Understanding Sexual Consent Among Adolescents: A 30-Year Scoping Review

Le résumé fourni par la source

Sexual consent is one of the most important tools used in the prevention of sexual violence, for which adolescents are especially vulnerable. However, it is unclear how sexual consent processes are defined and used by this population. To bridge this gap in knowledge, this scoping review sought to identify and synthesize the existing empirical research findings on sexual consent conceptualizations and processes among adolescents, as well as determine critical gaps in knowledge. Forty-three articles were reviewed following a systematic search of six academic databases. Articles were included if they were original empirical work published in English between January 1990 and March 2020, included adolescents aged 10 to 17 in their sample, and specifically studied sexual consent conceptualization, communication, and/or behavior. Seventeen articles, diverse in study design and geography, met these criteria and were analyzed. The findings suggest a propensity for adolescents to abstractly define sexual consent as verbal and direct in nature while simultaneously espousing indirect and non-verbal behavioral processes when presented with “real life” scenarios (e.g., vignettes, reflections on personal experience). In addition, the results reveal the significance of concepts like gender norms, normative refusals, and silence as key aspects of adolescent sexual consent. This review demonstrates that research on sexual consent among adolescents is highly limited overall, and the findings that are available indicate some concerning perceptions.

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