“Stepping Out of My Sexual Comfort Zone”: Comparing the Sexual Possible Selves and Strategies of College-Attending and Non-College Emerging Adults

Limited attention has been devoted to examining internalized sexual expectations and fears (i.e., sexual possible selves [SPS]) during emerging adulthood, and in particular how these differ based on college attendance. The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend research on SPS and strategies using a large, diverse sample of college-attending ( n = 400) and non-college ( n = 400) emerging adults (ages 18–25 years). Open-ended responses on internalized sexual expectations and fears were collected through an online survey (Amazon’s MTurk). Qualitative content analysis of each groups’ responses revealed 11 emergent expected SPS themes, with the majority focused on abstinence, interpersonal relationships, quantity, quality, explore/experiment, and sexual health/well-being. Emergent themes of feared SPS overlapped with expected SPS on six categories (e.g., sexual health/well-being); however, we also found fears related to sexual assault/coercion, self-focus, partner focus, and increased sexual risk. Pearson chi-square analyses of themes based on college attendance showed differences in expectations for interpersonal relationships, along with subgroup differences based on gender (male versus female) and gender by college attendance status (e.g., college-attending women versus non-college women). Implications for sexual education and future SPS research are discussed.