The moderating effects of family sex communication on the sexual functioning and sexual risk taking of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Supervisor: Dr. David Vachon
My name is Hennessey and this year I worked with Dr. David Vachon on a project examining the moderating effects of family sex communication on the sexual functioning and sexual risk taking of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. We found that all three components of family sex communication (comfort, value, and information) were significant moderators of sexual risk taking. However, family sex communication was not a moderator of sexual dysfunction. Further probing the interactions showed that the effects of childhood sexual abuse were reduced by the comfort and information components of family sex communication but increased by the value component. This study was a great first step to assessing family sex communication as a potential candidate for future research and intervention.