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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1982 The Relationship of Religiosity to the Sexual Attitudes, Perceived Sexual Attitudes, and Sexual Behavior of Single Undergaduate Students Michael Donald Lastoria Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Lastoria, Michael Donald, "The Relationship of Religiosity to the Sexual Attitudes, Perceived Sexual Attitudes, and Sexual Behavior of Single Undergaduate Students" (1982). Dissertations. 2195. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/2195 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1982 Michael Donald Lastoria The Relationship of Religiosity to the Sexual Attitudes, Perceived Sexual Attitudes, and Sexual Behavior of Single Undergraduate Students By Michael Donald Lastoria A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School of Education of Loyola University of Chicago in Partial Fulfillment. of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education May 1982 ABSTRACT Michael Donald Lastoria Loyola University of Chicago THE RELATIONSHIP OF RELIGIOSITY TO THE SEXUAL ATTITUDES, PERCEIVED SEXUAL ATTITUDES, AID SEXUAL BEHAVIOR OF SIN3LE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS In order to study the relationship of religiosity to sexual attitudes and self-reported sexual behavior an anonymous mail survey was sent to single undergraduates at three educational institutions. The educational institutions were selected for their religious affiliation. Schools selected included an evangelical Christian liberal arts college, a Roman Catholic university, and a private university with no religious affiliation. The mail survey consisted of 105 items covering religiosity, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviors. Religious commitment was measured by a multidimensional scale of religiosity. Two measures of sexual attitudes were used. The first asked the respondent to . repqrt the level of relationship commitment necessary to engage in several given sexual behaviors. This measure was done from the perspective of the respondent's own attitudes ·as well as how the respondent perceived the attitudes of parents and close friends. The second measure required the respondents to rank order six value statements concerning permarital• sexual relations • Sexual behavior was measured as the reported lifetime and current experience over 10 sexual behaviors listed in order of increasing physical intimacy. Attitudes towards masturbation and masturbation behavior were studied separately from other sexual behaviors. The data was collected and tested for support of the following hypotheses: (1) there will be significant differences between the relationships of isolated religion factors to sexual attitudes and behaviors; (2) that the high religiosity groups will be less permissive in sexual attitudes than the low religiosity groups; (3) that the high religiosity groups will be less permissive in sexual behavior than the low religiosity groups; (4) that females will be less permissive in sexual attitudes than males; (5) that females will be less per­ missive in sexual behaviors than males; and (6) that the less per­ missive relationship of females to males in sexual attitudes and behaviors will hold for both the high and low religiosity groups. The results showed support for hypotheses 1, 2, and 3. Little support was found for hypothesis 4, while hypothesis 5 was completely rejected on the basis of the present findings. JiYpothesis 6 was sup­ ported since sexual differences, when they did occur, tended to hold across the high and low religiosity groups. In summary, this research pr-esents three salient findings: (1) that individual dimensions of religiosity were found to influence sexual attitudes and behaviors in different ways; (2) that females, while having sexual attitudes similar to males, were found to be more sexually active in hetero­ sexual relationships over the past 12 months; and (3) while sex differences are disappearing for heterosexual attitudes and behavior, masturbation behaviors still remain significantly more prevalent in the male. The results suggest that the present decade represents an equality between the sexes as sexual permissiveness continues to increase for females. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to thank Dr. Marilyn Susman, director of the dissertation committee, for her time and valuable help from the con­ ception of this research project until its completion. The author also wishes to acknowledge Dr. Gloria Lewis, Dr. Jon Nilson, and Dr. Jack Kavanagh for their time in reading this manuscript and for helpful sug­ gestions in conducting and reporting this research. Much time was invested in survey preparation and mailing. The author wishes to thank Ruth McLemore specifically for the hours spent in this task. Also, thanks are due to the members of Tri-Community Baptist Church for their support in numerous ways over the past year and a half. Finally, to my wife, Cindy, for the countless hours spent typing and retyping this manuscript. and for her encouragement that was needed so much in order to complete this research. ii I 1/ VITA The author, Michael Donald Lastoria, is the son of Michael Angelo and Theresa Marie {Tirabasso) Lastoria. He was born on September 21, 1948, in Cleveland, Ohio. / His elementary and secondary education was obtained in parochial schools in the Cleveland area. H3 graduated from St. Joseph High School, Cleveland, Ohio in June of 1966. In September, 1966, he entered Rutgers College, New Brunswick, New Jersey, and in May of 1970 received the degree of Bachelor of Science in engineering. In August of 1973 he entered the University of Nebraska {Omaha) and in December, 1974, received the degree of Master of Science in agency counseling. While at the University of Nebras.ka, he was awarded a graduate assistantship in the fall of 1974. In January, 1974, he enrolled in a one-year program in theology at Grace College of the Bible in Omaha, Nebraska, and was awarded .a certificate of completion in May of 1975. Currently he is Assistant Dean of Students at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. H3 is married {Cindy) and has two children, Erin and Michael. iii I ;• TABLE OF CONI'ENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . ii VITA . 'iii LIST OF TABLES . • • ··vi CONTENTS OF APPENDICES . • viii INTRODUCTION • • • • . il Need for the Study . 9 Purpose of the- Study . 10 Relationships to be Considered • . 12 Limitations of the Study . • . 14 ~ Organization of the Study • . .... 0 0 14 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE . 16 Introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 16 General Findings in Studies of Sexual Attitudes and Sexual Behaviors of College Students • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 The Meaning of the Religion Variable • • • • • • • 38 The Relationship of Perceived Sexual Permissiveness of Parents and Peers to Personal Standards of Sexual Permissiveness • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 44 Studies With a Major Emphasis on the Relationship of Religiosity to Sexual Attitudes and Behavior • • • . 48 METHODOLOGY • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 54 Sample Selection and Response Rate . 54 . Age of Subjects • • • • • . 58 Collection of Data • • • • • • • . 59 Instrumentation • • • • • • • • • . 59 Treatment of Data • • • • • • • • • • . 64 iv Page ANALYSIS OF THE DATA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 66 Introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 6 The Religion' Factor • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 6 7 Religiosity and Sexual Attitudes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 94 Religiosity and Lifetime Sexual Behaviors • • • • • • • • • 114 Religiosity and Current Sexual Behavio.rs •• • • • • • • • 129 Religiosity and Masturbation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 133 Summary • • . • • • • . • • • • • • . • • · • · · · • 145 0 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS •• • • • • • • • • • • • • 148 Introduction . 148 The Hypotheses • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 149 General Findings Concerning a Multidimensional Model of Religiosity • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •. 150 General Findings Concerning Sexual Attitudes ••••• • • 152 Perceived Peer and Parental Attitudes: Contextual Controls eeoeo••••••••••c•eooeeoeoo 155 General Findings Concerning Sexual Behavior •••••• o a 156 General Findings for Masturbation Attitudes and Behavior. a 159 Conclusions • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 160 Limitations of the Study • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 162 Recommendations for Future Research •••••••••••• 163 REFEREI\CES ••C1tO•OOO••••••••O••••ooo•• 165 APPENDIX A a•ci•••·•e•c•o••••••••ci•••o•• 171 APPENDIX B • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • c • 184 APPENDIX C . 190 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Past Reports of Coital Experience By Gender . • 19 2 • Lifetime Sexual Behavior by Gender .. 34 3. Response Rates • • • • 56 4. Mean Age of Respondents by Sex, School, and Religious Commitment . • • • • • • • • 58 5. Rotated Religion Factors 70 6. Rotated Religion Factors 73 7. Correlation Coefficient of Initial to Current Factors • 77 8. Correlation of Religion Factors With Sexual Attitudes, Lifetime Sexual Behavior, and Current Sexual Behavior for All Respondents • • • • 80 9.

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