Date of Award

2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Human Development and Family Science

Specialization

Couple and Family Therapy

Department

Human Development and Family Science

First Advisor

Jessica Cless

Abstract

Ample non-academic examples exist that attest to the contributions of purity culture teachings to traumatic stress experienced by women in relation to their sexual identity and experiences. However, these stories are not captured in academic literature. In order to fill these gaps in the literature, a phenomenological approach was used to describe the lived experience of Catholic women who would self-identify as having been “traumatized” by “purity culture.” Individual interviews were conducted via WebEx with participants who met inclusion criteria. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis, and six themes emerged: a culture of silence around sex, the importance of purity, the role of gender, the lasting effects of purity culture, defining the teachings as traumatic, and the path to healing. Findings indicate that purity culture messaging can be experienced as traumatic either with or without the presence of a traditionally-defined traumatic stressor, and call for future research to be done to understand this phenomenon more fully. Interviews provide preliminary direction for clinicians seeking to treat this population, and indicate the appropriateness of modalities that incorporate education, identity work, and community with others.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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