Stéphanie Couture

Université Laval

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Mylène Fernet

Université du Québec à Montréal

Martine Hébert

Université du Québec à Montréal

Alison Paradis

Université du Québec à Montréal

Roxanne Guyon

Université Laval

Sylvie Lévesque

Université du Québec à Montréal

Geneviève Brodeur

Université du Québec à Montréal

Irène Strychar

Montfort Hospital

Geneviève Beaulieu‐Pelletier

Université du Québec à Montréal

Frédérick L. Philippe

Université du Québec à Montréal

Serge Lecours

Université de Sherbrooke

Cooperative Institutions

Université de Montréal

Université du Québec à Montréal

McGill University

Université Laval

Université de Sherbrooke

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine

Montreal Clinical Research Institute

Sante Montreal

Institut National d'Excellence en Santé et en Services Sociaux

Centre de Recherches sur les Macromolécules Végétales

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A Dyadic Analysis of Sexual Assertiveness and Sexual Outcomes in Adolescent Romantic Relationships

The Journal of Sex Research (2023)

Stéphanie Couture Martine Hébert Mylène Fernet Alison Paradis Sylvie Lévesque

Amid adolescence, youth are developing the relational skills necessary to form and maintain positive intimate relationships. Sexual assertiveness is a key skill that could be related to couples’ sexual outcomes (i.e. sexual satisfaction, sexual concerns, and sexual function). However, dyadic studies are lacking, and associations between sexual assertiveness and adolescents’ sexual health and well-being remain underexplored. This cross-sectional dyadic study examined associations between dimensions of sexual assertiveness and sexual outcomes in adolescent romantic relationships. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model guided analyses of self-reported questionnaires from 110 romantic dyads (aged 14–19 years; M = 16.51). Participants’ gender was considered in the models, and gender differences emerged in the associations between study variables. Path analyses revealed that sexual needs and desires communication, refusal of unwanted sex, sexual intimacy initiation, and comfort talking about sex have significant actor and partner effects on adolescents’ sexual outcomes in mixed-gender dyads. These findings suggest that authentically expressing one’s own sexual needs, desires, and limits in adolescence may influence not only one’s own sexual satisfaction, sexual concerns, and sexual function, but also their partner’s. The aforementioned dimensions of sexual assertiveness could be important targets for research-based interventions to promote sexual health and well-being in adolescent romantic relationships.

Assertiveness

Romance

Sexual relationship

10.1080/00224499.2023.2282620

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Citations (3)

“Finding My Worth as a Sexual Being”: A Qualitative Gender Analysis of Sexual Self-Concept and Coping in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Archives of Sexual Behavior (2023)

Roxanne Guyon Mylène Fernet Stéphanie Couture Monique Tardif Marie-Marthe Cousineau

Orgasm

Sexual attraction

Child sexual abuse

10.1007/s10508-023-02693-5

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Citations (3)

Meeting the needs of adolescent and emerging adult victims of sexual violence in their romantic relationships: A mixed methods study exploring barriers to help-seeking

Child Abuse & Neglect (2019)

Mylène Fernet Martine Hébert Stéphanie Couture Geneviève Brodeur

Sexual Violence

Romance

10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.01.019

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Citations (37)

The role of attachment avoidance in extradyadic sex

Attachment & Human Development (2011)

Geneviève Beaulieu‐Pelletier Frédérick L. Philippe Serge Lecours Stéphanie Couture

The purposes of the present research were to examine the relationship between attachment and extradyadic sex and to investigate a mediator of this relationship. Study 1 showed that attachment avoidance was positively associated with extradyadic sex, while attachment anxiety was unrelated to it. These results were maintained after controlling for sexual satisfaction, sexual desire, gender, and age. Study 2 replicated the results from Study 1, while also controlling for couple adjustment. Study 3 used a prospective design and further showed that concerns with the partner's desire for engagement mediated the relationship between attachment avoidance and extradyadic sex. Overall, the findings suggest that attachment avoidance increases people's irritation relative to their partner's desire for engagement which, in turn, increases their likelihood to engage in extradyadic sex. The possibility that individuals characterized by attachment avoidance might use extradyadic sex as a way to distance themselves from their partner is discussed.

Insecure attachment

10.1080/14616734.2011.562419

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Citations (38)

Validation of a French-Canadian adaptation of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness for adolescents

Sexual & Relationship Therapy (2022)

Stéphanie Couture Martine Hébert Mylène Fernet

Sexual assertiveness is a key variable in the development of satisfying and violence-free intimate relationships, yet no specific measure has been validated to assess sexual assertiveness in adolescents. This study aimed to validate the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness in a sample of French-speaking adolescents. Analyses were conducted on self-reported questionnaires from two subsamples comprising a total of 1,292 girls aged 14-19 years (Mage = 16.76 years, SD = 1.42). Exploratory structural equation modeling revealed that a five-factor structure was optimal for capturing the following underlying constructs of sexual assertiveness: 1) Sexual needs and desires communication, 2) Refusal of unwanted sex, 3) Sexual intimacy initiation, 4) Comfort talking about sex, and 5) Taking charge of one's own sexual pleasure. After item reduction, factors showed moderate to high reliability (α = 0.59-0.87). Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to cross-validate the five-factor structure among the second subsample (α = 0.63-0.87). Results support evidence of convergent validity with related measures. Validation of this adaptation of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness will help scholars further study sexual assertiveness in adolescents. In addition, the measure could serve as an indicator of change in the evaluation of evidence-based interventions.

Assertiveness

Exploratory factor analysis

Convergent validity

10.1080/14681994.2022.2067981

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Citations (3)

A cluster analysis of dynamics in adolescent romantic relationships

Journal of Adolescence (2021)

Stéphanie Couture Mylène Fernet Martine Hébert

Romance

Dynamics

10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.04.012

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Citations (5)

“I Just Want to Feel Good Without Making You Feel Bad”: Sexual Assertiveness Negotiation in Adolescent Romantic Relationships

Archives of Sexual Behavior (2023)

Stéphanie Couture Mylène Fernet Martine Hébert Roxanne Guyon Sylvie Lévesque

Assertiveness

Romance

10.1007/s10508-023-02668-6

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Citations (4)

Associations between Conflict Negotiation Strategies, Sexual Comfort, and Sexual Satisfaction in Adolescent Romantic Relationships

The Journal of Sex Research (2022)

Stéphanie Couture Marie‐Pier Vaillancourt‐Morel Martine Hébert Mylène Fernet

Achieving healthy and satisfying sexual relationships is a major developmental task in adolescence, but factors promoting sexual satisfaction among adolescent romantic relationships remain underexplored. Since sexuality is shaped by relational experiences, strategies mobilized to negotiate conflicts in romantic relationships could be related to sexual satisfaction through comfort in negotiating sexual experiences. Sexual comfort refers to the ease of discussing sexuality, and feeling comfortable with one's own sexual life and with others' sexual behaviors. This cross-sectional dyadic study examined the mediating role of sexual comfort in the associations between perceived conflict negotiation strategies and sexual satisfaction among adolescent romantic dyads. The actor-partner interdependence model guided the analyses of self-reported questionnaires from 104 mixed- and same-sex dyads (Mage = 18.99 years, SD = 1.51). An adolescent's higher compromise and lower submission were related to their own higher sexual satisfaction via their own higher sexual comfort. The results also revealed a direct association between an adolescent's higher domination and their own lower sexual satisfaction. These findings underscore the importance of considering conflict negotiation strategies and sexual comfort as key factors related to adolescents' sexual satisfaction.

Romance

Association (psychology)

10.1080/00224499.2022.2043230

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Citations (5)

Diabetes Screening Among High-risk Participants in the Quebec Health Survey

Canadian Journal of Diabetes (2006)

Stéphanie Couture Jean‐François Yale Robert Marchand Nahla Aris-Jilwan François Champagne

Prediabetes

Medical advice

Medical record

10.1016/s1499-2671(06)01011-2

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Citations (2)

Interaction Patterns in Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Typological Analysis

Journal of Research on Adolescence (2020)

Stéphanie Couture Mylène Fernet Philippe-Benoît Côté

While several studies in adolescents have addressed issues related to romantic relationships and dating violence, there is a limited understanding of their interaction patterns. This study aims to document interactions in conflict situations by identifying profiles of adolescent romantic relationships. Qualitative analysis based on the dimensions of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems was used to investigate the interaction task of 40 dyads. A typological analysis revealed four profiles: (1) rigid, (2) entangled, (3) hampered, and (4) balanced. Results highlight the diversity of romantic experiences and offer a better understanding of the intricacies of different interaction profiles. Dating violence prevention efforts and programs promoting harmonious and egalitarian romantic relationships could benefit from the insights of the identified profiles.

Romance

Qualitative analysis

10.1111/jora.12553

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Citations (3)