Sexual Coercion Among Black and White Teenagers: Sexual Stereotypes and Psychobehavioral Correlates

Abstract

The relations between type of sexual coercion (i.e., verbal, substance-facilitated, physical) and psychological and behavioral health were examined among Black (n = 107) and White (n = 114) young women. We also explored the moderating role of sexual stereotypes in understanding the relations between sexual coercion and health. Over half (53%) of the total sample reported experiencing at least one sexually coercive incident. Direct relations were found between sexual coercion type and psychological and behavioral health correlates. Specifically, for both Black and White young women, greater verbal coercion was related to increased risky sexual behaviors. Substance-facilitated sexual coercion was related to lower levels of two indicators of mental health among Black participants (i.e., psychological distress and self-esteem). Endorsement of sexual stereotypes moderated the relations between total sexual coercion experiences and self-esteem for Black young women and between total sexual coercion experiences and psychological distress for White young women. © 2012, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.