Purity culture exposure linked to higher sexual shame in trauma survivors. This research highlights the deep impact that specific religious scripts can have on psychological recovery and sexual well-being.
Purity culture exposure linked to higher sexual shame in trauma survivors
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**Purity culture exposure linked to higher sexual shame in trauma survivors**
A recent study published in [*The Journal of Sex Research*](https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2026.2653785) suggests that exposure to strict religious sexual teachings can increase feelings of sexual shame, particularly for people who have survived sexual violence. The findings indicate that both childhood exposure to and adult acceptance of purity culture messages uniquely contribute to how individuals view themselves sexually after a nonconsensual experience. This research highlights the deep impact that specific religious scripts can have on psychological recovery and sexual well-being.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2026.2653785
that is to be expected, purity culture goes against a completely normal and natural human behavior
the thing is, that in religious cults were purity culture is heavely promoted, sexual abuse is extremely rampant, so one could argue that purity culture is a form of control to silence victims, to the benefit of abusers, it fits extremely well
purity culture itselfs also seems mostly targeted at women for some reason, while there is a light form of it targeted at men ( masturbation ) women in general get shamed for sexual behavior and the same sexual behavior is normalized ( even encouraged ) for men, to this day
even from an STD standpoint, its doesnt really make sense that purity culture is aimed at a specific gender, i really wonder why it was even invented in the first place