The Strong, Silent (Gender) Type: The Strong Black Woman Ideal, Self-Silencing, and Sexual Assertiveness in Black College Women.

Women are socialized to endorse femininity scripts mandating that they prioritize others' needs and engage in self-silencing behaviors. Further, Black women may also endorse the strong Black woman (SBW) ideal, by which they are expected to selflessly meet the needs of their family and community and, as such, may embrace self-silencing in their interpersonal relationships. In a sample of 597 Black undergraduate and graduate college women, we tested whether: (1) self-silencing and SBW ideal endorsement would be independently, inversely associated with three dimensions of sexual assertiveness-communication assertiveness, refusal assertiveness, and pleasure-focused assertiveness; and (2) the association between self-silencing and sexual assertiveness would be stronger among Black women who endorse the SBW ideal.

"Pretty hurts": Acceptance of hegemonic feminine beauty ideals and reduced sexual well-being among Black women.

Although women are expected to idealize and achieve hegemonic feminine beauty standards such as being slender and lighter skinned, few studies have examined how women's investment in achieving these restrictive feminine appearance ideals may influence their sexual attitudes and behaviors. Even less is known about Black women. We surveyed 640 Black college women to test hypotheses that endorsement of hegemonic beauty ideals would be positively associated with four dimensions of negative sexual affect (sexual guilt, shame, emotional distancing, and self-consciousness) and negatively associated with two dimensions of sexual agency (sexual assertiveness and satisfaction).

The correlates of sexual experience and reasons for abstinence among Asian Americans.

Objective: This study examines the sexual socialization experiences of Asian American emerging adults by assessing the content and frequency of parent and peer sexual communication and their links to sexual experience and reasons for abstinence.

Method: In addition to reports of parent and peer communication on four discourses-abstinence until marriage, gendered sexual roles, acceptance of casual sex, and sex is taboo-154 college students (44% female, M = 19.21 years old) also reported on language use with parents, percentage of best friends who were Asian, and parent rules regarding dating and time spent with friends.

"No messages needed-just pats on the back": Exploring young men's reports of male and female friends' sexual communications.

The current study provided an exploratory mixed methods investigation of the messages undergraduate men received about sex and relationships from their male and female friends. Participants included 310 undergraduate men who provided written responses regarding the specific messages they had received from male and female friends. Descriptive codes included: Just Do It, Meaningful Intimacy, Gentlemen, Postpone Sex, Women's Sexual Desire, and Objectification of Women.

Our Buddies, Ourselves: The Role of Sexual Homophily in Adolescent Friendship Networks.

The present study tests the assumption that peers wield sufficient influence to induce sexual homophily (i.e., similarities in sexual experiences).

Implications of Pubertal Timing for Romantic Relationship Quality Among Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Young Adults.

Purpose: Relative to on-time or late-maturing peers, girls who begin puberty early typically begin romantic and sexual experiences earlier; however, advanced pubertal status does not necessarily coincide with commensurate interpersonal skills necessary for healthy romantic relationships. Research is limited on the long-term implications of early puberty for relationship quality, and virtually nothing is known about the social implications of early timing for sexual minority females.

Methods: Using linear regression, we examine longitudinal associations between two measures of girls' pubertal timing (self-perceived timing and menarcheal age) and romantic relationship quality in young adulthood, stratified by sexual orientation, among 5,568 females in waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

Peer Exclusion During the Pubertal Transition: The Role of Social Competence.

For some youth, early puberty is accompanied by peer exclusion. Yet early developers may experience less peer exclusion if they have social competence, which would bolster their ability to develop and maintain positive relationships with their peers. Accordingly, the present study tests whether pubertal timing and tempo predicts decrements in children's social competence and whether decrements in social competence account for associations between puberty (timing and tempo) and peer exclusion over time.

"Enjoy Your Sexuality, but Do it in Secret": Exploring Undergraduate Women's Reports of Friends' Sexual Communications.

In the current study I used mixed methods to explore the messages that undergraduate women ( = 415) reported receiving from their male and female friends regarding sex and romantic relationships. Reports of friends' messages varied widely and entailed both support for and criticism of sexual gatekeeping and sex positivity (e.g.

The Nature and Impact of Gendered Patterns of Peer Sexual Communications Among Heterosexual Emerging Adults.

Although previous research demonstrates that peers serve as top sexual informants and advisers, little is known about how peer sexual communications may be a gendered phenomenon. Do communications about sex and romantic relationships vary according to who is speaking to whom? The current study examined 517 college students' reports of male and female peers' communications of four sexual scripts and the associations between reports of such communications and participants' sexual attitudes and levels of sexual and dating experience. Results suggest that peer messages about sex and relationships vary by the gender of the recipient and the gender of the communicator.

Contributions of divergent peer and parent sexual messages to Asian American college students' sexual behaviors.

Receiving more parent sexual communication is generally linked to a later age of first sexual intercourse and less sexual risk taking. However, Asian American youth report minimal parent sexual communication, later sexual initiation, and fewer sexual risks than their counterparts. What contributes to this unexpected pattern of sexual communication and sexual behaviors? To answer this question, we surveyed 312 Asian American college students ages 17 to 22 on their sexual behaviors, parent sexual communication, and peer sexual communication.