Development of a sexual consent intervention for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Tailored sexuality education for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities is a crucial, yet unmet, need as this population is particularly at risk for sexual abuse and victimisation. However, there are no evidence-based interventions to specifically address this need. This paper presents the development of an intervention framework to address equity in sexuality education and support adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities to understand and provide sexual consent, a foundational aspect of sexuality education and sexual health. METHODS: The Sexual Health Equity Project team used a Community-Based Participatory Research approach to develop a four-module sexual consent intervention for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We leveraged a diverse, interdisciplinary team in a suburban Midwestern school district, and used Backward Design to create objectives and assessments which were rooted in findings from qualitative data by special education teachers. RESULTS: The resulting sexual consent intervention, Ask Me First-Choices, is comprised of four modules covering topics including definition of sexual consent; decision-making strategies and practice; communicating consent and refusal, identifying situations of consent and non-consent; and legal issues surrounding consent. Each module is divided into five components for content delivery: (1) introduction, (2) lecture, (3) supplemental activity, (4) assessment, and (5) conclusion. We detail the intervention's unique aspects, emphasising areas where we used Universal Design for Learning principles to support teachers' instruction and students' learning. CONCLUSION: Our efforts to create a sexual consent intervention directly address sexuality education equity issues. We offer commentary on our design process and decisions, as well as recommendations for future groups who want to develop sexual health interventions in similar contexts for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Next steps include further testing and validation of the sexual consent intervention to build the evidence-base of sexuality education for adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Intimate Partner Sexual Violence in Emerging Adulthood: Exploring Sexual Consent Attitudes as a Target for Sexual Coercion Prevention.

While intimate partner violence is now recognized as a major societal and international issue, sexual violence between partners remains understudied despite its significant prevalence rates and the specific contexts in which it occurs. The aim of this study was to analyze the links between different dimensions of sexual consent and sexual coercion experienced within intimate relationships in order to identify targets for prevention campaigns. The study was carried out during a time of transition in the sociopolitical and legislative context in Belgium linked to the implementation of a reform to the sexual criminal law, which has made the expression of sexual consent central to the qualification of sexual offenses. A total of 431 young adults (88.40% female; Mage = 22.19 years; SDage = 1.79) were recruited from the general population through an online survey to analyze the links between attitudes and beliefs toward sexual consent, attachment style, mental health, and sexual victimization between partners. Results showed that a lack of perceived behavioral control over establishing sexual consent, as well as the avoidance of intimacy, predicted sexual victimization. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed and potential public policy responses for prevention and awareness are suggested. Future research should further investigate and conceptualize sexual consent as it relates to sexual coercion in a more representative sample from an intersectional perspective.

Uncovering young people's situational construction of sexual consent.

Aim: To investigate how young Danes construct sexual consent generally, but also specifically in relation to heavy alcohol intoxication. Methods: Drawing on 30 qualitative in-depth interviews with young people, aged 19-25 years, and adopting a critical discursive psychological framework, we explored the interpretative repertoires that the participants made use of to construct sexual consent and the subject positions those repertoires enabled. Results: The participants made use of three interpretative repertoires that we named as follows: (1) sexual consent as an agreement between rational individuals; (2) sexual consent as a heteronormative practice; and (3) intoxicated sexual consent. Discussion: Young people draw on different repertoires when discussing sexual consent in general, sexual consent in relation to gendered practices and expectations, and sexual consent in relation to heavy alcohol intoxication. Conclusion: It is vital to keep the situational nature of young people's constructions of sexual consent in mind if we wish to understand and eventually reduce the number of non-consensual sexual experiences.

A Within-Person Examination of Alcohol Involved and Non-Alcohol Involved Internal and External Sexual Consent Communication.

OBJECTIVE: External consent communication and internal consent feelings may be influenced by alcohol consumption. However, whether the way someone communicates sexual consent differs when alcohol is or is not involved is not well understood. The goal of this study was to assess the within and between person effects of alcohol use, gender, and sexual identity on internal and external consent. METHOD: Young adults (n = 375) completed a 10-minute web administered survey about their internal and external consent in a recent alcohol and non-alcohol involved sexual encounter. External consent included five different behaviors to communicate consent. We conducted a repeated measures ANOVA to assess the within and between person effects of alcohol use, gender, and sexual identity on internal and external consent. RESULTS: Internal consent did not differ across sexual experiences or identities. In alcohol involved encounters, there was a decreased use of implicit communication. Heterosexual women used more verbal communication during alcohol encounters than sober encounters. Compared with men, women used more nonverbal and implicit communication across encounters. DISCUSSION: Alcohol use did not influence internal consent and was associated with a reduced use of implicit communication. The disinhibiting effects of alcohol may lead people to feeling more confident and open about expressing their sexual desires. Affirmative consent initiatives can use findings to encourage more clear communication and continue to educate on gender differences in sexual consent.

Sexual Consent Norms in a Sexually Diverse Sample.

Sexual consent has received increased attention in mainstream media, educational, and political settings since the rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017. However, long before #MeToo, sexual consent has been a core practice among people who engage in Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism, and Masochism (BDSM). This study examined sexual consent norms among a sexually diverse sample, including people who practice BDSM (n = 116), people who identify with another sexual minority group, such as swingers and sex workers (n = 114), and people who did not identify with a sexual minority group, termed sexual majority group members (n = 158). Explicit consent for both BDSM- and non-BDSM-related activities was rated as more common (descriptively normative) among people who were a member of the BDSM community compared to majority participants. Further, BDSM participants rated consent discussions as less sexually disruptive compared to majority participants. We found no significant group differences in the extent to which people thought sexual consent should be discussed. We also discuss findings from an open-ended question asking participants to recall a recent sexual experience with a new partner. This study demonstrates variability in consent norms between groups and points to the potential to shift sexual consent behaviors among majority participants.

Defining and Measuring Sexual Consent within the Context of University Students' Unwanted and Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences: A Systematic Literature Review.

Lack of sexual consent forms the foundation of unwanted (and nonconsensual) sexual experiences (USEs), yet research suggests it is not well understood amongst university students. While the prevalence of USEs has been well documented within the university context, less is known about how sexual consent is defined or measured. This review aims to identify a consistent sexual consent definition and how current research examining USEs defines and measures sexual consent amongst university students. A systematic review of nine electronic databases (2000-2022) was conducted, and the results were assessed against inclusion criteria (e.g., studies had to focus exclusively on university students). Thirty-three articles were identified and reviewed against the study aims. Sexual consent was more often implicitly defined across measures and articles. Four themes were identified (incapacitation, use of force, use of threats, and lack of wantedness) across the implicit definitions but varied by study with some implicitly defining sexual consent within the context of a relationship. Only three studies explicitly defined sexual consent, referring to it as a willingness to engage in sexual behavior. Measures assessed sexual consent communication or, attitudes and behaviors that might predict sexual aggression. Two studies examined students' individual sexual consent conceptualizations. Sexual consent appears to be contextual so future research should examine the variability of sexual consent in student samples. Students may indeed rely on implicit sexual consent definitions (rather than explicit) but more research is needed. Lastly, researchers should take care to be clear on their sexual consent definitions, both in text and within measures.

When does "no" mean no? Insights from sex robots.

Although sexual assault is widely accepted as morally wrong, not all instances of sexual assault are evaluated in the same way. Here, we ask whether different characteristics of victims affect people's moral evaluations of sexual assault perpetrators, and if so, how. We focus on sex robots (i.e., artificially intelligent humanoid social robots designed for sexual gratification) as victims in the present studies because they serve as a clean canvas onto which we can paint different human-like attributes to probe people's moral intuitions regarding sensitive topics. Across four pre-registered experiments conducted with American adults on Prolific (N = 2104), we asked people to evaluate the wrongness of sexual assault against AI-powered robots. People's moral judgments were influenced by the victim's mental capacities (Studies 1 & 2), the victim's interpersonal function (Study 3), the victim's ontological type (Study 4), and the transactional context of the human-robot relationship (Study 4). Overall, by investigating moral reasoning about transgressions against AI robots, we were able to gain unique insights into how people's moral judgments about sexual transgressions can be influenced by victim attributes.

"You kind of blame it on the alcohol, but. . .": A discourse analysis of alcohol use and sexual consent among young men in Vancouver, Canada.

There is growing awareness about issues of sexual consent, especially in autonomy-compromising or "non-ideal" contexts, including sex involving alcohol. Understanding the conditions needed for consensual sex to occur in this emergent milieu is critically important, especially for young men (ages 18-30 years) who normatively combine drinking alcohol with sex and are most often perpetrators of sexual violence. This study offers a discourse analysis of young men's alcohol use and sexual consent. Data are drawn from qualitative interviews with 76 young men (including gay, bisexual, queer, and straight men) in Vancouver, Canada, from 2018 to 2021. Informed by Kukla's non-ideal theory of sexual consent and critical and inclusive masculinities, this analysis identified three discursive frames: careful connections, watering it down, and blurred lines. In careful connections young men discussed their efforts to actively promote sexual and decisional autonomy for themselves and their sexual partners when drinking. Yet, in watering it down young men invoked discourses of disinhibition, deflection, and denial to normalize alcohol use as being somewhat excusatory for sexual violence, downplaying the role and responsibility of men. Lastly, men operationalized blurred lines through a continuum of consent and of "meeting (masculine) expectations" when discussing sexual violence and victimization while intoxicated. Together, these discursive frames provide insights into the gendered nature of sexual violence and the extent to which idealized notions of sexual consent play out in the everyday lives of young men who use alcohol with sex. Findings hold philosophical and pragmatic implications for contemporary efforts to scaffold sexual consent.

Gender-Based Violence Narratives in Internet-Based Conversations in Nigeria: Social Listening Study.

BACKGROUND: Overcoming gender inequities is a global priority recognized as essential for improved health and human development. Gender-based violence (GBV) is an extreme manifestation of gender inequities enacted in real-world and internet-based environments. In Nigeria, GBV has come to the forefront of attention since 2020, when a state of emergency was declared due to increased reporting of sexual violence. Understanding GBV-related social narratives is important to design public health interventions. OBJECTIVE: We explore how gender-related internet-based conversations in Nigeria specifically related to sexual consent (actively agreeing to sexual behavior), lack of consent, and slut-shaming (stigmatization in the form of insults based on actual or perceived sexuality and behaviors) manifest themselves and whether they changed between 2017 and 2022. Additionally, we explore what role events or social movements have in shaping gender-related narratives in Nigeria. METHODS: Social listening was carried out on 12,031 social media posts (Twitter, Facebook, forums, and blogs) and almost 2 million public searches (Google and Yahoo search engines) between April 2017 and May 2022. The data were analyzed using natural language processing to determine the most salient conversation thematic clusters, qualitatively analyze time trends in discourse, and compare data against selected key events. RESULTS: Between 2017 and 2022, internet-based conversation about sexual consent increased 72,633%, from an average 3 to 2182 posts per month, while slut-shaming conversation (perpetrating or condemning) shrunk by 9%, from an average 3560 to 3253 posts per month. Thematic analysis shows conversation revolves around the objectification of women, poor comprehension of elements of sexual consent, and advocacy for public education about sexual consent. Additionally, posters created space for sexual empowerment and expressions of sex positivity, pushing back against others who weaponize posts in support of slut-shaming narrative. Time trend analysis shows a greater sense of empowerment in advocating for education around the legal age of consent for sexual activity, calling out double standards, and rejecting slut-shaming. However, analysis of emotions in social media posts shows anger was most prominent in sexual consent (n=1213, 73%) and slut-shaming (n=226, 64%) posts. Organic social movements and key events (#ArewaMeToo and #ChurchToo, the #SexforGrades scandal, and the #BBNaija television program) played a notable role in sparking discourse related to sexual consent and slut-shaming. CONCLUSIONS: Social media narratives are significantly impacted by popular culture events, mass media programs, social movements, and micro influencers speaking out against GBV. Hashtags, media clips, and other content can be leveraged effectively to spread awareness and spark conversation around evolving gender norms. Public health practitioners and other stakeholders including policymakers, researchers, and social advocates should be prepared to capitalize on social media events and discourse to help shape the conversation in support of a normative environment that rejects GBV in all its forms.

Drug behaviors, sexually transmitted infection prevention, and sexual consent during chemsex: insights generated in the Budd app after each chemsex session.

Chemsex refers to the intentional use of drugs before or during sex in a specific context, typically involving prolonged sex sessions with multiple partners. Engaging in chemsex is associated with a wide range of health risks and related risk behaviors. We developed a mobile phone application ('Budd-app') to support and inform chemsex participants, reduce potential negative impacts associated with chemsex (e.g., physical, psychological and social health harms), and encourage more reasoned participation. During Budd's development process, 11 participants completed a survey after each chemsex session they attended. This data collection approach provided precise experiences on drug related behavior, prevention measures for sexually transmitted infection and sexual consent on 63 chemsex sessions. The mean duration of chemsex sessions was 17.5 h. Polydrug use was reported during 95% of chemsex sessions with an average of 3.5 agents per session. Unsafe dosing occurred at 49% of chemsex sessions, and 9/11 participants dosed unsafely at least once. Seven participants did not consistently take measures to prevent STI transmission. Nine had experienced peer pressure, both regarding drug use and sexual health. The same number reported sex without consent, not respecting others' boundaries as well as their own boundaries not being respected. Many participants experienced negative impact of their chemsex behavior during (7/9) and after (8/9) chemsex. Through participants' behavior assessment during multiple chemsex sessions, 'within-person' variability can be clarified. This clarification provides valuable insights in personal, emotional and contextual vulnerabilities. These insights can direct an individualized care and support trajectory aimed at addressing those vulnerabilities.

Knowledge of the abortion law and key legal issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights among recently arrived migrants in Sweden: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including access and information on the laws and policies related to abortion, varies considerably between countries. Migrants may have limited knowledge of SRHR and related resources in their new country. This study investigates migrants' knowledge of the right to safe and legal abortion and other associated factors including the recent law on sexual consent, the legal age for sexual consent and age to marry in Sweden. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study from 2018 to 2019 among recent migrants attending high schools or Swedish language schools. Descriptive statistics were computed on the knowledge of the Swedish abortion law and other legal aspects. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess if migrants' socio-demographic characteristics were associated with knowledge (i.e. correct/incorrect) of the Swedish abortion law and other key SRHR-related legal issues. RESULTS: Of the total 6,263 participants, 3,557 (57%) responded about whether it is legal to have an induced abortion in Sweden, and of these, 2,632 (74%) answered incorrectly. While more than half (61%) of the respondents knew the sexual consent law, nearly half (48%) did not know that sexual consent is also required for married couples. About 90% correctly responded that it is illegal to have sex with a minor (under the age of 15) and were aware of the legal age (18 years) to marry in Sweden. Incorrect knowledge of the Swedish abortion law was associated with being religious (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 2.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.42-3.15), not having previous sexual health education (AOR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.38-2.05), coming from a country with predominantly restrictive abortion laws (AOR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.16-1.84), low level of education (AOR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.04-1.61) and having a temporary residence permit (AOR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.02-1.57). CONCLUSION: We found a substantial lack of knowledge among migrants of reproductive age in Sweden regarding important laws and policies of SRHR, particularly the right to abortion. SRHR-related programmes and comprehensive sexual health education for recently arrived migrants could include components to increase knowledge of legal and safe abortions and other laws concerning SRHR.

Sexual Consent on Television: Differing Portrayal Effects on Adolescent Viewers.

We conducted two studies to examine the portrayal of sexual consent and refusal in adolescent-directed programing and the effects of viewing this content on adolescents. In a quantitative content analysis, nonverbal consent cues were more prevalent than verbal consent cues. The presence of consent cues did not significantly differ by character gender, relationship status, or sexual behavior. Using a three-way between-subjects experiment, we examined the influence of exposure to media depictions of verbal sexual consent on adolescents' intentions to seek verbal sexual consent (n = 402, 61.4% girls, ages 12-18, M = 15.8, SD = 2.1). Exposure to verbal consent positively influenced intentions to seek verbal consent via increased positive attitudes toward women. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

Sexual consent norms in a cross-sectional national sample of the UK.

BACKGROUND: Sexual assault is a pervasive problem in the UK, and young women are disproportionately affected. We sought to provide an initial account of sexual consent norms in the UK and whether they differ by gender and age. METHOD: The present study was a secondary analysis of data collected by the Family Planning Association, which conducted an online survey (N = 2003) to assess experiences with, knowledge of, and attitudes toward consent. The sample represented all regions of the UK and spanned ages 14-55. RESULTS: Definitions of sexual consent endorsed by women and older age groups more closely aligned with the tenets of affirmative consent compared with men and younger age groups. Women and older age groups were also more likely to perceive that various nonverbal cues may be used to interpret sexual consent or refusal and were more supportive of people being able to withdraw their sexual consent. CONCLUSION: Maladaptive sexual consent norms seemed to be prevalent among men and young people in the UK, which may contribute to young women's elevated risk of experiencing sexual assault. Our findings support the UK's recent relationships and sex education curriculum that actively promotes healthy sexual consent norms.

Do college students feel confident to consent to sex after consuming alcohol?

OBJECTIVE: College students engage in consensual sexual activity after consuming alcohol, perhaps because they feel confident to do so. However, why students feel confident consenting to sex after consuming alcohol is unclear. We conducted a mixed-method evaluation of students' confidence consenting to sex after consuming alcohol; we examined individual (gender, relationship status, Greek life, alcohol and sex expectancies) and contextual (drinking behaviors) factors' association with confidence to consent to sex. We then qualitatively examined why students felt confident. METHOD: 232 college students completed a survey assessing alcohol and sexual activity. RESULTS: Gender, Greek life involvement, and drinking behaviors were related to confidence to consent; open-ended responses suggested students had their own norms for combining consent and alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: Students were confident consenting to sex after consuming alcohol. Sexual assault prevention educators may consider focusing on misunderstandings surrounding alcohol's effects on people's ability to consent.

Paraphilic Interests Versus Behaviors: Factors that Distinguish Individuals Who Act on Paraphilic Interests From Individuals Who Refrain.

Little is known about distinct factors linked with acting on paraphilic interests or refraining from engaging in paraphilic behaviors. Participants from Canada and the United States (N = 744), aged 19-42 years (M = 29.2; SD = 3.18), were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk. Participants completed questionnaires about their paraphilic interests and behaviors, as well as potential key factors linked to behavioral engagement (i.e., perceptions of consent, sexual excitation/inhibition, impulsivity, moral disengagement, empathy). Results indicated that higher moral disengagement and impulsivity, lower sexual control (i.e., high sexual excitation, low sexual inhibition), and maladaptive understandings of consent were best able to differentiate individuals who reported highly stigmatized (e.g., hebephilia, pedophilia, coprophilia) or Bondage and Dicipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism(BDSM)/Fetish paraphilic interests and engagement in the paraphilic behaviours associated with these interests relative to individuals who did not report such paraphilic interests or behaviors. Moreover, higher moral disengagement, impulsivity, and maladaptive perceptions of consent were best able to differentiate non-consensual paraphilic interests and behaviours (e.g., voyeurism, exhibitionism) compared to individuals who did not report these paraphilic interests or behaviours. These results provide future directions for the exploration of mechanisms that may contribute to engagement in paraphilic behaviors and may be targets for intervention aimed at preventing engagement in potentially harmful paraphilias.

Only "yes" means "yes": Negotiation of Sex and Its Link With Sexual Violence.

Lack of consent is an essential characteristic of sexual violence. The present study was conducted to analyze the relation between sexual consent and the risk of perpetrating sexual aggression by men and victimization suffered by women in more depth. The sample consisted of 1681 heterosexual Spanish men and women aged 18-66 years. The participants completed an online survey containing the Spanish versions of the Sexual Consent Scale Revised and the Sexual Experiences Survey. The results showed that 70.2% of the women had been sexual victims, and 20.8% of men reported having perpetrated sexual violence. On the one hand, sexual aggressors, unlike non aggressors, underestimated the relevance of obtaining sexual consent, and more aggressors reported lack of perceived behavioral control for requesting sexual consent and endorsed less positive attitudes to obtain sexual consent than non aggressors. On the other hand, sexual victims, compared to non victims, considered requesting explicit sexual consent relevant, but held certain ideas, attitudes, and behaviors that did not go along with obtaining sexual consent, which leaves women in a position of vulnerability.

What place has 'capacity' in the criminal law relating to sex post JB?

The term 'capacity' has come to assume a variety of meanings in the law of England and Wales, and the failure of statutes and judges to specify its meaning and application across the civil and criminal law leads to problems. Nowhere is this perhaps clearer than in the law relating to sexual capacity. This paper begins with an overview of two streams of law on sexual capacity in the civil and criminal law. The first stream traces through the criminal law provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the work by the Law Commission which led to its enactment, and the ways in which its provisions have been applied by the courts in practice; and the second examines the Mental Capacity Act 2005 ('MCA 2005') and its parallel application by the civil courts. We illustrate how the case of A Local Authority v JB [2021] UKSC 52 brought these problems to the fore, as the Supreme Court was at last confronted with the differences between the definition and use of the term 'capacity' by the civil and criminal law on sexual capacity. We suggest that the decision made by the Supreme Court in JB has left open terrain which ought to be used to reframe, or perhaps even replace, the concept of 'capacity' within the criminal law on sexual capacity.1.

Personal and sexual boundaries: the experiences of people with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Previous research shows that people with intellectual disabilities have less knowledge about sexual health and are more vulnerable to victimisation. In cases of sexual abuse, they are likely to encounter the criminal justice system as vulnerable witnesses. Several challenges arise when people with intellectual disabilities are in communication with the criminal justice system. We aimed to explore the perceptions, experiences and knowledge of people with intellectual disabilities regarding personal and sexual boundaries in order to identify factors relevant for preventing sexual abuse, to develop future studies. METHOD: The study had a qualitative design. Data were collected from seven people with mild intellectual disabilities (25-40 years; 2 men, five women) through one-to-one interviews in specialised health care services for people with intellectual disabilities (SHCS). The participants lived alone, in group homes and with their families. Many received professional support services. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The interviews identified that the participants want to be in romantic relationships and that some, consider sex to be unimportant. Many of them have had trouble finding someone to have a romantic relationship with. The participants were unsure about sexual consent related to sexual activity, though many could explain the concept of consent in other contexts. Many participants reported that they had experienced sexual abuse, including online sexual abuse. Those participants who had reported the sexual abuse had positive experiences obtaining assistance from the criminal justice system. The participants who had experienced sexual abuse reported trauma and fear related to their experiences. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the need for information about sexually abusive relationships, risks online and ways to get help. More attention should be given to the impact of trauma, police and mental health treatment following sexual abuse against people with intellectual disabilities.

Perceived barriers and rewards to sexual consent communication: A qualitative analysis.

Increasingly, affirmative consent - direct, unambiguous and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity (Craig & McKinley, 2015) - is the standard being adopted by educational institutions in North America (Bennett, 2016). Yet, studies show that most individuals continue to communicate consent through nonresistance (Jozkowski et al., 2014a). Given this discrepancy, it is critical to understand what factors prevent individuals from engaging in affirmative consent. Furthermore, a better understanding of the perceived rewards of consent communication could incentivize the adoption of affirmative consent. To understand the range of perceived barriers and rewards, we conducted an online, qualitative study where 231 participants answered two open-ended questions. We used inductive content analysis to categorize participants' perceptions of sexual consent barriers and rewards into four general content areas: (1) Communication Quality, (2) Relational and Emotional Experiences, (3) Sexual Quality and (4) Safety and Coercion. These perceived rewards and barriers were examined through the lens of the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model. Participants viewed consent communication not only as a means of ensuring safety but also as a way to enhance relational and sexual quality. However, they also perceived barriers in all three of these domains as well as barriers to ensuring that sexual consent communication is fluid and easily understood. These findings provide important avenues for future research investigating how individuals reconcile perceived rewards and costs of affirmative consent communication. We also suggest ways to enhance sexual education by discussing potential rewards and validating the normative nature of fears and anxieties around affirmative consent.