An assessment of heterosexual college students' conceptualizations of sexual consent as a mechanism to reduce rates of sexual assault

BACKGROUND: Sexual assault continues to be a salient public health concern, especially for young women. Sexual assault is linked to negative physical, psychological and sexual health outcomes and repeat victimization is common among college women. Because assault is often defined in terms of consent, prevention efforts hinge on promoting consent as a means of reducing assault. Despite the focus on consent promotion, little research has focused specifically on how sexual consent is being conceptualized by heterosexual college students. METHODS: 204 participants were recruited from health courses at a large, Mid-west university. Thematic analysis was used to qualitatively analyze college students' conceptualizations of sexual consent, as well as how they indicate and interpret consent behaviorally and verbally. RESULTS: Results indicate gender differences in conceptualizations and indicators of consent. Women tended to conceptualize consent as a mutual decision or agreement between individuals whereas men indicated consent was something they had to obtain. Women were more likely to indicate that consent is expressed verbally and expected to be directly asked for their consent. Conversely, men were more likely to state that consent is indicated via non-verbal cues and is implied without having to verbalize intention or ask partners if they are interested in engaging in sexual activity. CONCLUSIONS: Such gender differences may explain misunderstandings or misinterpretations of sexual intent which could contribute to the occurrence of acquaintance rape. A better understanding of consent has important implications for developing better sexual assault prevention initiatives that are gender-specific and focused on specific conceptualizations of consent.