Oral-Genital Contact and the Meaning of Had Sex: The Role of Social Desirability

Previous studies have found that a large proportion of college students do not consider oral-genital contact as having had sex. In all studies, the questions posed were hypothetical. In the present study, university students were asked about their own personal sexual experiences. From a large pool of participants, two subgroups were identified: those who responded No to having had sex but responded Yes to having had oral-genital contact (No-Yes), and those who responded Yes to having had both sex and oral-genital contact (Yes-Yes). None of the participants in these two subgroups self-reported vaginal or anal intercourse. The No-Yes group was significantly higher in social desirability (p < .0005) as measured by the Marlowe-Crowne scale and was also significantly higher in religiosity (p < .01) as measured on a 7-point Likert scale. There was a modest correlation between level of religiosity and social desirability (r = .25, p < .01). It was concluded that many students who have had oral-genital contact but deny having had sex do so because of impression management, i.e., a desire to present themselves more positively. These results provide further evidence that social desirability responding is a serious problem for sex researchers, one that affects even the most basic questions about having had sex.

Automated summary

Previous studies have shown that many college students do not consider oral-genital contact as a form of sexual activity. However, this study asked university students about their own personal sexual experiences. The study found that students who denied having had sex but admitted to oral-genital contact had higher levels of social desirability and religiosity.