Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1998

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Ecology

Major Professor

Robert H. Kirk

Committee Members

James Neutens, Priscilla Blanton, Jack Pursley

Abstract

Sexual satisfaction is often defined subjectively and researchers have attempted to discover predictor variables that may be common to most individual's conceptions of sexual satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship of sexual satisfaction to level of human sexuality knowledge, level of self-esteem, and perception of body image in college and university students at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, The Body Attitudes Questionnaire, The Sexual Satisfaction Inventory, and a Demographic Questionnaire were administered to volunteers from selected classes.

Descriptive statistics and frequencies described the sample of 291 undergraduate students. Questionnaires were utilized to determine levels of human sexuality knowledge, self-esteem, and body image in students in a university setting and data analysis were conducted to ascertain if human sexuality knowledge, self-esteem or body image had a significant relationship to sexual satisfaction. Likewise, correlations were run to determine if there were redundancy among the variables of human sexuality knowledge, self-esteem, body image and gender to sexual satisfaction as well as which variable(s) was/were the best predictor(s). Finally, gender differences were examined for body image and self-esteem.

Results indicated that human sexuality knowledge was not a significant predictor of sexual satisfaction. There were weak correlations between selfVI esteem and body image as they related to sexual satisfaction. There was also a significant gender difference on body image and self-esteem as they related to sexual satisfaction. Males tended to have higher scores than females on the variables of body image and self-esteem respectively. Limitations of the study were addressed. Implications for the university counseling centers are provided as well as recommendations for future research to determine other variables that have a stronger impact on sexual satisfaction in college and university students.

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