Predictors of Sex Anxiety: Emphasis on Religion in Childhood, Religious Values, and Family Communication

Little is known or understood about which factors relate to sex anxiety. Specifically, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship of sex anxiety to an individual’s religious emphasis and values pertaining to monotheistic religions. The purpose of this study was to explore a potential relationship between emphasis on religious values during childhood, current religious values, and caregiver-child conversations regarding sex and anxiety surrounding sex acts and practices. It was hypothesized that increased emphasis placed on religious practices during childhood, lower family sex communication, and high religious values would correlate to high levels of sex anxiety. The findings indicate limited family communications about sex and religious emphasis during childhood as statistically significant contributors to the variance in sex anxiety. Current religious beliefs did not contribute to the variance in sex anxiety. The relationships between sex anxiety, family communication, and emphasis on religion during childhood reinforce the impact of community socialization and the importance of early education. Implications for researchers, advocates, religious or community leaders, and care providers are discussed.