The+Wyatt+Survey

The Wyatt Survey **The Wyatt Survey on African American and European American Women in Los Angeles:** Gail E. Wyatt, a UCLA researcher, directed a massive survey of women in the 1980s in order to gauge and analyze sexual behavior trends. The survey’s results brought many new issues to the forefront of sex research. For instance, the Wyatt survey sought to confront the prevalence and psychological impact of childhood sexual abuse. Not only this, but the Wyatt survey was the first to focus on the sexual behavior of African American women. The results of the Wyatt survey exhibited the success of the interviewing processes in identifying sexual behavior trends and revealing influential findings.

 **Gail E. Wyatt:** As the first African-American woman to be licensed as a psychologist in California, Gail E. Wyatt has greatly attributed to the growth of sex research. Dr. Gail E. Wyatt is a clinical psychologist, sex therapist, as well as a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA. Dr. Wyatt is also an Associate Director of the UCLA AIDS Institute where her current work is dedicated to investigating the socio-cultural factors that influence HIV/AIDS research (UCLA, 2009).

**Details of the Wyatt Survey:** Wyatt and colleagues collected data from 122 European American and 126 African American women in Los Angeles County. Los Angeles was selected as the location for the study because of the sheer number of women who represent a very diverse set of demographic characteristics. According to Wyatt, Los Angeles was also chosen because of the availability of women from both desired ethnic groups: African American women and white American women. The women who participated in the survey were between the ages of 18 and 36 and were recruited in a random selection process via telephone listings (Wyatt, 1985). Participants were selected in order to balance the study in regards to demographic attributes like age, education level, number of children, and marital status. **Data Collection Methods:** The data was collected from women during Kinsey-style, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. The use of semi-structured interviews indicates that Wyatt utilized an identical list of questions to ask each individual. However, semi-structured interviews also include room to deviate from the identical list in response to answers provided by participants (Cohen & Crabtree, 2006) For example, if a woman said that she had experienced a certain form of sexual abuse, the researcher would ask several follow-up questions in order to fully investigate the experience and the psychological impact of said experience. The follow up questions act as a vehicle in order for the researcher and the subject to develop rapport. To facilitate the creation of comfort during the interview, the researchers were female and the same ethnicity as the participant (Wyatt, 1985). It’s clear from the amount of disclosure that the Wyatt study achieved, that rapport and comfort are imperative features of a sexual interview. These interviews lasted anywhere from 3 to 8 hours (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2002). The analysis of the results obtained from the 248 total interviews was presented in several different published articles. **Published Articles:** The first of these published articles was titled “The Sexual Abuse of Afro-American and White-American Women in Childhood”, 1985. This article begins by detailing the definition of sexual abuse in childhood used throughout the Wyatt survey. The Wyatt definition of sexual abuse in childhood had 5 factors: the types of behaviors, age of the subject, age of the perpetrator, relationship of perpetrator to the subject, and the willingness of the subject to participate in the experience. In addition to the Wyatt Sexual History Questionnaire, a 478-item structured interview, questions were developed to inquire about the possible occurrence of childhood sexual abuse. The questions that were developed are listed here: 1. During childhood and adolescence, did anyone ever expose themselves (their sexual organs) to you? 2. During childhood and adolescence, did anyone masturbate in front of you? 3. Did a relative, family friend or stranger ever touch or fondle your body, including your breasts or genitals, or attempt to arouse you sexually? 4. During childhood and adolescence, did anyone try to have you arouse them, or touch their body in a sexual way?  5. Did anyone rub their genitals against your body in a sexual way? 6. During childhood and adolescence, did anyone attempt to have intercourse with you? <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">7. Did anyone have intercourse with you? <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">8. Did you have any other sexual experiences involving a relative, family friend, or stranger?

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Another published article that stemmed from the results of the Wyatt Survey is from 1988 and is titled, “Kinsey Revisited, Part II: Comparisons of the Sexual Socialization and Sexual Behavior of Black Women Over 33 Years”. Since Wyatt and Kinsey both employed similar techniques in collecting sexual history data from participants, a direct comparison can be made between their results. Wyatt made sure this comparison would be possible before beginning her massive survey. Dr. Gail E. Wyatt and her colleagues wanted to exhibit the changes in sexual communication, as well as sexual behaviors, that have most definitely occurred since Kinsley’s era (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2002).

This study from 1988, published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, examined interview results from two groups of college-educated black women, ages 18 to 36, 196 women from the original Kinsey sample and 64 women from the new sample. Wyatt et al controlled for differences between the two samples on age and marital status. The main responses that were compared included: childhood family characteristics, sexual socialization and education, sexual behavior in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, contraceptive practices, and child sexual abuse (Wyatt, Peters & Guthrie, 1988). The findings truly demonstrated large societal changes in sexual behavior trends and especially emphasized the fact that women were engaging in sexual practices at much younger ages than the subjects from Kinsey’s study. For instance, Kinsey’s study indicated that, by the age of 20, one in five women had engaged in pre-marital sex; Whereas, Wyatt et al’s study reported that 98% of women surveyed had experienced pre-marital sex by that same age (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2002). Wyatt, Peters and Guthrie found that these significant, societal changes pointed to the larger role of the media, as well as the existence of more comfortable and open attitudes regarding nudity in the home. The subjects of the Wyatt Survey, as compared to the Kinsey study, were less likely to have a fiance or husband as their first partner, reported a higher number of sexual partners, and participated in a broader range of sexual behaviors (Wyatt, Peters & Guthrie, 1988). This comparison study showed that, in half a decade alone, American views on sex had completely changed: Sexual expression is extremely volatile, subject to quick changes, and, as the Wyatt Survey demonstrated, must be continually measured in order to reflect on the impact of societal changes.

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">**The Shortcomings of Surveys:** <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">According to the 2002 edition of //Human Sexuality in a World of Diversity,// there are several weaknesses of the survey method, especially in regards to sex research (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2002).

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Volunteer Bias: <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">The Wyatt Survey utilized telephone listings and randomized number generators in order to recruit individuals for the study. This means that many people refused to participate. Since the Wyatt Survey was a sex study, the individuals who did actively volunteer to participate were more likely to be sexually liberal than people who refused.

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Faulty Estimation: <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Memory is a very inaccurate source. Information can be forgotten, distorted, or even purposefully misrepresented. The Wyatt Survey asked several questions regarding childhood sexuality and therefore many of its participants may have been misremembering.

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Social-Desirability Response Bias: <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">People tend to be wary of sensitive topics like sexual behavior and childhood sexual abuse and may alter their responses due to embarrassment, shame, guilt, and fear of judgment from the researcher.

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Differences in Meaning of Terms: <span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">An example of a term that is often confusable or differing in meaning for individuals is “sexual satisfaction”. Some people believe it can be substituted for “intense orgasm” while others believe it indicates connection, love and intimacy along with sex.

<span style="line-height: 200%; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Sources: <span style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Cohen, D., & Crabtree, B. (2006, July). Qualitative research guidelines project. Retrieved from [] <span style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Biographical material on Alfred Kinsey. (1996). Retrieved from [] <span style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">Rathus, S.A., Nevid, J.S., & Fichner-Rathus, L. (2002) Human sexuality in a world of diversity. Boston, MA: A Pearson Education Company. <span style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; tab-stops: 28.0pt 56.0pt 84.0pt 112.0pt 140.0pt 168.0pt 196.0pt 224.0pt 3.5in 280.0pt 308.0pt 336.0pt; text-autospace: none;">UCLA AIDS institute: about the institute. (2009). Retrieved from [] Wyatt, G.E. (1985). The sexual abuse of afro-american and white-american women in childhood. Child Abuse and Neglect, 9, 507-519. Wyatt, G.E., Peters, S.D., & Guthrie, D. (1988). Kinsey revisited, part II: comparisons of the sexual socialization and sexual behavior of black women over 33 years. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 17(4), 289-230.