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The Structure of Silence: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to College Students’ Communication about Sexuality and Sexual Assault

Seifert, Jennifer L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1478254553243323

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Communication Studies (Communication).
Sexual assault on college campuses is a serious issue. University administrators and policy makers have sought to address this issue through the implementation of bystander interventions. Bystander interventions aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills to intervene in potential sexual assault situations. In order to intervene, students must perceive they have the skills and abilities to do so. Because the ability to communicate about sexuality and sexual assault could be a skill or ability in some situations, it is important to understand the processes that undergird these communicative behaviors. Unfortunately, the quantitative research in the areas of sexual communication and sexual assault communication is limited. As such, these dissertation studies aim to utilize the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explicate the background, emotional and rational constructs which predict college students’ intentions to engage in interpersonal sexual communication (ISC) and interpersonal sexual assault communication (ISAC). This dissertation advances sexual communication and theory of planned behavior research by conceptualizing ISC and ISAC, testing the models of ISC and ISAC and identifying the role of relevant background variables and self-conscious emotions in the TPB. The following dissertation presents two studies. The first study identified the role of self-conscious emotions in TPB models assessing ISC and confirmed the inclusion of gender as a background variable. The findings of the first study informed the model for the second study. The second study identified and tested a model of ISAC and confirmed the relevance of gender and past ISC as background variables. The results of both studies suggest that although the TPB is a useful approach to explicating the rational processes which predict intentions to engage in ISC and ISAC, experiencing self-conscious emotions when engaging in ISC and ISAC result in less favorable attitudes, decreased subjective norms, and diminished perceived behavioral control of intentions to engage in both ISC and ISAC. As such, the experience of self-conscious emotions has a silencing effect as it, through TPB variables, diminishes one’s intention to engage in ISC and ISAC behavior. Self-conscious emotions also mediate the effect of gender (i.e., masculinity and femininity) on first-level TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control) in both ISC and ISAC models suggesting that emotions are the experiential filter between stable background variables and rational processes associated with ISC and ISAC behavior. Finally, study two demonstrated that past ISC behavior positively predicts attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention to engage in ISAC.
Benjamin Bates (Committee Co-Chair)
Amy Chadwick (Committee Member)
Charee Thompson (Committee Member)
Christine Gidycz (Committee Member)
Communication; Gender; Health; Higher Education
sexual communication; sexual assault; theory of planned behavior; self-conscious emotions; gender; sex

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Seifert, J. L. (2016). The Structure of Silence: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to College Students’ Communication about Sexuality and Sexual Assault [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1478254553243323

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Seifert, Jennifer. The Structure of Silence: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to College Students’ Communication about Sexuality and Sexual Assault. 2016. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1478254553243323.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Seifert, Jennifer. "The Structure of Silence: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to College Students’ Communication about Sexuality and Sexual Assault." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1478254553243323

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.
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