Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 7-30-2020 11:00 AM An Information—Motivation—Behavioural Skills Model of Sexual Consent Erin J. Shumlich, The University of Western Ontario Supervisor: Fisher, William A., The University of Western Ontario A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Psychology © Erin J. Shumlich 2020 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Clinical Psychology Commons, and the Social Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Shumlich, Erin J., "An Information—Motivation—Behavioural Skills Model of Sexual Consent" (2020). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 7161. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7161 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This dissertation proposed an Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of affirmative sexual consent, which is consent that is ongoing, continuous, and clearly communicated. The overall objectives of the current dissertation research were to: 1) elicit — from young, sexually active individuals — information, motivation, and behavioural skills factors that are related to affirmative sexual consent behaviours; 2) develop and empirically test an Information–Motivation–Behavioural Skills (IMB) model of sexual consent and use this to examine the hypothesized relationships of affirmative consent-related information, motivation, and behavioural skills with affirmative consent behaviours; and 3) evaluate the psychometric properties of an IMB scale measuring affirmative consent-related information, motivation, behavioural skills, and behaviours. Three separate studies were conducted to achieve these objectives. Study 1 (N=48) consisted of qualitative elicitation research in a focus group setting to identify information, motivation, and behavioural skills factors that are relevant to expressing and seeking affirmative consent in sexual interactions. The findings of Study 1 elicitation research, in addition to extant research, guided item creation, item selection, and development of measures of sexual consent-related information, motivation, behavioural skills, and behaviour. Study 2 involved expert ratings of the IMB scale items and the administration of these items to a sample of university and community participants (N=624). Based on the results of Study 2, items were retained, deleted, or refined. Study 3 (N=1444) involved administering the final IMB items and individual difference scales to test the measurement and structural models of the IMB model of sexual consent and the scale’s psychometric properties, resulting in a final Information- Motivation-Behavioural Skills/Affirmative Sexual Consent (IMB/ASC) scale. The results of these studies suggest that the IMB model of consent is an excellent fit with the data. This dissertation can provide the basis for empirically-targeted interventions that mobilize sexual consent assets and target sexual consent deficits. Keywords: sexual consent; sexual assault; gender roles; sexual scripts; affirmative consent; miscommunication hypothesis; information; motivation; behavioural skills ii Summary for Lay Audience Sexual assault — nonconsensual sexual interaction — has immense individual, societal, and economic costs and affects about 1 in 5 women between the ages of 15-24. In an attempt to advance sexual consent, reduce rates of sexual assault, and promote open sexual communication, legislative, judicial, educational, and administrative authorities have articulated the requirement for affirmative sexual consent, which requires ongoing, continuous, and clearly communicated consent to sexual activity. Current regulatory attempts to encourage affirmative sexual consent have often proven to be ineffective at reducing rates of sexual assault. The limited effectiveness of efforts to promote affirmative sexual consent may well derive from a lack of theoretical and empirically- supported understanding of factors that influence affirmative consent enactment. The current research applies the Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills (IMB) model to sexual consent. This model specifies the significant influence of actionable information regarding the requirements of affirmative sexual consent, personal and social motivation to act on this information, and behavioural skills for effectively engaging in sexual consent behaviours. Three studies were conducted to develop and test an IMB model of sexual consent. Study 1 involved the elicitation of information, motivation, and behavioural skills factors that are related to affirmative sexual consent behaviours. Studies 2 and 3 involved developing and empirically testing an IMB-informed scale of sexual consent to examine scale properties and the hypothesized relationships of affirmative consent-related information, motivation, and behavioural skills with affirmative consent behaviours in a sample of young, sexually active individuals. The final stage of research involved evaluating the validity and reliability of this developed scale. This dissertation suggests that the IMB model is an excellent theoretical fit to guide iii our understanding of affirmative sexual consent seeking and expressing behaviours. Overall, the IMB model and the current research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding, predicting, and guiding the development of strategies for promoting sexual consent behaviours. This approach can guide effective public policy and sex education programming that may increase the performance of sexual consent behaviours and reduce sexual assault. iv Co-Authorship Statement This dissertation is composed of four manuscripts that were prepared by Erin Shumlich as part of her dissertation. The co-author of all manuscripts is her dissertation supervisor, Dr. William A. Fisher, who supervised the preparation of these manuscripts. Erin’s role in the preparation of these manuscripts included the development of the overall program of research. She conducted or oversaw all participant focus groups, collected all data, conducted statistical analyses, and wrote these manuscripts. Feedback from Erin’s supervisory committee was provided and incorporated into the preparation of these manuscripts. The manuscripts are mainly the work of Erin, thereby ensuring that the integrity of the dissertation and Erin as an independent researcher are maintained. The manuscripts submitted and accepted for publication vary from the versions included in the dissertation. Three published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals have been incorporated into the current dissertation. The full results of Manuscript 1 and Manuscript 2 make up Chapters 2 and 3, respectively. Elements of Manuscript 3 are incorporated into Chapter 1; however, the results of Manuscript 3 are not included in the current dissertation. Manuscript 4 is in preparation at the time this dissertation was submitted. All journals were informed that the manuscripts would be used in a dissertation and submitted to The University of Western Ontario’s electronic thesis repository. See Appendix 1 for copyright approval of published manuscripts incorporated into the current dissertation. Manuscript 1: Shumlich, E. J., & Fisher, W. A. (2019). An Information- Motivation-Behavioural Skills model analysis of young adults’ sexual behaviour patterns and regulatory requirements for sexual consent in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 28, 277-291. v Manuscript 2: Shumlich, E. J., & Fisher, W. A. (2020). An exploration of factors that influence enactment of affirmative consent behaviors. The Journal of Sex Research, 1-14. Manuscript 3: Shumlich, E. J., & Fisher, W. A. (2018). Affirmative sexual consent? Direct and unambiguous consent is rarely included in discussions of recent sexual interactions. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 27, 248-260. Manuscript 4: Shumlich, E. J., & Fisher, W. A. (In Preparation). Development of an Information, Motivation, Behavioural Skills model-based scale of affirmative sexual consent. vi Acknowledgments First and foremost, I want to dedicate my dissertation to those of us with a story to share. One of the unexpected outcomes of studying sexual violence, is that people have felt comfortable sharing their stories of sexual assault. I am finishing my dissertation amidst an incredibly tumultuous economic and social landscape. We are seeing first-hand how the power of a story can shape revolutions. Thank you to those brave enough to share their stories. My research and clinical work has affirmed my commitment to talk about privilege, acknowledge and work on my biases, educate myself, and create space for people to share their stories. While I am incredibly proud of the clinical and scientific work that I have been able to do during my doctorate, I also recognize that hard work, passion, and tenacity are only a few of the reasons why I am here today. I am incredibly lucky to have grown up in a family that supported my education. Thank you, Jessica, Adrienne, and Brady for bolstering me up when I needed it the most and to my mom and dad for their unwavering support and for being unconditionally proud of me. I love all of you so much. I have infinite thanks to my incredible supervisor, Bill. When I think of the qualities