Methodology
Participants
The sample were recruited via the University’s Experiment Management System (EMS) and online social media platforms. Psychology students were recruited for convenience and recruitment was extended to social media to gain a wider variety of relationship types and age groups as university is typically occupied by single emerging adults. Through EMS, a total of [total] female and [total] male undergraduate psychology students were recruited, and [total] female and [total] male participants signed up through the School of Psychology’s discipline social media posts. The sample was made up of [total]% emerging adults between the ages of 18-29, [total]% young adults between the ages of 30-39, and [total]% middle aged adults between the ages of 40-65. Demographic questions recorded that [total]% of the participants were married, [total]% were in a committed long-term relationship, and [total]% were living with their partner as though they were married. Due to the nature of the questions being asked, exemption criteria for this study stated that participants had to be over the age of 18 years old and be involved in a monogamous relationship at the time of the study. Ethical approval for the study was granted by the University’s School Research Ethics Committee (SREC). Undergraduate students who signed up via EMS were awarded with one credit for 15 minutes of their participation in psychological research.
Design
A between-subjects, quantitative design was used using an online questionnaire. A quantitative design was justified due to the personal nature of the study and number of possible risks that could have occurred through a qualitative design, such as the use of focus groups or interviews, which would have been more difficult to predict or control. Data will be analysed using multiple two-way ANOVA tests through the specialist software SPSS. This analysis was chosen to compare differences between emerging adults, young adults, and middle-aged adults in attitudes towards sexual consent and relationship satisfaction levels. In addition, most of the core literature found had used multiple regression analyses.
Materials
An information sheet was provided in the questionnaire along with a link to a downloadable copy. This provided the aims of the study which were to find out whether age differences in attitudes towards sexual consent led to differences in levels of relationship satisfaction. Participants were instructed to complete demographic information, a scale measuring attitudes towards sexual consent, and a scale measuring relationship satisfaction. The information sheet also informed those wanting to take part in the study that they had to be over the age of 18 and in monogamous relationship at the time of the study.
Following this, consent information was provided. Participants were informed that the study would take approximately 15 minutes to complete and were told the purpose of the study. Participants were required to agree to the terms of the study where were in a tick box format. It was required of those taking part to agree that they understood that they had a right to withdraw and that their data would be kept in adherence to ethical guidelines and procedures. In addition, participants had to agree that they understood the exemption criteria which stated that they had to be over the age of 18 to participate and be involved in a monogamous relationship. A downloadable copy of the consent form was also provided. Those who did not agree to the terms would be taken to an exit screen which would thank them for their interest in taking part and state that they would not be able to take part in the study as they had not provided their fully informed consent.
To measure positive and negative attitudes towards sexual consent, the Sexual Consent Scale Revised (SCS-R; Humphreys & Brousseau, 2010) was used. This scale is split into five subscales: (1) (Lack of) behavioural control, (2) Positive attitudes towards establishing consent, (3) Indirect behaviour approach to consent, (4) Sexual consent norms, and (5) Awareness and discussion. This measure consisted of 39 items overall which involved statements such as “I always verbally ask for consent before I initiate a sexual encounter”. Statements were rated on a seven-point Likert scale, 1 being “strongly disagree” and 7 being “strongly agree”. Five of the items are reverse scored. The reliability of this scale was .89.
The Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI-16; Funk & Rogge, 2007) was used to measure high and low levels of relationship satisfaction. This scale was made up of sixteen items. The first item aimed to measure overall relationship satisfaction and is rated on a seven-point Likert scale from 1 being “extremely unhappy” and 7 being “perfect”. Similarly, item 2 is rated on a six-point Likert scale with 1 being “all the time” and 6 being “never”. Items 3-6 are a set of statements, e.g., “Our relationship is strong”, which are also rated on a six-point Likert scale (1 = “not at all true”, 6 = “completely true”). Statements 7-10 are rated from 1 = “not at all” to 6 = “completely” on a six-point Likert scale. Items 11-16 are on a six-point matrix table where participants are required to state how positively or negatively they feel about their relationship. Internal consistency for this scale ranged from 0.62 to 0.90.
Participants were debriefed at the end of the questionnaire and provided with a downloadable copy of the debrief sheet. Participants were informed in the debrief that the aim of the study was to find out whether age groups who demonstrated more positive attitudes towards sexual consent experienced higher levels of relationship satisfaction in comparison with ages who rated more negative attitudes towards sexual consent. Details of the research investigator and supervisor were provided for participants to contact in the first instance if they had any concerns about the study.
Procedure
Details of the study and exclusion criteria were uploaded on EMS. Students who met the criteria for the study were able to sign up for the online study and were provided a link to the questionnaire via Qualtrics. Participants were provided with information about the study, as well as a downloadable information sheet, which stated what the study was about and what would be involved. A consent form was then also provided which asked students to agree that they understood that they had to be over the age of 18 and in a relationship due to the topic nature of the questionnaire. Participants were then expected to complete basic demographic information such as their age, gender, and relationship type. Following this was the Sexual Consent Scale (Humphreys & Brousseau, 2010) which measured levels of positive and negative attitudes towards consent. Then, the Couple Satisfaction Index (Funk & Rogge, 2007) was the last measure to be presented to participants, which measured their relationship satisfaction levels. Finally, everyone who took part in the study was debriefed and provided with a downloadable copy of the debrief sheet. Participants were informed that the study was about age differences in attitudes towards sexual consent and how this impacted their relationship satisfaction. Contact information for the investigator and supervisor was provided for use in the first instance if participants had any concerns or queries about the study.