Oral Sex beliefs and Practices among College Students: a final paper
Taking One in the Mouth for Science:
A Study of Undergraduate Oral Sex
Beliefs and Practices
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to gather current information from college students on their beliefs and practices concerning oral sex. Participants were eight currently enrolled undergraduate students at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, comprised of both male and female respondents from both heteronormative and gender activist categories. The researcher will administered an interview to each of the participants comprised of ten questions designed to uncover accurate information about their oral sex beliefs and practices. At the end of the data gathering process, the qualitative information was analyzed by the researcher, specifically looking for commonalities, disparities and patterns both within and between sexual demographic groups. Results of this analysis indicated significantly more similarities within groups, supporting the idea that peer influence is a strong component of creating and maintaining sexual scripts. This research also revealed some important deviations between beliefs and practices regarding oral sex, most notably belief in the importance of barrier protection for STI prevention in individuals who reported knowing how to use barrier protection during oral sex but never using it, even with partners that respondents reported they would never have unprotected sex with.
Introduction
Going down, sucking off, eating it, rimming, giving head, taking a mustache ride. These are just a few of the many unspecific euphemisms for oral sex that are commonly used by college aged students today. Why does today’s collegiate crowd use so many non-sexual and often vague terms to describe oral sex, or fitting in the mode of popular terminology, “taking one in the mouth”? Sex, particularly sexual acts that are not simply penile-vaginal intercourse, are often viewed as taboo in American culture. This is perpetuated by the approach of the educational system when dealing with sex education in American youth. In fact, according to one psychologist specializing in the study of gender and sexuality, “From an international perspective, American children are considered sexually illiterate” due to the lack of education that they receive on sexuality and the cultural stigma surrounding any useful or practical information (McHugh, 2009). Many undergraduate students polled on the subject of where their sexual education comes from cite that pornography and their peers are two of the most popular sources for discovering information about sex during adolescence (McHugh, 2009).
Due to this lack of formalized education and the cultural restriction placed on talking openly about sex, euphemisms arise that are used to refer to oral sex acts without actually naming them: fellatio, cunnilingus, and analingus become more comfortably vague terms such as “head,” “muff diving,” and “tossing a salad.” Despite these social strictures, the popularity of oral sex among college aged students is on the rise (Grunseit, A. Richters, J. Crawford, J. Song, A. and Kippax, S., 2005). The current research seeks to cut through the barriers put up to avoid openly discussing oral sex with college aged students and discover what they believe about oral sex, as well as what their oral sex behaviors are. Based on the lack of accurate education available for students, I hypothesize that students will hold a wide range of beliefs about oral sex that will be similar to others in their demographic. This is a manifestation of the tendency to rely on peers as a source of sexual knowledge. Additionally, I hypothesize that the sexual practices of college undergraduate students concerning oral sex will be far more reflective of their personal beliefs than of any socially accepted norms that can be seen across demographics.
Largely as a result of the low degree of formal practical knowledge passed down in an educational environment to college aged students on the topic of oral sex, I expect to find that there will be significant deviation between the beliefs of students surrounding oral sex and their actual practices/sexual history.
Due to the broad implications and taboo nature of sex as subject matter, audiences are sometimes led to believe through sensationalistic presentations of sexological research that it is somehow pseudo-scientific in nature. In fact, this could not be further from the truth. Sexual identity and expression is recognized as an important part of the self concept and well being (both physical and emotional) of people. As this realization has become cemented in the scientific community starting largely with research done by Kinsey (1948, 1953) and Masters and Johnson (1966, 1970, 1974), scientific sex research has become a strong emerging scientific discipline.
At present, there is a wealth of scientific literature available on human sexuality. As an emerging scientific discipline however, there is still much work to be done for the scientific community to strengthen its understanding of specific aspects of human sexuality, particularly those which fall outside of traditional mainstream conceptualization of penile-vaginal sex or ‘coitus’, a primary focus of much of the existing body of data. In researching the beliefs and practices surrounding oral sex in college undergraduates, I will be contributing to the field in a unique way by using the knowledge that other research that I have read to help craft an effective model for collecting and analyzing data. A thorough understanding of the implications of previous research is of particular importance for my work due to my qualitative model. In order to create effective questions for my interviewees and later analyze the information that they provide, it is vital for me to have a firm understanding of what previous researchers have discovered about oral sex, as well as reviewing the methods that they used to gather their data.
Literature Review:
A key article in developing my understanding of how oral sex beliefs differ is Bersamin and Walker(2006)’s Correlates of Oral Sex and Vaginal Intercourse in Early and Middle Adolescence, from the Journal of Research on Adolescence. This survey study examined various factors that predicted oral sex in 1,105 teens ages 12-16 (average respondent age 14.1 years). Their survey used a single yes/no question to determine whether or not teens had ever engaged in oral sex (defined in their article as “when a boy/girl puts their mouth on your genitals or when you put your mouth or tongue on a boy/girl’s genitals” [Bersamin and Walker 2006]) The rest of the survey had respondents answering three questions assessing the respondent’s beliefs about the probability of several outcomes, both good and bad, as a result of oral or vaginal sex.
The results of this study indicated that more teens participate in oral sex (10.9%) than vaginal sex (8.0%). Peer attitudes and behavior were found to be the second strongest predictors of oral sex, supporting my hypothesis that students in a college population are likely to take normative cues from their specific peer groups in terms of oral sex beliefs and practices. Interestingly, the researchers also discovered that for this age group, parental communication was a strong correlate to vaginal sex behavior but not oral sex. Researchers hypothesized that this may be due to parent-child sex discussions traditionally focusing solely on penile-vaginal intercourse.
Many of the findings in this research are relevant to my own work. Several of the factors found to predict oral and vaginal sex would logically extend to a college population, such as frequency and number of alcoholic beverages consumed and peer values and behaviors. In formulating my research questions, this information is helpful because it tells me as a researcher that I need to ask respondents where they get information on oral sex as well as what other activities they are likely to engage in beforehand, such as alcohol use in social settings with potential sexual partners.
My study will be examining oral sex beliefs and practices both inside as well as outside of committed relationships. Whats Love Got to Do with it? Sexual Behaviors of Opposite-Sex Couples Through Emerging Adulthood (Kaestle and Halpern 2007) examines perceived feelings of love and its correlation to fellatio, cunnilingus and anal sex in 6,421 respondents involved in heterosexual relationships of at least three month durations.
Kaestle and Halpern asked respondents how much they loved their partner, and how much they thought their partners loved them, as well as a variety of questions designed to measure the type and frequency of four sexual activities: fellatio, cunnilingus, vaginal sex and anal sex. As “almost all” of the respondents participated in vaginal sex in their current relationship, the outcome of this variable was dropped from the final statistical examination.
Results of this survey tell me a great deal about what to expect in my data. Oral sex was far more likely to occur in relationships where the respondent loved their partner (both reciprocated and non-reciprocated), or when their partner loved them. Cunnilingus was most common when the male respondent loved their partner a lot (unreciprocated), likelihood being 5.91 times higher than a relationship where neither partner has strong feelings of love. This relationship was less powerful but still present for fellatio, with females having non-reciprocated love for their partners being 2.01 times more likely to give fellatio than females in non-loving relationships. The researcher’s hypothesize that in relationships with non-reciprocated love, sexual activities may be used as a way to strengthen relationship ties and increase the perceived benefit of the relationship to the non-loving partner.
Also of importance for my work was the following discovery: “(D)ating relationships of less than one month’s duration include more frequent fellatio but less frequent cunnilingus than longer term dating relationships” (Kaestle and Halpern 2007). Based on this finding as well as the statistical data reviewed above, I may find that women view fellatio as a way to interest men in relationships, while men may be more likely to give cunnilingus later in relationships to increase their perceived value to their partner. If this is not the case, it will be important for me to discover from my respondents when they think oral sex is most likely and most appropriate both in terms of giving and receiving, and why certain situations make oral sex more or less likely.
Perhaps the most insightful and informative research that I have reviewed in perpetration for my own work is Halpern-Felchser, B. Cornell, J. Kkropp, R. and Tschann, J. (2005)’s study, Oral Versus Vaginal Sex Among Adolescents: Perceptions, Attitudes and Behaviors. This study gathered survey data from 580 adolescents (mean age 14.54) on their self-perceived risks and benefits of oral and vaginal sex in order to determine “whether adolescents view oral sex as less risky, more beneficial, more acceptable, and more prevalent among peers than vaginal sex” (Halpern-Felscher et al., 2005) Results from this study indicate a strong need for more effective sex education from even the most basic health standpoint, as 13% of respondents indicated that they believed that there is no chance of contracting HIV from oral sex. There were also other naive responses that were empirically incorrect, such as the 9.31% of respondents who reported that oral sex carried a pregnancy risk. There were several beliefs expressed that are directly tied to my topic, e.g. that respondents were more likely to experience pleasure from vaginal sex than from oral sex (which is empirically incorrect at least in terms of occurrence of orgasmic relief in women [Richters, J. Viser, R. Rissel, C and Smith, A. {2006}].) Statistical analysis of the data also indicated that adolescents believed that for their age group, oral sex was more socially acceptable and carried less risk, in terms of risk of infection as well as emotional well-being, social stigmatization by peers, and the potential to feel guilt or get in to trouble.
The respondents also indicated that oral sex is more acceptable than vaginal sex for their age group in terms of the health of their relationship with their partner, both in dating and non-dating relationships. This finding links with Kaestle and Halpern (2007)’s hypothesis that oral sex is often used in relationships where feelings of love are unequal as a way of increasing the perceived value of the relationship for the partner who is expressing less love and receiving more fellatio or cunnilingus. My research will address this question by uncovering the respondent’s motivations for having oral sex, specifically by asking if they are more likely to give or receive oral sex, and if this is their preferred role or if they find themselves preforming more for their partner’s enjoyment than they would like to in an ideal relationship.
Methods
Sexological research has primarily relied on use of surveys to gather statistical data from subjects in order to gain a generalized understanding of how people view and participate in sex in a broad sense. As this broad yet often necessarily brief view of human sexuality is already a primary focus of previous research, the current study employed qualitative research via interviews in order to gain a depth of information that is unattainable by simply prompting respondents for base statistical information.
Participants for this study were eight currently enrolled Indiana University of Pennsylvania students taken from four commonly identified sexuality demographics: male (primarily interested in women, mainstream/typical views of gender and sexuality), male (primarily interested in women/gender activist), female (primarily interested in men, mainstream/typical), female (primarily interested in men/gender activist). This research is limited to individuals identifying the opposite sex as their primary sexual partners in order to facilitate qualitative analysis; however future research will expand the subject pool to include men and women primarily interested in same sex partners.
Age of respondents ranged from 19-25 years old (mean=21.3). Gender activism is defined in this study as work in the field of gender and/or sexual rights. Examples of people included in these categories would be men and women who are part of student groups focusing on ending gender discrimination, sex education advocacy groups, or other gender/sex oriented groups and activities that would likely give participants a greater understanding of sexuality than most of their less sex educated peers.
The interviewer explained the concept of informed consent to the participants, then administered the 10 item interview (see appendix 1).
The questions used were constructed by researchers via polling individuals from the identified demographics. 9 pilot subjects (ages 20-25) were asked, “if you were trying to understand another person’s beliefs and practices regarding oral sex, what questions would you ask them? How about these questions: what needs to be changed or added to this list for you to feel comfortable answering them and to think that an interviewer has gathered an accurate gauge of your oral sex beliefs and practices?” After synthesizing the responses from those preliminary questions, the previously listed questionnaire used for this research project was constructed.
All interviews were conducted in person, with the researcher initially using a tape recording device to record the interviews. The interviews were subsequently transcribed into a word processing document in basic question and answer text format.
Results
Results of the seven interviews conducted (4 male, 4 female) indicated a significant effect of gender in response to multiple research questionnaire items and key concepts.
All of the respondents (8/8) identified oral sex as any form of mouth-genital contact. Three of the respondents (2 male 1 female) also mentioned analingus as a form of oral sex. Only two respondents (2 males, 1 activist and 1 heteronormative) indicated that they participated in analingus as either a performer or recipient. All respondents identified as having participated in oral sex in current or former relationships with some degree of regularity (no responses of ‘rarely,’ ‘never’ or ‘only x number of times’ were recorded). All participants also reported oral sex being a positive thing, and an element of their sex lives that they enjoy or have enjoyed in the past.
Discussion
Of the respondents, only the heteronormative male subset indicated a preference for receiving oral sex over giving oral sex. Three respondents (2 male activists, 1 female mainstream, 1 female activist) indicated that they equally enjoyed giving and receiving. The rest of the respondents (1 male activist, 1 female activist, 1 female mainstream) indicated that they preferred to give oral sex. All of the female respondents as well as the male activist respondents reported that their reasoning for giving oral sex was for the specific purpose of giving their partner pleasure. A male respondent (activist) who indicated that he equally enjoyed giving and receiving reported that
One of the biggest factors about giving oral sex (to a partner) in the traditional sense is that its all about them in that moment. It can be a really intimate, sensual and exotic feeling to. When your the one receiving its very humbling in a sense almost that you can just sit there and enjoy, and its just all about someone else making you happy for that time. I engage in oral sex because I enjoy administering some form of pleasure to my partner.
Of the individuals included in this sample females (2 of 4) were more likely than males (0 of 4) to feel uncomfortable receiving oral sex. The uncomfortable female respondent from the gender activist category identified body image issues specifically as the reason that she was uncomfortable receiving oral sex, though she also said that this was a personal issue that she was interested in working through and that she conceptualizes as “an important issue for many women to overcome”. One of the female respondents from the non-activist group of females primarily interested in men stated that her issue with receiving oral sex was related to self image in a general sense, but did not provide specific information as to what type of self image issues these were.
All of the female respondents (4/4) indicated that they thought oral sex was more likely to be given by women and received by men in American culture, though the one woman from the mainstream demographic group stated that in her personal experience, oral sex was both given and received in equal amounts by both her and her partners. She indicated the importance of reciprocity in oral sex behaviors, saying that, “Women are more likely to give oral sex, that’s just the mentality of our culture. The men I date and sleep with though, they best be giving me some oral sex, but in a generalized sense of our population, I do feel like women give more.”
One of the male respondents indicated that he agreed that men were more likely than women to receive while women were more likely to give, though “not in my relationship, I am more likely to be the giver and I am yet to hear any complaints about that,” while the other male respondents (2/4) indicated that they thought oral sex was equally given to partners of both genders. All of the male respondents from the activist subset indicated that they were more likely to give oral sex to their female partners then to receive it. By way of explaining this behavior, one of the men stated that they had read research indicating that females were less likely to achieve orgasm during penetrative sex, and that their reasoning for giving more oral than they received was a desire for their partner to experience orgasm during their sexual encounters. The mainstream male subset indicated more interest in receiving than giving, an attitude that was concurrent with reported behavioral patterns, reporting that
I’m a lot more inclined to receive oral sex from any body than I would be inclined to give it to anybody, uh, generally I would probably associate it in the same context that I would be willing to have a sexual partner with somebody. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I would be willing to date them. Sometimes its okay if you don’t really know the person, in which case… I would only give oral sex to someone that I know and am comfortable with, but I would be comfortable receiving it from, uh, whatever I guess.
Protection was left out of the oral sex practices of the respondents in this research. For the females, half (2/4 females, 2/2 mainstream) indicated that they had never heard of using prophylactics during oral sex. All of the respondents in the gender activist demographics (2/2 female, 3/3 male) indicated that they knew about methods of prophylactic use during oral sex but did not use them. Two of the activist males said that they specifically ask partners if they have been tested for STI infection before engaging in oral sex. One of the male respondents in this group indicated that while he understood that oral sex carried a risk of infection of STIs, that the transmission rate is lower for oral sex and that this makes him feel more comfortable having unprotected oral sex than unprotected vaginal sex. The female activist indicated that she only engages in oral sex with people that she feels she can “trust to not infect me,”
The remaining activist male respondent expressed some level of cognitive dissonance on this point, indicating that he thought use of prophylactics were important during sex in general and that this belief extended to oral sex, but that he did not use prophylactics during his oral sex encounters.
I know of multiple methods of prophylactics (for oral sex), but can’t say I’ve ever used any. Dental dams, flavored condoms… I know that its possible to spread and contract STIs via oral sex, but I guess it just doesn’t have as much constancy in my mind, it’s not as concrete of a concept. Yeah, that’s actually an interesting concept. people that I would not have unprotected intercourse with I have had unprotected oral sex with. So…. huh. That’s an interesting thought.
Another example of dissonance between oral sex beliefs and practices that was self-identified by a respondent during the interview process was from a female (mainstream) who indicated that while she thinks that it is important to have mutual trust and respect with a partner to engage in oral sex, that, “I get drunk and give head sometimes, but with my beliefs I try to keep it (giving fellatio) to people that I legitimately care about. On occasion I have gotten drunk and gone down on people that I don’t really know that well or don’t really care about.” The rest of the respondents (6/8) indicated no self-recognized differences between their oral sex beliefs and practices.
Few of the respondents indicated that their decision to engage or not engage in oral sex was in any way effected by their or their partner’s sexual history (1/8). The heteronormative male indicated that he was less likely to give oral sex to a partner who had what he would deem to be a large number of partners. Additionally, none of the respondents indicated that they felt compared to former partners in terms of their performance when giving oral sex, and only two respondents (2 males, 1 activist 1 mainstream) indicated that they compare the performance of their current and former partners when receiving oral sex.
Two of the respondents (2/8) added in the comments section at the end of the interview that they had strong feelings for a need for more comprehensive sex education. Another of the respondents (1/8) volunteered during the course of the interview that she had learned to give fellatio by watching a porn film featuring adult film star Jenna Jaimeson and replicating her technique.
This qualitative research helps to clarify several important issues that have been quantitatively identified and hypothesized about in previous research. Bersamin and Walker(2006) discovered that parental communication was a strong correlate to vaginal sex behavior but not oral sex. Researchers hypothesized that this may be due to parent-child sex discussions traditionally focusing solely on penile-vaginal intercourse. Qualitative data from the current research indicates that young adults in the college undergraduate population (age 19-25) conceptualize oral sex in a different way than they think of vaginal sex, particularly in terms of the importance and use of prophylactics. Many of the respondents were unaware that it was possible to use protection during oral sex, and the rest of the respondents indicated that they never used any form of barrier protection during oral sex, even with partners that they use protection with during vaginal or anal intercourse. This is a clear indicator that students have learned significantly stronger messages about the importance of barrier protection for vaginal intercourse than for oral sex.
Bersamin and Walker (2006) also found that frequency of alcohol use was positively correlated with risky sexual decisions. My respondent who reported that normally she only has oral sex with someone that she cares about but that she sometimes gives fellatio to individuals who she does not care particularly for or know very well after she has been drinking to the point of intoxication epitomizes the role that alcohol can play in risky sexual decision making.
My finding that many of my respondents (particularly the activists) engage in giving oral sex for the express purpose of giving their partner a pleasurable experience helps to clarify Kaestle and Halpern (2007)’s study of the relationship of perceived levels of love with various sex behaviors. They found that oral sex was especially likely in relationships where the partner giving oral sex felt that they loved their partner more than their partner loved them. My results support their theory that oral sex may be used as a means of increasing value to a partner who feels less invested in a relationship, as my respondents expressed their beliefs that oral sex was a way of focusing on making them happy and giving them pleasure derived from the giver’s actions. Therefore, a partner who feels less loved may choose to give more oral sex in order to help equalize the amount of pleasure that both partners derive from a relationship.
My research also adds a new depth of understanding to Halpern-Felchser et al (2005)’s work indicating the importance of creating a more comprehensive sex education approach due partially to the misconceptions of respondents about oral sex. Results from my qualitative research indicated that some respondents who are currently enrolled in college never learned that prophylactics are even possible to incorporate in oral sex, and none of the respondents implemented them in to their sex lives regardless of their knowledge of the risk of STI infection.
None of my respondents cited their sex education in high school as a source of sex information. Two of them reported that they strongly advocated for a more comprehensive sex education approach, specifically to avert issues such as young teens participating in oral sex acts before they understand what they are or what risks may be associated with them, and in order to help people avoid issues such as body image hang-ups in their later sex lives. The need for sex education is reinforced by the respondent who learned to be a good oral sex partner by watching and replicating pornographic videos on the internet. One female respondent illustrated the role that pornography played in her oral sex education with this anecdote:
Before I had ever given head, I was planning on doing so, so I watched a video with Jenna Jaimeson in it, and it was her giving a blowjob and I watched her technique. Obviously i missed the whole porn voice and stuff, but her technique was what I tried to go off of.
This woman gives the most clear-cut example possible of how individuals who have not had adequate sex education turn to easily available sources such as pornography to learn sexual scripts. If we want people to create and internalize healthier sexual scripts, then it is important to educate them on sex before they seek alternative means of information.
My hypothesis that there would be similarities between demographic groups in terms of oral sex beliefs and practices, but considerable differences between differing demographics is supported by my data. While there are several similarities between groups, one important difference is knowledge about various sex-related issues. Almost none of the individuals in the mainstream group (2/3) knew that prophylactics are even a possibility during oral sex, while all of the respondents from the activist groups (both male and female) recognized the use of prophylactics during oral sex as a possibility. None of the respondents actually use prophylactics during oral sex, but their reasons for such differs between demographics (lack of adequate information vs informed choice with awareness of potential risks).
Another important difference between the identified groups can be seen in the two women who indicated that they had problems with receiving oral sex. The activist female identified this as a body image related issue that she was actively working towards rectifying, whereas the mainstream female simply cited “self confidence” and did not volunteer further information. This indicates that while both women are likely experiencing similar problems, the activist woman is more educated on the issue and is more able to take a proactive stance. This supports the importance of sex education because without accurate information on sexuality, it is more difficult to identify and work through sexuality related problems.
Overall, respondents from demographics where their peers are likely to be more well informed on sexuality related topics gave responses that were indicative of a deeper level of understanding, supporting my hypothesis that information and ideas of acceptability are disseminated throughout specific peer groups. My findings also indicated significant self-identified discrepancy between oral sex beliefs and practices among students as predicted (2/8).
All of the male respondents indicated that from a broad social standpoint women were more likely to give oral sex than men, yet all of the male subjects from the gender activist group indicated that they were more likely than their female partners to give oral sex. This is a strong indicator that oral sex practices are linked more strongly to within group norms than broad cultural trends, as these men all have oral sex lifestyles that are directly opposed to their perception of normative male-female oral sex interaction.
Ramifications
This research can be used to help inform methods of therapy and education in several ways. By providing insights in to the sources of information that college age students have used for sex information, sex educators can identify that healthy scripts for sexual activity need to be provided to young people before they are likely to begin experimenting sexually. Education might be effective in the form of a how-to approach that is presented in tandem with traditional education on STIs and protection. It is also clear that sex educators need to broaden the focus of education to focus on alternatives to vaginal intercourse that may be poorly understood in terms of mechanics and risks, despite the dangers associated with the such as STI infection.
From a therapeutic standpoint, this research clearly shows how important it is to not only educate people on aspects of sexuality, but to provide them with reinforcement to internalize information. Body image issues, for example, were found to be a commonly identified moderator of behavior for females in terms of comfort level while receiving oral sex. Basic education alone is also clearly not enough to prompt behavioral change in some pre-established scripts, such as the (in this study) universal non-use of barrier protection while engaging in oral sex with a partner that participants would always use prophylactics with when engaging in other forms of sex.
References
Bersamin, M and Walker, S. 2006. Correlates of Oral Sex and Vaginal Intercourse In Early and Middle Adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16 (1), 59-68.
Finger, F. (1975). Changes in Sex Practices and Beliefs of Male College Students: over 30 Years. The Journal of Sex Research, 11 (4) 304-317.
Grunseit, A. Richters, J. Crawford, J. Song, A. and Kippax, S. (2005). Stability and Change in Sexual Practices among First-Year Australian University Students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34 (5), 557-568.
Halpern-Felsher, B. Cornell, J. Kkropp, R. and Tschann, J. (2005). Oral versus Vaginal Sex Among Adolescents: Perceptions, Attitudes and Behavior. Pediatrics, 115 (4).
Kaestle, C., and Halpern, C. (2007). Whats Love Got to do with it? Sexual Behaviors of Opposite Sex Couples Through Emerging Adulthood. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 39(3): 134-140.
Knox, D. Zusman, M and McNeeley, A. 2008. University Student Beliefs about Sex: Men vs Women. College student Journal, 42 (1), 181-185.
McHugh, M. (2009). Sexual Education and Cultural Perspectives (class lecture, Psychology of Human Sexuality, 09/08/09). Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Milhausen, R., Reece, M., and Perera, B. (2006). A Theory-Based Approach to Understanding Sexual behavior at Mardi-Gras. The Journal of Sex Research, 43(2): 97-106.
Patel, V., Yoskowitz, N., Kaufman, D. (2007). Comprehension of Sexual Situations and its Relationship to Risky Decions by Young Adults. AIDS Care 19(7): 916-922.
Richters, J., Visser, R., Rissel, C and Smith, A. (2006). Sexual Practices at Last Heterosexual Encounter and Occurrence of Orgasm in a National Survey. The Journal of Sex Research 43(3): 217-226.
Shindel, A., Ferguson, G., Nelson, C., and Brandes, S. (2008). The Sexual Lives of Medical Students: A Single Institution Survey. Hournal of Sex Medicine 2008, 5, pp 796-803.
Appendix
Oral sex beliefs and practices interview questions
1) What is oral sex? How do you define it, and what qualifies as oral sex?
2) What are your beliefs on oral sex? Is it positive or negative, do you prefer to give or receive, when is it appropriate, and what are your conditions for good or bad oral?
3) Why do you engage in oral sex? What activities do you participate in? How often, with who, when, how, and how might this differ from your previously stated beliefs?
4) What does oral sex mean to you? When you have oral sex, is it the focus of your sexual activity, or is it a form of foreplay?
5) What types of protection do you know of when engaging in oral sex, e.g. dental dams, condoms, getting tested with a partner beforehand, hoping for the best? Is protection important to you during oral sex, and why?
6) Who gives and who receives more, you or your partner(s)? Also, do you think men or women are more likely to give or receive oral sex? Are you more likely to be pleasuring someone else or laying back and enjoying yourself? Additionally, what do you prefer your role to be, and do you find yourself normally in that role, or are you getting what you want less often in order to please your partner(s)?
7 ) Do you compare current and former partners; or how about yourself? Do you have certain preconceptions that you feel you must measure up to in pleasuring someone? What preconceptions might these be, and what standards do you have for a partner? Where do these standards come from?
8 ) Is your decision to engage or not engage in oral sex affected by you or your partner’s sexual history?
9) What differences do you see between your own oral sex practices and your beliefs about oral sex?
10) Do you have any other information that I have not specifically asked you for that you think is important to include in a research project that seeks to understand oral sex beliefs and practices in college undergraduate students?
