Abstract

More research is needed to consider how individual beliefs and socialization agents (i.e., parents) throughout adolescence inform consent-related sexual behaviors. Thus, the current study used an ecological systems approach to the theory of reasoned action (TRA) to examine how parents' consent beliefs were related to adolescents' internal and external consent behaviors, via their beliefs about the importance of consent. Having used longitudinal, nationally sampled data from the Healthy Sexuality Project, this study ran SEM path analysis models on 386 caregiver(s) and adolescents. Results found mothers' and fathers' consent beliefs were positively associated with adolescents' consent beliefs a year later and adolescents' consent beliefs were positively associated with their external consent behavior a year later. Further, adolescents' consent beliefs may have an intermediary effect on the relationship between parents' consent beliefs and adolescents' external consent behavior. Implications of consistent promotion of healthy beliefs on the importance of consent throughout adolescence and into emerging adulthood are discussed as this study's findings indicate parents' and adolescents' consent beliefs can have long-term implications for future consent behavior in sexual interactions.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Family Life

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2024-08-07

Document Type

Thesis

Keywords

sexual consent, consent behavior, parent-adolescent consent socialization

Language

english

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