A phenomenological study of women in same-sex relationships who were previously married to men

Stacey L. Boon¹ and Kevin G. Alderson²

¹ Campus Alberta Consortium Calgary, Calgary Alberta
² Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary Alberta

This qualitative study explored the experiences of women who were currently in same-sex relationships but who had been married to men at some point in the past. The analysis revealed similarities between relationship types, differences between the relationship types, and challenges of same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. Benefits of each type of relationship, sexual identity management, and external and individual factors were also considered (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009: 18; 149-168).

Differentiating highly sexual women from less sexual women

Jocelyn J. Wentland¹, Edward S. Herold², Serge Desmarais², and Robin R. Milhausen²

¹ School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa ON
² Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph ON

There has been limited research on women who are highly sexual. This study sought to identify the specific sexual attitudes and behaviours that characterize highly sexual women in comparison to less sexual women. A final sample of 932 heterosexual women completed an online questionnaire based on 11 multi-item clustering variables of interest (sex drive, sexual communication, sexual adventurism, sexual fantasies and thoughts, sexual esteem, body image, reputation concerns, and attitudes toward all of the following: casual sex, sexually explicit material, masturbation, and sexy clothing). A hierarchical cluster analysis on these 11 clustering variables identified two profile subgroups: highly sexual women and less sexual women. Women characterized as highly sexual had significantly higher scores on each of these constructs and on four behavioural outcome measures. The findings are discussed in relation to the changing sexual scripts for women and other theoretical perspectives on female sexuality (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009: 18; 169-182).

Factors affecting sexual-self esteem among young adult women in long-term heterosexual relationships

Kristelle D. Heinrichs¹, Chuck MacKnee², Faith Auton-Cuff¹, and José F. Domene¹

¹ Department of Counselling Psychology, Trinity Western University, Langley BC
² Department of Psychology, Trinity Western University, Langley BC

The topic of sexual self-esteem has been widely addressed in the literature on female sexuality but few studies have addressed the factors that facilitate or hinder women’s sense of sexual self-esteem. Based on previously reported definitions of sexual self-esteem, the present study employed semi-structured interviews with 17 women aged 24-39 years in long-term heterosexual relationships (5-20 years) to identify incidents and factors that had a negative or positive impact on their current levels of sexual self-esteem. Analysis of the interviews using Critical Incident Technique identified 301 incidents of which 131 facilitated and 170 hindered sexual self-esteem. The incidents were sorted into 31 categories (14 facilitating, 17 hindering) which in turn yielded six emergent themes that characterized sexual self-esteem in relation to: husbands, boyfriends, and other males; women’s bodies; self-empowerment; damaging experiences and learning; interference of life stressors and sexual scripting; and the topic of sex and engagement in sexual activity. The findings indicate that women’s sexual self-esteem is impacted by many bio-psychosocial factors that should be approached holistically in counselling, therapy and education (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009: 18; 183-199).

The roles of situational factors, attributions, and guilt in the well-being of women who have experienced sexual coercion

Shannon A. Glenn¹ and E. Sandra Byers¹

¹ Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton NB

This study examined cognitive (attributions) and affective (guilt feelings) experiences of blame following sexual coercion and their association with women’s psychological well-being. Sexual coercion was defined as any unwilling sexual experiences that occurred as a result of verbal pressure or physical force from another person. Women (N = 104) who had experienced sexual coercion completed questionnaires assessing psychological well-being (trauma symptoms, depression, self-esteem, sexual satisfaction), blame (internal and external attributions, guilt feelings), and characteristics of their most serious or upsetting experience of sexual coercion. A number of findings suggested that attributions and guilt feelings are related but distinct experiences for women and can have differing effects on women’s psychological well-being. Multivariate multiple regression and hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that, as predicted, the blame variables predicted women’s well-being over and above the situational characteristics of the coercive experience. The results are discussed in terms of the need to conceptualize self-blame as encompassing both “head” (attributions) and “heart” (emotions) (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009: 18; 201-219).

Research exploring the health, wellness, and safety concerns of sexual minority youth

Kristopher Wells¹

¹ Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services, Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB

This article provides an overview of the critical risk factors that negatively impact the health, safety, personal wellness, and educational achievement of sexual minority youth. Contemporary and landmark studies of the key stressors faced by sexual minority are reviewed with an emphasis on Canadian data. Sexual minority youth often encounter multiple risk factors, have fewer protective factors (such as a sense of connectedness to school and family), and experience more bullying, harassment, alienation, suicide ideation, and substance abuse than do their heterosexual peers. Over a decade of research evidence clearly indicates that educational institutions have a legal, ethical, and professional responsibility to respond appropriately to the urgent health, safety, and educational needs of sexual minority youth (Grace & Wells, 2005, 2009; Wells, 2008). A failure to respond by important adults in the lives of such youth, places vulnerable youth at significant risk and denies them access to important protective factors in their lives (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2009: 18; 221-229).