Relationship of Religious Emphasis During Childhood, Religious Values, and Family Conversations with Sex Anxiety

Abstract

There is a gap in the literature on sex anxiety and an individual's religious emphasis during childhood and values, pertaining to monotheistic religions. Little is known or understood about which factors relate to sex anxiety. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between emphasis on religious values during childrearing, 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 predict high levels of sex anxiety. The findings indicate limited family communications about sex and religious emphasis during childrearing as statistically significant contributors to the variance in sex anxiety. Current religious beliefs did not contribute to the variance in sex anxiety.