Female college students perceptions of virginity and oral sex

Peggy Bergeron; Margaret Bergeron

doi:10.31686/ijier.vol5.iss12.868

Authors

Peggy Bergeron University of North Alabama
Margaret Bergeron University of North Alabama, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31686/ijier.vol5.iss12.868

Keywords:

oral sex, virginity, female college students, perceptions

Abstract

Limited research exists on perceptions of virginity and oral sex among female college students. The majority of research studies on female college students focus on virginity related to participation in only vaginal sex. This research is part of a larger qualitative descriptive study which explored female college students’ perceptions about the factors which influenced their participation in oral sex. Sixteen female college students ranging from 18 to 24 years of age participated in semi-structured interviews. Primary data included verbatim transcripts, demographic data and sexual health questionnaires. All participants had engaged in oral sex. Defining virginity emerged as a main theme from the thematic data analysis. Overall findings provide insight about views regarding oral sex and virginity status among college aged women.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Peggy Bergeron, University of North Alabama

Anderson College of Nursing
Margaret Bergeron, University of North Alabama, USA

Anderson College of Nursing

References

Bersamin, M. M., Fisher, D.A., Walker, S., Hill, D.L., & Grube, J.W. (2007). Defining virginity and abstinence: Adolescents’ interpretations of sexual behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 182-188. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.03.011
Buhi, E. R., Marhefka, S. L., & Hoban, M. T. (2010). The State of the union: Sexual health disparities in a national sample of US college students. Journal of American College Health, 58(4), 337-346. doi:10.1080/07448480903501780
Byers, E. S., Henderson, J., & Hobson, K.M. (2009). University students’ definitions of sexual abstinence and having sex. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38, 665-674. doi: 10.1007/s105-007-9289-6
Chambers, W. C. (2007). Oral sex: Varied behaviors and perceptions in a college population. Journal of Sex Research, 44(1), 28-42. doi:10.1080/00224490709336790
Eshbaugh, E. M., & Gute, G. (2008). Hookups and sexual regret among college women. Journal of Social Psychology, 148(1), 77-89. doi:10.3200/socp.148.1.77-90
Fahs, B. (2016) Methodological mishaps and slippery subjects: Stories of first sex, oral sex, and sexual trauma in qualitative sex research. Qualitative Psychology, 3(2), 209-225.
Hans, J. D., Gillen, M., & Akande, K. (2010). Sex redefined: The reclassification of oral-genital contact. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 42(2), 74-78. doi:10.1363/4207410
Hans, J. D., & Kimberly, C. (2011). Abstinence, sex, and virginity: Do they mean what we think they mean? American Journal of Sexuality Education, 6(4), 329-342. doi:10.1080/15546128.2011.624475
Higgins, J. A., Trussell, J., Moore, N. B., & Davidson, J. K. (2010). Young adult sexual health: Current and prior sexual behaviours among non-Hispanic white US college students. Sex Health, 7(1), 35-43. doi:10.1071/sh09028
IBM Corporation. (2015). IBM SPSS statistics for windows, version 23.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corporation, Inc.
Jozkowski, K. N., & Satinsky, S. A. (2013). A gender discrepancy analysis of heterosexual sexual behaviors in two university samples. Journal of Community Health, 38(6), 1157-1165. doi:10.1007/s10900-013-9728-3
Lefkowitz, E.S., Vasilenko, S.A., & Leavitt, C. E. (2016). Oral vs. vaginal sex experiences and consequences among first-year college students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 45, 329-337. doi: 10.1007/s10508-015-0654-6
Lindberg, L. D., Jones, R., & Santelli, J. S. (2008). Noncoital sexual activities among adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43(3), 231-238. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.12.010
Lindley, L. L., Barnett, C. L., Brandt, H. M., Hardin, J. W., & Burcin, M. (2008). STDs Among Sexually Active Female College Students: Does Sexual Orientation Make a Difference? Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 40(4), 212-217. doi:10.1363/4021208
Magilvy, J.K., & Thomas, E. (2009). A first qualitative project: Qualitative descriptive design for novice researchers. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing, 14(4), 298-300. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6155.2009.00212.x
Malacad, B. L., & Hess, G. C. (2010). Oral sex: behaviours and feelings of Canadian young women and implications for sex education. The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, 15(3), 177-185. doi:10.3109/13625181003797298
Peterson, Z.D., & Muehlenhard, C.L. (2007). What is sex and why does it matter? A motivational approach to exploring individuals’ definitions of sex. Journal of Sex Research, 44(3), 256-268.
QSR International Pty Ltd. (2015). NVivo qualitative data analysis software, Version 11.
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing and Health, 23, 334-340.
Sewell, K. K., & Strassberg, D. S. (2014). How do heterosexual undergraduate students define having sex? A new approach to an old question. Journal of Sex Research, 52(5), 507-516. doi:10.1080/00224499.2014.888389
Sprecher, S., & Treger, S. (2015). Virgin college students’ reasons for and reactions to their abstinence from sex: Results from a 23-year study at a Midwestern U.S. university. Journal of Sex Research, 0(0), 1-13. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2014.983633
Vannier, S. A., & O'Sullivan, L. F. (2012). Who gives and who gets: Why, when, and with whom young people engage in oral sex. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(5), 572-582. doi:10.1007/s10964-012-9745-z
Wood, J. R., McKay, A., Komarnicky, T., & Milhausen, R. R. (2016). Was it good for you too?: An analysis of gender differences in oral sex practices and pleasure rating among heterosexual Canadian university students. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 25(1), 21-29. doi: 10.3138/cjhs.251-A2