Access Type

Open Access Dissertation

Date of Award

January 2022

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Department

Counselor Education

First Advisor

Cheryl Somers

Abstract

Previous research has shown that female sexuality continues to be suppressed in American society and as a result, women are not achieving their highest levels of sexual well-being (i.e., sexual self-concept, sexual assertiveness, and sexual satisfaction). Because sexual well-being is imperative to overall well-being, it is important for counseling psychologists to be sensitive to the potential role that ecological variables have on women’s current sexual well-being. Utilizing an ecological framework, the aims of this study were to deepen our understanding of how early life microsystem experiences relate to later sexual well-being in women, to assess how current macrosystem experiences of media plays a role in these dynamics, and to understand if intrapersonal experiences moderate the relationship between media and sexual well-being. Cisgender women ages 22-74 (n=220) nationwide who participated in a women’s empowerment weekend workshop completed online surveys.

Hierarchical linear regression models were run for each dependent variable: Sexual self-concept, sexual assertiveness, and sexual satisfaction. There was some overlap among the common predictors of sexual self-concept and sexual assertiveness, which suggested that various early life intrapersonal and educational experiences, as well as current microsystem variables, contributed to variance in these two constructs, but sexual satisfaction resulted in a more unique model. Overall, the regression analyses for all three variables suggested that sex education in school, conversations with parents, and age of first sexual intercourse are important experiences in adolescence that may influence later sexual well-being in women. In addition, media influence and pornography, as well as self-esteem and body image, are current microsystem and intrapersonal factors that seem to contribute to components of sexual well-being. Implications of the results for counseling psychologists and suggestions for future research are included.

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