Sexual Consent as a Continuous Process in a Sexually Diverse Sample: Women and Bisexual Individuals Are Less Sexually...

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the study of sexual consent, particularly among diverse sexual samples, including from a gender perspective. The concept and definition of sexual consent are evolving from a static, general, and pre-sexual activity issue to a dynamic process that must be present throughout the entire sexual encounter. Therefore, it is necessary to use instruments that consider this dimension, and to adapt and validate them for diverse languages and cultures to facilitate the replication of quantitative studies. The objective of the present research was twofold: to examine the reliability and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Process-Based Consent Scale (PBCS) and to analyze the differences among a sexually diverse sample, in terms of their own gender identity and sexual orientation. The sample consisted of a total of 726 participants (505 women, 209 men, and 7 nonbinary) of different sexual orientations (587 heterosexual, 77 bisexual, 49 homosexual, and 10 asexual) aged between 18 and 63 years. The Spanish version was composed of 16 items grouped into three factors (ongoing consent, subtle coercion, and communicative sexuality). Gender differences were observed in two of the three factors. Differences were also noted according to sexual orientation, with less sexual coercion by bisexual women. Furthermore, the results indicated that the PBCS correlated with the dimensions of the Spanish version of the Sexual Consent Scale-Revised. The PBCS represents a reliable measure of sexual consent for the Spanish population. These findings could contribute to the prevention of and intervention in sexual violence, tailored according to individual differences.