Examining How Internal and External Consent Relate to Sexual Satisfaction and Pleasure

Sexual consent communication is part of healthy and safe sexual experiences. Although educators traditionally emphasize consent communication as a preventive measure against sexual violence, there exists a gap in understanding the sex-positive outcomes associated with sexual consent. This study was designed to assess if internal consent feelings and external consent communication and perceptions of a sexual partner's external consent communication related to experiences of sexual satisfaction and sexual pleasure during a consensual sexual experience. Adults (n = 849, M_{age =} 36.9, 36.0% identified as bisexual, 48.1% cis, or trans man, 45.1% cis, or trans women, 6.8% non-binary) completed a web-administered survey regarding their most recent sexual experience, internal consent feelings, external consent communication, perceptions of their partner's external consent communication, and sexual satisfaction and pleasure. After accounting for sociodemographics, we found that three internal consent factors: (1) safety/comfort, (2) arousal, and (3) physical response were positively associated with both sexual satisfaction and pleasure; feelings of readiness were also associated with satisfaction. Partner's use of implicit or explicit verbal cues was also associated with satisfaction and pleasure. Gender, sexual identity, and participants' own external consent communication were not significant predictors. Sexual consent was associated with some sex-positive outcomes. Results could be leveraged in sexual violence prevention and sexual health promotion initiatives to encourage more engagement with affirmative consent as aspects of consent are associated with more pleasurable and satisfying sex.