e.g., Dalton & Galambos, 2009, Espinosa-Hernández &
Lefkowitz, 2009; Paul, McManus, & Hayes, 2000).
Second, as the main focus of the study, we used an open-ended approach
to identify themes in emerging adults’ self-generated sexual values and
explored how these values change during the 1st year in college. This
approach allows the full range of sexual values to be expressed, unconstrained
by researcher preconceptions. Because of the focus in past research on sexual
values related to premarital sexual intercourse and sexual permissiveness
(e.g., Richey et al., 2009), we anticipated that participants may include
responses that corresponded to these previously identified values. We also
expected that other sexual values would be reported; however, because of the
lack of prior research on a range of sexual values, we made no specific pre-
dictions about which other sexual values would be reported. Despite not hav-
ing an expected set of sexual values, we nonetheless anticipated potential
gender differences and changes over time, given both consistent gender dif-
ferences in attitudes (Richey et al., 2009) and prior research indicated shifts
in sexual beliefs during the transition to college (Lefkowitz, 2005).
The third research goal was to understand who and what late adolescents
viewed as sources of their reported sexual values and whether these sources
changed during the 1st year of college. Because prior research has identified
interpersonal (Lefkowitz & Espinosa-Hernández, 2007) and social (e.g., Hust
et al., 2008) sources of sexual attitudes, we anticipated that similar sources of
sexual values would arise. Although we anticipated that there could be
gender-related differences in reported sources of sexual values, we did not
predict any specific differences due to the lack of prior research on sources of
sexual values. However, we did anticipate that parents would decrease in
Method
Participants
Procedure
All participants were 1st-year college students at a public university in cen-
tral California. For the first phase of the study, participants were recruited via
tabling at orientation events, flyers posted around campus and delivered to
campus mail boxes. Flyers noted that students could earn money “by par-
ticipating in a research study on dating relationships” and stipulated that
“You don’t need to be dating or in a relationship to participate.” During in
person recruitment efforts, the study was described as being “about your
experiences with dating and relationships, how you feel about dating and
sex, and how you talk about these things with your parents and friends.”
E-mails were sent to Time 1 participants for recruitment at Time 2. Time 1
participation took place between September and November in the partici-
pants’ 1st year at college and Time 2 took place between September and
November in the participants’ 2nd year at college. Participants were compen-
sated US$20-US$25 at Time 1 and US$25-US$40 at Time 2. At each time
point, participation in the study included a consent process and completion
of a computer word task, an individual interview, and a written question-
naire. Data from the computer word task and the individual interview are not
analyzed for the present study. The entire data collection session took about
1.5 hours to complete.
Measures
The data analyzed for this study were collected through a written question-
naire. In addition to a demographic portion, participants completed measures
of sexual and dating experience as well as open-ended questions regarding
their sexual values and sources of sexual values.
Sexual and dating experience. Dating experience was assessed by asking
participants how many dating relationships they have had that lasted for
1 month or more in high school (Time 1) and college (Time 2). Participants
were also asked if they were currently in a dating relationship. Sexual experi-
ence was assessed through four questions. The first three included lifetime
frequency ratings of kissing (extended kiss without body contact), oral sex
(either performed on a male or female), and heterosexual intercourse. The
rating scale included the following options: 0 (never), 1 (once or twice), 2
(3-5 times), 3 (6-9 times), and 4 (10 or more times). The fourth question
regarded number of lifetime intercourse partners; only participants who indi-
cated having had heterosexual intercourse responded to this question.
Sexual values and sources of sexual values. Narrative responses from two
open-ended questions were used to assess sexual values and the sources of
sexual values. The first question assessed sexual values and asked, “What are
several current sexual values you have that are important in defining you as a
sexual person?” The second question assessed sources of sexual values and
differed slightly from Time 1 to Time 2. At Time 1, participants were asked,
“What do you think has been important in developing your sexual values;
how do you think they formed?” At Time 2, this second question was
rephrased to, “In the last year, what do you think has been important in devel-
oping your sexual values; how do you think they formed?”
Coding Procedures
Preliminary analyses classified participants’ open-ended responses regard-
ing sexual values and reported sources of sexual values using an inductive
thematic analysis approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The process of identi-
fying themes preliminarily included an entirely inductive review of the data
set for patterns and themes to generate potential categories that were dis-
cussed and revised within the research team. Ongoing analysis included
refining, defining, and naming these themes, which culminated in the pro-
duction of a coding manual. The review of sexual values yielded seven
non-mutually exclusive categories, including respect, consent, pleasure,
intimacy, trust, physical safety, and intercourse permissiveness (casual vs.
relational). The review of sources of sexual values yielded three overarch-
ing categories (interpersonal, intrapersonal, and societal) with several sub-
categories each. Sexual value categories and sources of sexual values
categories were identical at Time 1 and Time 2, despite the researchers’
openness to changes. Once the categories were established and key terms
and ideas were identified relevant to each category, responses from both
Time 1 and Time 2 were intermixed and all responses were coded by two
undergraduate research assistants with adequate reliability; Cohen’s Kappas
ranged from .70 to .95. Discrepant codes were typically the result of lack of
attention by the coder to an aspect of the narrative or a vague statement by
the participant; disagreements were resolved through discussions between
the first author and the research assistants.
Results
Sexual and Dating Experience
Rating of 3.33 (3.55/3.12) [3.13, 3.54] 3.52 (3.67/3.37) [3.35, 3.70] 4.88* 0.03
kissing
experiencea
Rating of 1.93 (2.35/1.51) [1.68, 2.18] 2.34 (2.80/1.88) [2.09, 2.59] 20.37*** 0.13
oral sex
experiencea
Rating of 2.21 (2.55/1.86) [1.89, 2.52] 2.57 (2.80/2.34) [2.28, 2.87] 9.11** 0.06
intercourse
experiencea
Number of 2.40 (2.53/2.26) [1.91, 2.89] 4.55 (3.43/5.68) [2.69, 6.42] 6.06* 0.06
intercourse
partnersb
Note. The F statistic represents the main effect of time using a 2 (time) × 2 (gender) mixed-model
repeated measures ANOVA. Partial Eta Squared represents the effect size. CI = Confidence Interval.
a
Ratings of experience were on a 0 (never) to 4 (ten or more times) scale.
b
Number of intercourse partners was only assessed for participants who reported having had
heterosexual intercourse.
**p < .05. ***p < .01. ****p < .001.
Sexual Values
Seven themes were identified within participants’ narratives of their current
sexual values. Table 2 presents the overall frequencies of each of these
themes at both Time 1 and Time 2. Table 3 reports the frequencies of each of
these themes for men and women separately at Time 1 and Time 2. The first
sexual value category, respect, included being respectful (or respected),
expectations of faithfulness, and “being considerate” within a (sexual) rela-
tionship. This theme also included valuing equality between partners. Fifty
participants (34%) included this as a sexual value at Time 1 and 39 partici-
pants (26%) included this as a sexual value at Time 2. In addition to simply
listing the term “respect” or “respectfulness” within a list of sexual values,
participants would also remark that it was important to, “respect your partner
as you’d wish to be respected” and that both giving and getting respect is
important. For example, an 18-year-old woman explained, “It’s important for
me to be respected as well as to give respect.” Participants noted the impor-
tance of both relational and sexual respect, as evidenced in this 18-year-old
man’s statement, “I want a meaningful relationship with a lot of respect, and
a meaningful, respectful sex life.” Respect was also considered a relational
element that would improve sexual interactions. For example, an 18-year-old
woman explained, “I really like sex when it’s with someone who respects
me, whether I’m in love or not.” A 20-year-old man wrote, “I think it’s
important to be a kind, considerate, supportive, proactive lover.” Some par-
ticipants noted that respect was a requirement for a sexual relationship, as
As with respect, mutual pleasure was important, such that “both sexual
partners must be satisfied in order for sex to be good.” A 19-year-old man
explained that, “sex is dependent on both partners. It’s about love and togeth-
erness and being a part of a whole at that moment at time. If one person isn’t
enjoying it, it’s not worth it.” Some participants specifically noted partner-
focused pleasure was important. For example, an 18-year-old man wrote,
“Enjoying sex itself, making it pleasurable for my partner” while another
wrote that his sexual values included being “not greedy with pleasure. Not
selfish with pleasure.” Other participants did describe more self-focused
pleasure, including an 18-year-old woman who explained, “It’s good to
indulge in sexual pleasure. When I did it, nothing bad happened to me because
I was responsible. There’s nothing wrong with a woman feeling good about
her body.”
Intimacy was another theme that emerged as a sexual value. This included
the expression of some kind of emotional connection to one’s partner or the
act of sex. Thirty-four participants (23%) included this as a sexual value at
Time 1 and 35 participants (24%) included this as a sexual value at Time 2.
Participants typically wrote about the importance of being loving, caring, or
compassionate. For example, an 18-year-old woman wrote, “Desirable sex-
ual behavior would probably be affection, intimacy, and caring in sex” while
a 19-year-old man wrote, “I believe that there should be a personal invest-
ment, intimacy and caring behind sexual experiences.” Several participants
explained the need for intimacy, including an 18-year-old woman who
explained, “Intimacy is important because I’m not always trusting. Sex can
have dangerous consequences.” Another 18-year-old woman explained, “Sex
is better when it is intimate but within the confines of intimacy there needs to
be a sense of comfort that allows for the exploration of wilder sides of sex.”
Several participants also wrote about the strong connection between sex and
emotion, including how sex can foster intimacy. For example, a 19-year-old
woman wrote, “Sex unites a relationship and connects people if you are ready
to commit and [have] such strong feelings.”
The next category, trust, included narratives in which participants noted
the importance of trusting a partner or being comfortable with one’s partner
or the situation. This category also included expressions of integrity and reli-
ance, such as depending on or having confidence placed on one’s self or one’s
partner. Forty-four participants (30%) included this as a sexual value at Time
1 and 34 participants (23%) included this as a sexual value at Time 2.
Frequently, participants stipulated that trust must be present prior to sexual
activity. For example, an 18-year-old woman wrote, “I do not participate in
sexual activities with people I do not know, trust, or do not feel comfortable
with.” Trust was sometimes stipulated on the basis that it would minimize
potential physical and emotional risk, as with this 18-year-old woman who
explained, “I believe that sex is natural, but should only be done with some-
one you love and trust, on account of all the risks involved.” Other partici-
pants explained that engaging in sexual activity helped to build trust. For
example, an 18-year-old woman wrote, “I think that sexuality is a very
important part of life and that sharing your sexuality in intimate relationships
generates trust and love.” Another 18-year-old woman explained, “I will only
have sex with someone who I know and I trust and love. Being naked and
exposed with and to the person shows that you trust them and therefore create
a special bond.”
The next theme, physical safety, included an expressed concern for the
physical well-being of oneself or one’s partners, specifically regarding pre-
vention of or protection against sexually transmitted infections and preg-
nancy. Thirty participants (20%) included this as a sexual value at Time 1 and
19 participants (13%) included this as a sexual value at Time 2. For example,
an 18-year-old man wrote that “safe sex is extremely important” while a
19-year-old man listed one of his sexual values as, “being safe and using
protection and taking necessary precautions.” The reasoning behind this
value was typically the fear of pregnancy or of contracting a disease. One
19-year-old woman wrote, “I want to be safe. I don’t want to put myself into
a position where I could be potentially harmed emotionally or physically. I
don’t want an STD and I don’t want to get pregnant” while another explained,
“I believe that sex is a very natural part of life but given the risks (pregnancy,
STDs) needs to be taken seriously.” Safety was specifically used as a reason
for avoiding certain types of sexual encounters as well. An 18-year-old
woman noted that, “sexual behavior shouldn’t be with someone you don’t
know because it’s not safe.” Another 18-year-old woman explained, “I think
sex should be safe (protected and emotionally safe) and fulfilling, or a person
shouldn’t go there. I have been in the position of feeling pressure and feeling
‘unsafe’ with a person. I didn’t think that was a good experience.”
The last category involved participants’ relational stipulations for engag-
ing in sexual intercourse and included two potential options: casual sex or
relational sex. Casual sex was typically represented by stating the accept-
ability or desirability of having multiple sexual partners or sexual activity
outside of a relationship. Thirty-five participants (24%) included this as a
sexual value at Time 1 and 45 participants (30%) included this as a sexual
value at Time 2. For example, an 18-year-old woman wrote, “I feel that it’s
okay to have many different sexual partners over a period of time. You don’t
need to be romantically attached to them.” Another 18-year-old woman
explained, “My sexual experience has been mostly casual without a lot of
emotion and I am comfortable with that.” Other participants noted that some
minimal level of connection or relationship must be present, including an
18-year-old woman who wrote, “Sex should be with someone you at least
like.” An 18-year-old man further explained,
Individuals who noted that casual sexual activity was acceptable or desir-
able would often endorse openness about sex in general (e.g., “Be experi-
mental as long as both parties are comfortable and don’t force yourself on
your partner if he/she isn’t comfortable.”). However, some participants spe-
cifically noted that while casual sex was acceptable, it was not preferable.
“Relational sex” required a committed relationship or marriage prior to
having intercourse. Forty-eight participants (32%) included this as a sexual
value at Time 1 and 28 participants (19%) included this as a sexual value at
Time 2. While some participants did stipulate marriage as a requirement,
other participants relied on love, commitment or the length of a relationship
as a requirement. For example, a 19-year-old woman wrote, “I believe that
you should have sex only in a long-term relationship when both parties love
each other.” An 18-year-old woman also wrote, “I believe it’s ok to experi-
ment, try new things, be kinky…whatever you want, with a partner who is
committed to you and also willing. I don’t believe in promiscuity or casual
sex.” An 18-year-old man wrote, “I believe two people should not engage in
sex unless they love each other and have been in a relationship for at least
several months.” An 18-year-old woman was more specific about her require-
ments: “Little to no ‘random hook-ups.’ Sex only after about 8 months being
with someone, perhaps longer if not ready, earlier…MAYBE depends on
how well the relationship is going/how well you know the person/feel around
them.” Several participants offered reasons for their regulations, including
the following 18-year-old woman who wrote, “I cannot have casual sex—I
get emotionally attached” and a 18-year-old woman who explained,
Table 4. Percentages and Tests of Time Differences for Sources of Sexual Values
Table 5. Percentages and Tests of Gender Differences for Sources of Sexual Values
I have experienced having sex with someone I don’t love, or even like.
I learned that this kind of sex only hurts others, and doesn’t emotion-
ally satisfy you. I believe that having experience in a loving sexual
relationship has shown me that sex with love is much more fulfilling.
From the relationships I had in high school, I saw what made me com-
fortable and uncomfortable, what seemed right and what seemed
wrong. I took these feelings, analyzed, questioned and interpreted
them, and came up with what I have today.
The third overarching category of sexual values was societal sources, and
included media, school, and religion. Participants mentioned a variety of
media sources, including using the term “media” as sources of sexual values.
Twenty-three participants (15%) included this as a source at Time 1 and 13
participants (9%) included this as a source at Time 2. Media types most often
reported included television or movies, magazines, the internet, and books.
Participants often explained that media offered information that was some-
times lacking from other sources. For example, an 18-year-old woman wrote,
“The media also shaped my viewpoint because I learned more about sex
through TV and media rather than my parents.” Another 18-year-old woman
wrote, “They come from magazines and movies, TV. I love Cosmo! Cosmo
Discussion
The primary goals of this study were to uncover the types of sexual values
and sources of those values reported by college students, as well as to assess
change in values and sources over time. Qualitative analyses revealed seven
distinct sexual values and nine sources of sexual values generated by par-
ticipants at both Time 1 and Time 2. Quantitative analyses of these categories
revealed few gender differences in either sexual values or sources of sexual
values, but did reveal some changes over time regarding sources of sexual
values. Quantitative analyses of sexual experience also revealed increases in
kissing, oral sex, heterosexual intercourse, and casual sex experiences, pro-
viding evidence that participants were indeed having new sexual experience
that could provide the catalyst for reevaluations of personal sexual values.
Overall, these results suggest that college students have specific sets of
sexual values that they bring with them to college and that these values may
undergo modest change during the 1st year at college. In addition, sources of
sexual values occur at multiple levels (societal, interpersonal, and intraper-
sonal) and undergo more extensive change over time.
Prior research into sexual values has typically taken a narrow approach,
defining sexual values as related to one’s beliefs regarding abstinence or
premarital intercourse (e.g., Richey et al., 2009). Results from this study
revealed that when college students are allowed to generate their own sets of
sexual values, these values are much richer and more complex than had pre-
viously been demonstrated. As has been found in previous research (Knox
et al., 2001; Richey et al., 2009) one sexual value concerns the regulation of
sexual intercourse activities (whether permissive and permitting of casual
sex, or more restrictive and requiring a relational aspect). The proportion of
participants describing “hedonism” or “casual” sexual values to those describ-
ing “relativism” or “relational” sexual values in the present study as compared
to Richey and colleagues (2009) study was generally similar at Time 1 (with
more participants noting relational values than casual values), but by Time 2,
a higher percentage of participants described casual sexual values. This dif-
ference could be due to regional or cultural differences in the student popula-
tion, or potentially reflective of their advanced student status (e.g. all 2nd-year
students). Other values that were reported in the present study included
respect, intimacy, trust, physical pleasure, consent, and physical safety.
Several of these sexual values were similar to those assessed in Deardorff and
colleagues’ (2008) study with Latino youth, such as “satisfaction of sexual
needs” and “sexual comfort.” The array of values identified in the present
study broadens our understanding of emerging adults’ sexual value systems
and suggests that values extend beyond decisions about intercourse to those
focusing on mutuality and concern for one’s self and one’s partner in all
aspects of sexual behavior and experiences.
Interestingly, few gender differences emerged in participants’ reported
sexual values. Past research has established that men typically hold more
permissive sexual attitudes or values than do women (e.g., Fugere et al.,
2008; Richey et al., 2009), and indeed results indicated that women were
more likely to stipulate the need for a relationship before intercourse than
men were (at Time 2 only). Analyses also revealed that trust and physical
safety were more often included in women’s narratives than in men’s (at
Time 1 and Time 2, respectively). Otherwise, male and female participants
tended to describe very similar sets of sexual values at both time points, per-
haps suggesting that although sexual attitudes frequently vary between men
and women, sexual values may be more consistent. It is possible that with
more precise measurement (e.g., use of a Likert-type scale for these sexual
values), more gender differences would emerge. However, it is noteworthy
that overall, it appears male and female college students generated similar
lists of sexual values.
As very little research has specifically identified sources of sexual values, the
nine categories that emerged in this study provide a preliminary confirmation
that general sources of sexual socialization examined by researchers extend to
Conclusions
This exploratory study offers important preliminary information regarding col-
lege students’ sexual values, the sources of these values, and gender and time-
related changes in these values and sources during the 1st year of college.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article: Data collection was supported by a grant
from the National Institute of Mental Health [R03MH071334] to the second author.
Note
1. A paired samples t test revealed that this was a marginally significant difference,
t(143) = 1.83, p = .07.
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Bios
Elizabeth M. Morgan, PhD, is an assistant professor of psychology at Boise State
University and the Director of the Family Studies Initiative. Her research focuses on
adolescent and young adult sexual and romantic relationship development in the
context of parent-child relationships, peers and the media.