Female Adolescents' Sexual Assertiveness Types: Q Methodology

Hye Jin Kim

doi:10.4069/kjwhn.2015.21.4.272

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Kim: Female Adolescents' Sexual Assertiveness Types: Q Methodology

Original Article

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2015; 21(4): 272-283.

Published online: 25 December 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2015.21.4.272

Female Adolescents' Sexual Assertiveness Types: Q Methodology

Hye Jin Kim

Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Kim, Hye Jin. Yonsei University Health System, 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Korea. Tel: +82-2-2228-4743, Fax: +82-2-2227-6539, khjin@yuhs.ac

Received 10 September 2015 Revised 5 November 2015 Accepted 28 November 2015

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify the type of sexual assertiveness of female adolescents.

Methods

A Q methodology which provided a method of analyzing the subjectivity of each type was used. Thirty-three female high school students classified 40 selected Q statements into 9 points standard. The collected data was analyzed by using the PC-QUNAL program.

Results

Four types of sexual assertiveness manifested by female adolescents were identified: Type 1: Self-normative line-drawing type, Type 2: Pleasure-seeking negotiation type, Type 3: Passive relationship maintenance type, Type 4: future-oriented satisfaction-delay type.

Conclusion

This study is meaningful because it provides empirical information necessary for the development of theories by verifying integrated attributes related to the female adolescents' sexual assertiveness. Results also induced the measuring tools and succeeding studies, and presented educational material for sex education that is tailored to the developmental level and characteristics of female adolescents.

Keywords: Female adolescent, Sexual assertiveness, Q methodology

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Demographic Characteristics and Factor Weight for P-sample

Type	No.	Grade	School	Religion	Type of residence with parents	Monthly income (10,000 KRW)	Experience of dating (person)	Extent of skinship	Extent of friend's skinship	Factor weight
Type 1 (n=9)	7	2	Academic	None	Parents	400↓	1	None	None	1.238
	9	2	Academic	Christianity	Parents	400↓	None	None	Hugging	0.806
	14	2	Academic	Christianity	Parents	400↓	2	None	Hugging	0.539
	15	3	Academic	Christianity	Separately	400↓	5 more	Hugging	Hugging	1.421
	17	3	vocational	Catholic	Father	400↓	5 more	Hugging	Shoulders	1.191
	21	2	Academic	Christianity	Parents	500↓	5 more	Hugging	Hugging	1.129
	23	1	Academic	Christianity	Parents	500↑	5 more	Hugging	Intercourse	0.692
	31	1	Vocational	None	Parents	400↓	5 more	Intercourse	Intercourse	0.846
	33	1	Vocational	Buddhism	Parents	200↓	4	Hugging	Hugging	1.067
Type 2 (n=8)	1	2	Academic	None	Parents	400↓	None	None	Hugging	1.542
	12	2	Academic	None	Parents	500↑	1	None	Hugging	1.026
	16	3	Academic	Catholic	Parents	400↓	5 more	Intercourse	Intercourse	0.831
	20	2	Vocational	Christianity	Parents	400↓	5 more	Hugging	Hugging	0.498
	22	2	Academic	None	Parents	200↓	5 more	Intercourse	Intercourse	2.091
	25	1	Academic	Buddhism	Parents	500↑	5 more	Hugging	Hugging	0.815
	26	1	Academic	None	Parents	500↓	5 more	Hugging	Hugging	0.984
	28	3	Vocational	None	Parents	400↓	5 more	Intercourse	Intercourse	1.391
Type 3 (n=3)	3	2	Academic	Christianity	Mother	400↓	None	None	Hugging	1.576
	18	2	Academic	None	Parents	400↓	5 more	Bosom	Bosom	0.708
	19	2	Academic	Catholic	Mother	100↓	5 more	Intercourse	Intercourse	1.082
Type 4 (n=13)	2	2	Academic	None	Parents	200↓	None	None	hand	1.246
	4	2	Academic	Christianity	Alternately	400↓	3	Hugging	Intercourse	1.514
	5	2	Academic	None	Parents	400↓	None	None	None	1.450
	6	2	Academic	Christianity	Parents	500↑	1	Hand	Shoulders	1.007
	8	2	Academic	Christianity	Parents	500↑	4	Hugging	Shoulders	0.548
	10	2	Academic	None	Parents	500↓	None	None	None	0.826
	11	2	Academic	Buddhism	Parents	200↓	None	None	Hugging	0.811
	13	2	Academic	Christianity	Parents	400↓	None	None	Hand	1.795
	24	1	Academic	None	Father	500↑	5 more	Hugging	Hugging	0.816
	27	1	Academic	Christianity	Parents	500↓	4	Hugging	Hugging	0.784
	29	3	Vocational	Christianity	Separately	200↓	3	Hugging	Hugging	0.683
	30	3	Vocational	Christianity	Mother	400↓	1	Hugging	Hugging	0.958
	32	1	Vocational	Christianity	Mother	400↓	4	Hand	Intercourse	0.980

Table 2

Relationships among 4 Types

Variables	Type 1	Type 2	Type 3	Type 4
Type 1	1.00
Type 2	.57	1.00
Type 3	.39	.34	1.00
Type 4	.80	.65	.32	1.00

Type 1=self-normative line-drawing type; Type 2=pleasure-seeking negotiation type; Type 3=passive relationship maintenance type; Type 4=future-oriented satisfaction-centric type.

Table 3

Q-statements of Higher or Lower Agreement than Others in Type 1

Q-statements	Z-score	Average	Difference
14. I tend to draw a line to physical touch because I do not like the idea of having sexual intercourse at some stage of physical touch with boyfriend.	1.462	0.192	1.270
31. I tend to prefer a boyfriend whom I can easily control, regardless of age, when I select boyfriend.	-1.028	0.436	-1.464
28. When I listen to my friends talking about her sexual intercourse with boyfriend, I become curious and tend to try to have sexual intercourse.	-2.327	-0.817	-1.510
37. I think that I can have sexual intercourse if I come to love my boyfriend and have trust in him.	-1.476	0.187	-1.663

Table 4

Q-statements of Higher or Lower Agreement than Others in Type 2

Q-statements	Z-score	Average	Difference
37. I think that I can have sexual intercourse if I come to love my boyfriend and have trust in him.	1.311	-0.742	2.053
16. I do not think that I would have a serious problem with my life or school life even if I have sexual intercourse with boyfriend.	0.222	-1.251	1.474
8. I do not have anything that I am proud of, and therefore find it difficult to be confident in my relationship with boyfriend.	-1.818	0.596	-2.414

Table 5

Q-statements of Higher or Lower Agreement than Others in Type 3

Q-statements	Z-score	Average	Difference
8. I do not have anything that I am proud of, and therefore find it difficult to be confident in my relationship with boyfriend.	2.076	-0.702	2.778
30. I tend to prefer boyfriend who can positively make expression before my friends to make me feel that I am loved and who kindly cares for me, so that I can be recognized as a popular person.	1.719	-0.132	1.851
31. I tend to prefer a boyfriend whom I can easily control, regardless of age, when I select boyfriend.	1.154	-0.291	1.445
35. I find it difficult to refuse my boyfriend's demand for physical touch when my boyfriend pays the dating expenses or when I am given the present from boyfriend on an anniversary day, etc.	0.249	-1.071	1.321
36. I tend to make physical touch to check whether my boyfriend likes me.	0.022	-1.011	1.033
14. I tend to draw a line to physical touch because I do not like the idea of having sexual intercourse at some stage of physical touch with boyfriend.	-0.318	0.785	-1.103
26. I tend to argue with my boyfriend about what made me disappointed or sad, even if I become angry.	-0.836	0.293	-1.129
3. I think that it is better to break up when my boyfriend often shows selfishness in his talk and action, even if I like my boyfriend much.	-0.526	0.616	-1.142
12. I tend to go ahead with physical touch naturally over time, in the order of holding hands, holding arms, kissing, etc.	-0.577	0.735	-1.312
29. Most of my friends say that the can have sexual intercourse if they and their boyfriends like it. However, I do not want to behave in the same way.	-0.565	0.767	-1.332
17. I tend to avoid having sexual intercourse with boyfriend for fear of sexually transmitted disease or pregnancy.	-1.489	-0.133	-1.356
25. It is me who makes decision on whether to start the physical touch or how to make the physical touch in my relationship with boyfriend.	-1.788	-0.235	-1.552
24. It seems to me that talking about the viewpoint towards the sex or previous experience is helpful.	-1.345	0.676	-2.021

Table 6

Q-statements of Higher or Lower Agreement than Others in Type 4

Q-statements of higher agreement than others	Z-score	Average	Difference
17. I tend to avoid having sexual intercourse with boyfriend for fear of sexually transmitted disease or pregnancy.	0.755	-0.881	1.636
29. Most of my friends say that the can have sexual intercourse if they and their boyfriends like it. However, I do not want to behave in the same way.	1.364	0.124	1.240
13. As I am a high school student, I think that it is better to postpone dating friends of opposite sex because I can meet someone better when I become an adult.	0.288	-0.909	1.197
3. I think that it is better to break up when my boyfriend often shows selfishness in his talk and action, even if I like my boyfriend much.	1.223	0.034	1.189
22. I find it difficult to become honest with my feeling or admit my feeling when I have the sexual desire.	0.114	-1.011	1.125
4. I do not want held my boyfriend responsible even if he needs to take responsibility in the relationship.	-1.301	-0.253	-1.048
21. Sexual desire is a difficult instinct to suppress, and I find it difficult to control my sexual relationship with boyfriend.	-2.066	-0.759	-1.306

Notes

This article is based on a part of the first author's doctoral thesis form Yonsei University.

Summary Statement

▪ What is already known about this topic?

Sexual assertiveness represents a strategy that can prevent dangerous sexual behavior of female adolescents. This concept can have ambiguous conceptual meaning and is consequently confined to rejectedoriented tactics in sex education.

▪ What this paper adds?

This paper presents classification of 4 types of sexual assertiveness of female adolescents by looking into integrated structures and patterns of attributes that can be observed in sexual assertiveness behavior.

▪ Implications for practice, education and/or policy

Results of this study may provide basis for tailored sex education for different developmental phases and individual characteristics of female adolescents that is based on approaches to each type of sexual assertiveness.

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