Sexual self-concept and sexual motivation as predictors of adolescent girls' sexual satisfaction.(Sex Research Update)

The vast majority of research to date on adolescent sexuality, particularly that of adolescent girls, has focused exclusively on HIV/STI and unintended pregnancy risk behaviour. Even though the teenage years represent a critical period in an individual's development as a sexual being, we know relatively little about the adolescent experience of sexuality. Impett and Tolman (2006) conducted a study to shed light on the sexual self-concepts and motivations for engaging in sex among late adolescent girls and their relationship to sexual satisfaction. In their introduction, the authors note that while numerous studies have examined the correlates of sexual satisfaction in adult women, "no research to date has explicitly examined factors that enable adolescent girls and young women to have positive, satisfying sexual experiences" (p. 629). To gain an understanding of how adolescent girls are constructing themselves as sexual beings, the authors looked at their sexual self-concept, defined as their overall concept of the self as a sexual person including positive aspects (e.g., passion, arousability, agency) and negative aspects (e.g., anxiety, negative affect, embarrassment). The authors also examined approach motivations (e.g., physical pleasure, partner's happiness, enhanced intimacy) and avoidance motivations (e.g., evading negative outcomes such as sexual frustration, partners loss of interest, relationship conflict) to engage in sex. The specific goals of the study were to examine the relationship between sexual self-concept, approach sexual motivations and sexual behaviour and to look at the link between sexual self-concept, approach motivations and level of sexual satisfaction with most recent sexual intercourse among those girls who were sexually active.

The sample for the study consisted of 116 12th grade girls aged 16 to 19 (mean = 17.3) living in the Northeastern United States who were part of a larger longitudinal study of adolescent sexual health. Most of the girls (69%) identified themselves as Catholic, 59% were white, 28% were Latina, 7% were multiethnic, and 3% were African American. Based on level of mother's education, the girls were of diverse socio-economic status. The participants completed a questionnaire that included items on sexual behaviour, sexual self-concept, sexual motives, and sexual satisfaction. For example, for sexual self-concept, participants were asked to agree-disagree to statements such as "I feel it's normal for me to have sexual feelings" or "I might feel guilty about enjoying sexual experiences" (p. 634). For approach sexual motivations, girls who had had intercourse answered yes or no to the following motivations: "I was physically attracted to my partner", "I was ready", "It was romantic", and "I was in ...