Sample records for sexual encounters involving

  1. Condom-Insistence Conflict in Women’s Alcohol-Involved Sexual Encounters with a New Male Partner

    PubMed Central

    Bryan, Amanda E. B.; Norris, Jeanette; Abdallah, Devon Alisa; Zawacki, Tina; Morrison, Diane M.; George, William H.; Davis, Kelly C.; Danube, Cinnamon L.; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.

    2017-01-01

    First-time sexual intercourse with a new male partner, relative to other sexual encounters, is associated with heightened risk to women for contracting sexually transmitted infections. Little is known, however, about women’s condom-related decision-making processes during these first-time sexual encounters. In the present study, we surveyed a community sample of 179 women aged 18–30 about their alcohol consumption, desire to use a condom, perception of their partner’s desire to use a condom, condom-insistence conflict, and condom-decision abdication and use during their most recent alcohol-involved first-time sexual encounter with a new partner. With structural equation modeling we tested a cognitive mediation model with various configurations of alcohol effects on abdication and condom use (direct, indirect, moderator). A moderated mediation model fit the data best. Women experienced elevated condom-insistence conflict when they wanted to use a condom and perceived their partner did not; conflict, in turn, was associated with higher likelihood of abdication and lower likelihood of condom use. Higher alcohol intoxication attenuated the associations of desire to use a condom, and perceived partner’s desire to use a condom, with conflict. Results support an alcohol myopia-conflict inhibition-reduction model and emphasize the importance of sex education programs that teach young women not only about condom-related assertiveness and the effects of alcohol, but also prepare them to respond to experiences of conflict that arise during sexual encounters. PMID:29720782

  2. Male Escorts' and Male Clients' Sexual Behavior During Their Last Commercial Sexual Encounter: Comparing and Contrasting Findings from Two Online Studies.

    PubMed

    Grov, Christian; Rodríguez-Díaz, Carlos E; Jovet-Toledo, Gerardo G

    2016-05-01

    Much of what is known about commercial sexual encounters between men is based on data gathered from escorts. With few exceptions, studies have not compared male clients' reports of behavior during commercial sexual encounters with male escorts'. The present study draws from two datasets, a 2012 survey of clients (n = 495) and a 2013 survey of escorts (n = 387)--both used virtually identical measures of sexual behavior during the most recent commercial sexual encounter. For clients and escorts, the majority eschewed having sex without a condom, and kissing and oral sex were among the most common behaviors reported. Using logistic regression, both samples were compared across 15 sexual behaviors, finding significant differences in six--the escort sample had greater odds of reporting their last commercial sexual encounter involved watching the client masturbate, viewing porn, role play (dad/son, dominant/submissive), and having prior sexual experience with their commercial partner. The escort sample had lower odds of reporting that the client watched the escort masturbate, and being told partner's HIV status. In multivariable modeling, both samples did not significantly differ in reports of condomless anal sex. Male-male commercial sexual encounters appear to be involved in a wide range of sexual behaviors, many of which convey low-to-no risk of HIV transmission.

  3. Internet advertisements for public sexual encounters among men who have sex with men: are safe behaviors communicated?

    PubMed

    Downing, Martin J

    2011-09-01

    Public and commercial sex venues typically provide easy access to sexual encounters that are often anonymous and, therefore, may facilitate HIV/STD transmission among those men who attend. Recently, researchers have suggested that men who have sex with men may be using the Internet to search for sexual encounters to occur within sex venues. The current study explored the extent to which men who advertise for public or commercial sexual encounters initially communicate to potential partners their safe-sex intentions. Advertisements for sexual encounters (n = 99) were collected from a publicly accessible website and examined for content related to venue type, sexual behavior, and indications of sexual safety or risk. Word frequencies were calculated to provide a closer investigation of how individuals negotiate safe sex within these communications. The findings revealed that approximately half of the men who advertised for sex in a public or commercial sex venue failed to communicate to potential partners in their initial advertisement a desire to be safe during sexual encounters involving oral and anal practices. Additionally, a small percentage of men advertised specifically for risky encounters (e.g., barebacking). Together, these findings suggest that men do use the Internet to coordinate public sexual encounters, some of which may be unprotected from HIV/STD transmission. Future research should address the process of condom negotiation among men who initially meet their male sex partners on the Internet for subsequent encounters in sex venues.

  4. Motivations and Experiences Related to Women's First Same-sex Sexual Encounters

    PubMed Central

    Talley, Amelia E.; Cook, Mackenzie A.; Schroy, Catherine A.

    2017-01-01

    Using women's self-identified sexual identity, the current study compares motivations for first same-sex sexual encounters as well as associated experiential outcomes. We also examine whether relations between sexual motivations and experiential outcomes differ as a function of women's sexual identity status. Participants were women (N=123), ages 18-to-29 (M=21.59, SD=3.33), who self-reported a history of same-sex sexual contact. Approximately 27% of women identified as exclusively heterosexual (i.e., EH), 35% as primarily heterosexual (i.e., ‘mostly heterosexual’ [MH]), and 38% as exclusively or primarily lesbian/ gay, or bisexual (i.e., LGB). Participants completed an online survey. MH and LGB women reported first same-sex sexual encounters that were more motivated by intimacy and exploration motives, relative to EH women. Compared to MH and LGB women, EH also engaged in fewer sexual activities with their first same-sex partner. Intimacy and exploration motives were related to positive experiential outcomes during first same-sex contact. Associations between motivations and experiential outcomes were not moderated by sexual identity. Findings contribute to understanding motivations and experiences related to women's first same-sex sexual encounters and show that not all women with a history of same-sex sexual contact subsequently identify with a minority sexual identity label. PMID:29531637

  5. Encountering women veterans with military sexual trauma.

    PubMed

    Conard, Patricia L; Young, Cathy; Hogan, LaMicha; Armstrong, Myrna L

    2014-10-01

    As women veterans (WVs) are returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom with military sexual trauma (MST), the purpose of this article is twofold. First, important exploratory questions that can assist with a thorough assessment and history are presented as well as the applicable treatment for any new, recurrent, or unresolved symptoms that involve MST. Review of multiple literary materials, as well as a clinical situation. WVs will be encountered in a variety of military or civilian primary and community care healthcare settings. Every woman (and man) in the civilian sector should be asked, "Have you ever served in the military?" Recognition, acknowledgment, and applicable interventions for MST and associated comorbidities, especially post-traumatic stress disorder, are presented as currently 80-90% of MST experiences have gone unreported. Immediate treatment and follow-up are critical for the well-being of the WVs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Influence of alcohol on condom use pattern during non-spousal sexual encounter in male migrant workers in north India.

    PubMed

    Rizwan, S A; Kant, S; Goswami, K; Rai, S K; Misra, P

    2014-01-01

    Migrant workers constitute an important risk group for Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome transmission in India. Alcohol consumption before sexual intercourse has been postulated to influence condom use practices. This study aimed to assess this association with regard to non-spousal sexual encounters among male migrant workers in northern India. A cross-sectional facility-based survey was conducted in 2011. Male migrant workers aged ≥18 years, who were born outside Haryana, who had moved to the current location after 15 years of age,had worked in the current factory for at least 1 year, who were willing to participate and were able to give written, informed consent were included in the study. A consecutive sampling was performed. Descriptive, bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were carried out. A total of 162 participants reported having experienced non-spousal sexual encounters in the last 1 year. The proportion of men who reported not having used a condom at their last non-spousal sexual encounter was 59.3%, and 78.4% of the men reported having consumed alcohol in the last 1 year. About 48.1% of men reported having consumed alcohol before their last non-spousal sexual encounter. Men who consumed alcohol were three times more likely to not use a condom at their last non-spousal sexual encounter (OR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.4). This association persisted even after adjusting for relevant confounders. Alcohol consumption had a negative influence on condom use during non-spousal sexual encounter among male migrant workers. An integrated approach to promote condom use and reduce alcohol consumption among migrant men needs to be undertaken through targeted intervention strategies.

  7. Hildegard Peplau’s Theory and the Healthcare Encounters of Survivors of Sexual Violence

    PubMed Central

    Courey, Tamra J.; Martsolf, Donna S.; Draucker, Claire B.; Strickland, Karen B.

    2011-01-01

    Background Individuals who experience sexual violence often seek services in a variety of healthcare settings. Although research indicates that survivors often report that interactions with healthcare professionals are distressing, little is known about what renders these encounters helpful or hurtful. Objective The purpose of this study was to use Hildegard Peplau’s (1952) conceptualization of nurses’ helping roles (i.e., stranger, resource person, teacher, leadership, surrogate, counselor, technical expert) in nurse-client interactions to explore how survivors of sexual violence perceive their encounters with healthcare professionals. Study Design Content analysis was conducted on the transcripts of 60 minimally structured interviews in which participants discussed their experiences of sexual violence. Results The results revealed that the helping roles of counselor and technical expert, as identified by Peplau, were most important to survivors of sexual violence. Regardless of role, participants perceived healthcare professionals to be helpful when they exhibited interpersonal sensitivity, especially in regards to the participants’ experiences with violence. Conclusions The findings indicate that healthcare professionals need to maintain an attentive and compassion stance when working with survivors of sexual violence. Those who serve in a counselor role need to create an atmosphere of trust so that clients may explore in depth how violence has affected their lives. PMID:21665762

  8. Low Mate Encounter Rate Increases Male Risk Taking in a Sexually Cannibalistic Praying Mantis

    PubMed Central

    Brown, William D.; Muntz, Gregory A.; Ladowski, Alexander J.

    2012-01-01

    Male praying mantises are forced into the ultimate trade-off of mating versus complete loss of future reproduction if they fall prey to a female. The balance of this trade-off will depend both on (1) the level of predatory risk imposed by females and (2) the frequency of mating opportunities for males. We report the results of a set of experiments that examine the effects of these two variables on male risk-taking behavior and the frequency of sexual cannibalism in the praying mantis Tenodera sinensis. We experimentally altered the rate at which males encountered females and measured male approach and courtship behavior under conditions of high and low risk of being attacked by females. We show that male risk taking depends on prior access to females. Males with restricted access to females showed greater risk-taking behavior. When males were given daily female encounters, they responded to greater female-imposed risk by slowing their rate of approach and remained a greater distance from a potential mate. In contrast, males without recent access to mates were greater risk-takers; they approached females more rapidly and to closer proximity, regardless of risk. In a second experiment, we altered male encounter rate with females and measured rates of sexual cannibalism when paired with hungry or well-fed females. Greater risk-taking behavior by males with low mate encounter rates resulted in high rates of sexual cannibalism when these males were paired with hungry females. PMID:22558146

  9. Sexual involvement with patients.

    PubMed

    Kirstein, L

    1978-04-01

    Three cases of sexual activity between patients and staff members were presented and determinants and consequences of this type of acting out behavior were discussed. Patients sexual behavior was in part motivated by a need to avoid feelings of loneliness and anxiety and a consequence of the sexual behavior was the recurrence of symptoms and behaviors noted upon admission. The staff members were noted to become more self preoccupied and less involved with both staff and patients following the sexual behavior. The role of the ward psychiatrist in preventing such patient staff interactions includes his taking responsibility for educational and supervisory needs of the staff, his being involved in the creation and maintenance of the ward's moral code and his awareness of group and organizational factors that may impede open staff communications.

  10. Species abundance, sexual encounter and bioluminescent signalling in the deep sea.

    PubMed Central

    Herring, P J

    2000-01-01

    The problems faced by deep-sea animals in achieving sexual and other encounters require sensory and effector systems the synergy of which can span the often very substantial distances that separate individuals. Bioluminescent systems provide one of the links between individuals, and the sexual dimorphism of some photophores suggests that they are employed to attract a mate. However, nearest-neighbour values for many deep-sea animals put them beyond the effective range of bioluminescent signals and it is therefore likely that these signals are employed at intermediate ranges, once an initial contact (perhaps olfactory) has been made. PMID:11079413

  11. Male clients' behaviours with and perspectives about their last male escort encounter: comparing repeat versus first-time hires.

    PubMed

    Wolff, Margaret M; Grov, Christian; Smith, Michael D; Koken, Juline A; Parsons, Jeffrey T

    2014-01-01

    Research on men who have sex with men suggests that condomless anal intercourse occurs more frequently in established sexual relationships. While comparable data regarding male-for-male escorting is unavailable, research implies that many clients seek emotional as well as physical connections with the men they hire. In 2012, 495 male clients, recruited via daddysreviews.com completed an online survey about their last hiring experience. Most participants were from the USA (85.7%), the UK and Canada (3.2% each). In total, 75% of encounters involved an escort hired for the first time; 25% were with a previously hired escort ('repeat encounter'). The client's age, lifetime number of escorts hired and number hired in the past year were positively associated with the last encounter being a repeat encounter. Cuddling, sharing a meal, drinking alcohol, taking a walk, watching a show and shopping were also positively associated with repeat encounters. Conversely, none of the sexual behaviours were significantly associated with repeat encounters. Repeat encounters were significantly more likely to include non-sexual behaviours alongside sexual activities, but no more likely to involve condomless anal intercourse. Moreover, clients' knowledge of escorts' HIV status was not significantly associated with engaging in condomless anal intercourse with repeat encounters.

  12. Is Sexual Activity During Adolescence Good for Future Romantic Relationships?

    PubMed

    Shulman, Shmuel; Seiffge-Krenke, Inge; Walsh, Sophie D

    2017-09-01

    Past research has consistently shown that romantic experiences during adolescence affect the nature and quality of romantic relationships during emerging adulthood. However, less is known about the role of adolescent sexual experiences in future sexual and romantic relationships. The current study examined the impact of different forms of sexual activity at age 16 (within a romantic relationship or casual encounters) on the nature and quality of sexual experiences in romantic relationships at age 23. One hundred and forty four (59.7% females) 16 year olds reported on their sexual activity within a romantic relationship or sexual encounters. In addition they reported on the quality of relationships they were involved in and their tendency to suppress emotions (included as an aspect of personality). At age 23 they reported on their romantic and sexual experiences during the past 2 years (number of short lived relationships, numbers of friends with benefits, casual sex encounters) and the quality of their romantic relationships (the duration of their longest relationship, partner support and feelings of certainty in the relationships). Findings showed that the tendency to suppress emotions was associated with lower likelihood to engage in casual sex at age 23. However, greater sexual experience in casual encounters during adolescence was consistently longitudinally associated with different forms of casual sexual encounters and short romantic involvements above and beyond the contribution of personality. In contrast, sexual activity within a romantic relationship predicted only a few indices of the quality of romantic involvement at age 23. The distinctive role of casual sexual activity and sexual activity within a romantic relationship for future sexual and romantic activities is discussed.

  13. Paradoxical attitudes toward premarital dating and sexual encounters in Tehran, Iran: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Motamedi, Mahnaz; Merghati-Khoei, Effat; Shahbazi, Mohammad; Rahimi-Naghani, Shahrzad; Salehi, Mehrdad; Karimi, Mehrdad; Hajebi, Ahmad; Khalajabadi-Farahani, Farideh

    2016-08-30

    The purpose of this study is to assess attitudes toward premarital dating and sexual encounters in individuals aged 15-49 years in Tehran. Utilizing the attitudes section of an original cross-sectional study (n = 755) aimed at assessing sexual health needs of adults, this paper examined personal attitudes towards premarital dating, non-sexual relationships and sexual encounters in both male and female adults aged between 15-49 years. Multi-stage cluster random sampling and a validated/reliable questionnaire were used. Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using statistical software. The results indicated that the majority of the participants were supportive of dating. Almost three-fourths of the males were more positively inclined towards non-sexual, yet tactile, affectionate interactions between unmarried males and females as opposed to only half of the females (70 % vs. 50.5 %). Also, males held significantly more liberal attitudes than females in their acceptance of premarital sex. On preserving virginity prior to marriage, 43 % of the males felt that it was important for a female to be a virgin, whereas only 26 % felt it was important for males to remain a virgin. Interestingly, more females (61 %) supported the importance of a female's virginity compared with the importance of males' virginity (48 %). This study showed that, being a male, of a younger age, single, and being less religious or being secular were important determinants of a liberal sexual attitude. These results might reflect a socio-cultural transition in the sexual attitudes of different age groups of participants - a phenomenon that will need empirical studies to unpack in the Iranian socio-cultural context.

  14. Sexual Victimization, Alcohol Intoxication, Sexual-Emotional Responding, and Sexual Risk in Heavy Episodic Drinking Women

    PubMed Central

    George, William H.; Davis, Kelly Cue; Masters, N. Tatiana; Jacques-Tiura, Angela J.; Heiman, Julia R.; Norris, Jeanette; Gilmore, Amanda K.; Nguyen, Hong V.; Kajumulo, Kelly F.; Otto, Jacqueline M.; Andrasik, Michele P.

    2013-01-01

    This study used an experimental paradigm to investigate the roles of sexual victimization history and alcohol intoxication in young women’s sexual-emotional responding and sexual risk taking. A nonclinical community sample of 436 young women, with both an instance of heavy episodic drinking and some HIV/STI risk exposure in the past year, completed childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) measures. A majority of them reported CSA and/or ASA, including rape and attempted rape. After random assignment to a high alcohol dose (.10%) or control condition, participants read and projected themselves into an eroticized scenario of a sexual encounter involving a new partner. As the story protagonist, each participant rated her positive mood and her sexual arousal, sensation, and desire, and then indicated her likelihood of engaging in unprotected sex. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that ASA and alcohol were directly associated with heightened risk taking, and alcohol’s effects were partially mediated by positive mood and sexual desire. ASA was associated with attenuated sexual-emotional responding and resulted in diminished risk taking via this suppression. These are the first findings indicating that, compared to non-victimized counterparts, sexually victimized women respond differently in alcohol-involved sexual encounters in terms of sexual-emotional responding and risk-taking intentions. Implications include assessing victimization history and drinking among women seeking treatment for either concern, particularly women at risk for HIV, and alerting them to ways their histories and behavior may combine to exacerbate their sexual risks. PMID:23857517

  15. Religiosity and Sexual Involvement Within Adolescent Romantic Couples

    PubMed Central

    LeJeune, Brenna C.; Zimet, Gregory D.; Azzouz, Faouzi; Fortenberry, J. Dennis

    2011-01-01

    The impact of religiosity in adolescent romantic partnerships on sexual behavior was assessed. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health reciprocated couples database using religious- and relationship-oriented variables to predict sexual involvement in 374 couples (748 participants). We found that individual- and couple-based religiosity impacted sexual behavior. These findings provide evidence for dyad religiosity as a component involved in the expression of sexual behavior in romantic relationships. The current results highlight the importance of incorporating a broad social perspective in order to understand the expression of adolescent sexual behavior. PMID:21735321

  16. Social Integration and Health: Community Involvement, Stigmatized Identities, and Sexual Risk in Latino Sexual Minorities

    PubMed Central

    Ramirez-Valles, Jesus; Kuhns, Lisa M.; Campbell, Richard T.; Diaz, Rafael M.

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to contribute to the conceptual understanding and practical application of social integration theory to health behaviors. We test whether community involvement in AIDS and GLBT organizations moderates the relationship of racial and homosexual stigmata to sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men and transgender persons of Latin American origin or descent. We use structural equation modeling to analyze data from a sample of 643 individuals recruited via respondent-driven sampling. Among those not involved in community organizations, homosexual and racial stigmata are related to sexual activity under the influence of alcohol and drugs, which is linked to sexual risk behavior. Among the involved group, the stigmata are not linked to sexual activity under the influence of alcohol and drugs, or to sexual risk behavior. The moderating role of community involvement seems to be more salient in those currently involved than those ever involved. PMID:20420293

  17. Towards Linking Anonymous Authorship in Casual Sexual Encounter Ads

    PubMed Central

    Fries, Jason A.; Segre, Alberto M.; Polgreen, Philip M.

    2013-01-01

    Objective This paper constructs an authorship-linked collection or corpus of anonymous, sex-seeking ads found on the classifieds website Craigslist. This corpus is then used to validate an authorship attribution approach based on identifying near duplicate text in ad clusters, providing insight into how often anonymous individuals post sex-seeking ads and where they meet for encounters. Introduction The increasing use of the Internet to arrange sexual encounters presents challenges to public health agencies formulating STD interventions, particularly in the context of anonymous encounters. These encounters complicate or break traditional interventions. In previous work [1], we examined a corpus of anonymous personal ads seeking sexual encounters from the classifieds website Craigslist and presented a way of linking multiple ads posted across time to a single author. The key observation of our approach is that some ads are simply reposts of older ads, often updated with only minor textual changes. Under the presumption that these ads, when not spam, originate from the same author, we can use efficient near-duplicate detection techniques to cluster ads within some threshold similarity. Linking ads in this way allows us to preserve the anonymity of authors while still extracting useful information on the frequency with which authors post ads, as well as the geographic regions in which they seek encounters. While this process detects many clusters, the lack of a true corpus of authorship-linked ads makes it difficult to validate and tune the parameters of our system. Fortunately, many ad authors provide an obfuscated telephone number in ad text (e.g., 867–5309 becomes 8sixseven5three oh nine) to bypass Craigslist filters, which prohibit including phone numbers in personal ads. By matching phone numbers of this type across all ads, we can create a corpus of ad clusters known to be written by a single author. This authorship corpus can then be used to evaluate and tune

  18. Stellar encounters involving neutron stars in globular cluster cores

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Davies, M. B.; Benz, W.; Hills, J. G.

    1992-01-01

    Encounters between a 1.4 solar mass neutron star and a 0.8 solar mass red giant (RG) and between a 1.4 solar mass neutron star (NS) and an 0.8 solar mass main-sequence (MS) star have been successfully simulated. In the case of encounters involving an RG, bound systems are produced when the separation at periastron passage R(MIN) is less than about 2.5 R(RG). At least 70 percent of these bound systems are composed of the RG core and NS forming a binary engulfed in a common envelope of what remains of the former RG envelope. Once the envelope is ejected, a tight white dwarf-NS binary remains. For MS stars, encounters with NSs will produce bound systems when R(MIN) is less than about 3.5 R(MS). Some 50 percent of these systems will be single objects with the NS engulfed in a thick disk of gas almost as massive as the original MS star. The ultimate fate of such systems is unclear.

  19. Nested Event-Level Case-Control Study of Drug Use and Sexual Outcomes in Multipartner Encounters Reported by Men Who Have Sex with Men.

    PubMed

    Melendez-Torres, G J; Hickson, Ford; Reid, David; Weatherburn, Peter; Bonell, Chris

    2016-03-01

    Previous event-level analyses have often, but not always, found significant associations between drug use and sexual risk behaviour in men who have sex with men (MSM), but these analyses have rarely considered either multipartner encounters specifically, or other sexual outcomes such as pleasure and control. Using data from an internet-based longitudinal survey of MSM, we tested the association between drug use by respondent and by partners and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), pleasure and control over sexual activity. Overall respondent substance use was significantly associated with increased odds of UAI, though not with pleasure or control. Respondent use of crystal methamphetamine was significantly associated with both increased odds of UAI and decreased odds of control over sexual activity. This analysis agrees with previous studies of dyadic encounters, and specifically suggests that the association between crystal methamphetamine and sexual risk behaviour may be mediated by loss of control.

  20. Pornography and the Male Sexual Script: An Analysis of Consumption and Sexual Relations.

    PubMed

    Sun, Chyng; Bridges, Ana; Johnson, Jennifer A; Ezzell, Matthew B

    2016-05-01

    Pornography has become a primary source of sexual education. At the same time, mainstream commercial pornography has coalesced around a relatively homogenous script involving violence and female degradation. Yet, little work has been done exploring the associations between pornography and dyadic sexual encounters: What role does pornography play inside real-world sexual encounters between a man and a woman? Cognitive script theory argues media scripts create a readily accessible heuristic model for decision-making. The more a user watches a particular media script, the more embedded those codes of behavior become in their worldview and the more likely they are to use those scripts to act upon real life experiences. We argue pornography creates a sexual script that then guides sexual experiences. To test this, we surveyed 487 college men (ages 18-29 years) in the United States to compare their rate of pornography use with sexual preferences and concerns. Results showed the more pornography a man watches, the more likely he was to use it during sex, request particular pornographic sex acts of his partner, deliberately conjure images of pornography during sex to maintain arousal, and have concerns over his own sexual performance and body image. Further, higher pornography use was negatively associated with enjoying sexually intimate behaviors with a partner. We conclude that pornography provides a powerful heuristic model which is implicated in men's expectations and behaviors during sexual encounters.

  1. Australian men's sexual practices in saunas, sex clubs and other male sex on premises venues.

    PubMed

    Lyons, Anthony; Smith, Anthony M A; Grierson, Jeffrey W; von Doussa, Henry

    2010-06-01

    Sex on premises venues (SOPVs) where men have sex with men have been implicated in the spread of sexually transmissible infections, but few studies have described men's sexual encounters in SOPVs, particularly the degree to which men from different backgrounds engage in risky sexual practices. Interviewer administered surveys were conducted with 186 Australian men who have sex with men (MSM) within 48 h of visiting an SOPV. They reported their sexual practices, the characteristics of their partners and other circumstances surrounding their sexual encounters. All analyses were based on the number of sexual encounters (n = 430). Oral sex was the most common practice, occurring in 74.9% of encounters, followed by massage, frottage or kissing (53.7%), solo or mutual masturbation (36.3%), and anal sex (32.1%). Multivariate analyses revealed age as a significant factor for having protected anal sex (P = 0.001), insertive anal sex (P = 0.004) and receptive anal sex (P < 0.001). These practices were more frequent in encounters among younger men, while masturbation (P = 0.03) was more frequent among older men. When men's sexual partners were affected by alcohol, encounters were less likely to involve unprotected anal intercourse (P = 0.006) and more likely to involve massage, frottage or kissing (P = 0.009). Men disclosed their HIV status in only 7.7% of encounters. With the likelihood of risky sexual practices varying according to background, results from this study should be used to guide interventions aiming to promote safer sex in SOPVs.

  2. The relationship of sex-related alcohol expectancies to alcohol consumption and sexual behavior.

    PubMed

    Leigh, B C

    1990-07-01

    Recent psychosocial research on alcohol expectancies--beliefs about the effects of alcohol on behavior, moods and emotions--has suggested that these expectancies mediate not only decisions about drinking but the alcohol effects displayed by those who have been drinking. Results of a study of drinking and sexual behavior showed that individuals of different gender and sexual orientation differed in their beliefs about the effects of alcohol on sexual responding. In addition, expectations of sexual enhancement and disinhibition were related to the initiation of sexual activity and to the proportion of sexual encounters that took place while drinking, and interacted with sex guilt to predict the amount drunk in the most recent sexual encounter. These results suggest that beliefs about the effects of alcohol on sex may affect the characteristics of sexual encounters that involve drinking.

  3. Actions of female sex workers who experience male condom failure during penetrative sexual encounters with clients in Cape Town: Implications for HIV prevention strategies

    PubMed Central

    2017-01-01

    Background Condom failure has always been found to coexist with condom usage, especially among sex workers. Objective To describe the actions of female sex workers when they are faced with situations of condom failure. Methods Using the survey design, the participants were selected through the snowball sampling method. Their responses were obtained using a structured questionnaire. A total of 100 questionnaires were analysed. Results With respect to the immediate actions of sex workers after condom failure, 36% of the respondents continued with the sexual encounter after noticing that the condom was broken. Another 36% stopped immediately when they noticed that the condom had failed, but replaced the condom; 13% of the participants stopped the sexual encounter completely; 3% applied vaginal spermicidal foam; and 5% of the respondents stopped immediately and took a douche when they had the chance. For the actions within the next 24 hours of experiencing condom failure with a client, 53% of the participants did nothing; 4% sought counsel from a professional; 3% of the respondents took alcohol or drugs to forget the incident, 25% went to the clinic for assistance and 8% offered other responses. Conclusion While continuing the sexual encounter without replacing the condom, taking alcohol and drugs or doing nothing could increase the risk of contracting HIV; however, actions like stopping the sexual encounter completely and visiting a clinic or a professional could make a difference between staying HIV negative or seroconverting. There is a need for targeted intervention to address issues of inappropriate behaviours after experiencing condom failure. PMID:29568633

  4. Parental training and involvement in sexuality education for students who are deaf.

    PubMed

    Gabriel, K O; Getch, Y Q

    2001-07-01

    The study examined whether schools for the deaf were providing services to assist parents in communicating with their children about sexuality (including sexual signs) and whether parents were involved in the sexuality education curriculum within their child's school. The Sexuality Curriculum Questionnaire for Educators of Students Who Are Deaf (Getch & Gabriel, 1998) was completed by 71 educators teaching sexuality curricula in schools for the deaf across the United States. Results indicated that parents were more likely to be involved in approval and development of their children's sexuality education than to receive assistance with sexuality education from the schools. Although the level of parental participation in curriculum development and approval is encouraging, the number of parents actually participating in curriculum development and approval remains low.

  5. Sexuality and sexual reproductive health of disabled young people in Ethiopia.

    PubMed

    Kassa, Tigist Alemu; Luck, Tobias; Birru, Samuel Kinde; Riedel-Heller, Steffi G

    2014-10-01

    In Ethiopia, young people with disabilities (YPWD) are often marginalized and not recognized as being sexual, and only little is known about their sexual reproductive health (SRH) status. We therefore aimed to assess the SRH status and associated factors among 426 YPWD in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2012. Data were collected by trained interviewers using a structured questionnaire. Fifty-two percent of YPWD ever had sexual intercourse. Seventy-five percent started sex between 15 and 19 years. Only 35% had used contraceptive during their first sexual encounter. Fifty-nine percent of the sexually experienced YPWD had multiple lifetime sexual partners; 19%, a casual sexual partner; and 21%, a commercial sexual partner. Only 48% consistently used condoms with their casual or commercial sexual partners. Twenty-four percent of the sexually experienced YPWD had a history of sexually transmitted infections. Our findings indicate that YPWD in Ethiopia are sexually active, but also highly involved in risky sexual practices. There is a need for in-depth research to better understand the determinants of risky sexual behavior and to propose preventive approaches.

  6. Predictors of Extradyadic Sexual Involvement in Unmarried Opposite-Sex Relationships

    PubMed Central

    Maddox Shaw, Amanda M.; Rhoades, Galena K.; Allen, Elizabeth S.; Stanley, Scott M.; Markman, Howard J.

    2012-01-01

    Using a sample of unmarried individuals in opposite-sex romantic relationships that was representative of the United States (N = 933), the current study prospectively evaluated predictors of extradyadic sexual involvement (ESI) over 20-months. Data were collected with self-report questionnaires via U.S. mail. Participants were 18–35 years old and were 34.9% male. Variables tested as predictors included involved-partner factors such as demographic characteristics, sexual history, and mental health, as well as relationship-related factors including communication, sexual dynamics, and aspects of commitment. Future ESI was significantly predicted by lower baseline relationship satisfaction, negative communication, aggression, lower dedication, absence of plans to marry, suspicion of partner’s ESI, and partner’s ESI. It was not predicted by sexual frequency, sexual dissatisfaction, or cohabitation status. Although more problems with alcohol use, more previous sex partners, and having parents who never married one another predicted future ESI, there were many involved-partner demographic factors that did not predict later ESI (e.g., gender, age, education, religiosity, having divorced parents, and having children). None of the results were moderated by gender. These results suggest that compared to demographic characteristics, relationship dynamics and negative interactions are more strongly predictive of future ESI. Implications for future research are discussed. PMID:22524318

  7. Alcohol Involvement in First Sexual Intercourse Experiences of Adolescent Girls

    PubMed Central

    Livingston, Jennifer A.; Testa, Maria; Windle, Michael; Bay-Cheng, Laina Y.

    2015-01-01

    This study examines whether use of alcohol at first coitus is associated with increased sexual risk for young women. First coitus is the focus of the investigation because it is a memorable, formative experience that has implications for subsequent sexual health. A community sample of young women ages 18 – 19 years (N = 227) completed retrospective interviews. Characteristics and perceptions of the first coital event were examined using chi squares and one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to determine if there were differences based on alcohol-involvement. Alcohol-involved first coitus events occurred in social settings with risky partners, were rated less positively, and were non-consensual relative to those that did not involve alcohol. Alcohol use was not related to condom use. Alcohol-involvement was associated with subsequent pairing of alcohol with sex and incapacitated rape. Adolescent alcohol use occurs in contexts that increases young women’s sexual risk through exposure to risky partners. PMID:26121927

  8. Exposure to Sexual Stimuli Induces Greater Discounting Leading to Increased Involvement in Cyber Delinquency Among Men.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Wen; Chiou, Wen-Bin

    2018-02-01

    People frequently encounter sexual stimuli during Internet use. Research has shown that stimuli inducing sexual motivation can lead to greater impulsivity in men, as manifested in greater temporal discounting (i.e., a tendency to prefer smaller, immediate gains to larger, future ones). Extant findings in crime research suggest that delinquents tend to focus on short-term gains while failing to adequately think through the longer-term consequences of delinquent behavior. We experimentally tested the possibility that exposure to sexual stimuli is associated with the tendency to engage in cyber delinquency among men, as a result of their overly discounting remote consequences. In Experiment 1, participants exposed to pictures of "sexy" women were more likely to discount the future and were more inclined to make cyber-delinquent choices (e.g., cyberbullying, cyber fraud, cyber theft, and illegal downloading), compared with male participants who rated the sex appeal of less sexy opposite-sex pictures. However, these relationships were not observed in female participants exposed to either highly or less sexy pictures of men. In Experiment 2, male participants exposed to sexual primes showed a greater willingness to purchase a wide range of counterfeit rather than authentic products online and experienced a higher likelihood of logging into the other person's Facebook webpage (i.e., invading online privacy). The discounting tendency mediated the link between exposure to sexual primes and the inclination to engage in cyber-delinquent behavior. These findings provide insight into a strategy for reducing men's involvement in cyber delinquency; that is, through less exposure to sexual stimuli and promotion of delayed gratification. The current results suggest that the high availability of sexual stimuli in cyberspace may be more closely associated with men's cyber-delinquent behavior than previously thought.

  9. The Interaction of Sexual Validation, Criminal Justice Involvement, and Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Among Adolescent and Young Adult Males.

    PubMed

    Matson, Pamela A; Towe, Vivian; Ellen, Jonathan M; Chung, Shang-En; Sherman, Susan G

    2018-03-01

    Young men who have been involved with the criminal justice system are more likely to have concurrent sexual partners, a key driver of sexually transmitted infections. The value men place on having sexual relationships to validate themselves may play an important role in understanding this association. Data were from a household survey. Young men (N = 132), aged 16 to 24 years, self-reported whether they ever spent time in jail or juvenile detention and if they had sexual partnerships that overlapped in time. A novel scale, "Validation through Sex and Sexual Relationships" (VTSSR) assessed the importance young men place on sex and sexual relationships (α = 0.91). Weighted logistic regression accounted for the sampling design. The mean (SD) VTSSR score was 23.7 (8.8) with no differences by race. Both criminal justice involvement (CJI) (odds ratio [OR], 3.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-12.1) and sexual validation (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04-1.16) were associated with an increased odds of concurrency; however, CJI did not remain associated with concurrency in the fully adjusted model. There was effect modification, CJI was associated with concurrency among those who scored high on sexual validation (OR, 9.18; 95% CI, 1.73-48.6]; however, there was no association among those who scored low on sexual validation. Racial differences were observed between CJI and concurrency, but not between sexual validation and concurrency. Sexual validation may be an important driver of concurrency for men who have been involved with the criminal justice system. Study findings have important implications on how sexual validation may explain racial differences in rates of concurrency.

  10. The impact of sexual abuse in the lives of young women involved or at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system.

    PubMed

    Goodkind, Sara; Ng, Irene; Sarri, Rosemary C

    2006-05-01

    Girls in the juvenile justice system have high rates of past sexual abuse. To better understand the relationship between sexual abuse and justice system involvement, we analyzed survey interviews with 169 young women involved or at risk of involvement with juvenile justice, comparing girls who experienced sexual abuse with those who did not. Girls experiencing sexual abuse had more negative mental health, school, substance use, risky sexual behavior, and delinquency outcomes. These findings highlight a need for interventions to assist girls who have experienced abuse and efforts to prevent abuse and improve child welfare and social service systems.

  11. Dynamic Relationships Between Parental Monitoring, Peer Risk Involvement and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Bahamian Mid-Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Bo; Stanton, Bonita; Deveaux, Lynette; Li, Xiaoming; Lunn, Sonja

    2015-01-01

    CONTEXT Considerable research has examined reciprocal relationships between parenting, peers and adolescent problem behavior; however, such studies have largely considered the influence of peers and parents separately. It is important to examine simultaneously the relationships between parental monitoring, peer risk involvement and adolescent sexual risk behavior, and whether increases in peer risk involvement and changes in parental monitoring longitudinally predict adolescent sexual risk behavior. METHODS Four waves of sexual behavior data were collected between 2008/2009 and 2011 from high school students aged 13–17 in the Bahamas. Structural equation and latent growth curve modeling were used to examine reciprocal relationships between parental monitoring, perceived peer risk involvement and adolescent sexual risk behavior. RESULTS For both male and female youth, greater perceived peer risk involvement predicted higher sexual risk behavior index scores, and greater parental monitoring predicted lower scores. Reciprocal relationships were found between parental monitoring and sexual risk behavior for males and between perceived peer risk involvement and sexual risk behavior for females. For males, greater sexual risk behavior predicted lower parental monitoring; for females, greater sexual risk behavior predicted higher perceived peer risk involvement. According to latent growth curve models, a higher initial level of parental monitoring predicted decreases in sexual risk behavior, whereas both a higher initial level and a higher growth rate of peer risk involvement predicted increases in sexual risk behavior. CONCLUSION Results highlight the important influence of peer risk involvement on youths’ sexual behavior and gender differences in reciprocal relationships between parental monitoring, peer influence and adolescent sexual risk behavior. PMID:26308261

  12. Dynamic Relationships Between Parental Monitoring, Peer Risk Involvement and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Bahamian Mid-Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Wang, Bo; Stanton, Bonita; Deveaux, Lynette; Li, Xiaoming; Lunn, Sonja

    2015-06-01

    Considerable research has examined reciprocal relationships between parenting, peers and adolescent problem behavior; however, such studies have largely considered the influence of peers and parents separately. It is important to examine simultaneously the relationships between parental monitoring, peer risk involvement and adolescent sexual risk behavior, and whether increases in peer risk involvement and changes in parental monitoring longitudinally predict adolescent sexual risk behavior. Four waves of sexual behavior data were collected between 2008/2009 and 2011 from high school students aged 13-17 in the Bahamas. Structural equation and latent growth curve modeling were used to examine reciprocal relationships between parental monitoring, perceived peer risk involvement and adolescent sexual risk behavior. For both male and female youth, greater perceived peer risk involvement predicted higher sexual risk behavior index scores, and greater parental monitoring predicted lower scores. Reciprocal relationships were found between parental monitoring and sexual risk behavior for males and between perceived peer risk involvement and sexual risk behavior for females. For males, greater sexual risk behavior predicted lower parental monitoring; for females, greater sexual risk behavior predicted higher perceived peer risk involvement. According to latent growth curve models, a higher initial level of parental monitoring predicted decreases in sexual risk behavior, whereas both a higher initial level and a higher growth rate of peer risk involvement predicted increases in sexual risk behavior. Results highlight the important influence of peer risk involvement on youths' sexual behavior and gender differences in reciprocal relationships between parental monitoring, peer influence and adolescent sexual risk behavior.

  13. College Students and AIDS: AIDS Communication and Involvement Effects on Sexual Behavior.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobs, Randy; McCain, Thomas

    The purpose of this study was to describe college students' AIDS communication and explore the relationships between AIDS communication, involvement, and sexual behavior. A non-random sample of 334 college students was surveyed. AIDS message discrimination and multiple indicators of involvement were tested for associations with sexual behavior…

  14. Finding erotic oases: locating the sites of men's same-sex anonymous sexual encounters.

    PubMed

    Tewksbury, Richard

    2008-01-01

    Because anonymous sexual relations between two men are widely considered deviant many men seeking such activities look to erotic oases-natural environments appropriated for covert, often furtive sexual purposes. Previous research on erotic oases has focused on characteristics of involved men and processes of locating, negotiating with, and consummating sexual relations with others. This study draws on one major Web site listing of "cruising places" in the United States to identify common locations for erotic oases. Results show that the most common locations identified as erotic oases by users are public parks, adult bookstores, health clubs, and college campuses. Locations most likely to be listed as believed to be under law enforcement surveillance are outdoor, high traffic locations. Based on these results existing research has only begun to examine the most common locations for this highly stigmatized, deviant behavior and subculture.

  15. Opportunities for HIV Prevention Communication During Sexual Encounters with Black Men Who Have Sex with Men.

    PubMed

    Aholou, Tiffiany M; Nanin, Jose; Drumhiller, Kathryn; Sutton, Madeline Y

    2017-01-01

    Conversations about HIV prevention before engaging in sex may result in safer sex practices and decreased HIV transmission. However, partner communication for HIV prevention has been understudied among black/African American men who have sex with men (BMSM), a group that is disproportionately affected by HIV. We explored and described encounters and perceptions about HIV prevention conversations among BMSM and their sex partner(s) in New York City. We conducted an inductive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with BMSM who reported sex with a man in the previous 3 months. Interviews were professionally transcribed; Nvivo was used for data analysis. Twenty-two BMSM were included in this analysis; median age = 29.1 years; 71.4% self-identified as MSM; 85.7% were ever HIV tested; and 52.6% reported no disclosure or discussion about HIV status with their previous sex partner. The main themes were: (1) missed opportunities for HIV prevention conversations (e.g., no HIV prevention conversations or HIV prevention conversations after sex had occurred); (2) barriers to HIV prevention conversations (e.g., being in the moment; not wanting to pause); (3) emotional thoughts after sex (e.g., feeling worried about possible HIV exposure); and (4) rethinking relationships and sexual health (e.g., changed sex practices by asking partners' HIV status before sex; started using condoms). These findings offer insight into HIV prevention conversations by BMSM around the time of or during sexual encounters and may inform and strengthen partner-level HIV prevention communication interventions for BMSM.

  16. 'They don't just come for Machu Picchu': locals' views of tourist-local sexual relationships in Cuzco, Peru.

    PubMed

    Bauer, Irmgard

    2008-08-01

    Sexual and romantic relationships between local people and tourists have long taken place. Such encounters are not a modern phenomenon, but the potential of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, warrants greater research into the issue. This paper analyses local people's views of local-tourist relationships in Cuzco/Peru. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews, participant and non-participant observation and informal discussions. Attraction based on physical difference was reportedly the main trigger for such relationships. Emerging themes discussed include issues of self-esteem, strategies of approach, tourists' motives, emotional involvement and expectations from such encounters. Levels of unprotected sexual behaviour and lack of STI awareness are of sufficient concern to recommend urgent action. Suggestions for sexual health education are made with particular emphasis on targeting local people involved in the tourism and hospitality industries.

  17. A thermogenic secondary sexual character in male sea lamprey

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Chung-Davidson, Yu-Wen; Priess, M. Cody; Yeh, Chu-Yin; Brant, Cory O.; Johnson, Nicholas S.; Li, Ke; Nanlohy, Kaben G.; Bryan, Mara B.; Brown, C. Titus; Choi, Jongeun; Li, Weiming

    2013-01-01

    Secondary sexual characters in animals are exaggerated ornaments or weapons for intrasexual competition. Unexpectedly, we found that a male secondary sexual character in sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus ) is a thermogenic adipose tissue that instantly increases its heat production during sexual encounters. This secondary sexual character, developed in front of the anterior dorsal fin of mature males, is a swollen dorsal ridge known as the ‘rope’ tissue. It contains nerve bundles, multivacuolar adipocytes and interstitial cells packed with small lipid droplets and mitochondria with dense and highly organized cristae. The fatty acid composition of the rope tissue is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. The cytochrome c oxidase activity is high but the ATP concentration is very low in the mitochondria of the rope tissue compared with those of the gill and muscle tissues. The rope tissue temperature immediately rose up to 0.3°C when the male encountered a conspecific. Mature males generated more heat in the rope and muscle tissues when presented with a mature female than when presented with a male (paired t-test, P-3 more heat than the muscle in 10 min. Transcriptome analyses revealed that genes involved in fat cell differentiation are upregulated whereas those involved in oxidative-phosphorylation-coupled ATP synthesis are downregulated in the rope tissue compared with the gill and muscle tissues. Sexually mature male sea lamprey possess the only known thermogenic secondary sexual character that shows differential heat generation toward individual conspecifics.

  18. Examining the associations between sex trade involvement, rape, and symptomatology of sexual abuse trauma.

    PubMed

    Lutnick, Alexandra; Harris, Jennie; Lorvick, Jennifer; Cheng, Helen; Wenger, Lynn D; Bourgois, Philippe; Kral, Alex H

    2015-07-01

    The high prevalence of rape and sexual trauma symptomatology among women involved in street-based sex trades is well-established. Because prior research has lacked appropriate, non-sex trade involved comparison groups, it is unknown whether differences exist among similarly situated women who do and do not trade sex. This article explores experiences of childhood and adult rape and symptomatology of sexual abuse trauma among a community-based sample of 322 women who use methamphetamine in San Francisco, California, 61% of whom were involved in the sex trade. Study participants were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and eligible if they were cisgender women, aged 18 or older, current methamphetamine users, and sexually active with at least one cisgender man in the past 6 months. The dependent variable was sexual abuse trauma symptomatology, as measured by the Sexual Abuse Trauma Index (SATI) subscale of the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (TSC-40), and the explanatory variable was sex trade involvement. Potential covariates were age, current homelessness, methamphetamine dependence, and experiences of childhood and adult rape. Sixty-one percent of participants had a SATI subscale score suggestive of sexual abuse trauma. The overall prevalence of rape in childhood and adulthood was 52% and 73%, respectively. In bivariate analysis, sex trade involvement and all of the potential covariates except for homelessness and age were associated with a SATI score suggestive of sexual abuse trauma. In multivariate models controlling for significant covariates, there was no longer a statistically significant association between sex trade involvement or childhood rape and an elevated SATI score. Elevated levels of psychological dependence on methamphetamine and experiences of rape as an adult were still associated with a high SATI score. These findings highlight that urban poor women, regardless of sex trade involvement, suffer high levels of rape and related trauma

  19. Examining the Associations Between Sex Trade Involvement, Rape, and Symptomatology of Sexual Abuse Trauma

    PubMed Central

    Lutnick, Alexandra; Harris, Jennie; Lorvick, Jennifer; Cheng, Helen; Wenger, Lynn D.; Bourgois, Philippe; Kral, Alex H.

    2015-01-01

    The high prevalence of rape and sexual trauma symptomatology among women involved in street-based sex trades is well-established. Because prior research has lacked appropriate, non-sex trade involved comparison groups, it is unknown whether differences exist among similarly situated women who do and do not trade sex. This article explores experiences of childhood and adult rape and symptomatology of sexual abuse trauma among a community-based sample of 322 women who use methamphetamine in San Francisco, California, 61% of whom were involved in the sex trade. Study participants were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and eligible if they were cisgender women, aged 18 or older, current methamphetamine users, and sexually active with at least one cisgender man in the past 6 months. The dependent variable was sexual abuse trauma symptomatology, as measured by the Sexual Abuse Trauma Index (SATI) subscale of the Trauma Symptom Checklist–40 (TSC-40), and the explanatory variable was sex trade involvement. Potential covariates were age, current homelessness, methamphetamine dependence, and experiences of childhood and adult rape. Sixty-one percent of participants had a SATI subscale score suggestive of sexual abuse trauma. The overall prevalence of rape in childhood and adulthood was 52% and 73%, respectively. In bivariate analysis, sex trade involvement and all of the potential covariates except for homelessness and age were associated with a SATI score suggestive of sexual abuse trauma. In multivariate models controlling for significant covariates, there was no longer a statistically significant association between sex trade involvement or childhood rape and an elevated SATI score. Elevated levels of psychological dependence on methamphetamine and experiences of rape as an adult were still associated with a high SATI score. These findings highlight that urban poor women, regardless of sex trade involvement, suffer high levels of rape and related trauma

  20. Father Involvement, Dating Violence, and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among a National Sample of Adolescent Females.

    PubMed

    Alleyne-Green, Binta; Grinnell-Davis, Claudette; Clark, Trenette T; Quinn, Camille R; Cryer-Coupet, Qiana R

    2016-03-01

    This study explored the relationship between the involvement of biological fathers and the sexual risk behaviors and dating violence/victimization and/or perpetration of adolescent girls. The data used in this cross-sectional analysis were drawn from the second wave of the public release of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Only adolescents who reported their biological sex as female, reported a history of being sexually active, and reported having a romantic partner in the previous 18 months were selected (N = 879). This study focused on overall positive sexual behaviors and use of contraception. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to best utilize capacity for dealing with latent variables and to test for possible mediation effects. The analysis demonstrated main effects of dating violence and father involvement on sexual behaviors. The more dating violence an adolescent girl experiences, the less likely she is to engage in healthy sexual behaviors. Likewise, the more involvement the biological father has in a woman's life, the more likely she is to engage in positive sexual behaviors. Perceived father involvement was associated with risky sexual behaviors among sexually experienced adolescent girls. Dating violence was directly associated with risky sexual behaviors among sexually experienced adolescent girls, particularly non-White girls. Future studies should use longitudinal models and test theoretically and empirically guided potential mediators. Future studies should also consider father figures such as step-fathers and grandfathers in addition to biological fathers, as having a father figure may be a stronger predictor of adolescent sexual behaviors than having a biological connection. © The Author(s) 2014.

  1. A Meta-Analysis of Parent-Involved Treatment for Child Sexual Abuse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Corcoran, Jacqueline; Pillai, Vijayan

    2008-01-01

    Sexual abuse in children not only occurs with alarming frequency, it also potentially leads to deleterious consequences for victims. Previous narrative reviews have touted the benefits of including the nonoffending caregiver in child sexual treatment. Objective: A meta-analysis is conducted to determine the effects of parent-involved treatment in…

  2. Unprotected Intercourse and One-Night Stands: Impact of Sexual Excitation, Sexual Inhibition, and Atypical Sexual Arousal Patterns on Risky Sexual Behaviors in Women.

    PubMed

    Velten, Julia; Scholten, Saskia; Graham, Cynthia A; Margraf, Jürgen

    2016-03-01

    Associations among sexual excitation, sexual inhibition, atypical sexual arousal patterns, and risky sexual behaviors have been reported in studies involving men and women. To date, longitudinal studies have not evaluated the predictive value of these propensities for future sexual behaviors in women. To investigate associations among sexual excitation, sexual inhibition, atypical sexual arousal patterns, and potentially risky sexual behaviors in women. Overall, 2,214 women (mean age = 30.65 years, standard deviation = 9.91 years) participated in a baseline Web-based survey. The 1- and 2-year follow-up surveys included 396 and 382 participants, respectively. Correlational analyses and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to analyze the relations between predictor and outcome variables. Number of partners, number of one-time sexual encounters, and number of partners with whom no condoms were used during the 12-month periods before each of the three data assessment points. All five lower-order factors of sexual excitation showed positive correlations and all three lower-order factors of sexual inhibition showed negative correlations with outcomes at baseline and follow-up. Atypical sexual arousal patterns, the tendency to become aroused in unusual sexual situations, and the importance of relationship factors, such as trust, for sexual arousal were the strongest predictors for sexual behaviors at baseline. These variables also predicted the number of sexual partners and the number of one-night stands at follow-up. The findings suggest that increased sexual arousal when experiencing negative mood might be a risk factor for potentially health-threatening sexual decisions and support the assumptions of the dual control model that sexual excitation is positively and sexual inhibition is negatively predictive of risky sexual behavior in women. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Cultural Beliefs, Partner Characteristics, Communication, and Sexual Risk Among Latino MSM

    PubMed Central

    Reisen, Carol A.; Poppen, Paul J.; Bianchi, Fernanda T.; Zea, Maria Cecilia

    2013-01-01

    This study examined factors associated with communication about condom use and unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in a U.S. sample of immigrant Latino MSM (N = 356), with a focus on culturally based beliefs. Logistic regression analysis revealed that communication about condom use at participants' most recent encounter was associated with a lower likelihood of UAI during that encounter. UAI was more likely when the partner was a main partner and there was seroconcordance. A separate logistic regression indicated that communication about condom use was less likely when the most recent encounter involved a main partner, greater sexual desire, and intoxication due to substance use. Although cultural beliefs were not predictive of communication about condom use or UAI at the most recent encounter, they were related to the occurrence of UAI in the previous three months. There is a need for more research on the interplay of culture, safer sex communication, and sexual risk. PMID:20652629

  4. Magazine reading and involvement and young adults' sexual health knowledge, efficacy, and behaviors.

    PubMed

    Walsh, Jennifer L; Ward, L Monique

    2010-07-01

    These studies investigate connections between magazine reading and involvement and young people's sexual health knowledge, self-efficacy, intentions, and contraception use. Study 1 assessed sexual health behaviors and magazine reading among 579 undergraduate students (69% were female; 68% were White; M(age) = 19.73). As expected, more frequent reading of mainstream magazines was associated with greater sexual health knowledge, safe-sex self-efficacy, and consistency of using contraception, although results varied across sex and magazine genre. Study 2 replicated and expanded on these findings with a survey of 422 undergraduate students (51% were female; 71% were White; 49% were age 18 or younger), incorporating a more extensive knowledge scale, questions about safe-sex intentions, and measures of magazine involvement. Results suggest that magazine use is associated with positive sexual health outcomes among young people.

  5. Brief Non-Commercial Sexual Encounters Among Patrons of Entertainment Venues in Liuzhou, China

    PubMed Central

    Weir, Sharon S.; Pan, Suiming; Yingying, Huang; Nan, Zhang; Gandhi, Anisha D.; Chen, Xiang-Sheng

    2014-01-01

    Introduction Brief sexual encounters among consenting adults who patronize social venues such as karaoke bars are occurring more frequently in China, however, little is known about the characteristics of those who engage in “one-time-sex” with a non-commercial partner or the risk of sexually transmitted infection associated with a high rate of short-term non-commercial partnerships. Methods We surveyed and tested for evidence of syphilis 797 men and women at randomly selected social venues in urban Liuzhou, China and three surrounding counties. Results The proportion of respondents reporting recent non-commercial one-time-sex ranged from 14.5% of county women to 24.8% of urban men. More urban men reported one-time-sex with a noncommercial than with a commercial partner (24.8% vs. 14.2%). Approximately 5% of all respondents reported engaging in both non-commercial and commercial one-time-sex in the past year. Among men, 2.4% has a positive rapid syphilis test. Men reporting non-commercial one-time-sex were significantly more likely to have a positive rapid syphilis test than other men (7.4% vs. 0.9%). Among women, 3.7% has a positive syphilis test. A higher proportion of women reporting commercial sex had a positive test than those reporting non-commercial one-time-sex (6.0% vs 0.7%). Conclusions Recent one-time sex was common among persons socializing at entertainment venues. Venue-based HIV/STI prevention methods may be warranted among persons who do not engage in commercial sex, but frequently engage in one-time sex. PMID:24185709

  6. Students Encountering Race and Negotiating Friendships, Sexuality and Language on Campus

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhana, Deevia

    2016-01-01

    By drawing on a theoretical framing based on the geography of encounters, this article examines how students give meaning to racialised encounters on campus. These encounters are mediated by long established notions of difference based on power inequalities where race remains a powerful source of difference. However, race is not simply enacted but…

  7. Incarceration and sexual risk: examining the relationship between men's involvement in the criminal justice system and risky sexual behavior.

    PubMed

    Knittel, Andrea K; Snow, Rachel C; Griffith, Derek M; Morenoff, Jeffrey

    2013-10-01

    In this study, we used data from Add Health Waves II and III to compare men who had been incarcerated to those who had not, and examined whether incarceration was associated with increased numbers of sexual partners and increased odds of concurrent partnerships. We used multivariate regression and propensity-score matching to compare sexual behavior of Wave III male respondents who had been incarcerated with those who had not, and compared sexual behavior at Wave II to identify differences in sexual behavior prior to incarceration. Incarceration was associated with an increased rate of lifetime sexual partnership, but this was attenuated by substance use. Criminal justice involvement was associated with increased odds of having partners who report concurrent partnerships, but no further increase was seen with incarceration. There were no significant sexual behavior differences prior to incarceration. These results suggest that the criminal justice system and substance use may interact to shape sexual behavior.

  8. Sexual Venue Choice and Sexual Risk-Taking Among Substance-Using Men Who have Sex with Men

    PubMed Central

    Fletcher, Jesse B.; Reback, Cathy J.

    2016-01-01

    Commercial sex venues (CSVs) and public sex environments (PSEs) offer men who have sex with men (MSM) sexual privacy and anonymity. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual identity, age, HIV status) are correlated with individuals’ choice of sexual venue, potentially suggesting environmental associations with both sociodemographics and sexual risk. From March 2005 through March 2012, 1298 substance-using MSM provided information on their most recent sexual encounter; iterative logit models estimated associations between sociodemographics and sexual venue, and/ or whether sexual venue was associated with sexual risk-taking while controlling for sociodemographics. More than a third of participants’ most recent sexual encounters took place in either a PSE (23.0%) or a CSV (11.3%); anonymous, HIV-serodiscordant, and/or sex while on methamphetamine and/or marijuana was significantly more likely to occur in CSVs/PSEs than in a private location, even when controlling for sociodemographics. Findings demonstrate that socioenvironmental factors were associated with sexual risk-taking among high-risk, urban MSM. PMID:27905014

  9. Sexual Venue Choice and Sexual Risk-Taking Among Substance-Using Men Who have Sex with Men.

    PubMed

    Rusow, Joshua A; Fletcher, Jesse B; Reback, Cathy J

    2017-04-01

    Commercial sex venues (CSVs) and public sex environments (PSEs) offer men who have sex with men (MSM) sexual privacy and anonymity. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, sexual identity, age, HIV status) are correlated with individuals' choice of sexual venue, potentially suggesting environmental associations with both sociodemographics and sexual risk. From March 2005 through March 2012, 1298 substance-using MSM provided information on their most recent sexual encounter; iterative logit models estimated associations between sociodemographics and sexual venue, and/or whether sexual venue was associated with sexual risk-taking while controlling for sociodemographics. More than a third of participants' most recent sexual encounters took place in either a PSE (23.0%) or a CSV (11.3%); anonymous, HIV-serodiscordant, and/or sex while on methamphetamine and/or marijuana was significantly more likely to occur in CSVs/PSEs than in a private location, even when controlling for sociodemographics. Findings demonstrate that socioenvironmental factors were associated with sexual risk-taking among high-risk, urban MSM.

  10. The impact of sexual enhancement alcohol expectancies and risky behavior on alcohol-involved rape among college women.

    PubMed

    Messman-Moore, Terri L; Ward, Rose Marie; DeNardi, Kathleen A

    2013-04-01

    A structural equation model examined sexual enhancement alcohol expectancies, heavy episodic drinking (HED), and risky sexual behavior as correlates of alcohol-involved rape in a sample of 353 college women. Prevalence of alcohol-involved rape was 15.6%. Sexual enhancement alcohol expectancies were indirectly associated with alcohol-involved rape via increased levels of HED, greater likelihood of sex while intoxicated, and number of sex partners. All forms of risky behavior were associated with alcohol-involved rape although HED had the strongest relationship. Findings suggest continued focus on women's positive alcohol expectancies and HED as risk factors for alcohol-involved rape. Implications for intervention will be discussed.

  11. Incarceration and Sexual Risk: Examining the Relationship Between Men’s Involvement in the Criminal Justice System and Risky Sexual Behavior

    PubMed Central

    Snow, Rachel C.; Griffith, Derek M.; Morenoff, Jeffrey

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we used data from Add Health Waves II and III to compare men who had been incarcerated to those who had not, and examined whether incarceration was associated with increased numbers of sexual partners and increased odds of concurrent partnerships. We used multivariate regression and propensity-score matching to compare sexual behavior of Wave III male respondents who had been incarcerated with those who had not, and compared sexual behavior at Wave II to identify differences in sexual behavior prior to incarceration. Incarceration was associated with an increased rate of lifetime sexual partnership, but this was attenuated by substance use. Criminal justice involvement was associated with increased odds of having partners who report concurrent partnerships, but no further increase was seen with incarceration. There were no significant sexual behavior differences prior to incarceration. These results suggest that the criminal justice system and substance use may interact to shape sexual behavior. PMID:23392910

  12. Housing and sexual health among street-involved youth.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Maya M; Nisenbaum, Rosane; Barozzino, Tony; Sgro, Michael; Bonifacio, Herbert J; Maguire, Jonathon L

    2015-10-01

    Street-involved youth (SIY) carry a disproportionate burden of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Studies among adults suggest that improving housing stability may be an effective primary prevention strategy for improving sexual health. Housing options available to SIY offer varying degrees of stability and adult supervision. This study investigated whether housing options offering more stability and adult supervision are associated with fewer STD and related risk behaviors among SIY. A cross-sectional study was performed using public health survey and laboratory data collected from Toronto SIY in 2010. Three exposure categories were defined a priori based on housing situation: (1) stable and supervised housing, (2) stable and unsupervised housing, and (3) unstable and unsupervised housing. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between housing category and current or recent STD. Secondary analyses were performed using the following secondary outcomes: blood-borne infection, recent binge-drinking, and recent high-risk sexual behavior. The final analysis included 184 SIY. Of these, 28.8 % had a current or recent STD. Housing situation was stable and supervised for 12.5 %, stable and unsupervised for 46.2 %, and unstable and unsupervised for 41.3 %. Compared to stable and supervised housing, there was no significant association between current or recent STD among stable and unsupervised housing or unstable and unsupervised housing. There was no significant association between housing category and risk of blood-borne infection, binge-drinking, or high-risk sexual behavior. Although we did not demonstrate a significant association between stable and supervised housing and lower STD risk, our incorporation of both housing stability and adult supervision into a priori defined exposure groups may inform future studies of housing-related prevention strategies among SIY. Multi-modal interventions beyond housing alone may also be required to

  13. Psychological Factors Involved in Sexual Desire, Sexual Activity, and Sexual Satisfaction: A Multi-factorial Perspective.

    PubMed

    Dosch, Alessandra; Rochat, Lucien; Ghisletta, Paolo; Favez, Nicolas; Van der Linden, Martial

    2016-11-01

    This study explored the role of psychological trait factors in sexual desire and sexual activity. In particular, it investigated how these factors may contribute to maintaining a balance between motivational aspects and self-control abilities, as both have been considered important in relation to adaptive sexuality. Moreover, the study explored the relationship between sexual desire, activity, and satisfaction. Participants completed questionnaires assessing sexual desire (dyadic, solitary), sexual activity (with a partner, alone), sexual satisfaction, approach and avoidance motivation, attachment, self-control, sensation seeking, and mindfulness. Cluster analyses, based on participants' level of sexual desire and sexual activity, highlighted three distinct profiles for each gender related to different types of psychological functioning: (a) participants with high dyadic sexual desire and activity were the most sexually satisfied, showed optimal psychological functioning, and were characterized by a balance between motivational tendencies to seek positive rewards and self-control abilities (high approach motivation, secure attachment, high self-control, high mindfulness); (b) participants with high dyadic and solitary sexual desire and activity were moderately satisfied and showed a type of psychological functioning predominantly characterized by impulsivity (an overly high motivation to obtain rewards in women, and low self-control in men); (c) participants with low dyadic sexual desire and activity were the least sexually satisfied and were characterized by high motivation to avoid negative consequences and low self-control (high avoidance motivation, insecure attachment, and poor mindfulness). These results shed further light on how fundamental psychological factors contribute to explain the individual variability in sexual desire, activity, and satisfaction.

  14. Father Involvement and Young, Rural African American Men's Engagement in Substance Misuse and Multiple Sexual Partnerships.

    PubMed

    Barton, Allen W; Kogan, Steven M; Cho, Junhan; Brown, Geoffrey L

    2015-12-01

    This study was designed to examine the associations of biological father and social father involvement during childhood with African American young men's development and engagement in risk behaviors. With a sample of 505 young men living in the rural South of the United States, a dual mediation model was tested in which retrospective reports of involvement from biological fathers and social fathers were linked to young men's substance misuse and multiple sexual partnerships through men's relational schemas and future expectations. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that levels of involvement from biological fathers and social fathers predicted young men's relational schemas; only biological fathers' involvement predicted future expectations. In turn, future expectations predicted levels of substance misuse, and negative relational schemas predicted multiple sexual partnerships. Biological fathers' involvement evinced significant indirect associations with young men's substance misuse and multiple sexual partnerships through both schemas and expectations; social fathers' involvement exhibited an indirect association with multiple sexual partnerships through relational schemas. Findings highlight the unique influences of biological fathers and social fathers on multiple domains of African American young men's psychosocial development that subsequently render young men more or less likely to engage in risk behaviors.

  15. An Initial Investigation of Sexual Minority Youth Involvement in School-Based Extracurricular Activities

    PubMed Central

    Russell, Stephen T.

    2012-01-01

    Sexual minority youth are at risk for negative school-based experiences and poor academic outcomes. Yet, little is known about their experiences in positive school-based contexts. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1,214 sexual minority and 11,427 heterosexual participants), this study compared participation rates in, predictors of, and outcomes associated with three types of school-based extracurricular activities - sports, arts, and school clubs - by sexual orientation and gender. Findings revealed several significant sexual orientation and gender differences in participation rates in school-based sports, clubs, and arts activities. Further, findings suggested that the outcomes associated with extracurricular activity involvement do not differ by sexual orientation and gender; however, predictors of participation in these domains varied across groups. PMID:24187476

  16. An Initial Investigation of Sexual Minority Youth Involvement in School-Based Extracurricular Activities.

    PubMed

    Toomey, Russell B; Russell, Stephen T

    2013-06-01

    Sexual minority youth are at risk for negative school-based experiences and poor academic outcomes. Yet, little is known about their experiences in positive school-based contexts. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1,214 sexual minority and 11,427 heterosexual participants), this study compared participation rates in, predictors of, and outcomes associated with three types of school-based extracurricular activities - sports, arts, and school clubs - by sexual orientation and gender. Findings revealed several significant sexual orientation and gender differences in participation rates in school-based sports, clubs, and arts activities. Further, findings suggested that the outcomes associated with extracurricular activity involvement do not differ by sexual orientation and gender; however, predictors of participation in these domains varied across groups.

  17. Sexual Hookup Culture: A Review

    PubMed Central

    Garcia, Justin R.; Reiber, Chris; Massey, Sean G.; Merriwether, Ann M.

    2013-01-01

    “Hookups,” or uncommitted sexual encounters, are becoming progressively more engrained in popular culture, reflecting both evolved sexual predilections and changing social and sexual scripts. Hook-up activities may include a wide range of sexual behaviors, such as kissing, oral sex, and penetrative intercourse. However, these encounters often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship. A review of the literature suggests that these encounters are becoming increasingly normative among adolescents and young adults in North America, representing a marked shift in openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex. We reviewed the current literature on sexual hookups and considered the multiple forces influencing hookup culture, using examples from popular culture to place hooking up in context. We argue that contemporary hookup culture is best understood as the convergence of evolutionary and social forces during the developmental period of emerging adulthood. We suggest that researchers must consider both evolutionary mechanisms and social processes, and be considerate of the contemporary popular cultural climate in which hookups occur, in order to provide a comprehensive and synergistic biopsychosocial view of “casual sex” among emerging adults today. PMID:23559846

  18. Alcohol Involvement in Sexual Behaviour and Adverse Sexual Health Outcomes from 26 to 38 Years of Age.

    PubMed

    Connor, Jennie L; Kydd, Robyn M; Dickson, Nigel P

    2015-01-01

    Research on alcohol and sexual behaviour has focused on young adults or high-risk groups, showing alcohol use contributing to riskier sexual choices. Adults now in their late thirties have been exposed to heavier drinking norms than previously, raising questions about effects on sexual wellbeing. We examined self-reported use and consequences of alcohol in sexual contexts, and its association with usual drinking pattern at age 38, and also associations of heavy drinking occasion (HDO) frequency with number of sexual partners, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and terminations of pregnancy (TOPs), from 26-32 and 32-38 years of age. Members of the Dunedin Study birth cohort answered computer-presented questions about sexual behaviour and outcomes, and interviewer-administered alcohol consumption questions, at age 26, 32 and 38 years. Response level was >90% at each assessment. At 38, drinking before or during sex in the previous year was common (8.2% of men; 14.6% of women reported "usually/always"), and unwanted consequences were reported by 13.5% of men and 11.9% of women, including regretted sex or failure to use contraception or condoms. Frequent heavy drinkers were more likely to "use alcohol to make it easier to have sex" and regret partner choice, particularly women. Heavy drinking frequency was strongly associated with partner numbers for men and women at 32, but only for women at 38. Significantly higher odds of STIs amongst the heaviest drinking men, and TOPs amongst the heaviest drinking women were seen at 32-38. Alcohol involvement in sex continues beyond young adulthood where it has been well documented, and is common at 38. Women appear to be more affected than men, and heavy drinking is associated with poorer outcomes for both. Improving sexual health and wellbeing throughout the life course needs to take account of the role of alcohol in sexual behaviour.

  19. Examining Masculinity Norms, Problem Drinking, and Athletic Involvement as Predictors of Sexual Aggression in College Men

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Locke, Benjamin D.; Mahalik, James R.

    2005-01-01

    Male sexual aggression toward women is a serious social problem, particularly on college campuses. In this study, college men's sexually aggressive behavior and rape myth acceptance were examined using conformity to 11 masculine norms and 2 variables previously linked to sexual aggression: problem drinking and athletic involvement. Results…

  20. Stability of Self-Reported Arousal to Sexual Fantasies Involving Children in a Clinical Sample of Pedophiles and Hebephiles.

    PubMed

    Grundmann, Dorit; Krupp, Jurian; Scherner, Gerold; Amelung, Till; Beier, Klaus M

    2016-07-01

    In forensic research, there is a controversial discussion concerning the changeability or stability of pedophilia. Seto (2012) conceptualized pedophilia as a sexual age orientation characterized by an early onset, correlations with sexual and romantic behavior, and stability over time. However, empirical data are sparse and are mostly based on samples of detected offenders. The present study examined self-reported arousal to sexual fantasies involving children in a clinical sample of pedo-/hebephiles. In Study 1, retrospective self-reports on the age of onset and duration of sexual interest in minors were examined. In Study 2, the stability and variability of self-reported arousal to sexual fantasies involving children were evaluated prospectively. Non-prosecuted self-identifying pedo-/hebephilic men seeking professional help were recruited within the Berlin Prevention Project Dunkelfeld. Between 2005 and 2013, 494 participants completed the intake assessment. Self-reported data were collected via questionnaire focusing on sexual arousal to fantasies during masturbation involving prepubescent and/or early pubescent minors. Subsequent assessments of sexual arousal were obtained for 121 of the participants. The average time between the first and last assessment was approximately 29 months. Spearman's correlation coefficients examined the between-group rank-order and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests examined the within-individual mean-level stability. The majority of subjects reported an early onset of their pedo-/hebephilic sexual arousal. The rank-order stability was medium to high. Over the investigated period, the majority of subjects showed no or only minimal decrease or increase of self-reported sexual arousal. These results suggested that sexual arousal to fantasies involving prepubescent and/or early pubescent children is stable. Furthermore, the results support the conceptualization of pedo-/hebephilia as a sexual age orientation in men.

  1. The Impact of Sexual Arousal on Sexual Risk-Taking and Decision-Making in Men and Women.

    PubMed

    Skakoon-Sparling, Shayna; Cramer, Kenneth M; Shuper, Paul A

    2016-01-01

    Sexual arousal has emerged as an important contextual feature in sexual encounters that can impact safer-sex decision-making. We conducted two experiments that investigated the effects of sexual arousal among male and female participants. Experiment 1 (N = 144) examined the impact of sexual around on sexual health decision-making. Sexually explicit and neutral video clips as well as hypothetical romantic scenarios were used to evaluate the effects of sexual arousal on sexual risk-taking intentions. Men and women who reported higher levels of sexual arousal also displayed greater intentions to participate in risky sexual behavior (e.g., unprotected sex with a new sex partner). Experiment 2 (N = 122) examined the impact of sexual arousal on general risk-taking, using the same videos clips as in Experiment 1 and a modified version of a computerized Blackjack card game. Participants were offered a chance to make either a risky play or a safe play during ambiguous conditions. Increased sexual arousal in Experiment 2 was associated with impulsivity and a greater willingness to make risky plays in the Blackjack game. These findings suggest that, in situations where there are strong sexually visceral cues, both men and women experiencing strong sexual arousal may have lower inhibitions and may experience impaired decision-making. This phenomenon may have an impact during sexual encounters and may contribute to a failure to use appropriate prophylactic protection.

  2. Allegations of children's involvement in ritual sexual abuse: clinical experience of 20 cases.

    PubMed

    Weir, I K; Wheatcroft, M S

    1995-04-01

    Twenty cases were evaluated in which allegations had been made of children being involved in ritual sexual abuse (RSA). A selection of case histories are presented together with a summary of the salient points in the other cases. Using a standard format developed for assessing the validity of allegations in sexual abuse cases, it was concluded that false allegations of ritual sexual abuse occurred in three-quarters of the cases and true allegations only in one-quarter. This high rate of false allegations is unlike the author's clinical experience in other cases of child sexual abuse where the rate of false allegations is much lower and similar to other published series. Reasons for the high rate of false allegations are discussed.

  3. Influence of male morphology on male mating status and behavior during interunit encounters in western lowland gorillas.

    PubMed

    Caillaud, Damien; Levréro, Florence; Gatti, Sylvain; Ménard, Nelly; Raymond, Michel

    2008-04-01

    The western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) is one of the most sexually dimorphic primate species. Mature males are twice the size of females and have grey fur on their backs and a fibrous, adipose crest on their heads. Such traits are likely to have evolved by sexual selection, either because they confer advantages during male-male fights or because females prefer males with more dimorphic traits. We developed photogrammetric methods for distance collection of morphological data from silverback males frequenting the Lokoué forest clearing in Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of the Congo. Body length, head-crest size, musculature development, and extent of the grey color on the back were assessed in 87 nonbreeding and breeding mature males. Behavioral data were also collected during 312 male-male encounters involving 67 mature males in order to estimate their level of aggressiveness. The number of females belonging to a mature male positively correlated with the male crest size, body length, and musculature. Whereas morphological variables did not significantly affect the intensity of male-male encounters, the number of females attending male-male encounters strongly affected the number of agonistic displays by the two males. We discuss the mechanisms through which males with more exaggerated traits could obtain a mating advantage, namely male-male fights or female mate choice. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. Sexual and emotional variables influencing sexual response to erotica: a psychophysiological investigation.

    PubMed

    Koukounas, E; McCabe, M P

    2001-08-01

    The relative contribution of attentional and emotional factors to the physiological and subjective sexual arousal elicited by erotic film was evaluated. Sexual arousal, attentional, and emotional responses were measured while 30 men were presented with a series of erotic film segments. Levels of physiological and subjective sexual arousal were higher when subjects became absorbed in the activities portrayed in the film and when they experienced the depicted erotic encounters as appetitive, than when they were distracted and perceived the encounters as aversive. The erotic film elicited a diminished startle response to a sudden burst of white noise presented during stimulation relative to the nature film, suggesting that at a physiological level the erotic segments of film were processed as more appetitive in valence. The level of sexual arousal elicited by the erotic segments was related to the extent to which subjects were entertained by the film, even though there was considerable anxiety generated by the portrayed sexual scenarios. Sexual response was not significantly correlated with trait measures of absorption (as indexed by the Tellegen Absorption Scale) nor with vividness of imagery (as assessed by the Betts Questionnaire upon Mental Imagery). Arousal was related to state-assessed attentional and emotional variables, and physiological measures of emotional response, demonstrating the multidimensional nature of the sexual response. Future directions for comparing male sexual response patterns with female response patterns are suggested.

  5. Alcohol Involvement in Sexual Behaviour and Adverse Sexual Health Outcomes from 26 to 38 Years of Age

    PubMed Central

    Connor, Jennie L.; Kydd, Robyn M.; Dickson, Nigel P.

    2015-01-01

    Background Research on alcohol and sexual behaviour has focused on young adults or high-risk groups, showing alcohol use contributing to riskier sexual choices. Adults now in their late thirties have been exposed to heavier drinking norms than previously, raising questions about effects on sexual wellbeing. We examined self-reported use and consequences of alcohol in sexual contexts, and its association with usual drinking pattern at age 38, and also associations of heavy drinking occasion (HDO) frequency with number of sexual partners, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and terminations of pregnancy (TOPs), from 26–32 and 32–38 years of age. Methods Members of the Dunedin Study birth cohort answered computer-presented questions about sexual behaviour and outcomes, and interviewer-administered alcohol consumption questions, at age 26, 32 and 38 years. Results Response level was >90% at each assessment. At 38, drinking before or during sex in the previous year was common (8.2% of men; 14.6% of women reported “usually/always”), and unwanted consequences were reported by 13.5% of men and 11.9% of women, including regretted sex or failure to use contraception or condoms. Frequent heavy drinkers were more likely to “use alcohol to make it easier to have sex” and regret partner choice, particularly women. Heavy drinking frequency was strongly associated with partner numbers for men and women at 32, but only for women at 38. Significantly higher odds of STIs amongst the heaviest drinking men, and TOPs amongst the heaviest drinking women were seen at 32–38. Conclusions Alcohol involvement in sex continues beyond young adulthood where it has been well documented, and is common at 38. Women appear to be more affected than men, and heavy drinking is associated with poorer outcomes for both. Improving sexual health and wellbeing throughout the life course needs to take account of the role of alcohol in sexual behaviour. PMID:26267272

  6. Sexuality (and Lack Thereof) in Adolescence and Early Adulthood: A Review of the Literature

    PubMed Central

    Boislard, Marie-Aude; van de Bongardt, Daphne; Blais, Martin

    2016-01-01

    Youth sexuality has been primarily studied with a focus on its potential public health issues, such as sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies, and its comorbidity with other risky behaviors. More recently, it has been studied as a normative step in romantic partnerships, either pre- or post-marital, as well as outside the context of romantic involvement. In this paper, we review the extensive literature on sexuality in adolescence and early adulthood both within and outside romantic relationships (i.e., casual sexual relationships and experiences; CSREs). Furthermore, the recent recognition of youth sexuality as a developmental task has led to a renewed interest from scholars in youth who abstain from sexual encounters, whether deliberately or not. A brief overview of the literature on cultural differences in sexuality, and sexual-minority youth sexual development is also provided. This paper concludes by suggesting future directions to bring the field of youth sexuality and romantic relationships forward. PMID:26999225

  7. General Aviation Weather Encounter Case Studies

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-09-01

    This study presents a compilation of 24 cases involving general aviation (GA) pilots weather encounters over the : continental U.S. The project team interviewed pilots who had experienced a weather encounter, and we : examined their backgrounds, f...

  8. The Role of Alcohol and Victim Sexual Interest in Spanish Students' Perceptions of Sexual Assault

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romero-Sanchez, Monica; Megias, Jesus L.; Krahe, Barbara

    2012-01-01

    Two studies investigated the effects of information related to rape myths on Spanish college students' perceptions of sexual assault. In Study 1, 92 participants read a vignette about a nonconsensual sexual encounter and rated whether it was a sexual assault and how much the woman was to blame. In the scenario, the man either used physical force…

  9. Sexual practices in youth: analysis of lifetime sexual trajectory and last sexual intercourse.

    PubMed

    Heilborn, Maria Luiza; Cabral, Cristiane S

    2006-07-01

    This article examines the sexual practices of young Brazilians based on data from the GRAVAD Research Project, a household survey targeting males and females from 18 to 24 years of age (n = 4,634) in three Brazilian State capitals: Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and Salvador. The set of practices experienced over the course of their sexual careers is characterized by traits of social belonging, elements from individual life histories, and prescribed rules of conduct for men and women. The authors compared the young people's range of lifetime practices and those from last sexual relations in order to discuss the spread and incorporation of practices into life histories. The data point to the hegemony of vaginal sex in both the lifetime repertoire of sexual practices and the last sexual encounters, such that vaginal sex provides the prime definition of heterosexuality.

  10. [Sexuality of Tunisian women: Involvement of religion and culture].

    PubMed

    Ben Thabet, J; Charfeddine, F; Charfi, N; Baati, I; Zouari, L; Zouari, N; Maâlej, M

    2015-04-01

    Culture and religion carry several prohibitions and taboos, especially in the Arab-Muslim societies, and are therefore involved in the sexual behavior and its perception, particularly that of women. To assess the married population's knowledge and opinion about female sexuality, and to estimate the impacts of religious and cultural factors on women's life experience and sexual practice in the Tunisian society. Our study is in an inquiry. We targeted 55 men and 55 women agreeing to participate in the study. They responded to an anonymous self-administered questionnaire comprising 18 items related to the influence of religion and culture on female sexuality. Among these items, some were binary responses (yes or no) assessing knowledge about female sexuality in the Tunisian religious and cultural context; 8 others explored the opinions of participants about female sexuality. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (15th version). Pearson's chi-square test and Fisher's exact association test were used for comparative study (P<0.05). The rate of participants who did not manage to reach the threshold of 50% of responses compliant with religious precepts and morals in the Tunisian context was 48.19%. According to 61.8% of participants, the woman should consider sex as a religious duty, and according to 79.1%, she always ought to have sex with her husband even when she did not wish to. This assertion was more frequently reported by women (P<0.001). Among the participants, 35.5% did not approve of the idea that women had the right to reach sexual pleasure, like men. Men recognized this right less often than women did (P<0.001). With reference to social morals, 43.6% of participants thought that the woman should always remain passive when having sex. This opinion was more common to women (P<0.001). There were 71.8% who thought that premature ejaculation was not a limiting factor for female pleasure. Virginity was considered by 63.6% of respondents as a

  11. Standards to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment involving unaccompanied children. Interim final rule (IFR).

    PubMed

    2014-12-24

    This IFR proposes standards and procedures to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment involving unaccompanied children (UCs) in ORR's care provider facilities. DATES: This IFR is effective on December 24, 2014. ORR care provider facilities must be in compliance with this IFR by June 24, 2015 but encourages care provider facilities to be in compliance sooner, if possible. HHS will work with facilities to implement and enforce the standards contained in this rule. Comments on this IFR must be received on or before February 23, 2015.

  12. Sexual Risk Behavior and STI Contraction Among Young Women With Prior Juvenile Justice Involvement.

    PubMed

    Leve, Leslie D; Van Ryzin, Mark J; Chamberlain, Patricia

    Girls in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. Sexual risk behavior was examined in 166 females with juvenile justice involvement who were followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Results indicated that childhood sexual abuse increased the incidence of unsafe sex during young adulthood, which was subsequently associated with contraction of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Further, girls' comfort in talking with their partners about safer sex practices during adolescence moderated the association between childhood sexual abuse and unsafe sex, such that girls who had been sexually abused and were uncomfortable talking to their partners about safer sex during adolescence had an 8.5-fold increase in unsafe sex in young adulthood. The identification of behaviors amenable to intervention in the prevention of HIV/AIDS risk in this high-risk population is discussed.

  13. Sexual Risk Behavior and STI Contraction Among Young Women With Prior Juvenile Justice Involvement

    PubMed Central

    Leve, Leslie D.; Van Ryzin, Mark J.; Chamberlain, Patricia

    2014-01-01

    Girls in the juvenile justice system are at increased risk for contracting HIV/AIDS. Sexual risk behavior was examined in 166 females with juvenile justice involvement who were followed from adolescence to young adulthood. Results indicated that childhood sexual abuse increased the incidence of unsafe sex during young adulthood, which was subsequently associated with contraction of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Further, girls’ comfort in talking with their partners about safer sex practices during adolescence moderated the association between childhood sexual abuse and unsafe sex, such that girls who had been sexually abused and were uncomfortable talking to their partners about safer sex during adolescence had an 8.5-fold increase in unsafe sex in young adulthood. The identification of behaviors amenable to intervention in the prevention of HIV/AIDS risk in this high-risk population is discussed. PMID:26120287

  14. "Running a Train": Adolescent Boys' Accounts of Sexual Intercourse Involving Multiple Males and One Female

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rothman, Emily F.; Decker, Michele R.; Reed, Elizabeth; Raj, Anita; Silverman, Jay G.; Miller, Elizabeth

    2008-01-01

    The authors used qualitative research methods to explore the context and sexual risk behavior associated with sexual intercourse involving multiple males and one female, commonly called "running a train." Participants were 20 adolescent males aged 14 to 22 years who were either perpetrators of dating violence or perceived by teachers to…

  15. Basic deprivation and involvement in risky sexual behaviour among out-of-school young people in a Lagos slum.

    PubMed

    Kunnuji, Michael

    2014-01-01

    Research has shown that in countries such as Nigeria many urban dwellers live in a state of squalour and lack the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter. The present study set out to examine the association between forms of basic deprivation--such as food deprivation, high occupancy ratio as a form of shelter deprivation, and inadequate clothing--and two sexual outcomes--timing of onset of penetrative sex and involvement in multiple sexual partnerships. The study used survey data from a sample of 480 girls resident in Iwaya community. A survival analysis of the timing of onset of sex and a regression model for involvement in multiple sexual partnerships reveal that among the forms of deprivation explored, food deprivation is the only significant predictor of the timing of onset of sex and involvement in multiple sexual partnerships. The study concludes that the sexual activities of poor out-of-school girls are partly explained by their desire to overcome food deprivation and recommends that government and non-governmental-organisation programmes working with young people should address the problem of basic deprivation among adolescent girls.

  16. Sexual Orientation as a Peripheral Cue in Advertising: Effects of Models' Sexual Orientation, Argument Strength, and Involvement on Responses to Magazine Ads.

    PubMed

    Ivory, Adrienne Holz

    2017-10-12

    This study examines how sexual orientation of couples featured in magazine advertisements affects heterosexual viewers' responses using the elaboration likelihood model as a framework. A 3 × 2 × 2 × 3 experiment tested effects of sexual orientation, argument strength, involvement, and attitudes toward homosexuality on heterosexuals' attitudes toward the couple, advertisement, brand, and product, purchase intentions, and recall. Results indicate that consumers were accepting of ads with lesbian portrayals. Participants showed more negative attitudes toward gay male portrayals, but attitudes toward heterosexual and lesbian ads were similar. This effect was moderated by participants' attitudes toward homosexuals. Low-involvement consumers showed more negative attitudes toward homosexual portrayals than toward heterosexual portrayals, indicating that sexual orientation may have served as a peripheral cue negatively impacting attitudes toward the couple and ad under low elaboration. These effects were not observed for attitudes toward the brand and product, purchase intentions, or recall.

  17. [Childhood sexual abuse: how important is the diagnosis to understand and manage sexual, anorectal and lower urinary tract symptoms].

    PubMed

    Cour, F; Robain, G; Claudon, B; Chartier-Kästler, E

    2013-07-01

    To understand and manage the sequels of childhood sexual abuse on sexual, anorectal and lower urinary tract functions. Review of articles published in the Medline database, selected according to their scientific relevance and published guidelines on this subject together with our own experience. A history of sexual abuse is frequently found when assessing dysfunction or symptoms of the lower urinary tract. In this context, urinary stress incontinence is rarely involved but it can be linked by epidemiological factors. Dysuria with urgency is the most frequent expressed symptom. When associated with anorectal disorders and pelvic pain or a sexual disorder in particular dyspareunia, a sexual abuse should be evoked and specific questions asked to the patient. Although these symptoms are frequently encountered in 12 to 33% of women, and 8 to 16% of men, few practitioners, whatever their speciality ask about them as routine. It is important that the physician diagnose the existence of sexual abuse, in particular when the symptoms mentioned by the patient are not conclusive, in spite of thorough urological assessment. Patients finding the initial examination difficult and painful and the failure of the initial treatment should lead to questions concerning abuse, if neglected by the initial medical inquiry. Clinicians involved in perineal functional pathology are able to acquire standardized modalities of inquiry about child sexual abuse for a better time management and efficacy in the therapeutic approach. The interest of a multidisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic approach is primordial, associating psychological therapy and if necessary perineal re-education. This can avoid unnecessary tests and out-patient visits. Directing patients towards a multidisciplinary approach is highly advisable. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  18. PTSD Symptoms Mediate the Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Substance Use Risk in Juvenile Justice-Involved Youth.

    PubMed

    Sanders, Jasmyn; Hershberger, Alexandra R; Kolp, Haley M; Um, Miji; Aalsma, Matthew; Cyders, Melissa A

    2017-01-01

    Juvenile justice-involved youth face disproportionate rates of sexual abuse, which increases the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs), both of which are associated with poor long-term outcomes. The present study tested two mediation and moderation models, controlling for age, race, and history of physical abuse, with gender as a moderator, to determine whether PTSD symptoms serve as a risk factor and/or mechanism in the relationship between sexual abuse and substance use. Data were examined for 197 juvenile justice-involved youth (mean age = 15.45, 68.9% non-White, 78.4% male) that completed court-ordered psychological assessments. Results indicated that PTSD symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between sexual abuse and drug (β = 3.44, confidence interval [CI] [0.26, 7.41]; test for indirect effect z = 2.41, p = .02) and alcohol use (β = 1.42, CI [0.20, 3.46]; test for indirect effect z = 2.23, p = .03). PTSD symptoms and gender were not significant moderators. Overall, PTSD symptoms mediate the relationship between sexual abuse and SUDs in juvenile justice-involved youth, which suggests viability of targeting PTSD symptoms as a modifiable risk factor to reduce the effects of sexual abuse on substance use in this high-risk population.

  19. The Impact of Rapid HIV Home Test Use with Sexual Partners on Subsequent Sexual Behavior among Men Who Have Sex with Men

    PubMed Central

    Balán, Iván C.; Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Frasca, Timothy; Dolezal, Curtis; Ibitoye, Mobolaji

    2013-01-01

    This study explores the sexual behavior 27 men who have sex with men (MSM) who regularly engage in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), in the context of HIV home test (HT) use with potential sex partners. Participants were given 16 HT kits to use over three months. Among 40 sexual occasions following HIV-negative HT results, there were 25 UAI occasions (16 based on not typically using condoms and nine on HT results), 15 occasions in which condoms were used, and three in which sex did not occur. In the seven occasions where a potential partner received HIV-positive HT results, the sexual encounter ended. Almost all participants encountered potential partners who refused HT. Over half of these participants ended sexual encounters when HT was refused, perceiving these partners as HIV-positive or too high risk. Some participants reported that HT use heightened their awareness of HIV risk and their commitment to reducing it. PMID:23657758

  20. The impact of rapid HIV home test use with sexual partners on subsequent sexual behavior among men who have sex with men.

    PubMed

    Balán, Iván C; Carballo-Diéguez, Alex; Frasca, Timothy; Dolezal, Curtis; Ibitoye, Mobolaji

    2014-02-01

    This study explores the sexual behavior of 27 men who have sex with men (MSM) who regularly engage in unprotected anal intercourse (UAI), in the context of HIV home test (HT) use with potential sex partners. Participants were given 16 HT kits to use over 3 months. Among 40 sexual occasions following HIV-negative HT results, there were 25 UAI occasions (16 based on not typically using condoms and nine on HT results), 15 occasions in which condoms were used, and three in which sex did not occur. In the seven occasions where a potential partner received HIV-positive HT results, the sexual encounter ended. Almost all participants encountered potential partners who refused HT. Over half of these participants ended sexual encounters when HT was refused, perceiving these partners as HIV-positive or too high risk. Some participants reported that HT use heightened their awareness of HIV risk and their commitment to reducing it.

  1. Amygdala and socio-sexual behavior in male zebra finches.

    PubMed

    Ikebuchi, Maki; Hasegawa, Toshikazu; Bischof, Hans-Joachim

    2009-01-01

    Neuroanatomical studies including pathway tracing and cytochemical characterizations have suggested that the avian nucleus taeniae of the amygdala (TnA) might be homologous to a part of the mammalian medial amygdala. Recent behavioral observations in TnA-lesioned birds also reported deficits in the control of motivational aspects of behavior, advancing the concept of homology of the structure in the two classes of animals. To further examine the functional role of TnA, we used a highly social, monogamous song bird species, the zebra finch, for our experiments. Male birds received a focal lesion of TnA, and several aspects of socio-sexual behavior of these animals were compared with control bird behavior. We found that zebra finch males with TnA lesions were never chosen as sexual partners by a female in a triadic situation with another male because they showed less sexually motivated behavior. Because such sexually motivated behavior was shown in dyadic situations with a lesioned male and a female, however, and females in this situation also showed pair bonding behavior towards the lesioned males, TnA might be involved in other behaviors, not just sexual behavior towards females. Instead, it might play a role in the control of a variety of social encounters including male-female and male-male interactions. This research clearly indicates that TnA, by its involvement in the control of socio-sexual behavior, is functionally comparable with the mammalian medial amygdala. 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Staff's reactions towards partnered sexual expressions involving people with dementia living in long-term care facilities.

    PubMed

    Villar, Feliciano; Celdrán, Montserrat; Serrat, Rodrigo; Fabà, Josep; Martínez, Teresa

    2018-05-01

    To explore staff responses, in terms of common practices, towards partnered sexual relationships in long-term care facilities where one or both people involved have dementia. It also tries to determine personal and institutional factors influencing these responses. Although some studies, mostly qualitative, have focused on reactions to residents' sexual expressions so far the issue has not been assessed in a study using large and diverse samples. Cross-sectional quantitative study using vignette technique. Participants were 2,295 staff members at 152 Spanish long-term care facilities. Data were collected during 2016. A vignette describing sexual situations involving people with dementia was presented to participants. After the vignette, participants had to answer the question: "What do you think most of your colleagues would do in this situation?" with nine possible responses. Results showed that relationships involving persons with dementia were perceived as potentially problematic by staff. In both conditions, discussing the case with a colleague or supervisor was the most frequently chosen reaction. More restrictive reactions were mentioned when only one person with dementia was involved in the relationship. Factors such as participants" age and years of experience, professional post and commitment to person-centred care practices were related with the frequency of common restriction practices. Results highlight the importance of providing staff with clear guidelines regarding the management of specific sexual situations to avoid stereotyped restrictive reactions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Evaluation of "Harsh Reality": A Sexual Health Print-Based Resource for Street-Involved Youth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jalloh, Chelsea; McMillan, Barbara; Ormond, Margaret; Casey, Catherine; Wylie, John L.

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: Street-involved youth are one of the populations most at risk for elevated rates of sexually transmitted and bloodborne infections. This paper evaluates the suitability and success of a resource focused on health education with a population of street-involved youth in Winnipeg, Canada. Method: Using a mixed method approach,…

  4. A survey of sexual behaviour of Singaporeans.

    PubMed

    Heng, B H; Lee, H P; Kok, L P; Ong, Y W; Ho, M L

    1992-11-01

    In order to plan education programmes against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV infection, a population-based survey on partner relations was conducted on 2,115 Singaporean men and women aged between 15 and 49 years. Of the 605 (60.1%) sexually experienced men and 647 (58.3%) sexually experienced women, 510 (84.3%) men and 644 (99.5%) women were married. Of the marrieds, 465 (76.9%) men and 638 (98.6%) women had their first sexual encounter with the person who was or later became their spouse. Of the sexually experienced men, 97 (16%) engaged in casual sex in the previous year, of which 76 (78.4%) were encounters with commercial sex workers. Of these encounters 55 (72.4%) were unprotected or partially protected by condoms. A history of casual sex in the previous four weeks was given by 18 men, of whom 14 (77.8%) were married. Nine (64.3%) of these married men had sex concurrently with both their wives and commercial workers. Persons at high risk were those who started sexual activity early, unmarried, sexually active men with no or low education, and persons who travelled. Of the sexually experienced respondents, 1,242 (99.2%) had heard about condoms, and 431 (34.4%) were currently using them as contraceptive devices. Attitudes towards condoms and willingness to use them to prevent STDs and HIV infection were favourable. Men were more permissive in their attitudes towards sex. The level of permissiveness in men and women was not corroborated by their reported behaviour, an indication of either under-reporting and/or a disparity between attitude and practice.

  5. Prevalence and Mental Health Correlates of Insomnia in First-Encounter Veterans with and without Military Sexual Trauma.

    PubMed

    Jenkins, Melissa M; Colvonen, Peter J; Norman, Sonya B; Afari, Niloofar; Allard, Carolyn B; Drummond, Sean P A

    2015-10-01

    There is limited information about prevalence of insomnia in general populations of veterans of recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. No studies have examined insomnia in veterans with military sexual trauma (MST). We assess prevalence of insomnia, identify types of services sought by veterans with insomnia, and examine correlates of insomnia in veterans with and without MST. A cross-sectional study of first-encounter veterans registering to establish care. Veteran Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. Nine hundred seventeen veterans completed questionnaires assessing insomnia, MST, service needs, traumatic brain injury, resilience, and symptoms of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain, alcohol misuse, and hypomania. N/A. 53.1% of veterans without MST and 60.8% of veterans with MST had clinically significant insomnia symptoms, with the MST subsample reporting more severe symptoms, P < 0.05. Insomnia was more prevalent than depression, hypomania, PTSD, and substance misuse. Veterans with insomnia were more likely to seek care for physical health problems and primary care versus mental health concerns, P < 0.001. For the veteran sample without MST, age, combat service, traumatic brain injury, pain, and depression were associated with worse insomnia, P < 0.001. For the MST subsample, employment status, pain, and depression were associated with worse insomnia, P < 0.001. Study findings indicate a higher rate of insomnia in veterans compared to what has been found in the general population. Insomnia is more prevalent, and more severe, in veterans with military sexual trauma. Routine insomnia assessments and referrals to providers who can provide evidence-based treatment are crucial. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

  6. 'My sexual self, I stifled it': sexual subjectivities among young Portuguese women.

    PubMed

    Costa, Cecía; Nogueira, Conceição; López, Félix

    2009-05-01

    Recent research has examined young women's sexual subjectivities and desires, yet has neglected the ways women in their twenties account for their sexual selves. The present study focuses on the discourses and discursive constructions available for young Portuguese women when talking about their sexual subjectivity. Data were collected through six focus group discussions with young Portuguese women. The goal was to analyse discursive constructions and their potential implications for sexual empowerment and resistance. In the course of the work, it was possible to identify several different discursive devices, the most pervasive of which were Pandora's Box, Protocol and Process. Each of these constructions tended to be negative or contain negative judgements about women's sexuality. Even in contexts where a positive discourse on women's sexual desires emerged, significant constraints were encountered in achieving of a fulfilling and positive sexual experience.

  7. Preparing to Prevent: Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Mitigation Scenario-Based Training

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-11-26

    role in the absence of adequate local authorities? 5) The patrol may have to provide first aid if the children are injured. Longer term assistance...Encounter: Rape Victim 26 5. Patrol Encounter: Report of Abducted Children 28 6. Sexual... Discrimination against Women, women and girls are frequently victims of rape, sexual molestation, culturally-sanctioned oppression, domestic violence

  8. How Are Self-Efficacy and Family Involvement Associated with Less Sexual Risk Taking among Ethnic Minority Adolescents?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Campen, Kali S.; Romero, Andrea J.

    2012-01-01

    The current study investigates the protective influences of family involvement (i.e., parental monitoring, communication, closeness, and family proximity) and sexual self-efficacy on the risky sexual behavior of ethnic minority (predominantly Mexican-origin) adolescents in the southwestern United States (N = 122). Results indicate that whereas…

  9. Adolescent Women's Sports Involvement and Sexual Behavior/Health: A Process-Level Investigation.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lehman, Stephanie Jacobs; Koerner, Susan Silverberg

    2004-01-01

    This multimethod study explored the promising link between organized sports involvement during the high school years and sexual behavior/health among 176 adolescent women. Using more sensitive and appropriate measures than those in existing studies and directed, in part, by cultural resource theory, this study helped to fill a gap in the…

  10. UNSAFE SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR ASSOCIATED WITH HAZARDOUS ALCOHOL USE AMONG STREET-INVOLVED YOUTH

    PubMed Central

    Fairbairn, Nadia; Wood, Evan; Dong, Huiru; Kerr, Thomas; DeBeck, Kora

    2016-01-01

    While risky sexual behaviours related to illicit drug use among street youth have been explored, the impacts of alcohol use have received less attention. This longitudinal study examined hazardous alcohol use among a population of street-involved youth, with particular attention to sexual and drug-related risk behaviours. Data were derived from the At-Risk Youth Study, a prospective cohort of street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada. The outcome of interest was hazardous alcohol use defined by the US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. We used generalized estimating equations (GEEs) analyses to identify factors associated with hazardous alcohol use. Between 2005 and 2014, 1149 drug-using youth were recruited and 629 (55%) reported hazardous alcohol use in the previous 6 months during study follow-up. In multivariable GEE analyses, unprotected sex (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.28, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.12–1.46) and homelessness (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.19–1.54) were independently associated with hazardous alcohol use (all p < .001). Older age (AOR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.92–0.99), Caucasian ethnicity (AOR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.61–0.90), daily heroin use (AOR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.42– 0.67), daily crack cocaine smoking (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.59–0.91), and daily crystal methamphetamine use (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.42–0.64) were negatively associated with hazardous alcohol use (all p < .05). In sub-analysis, consistent dose–response patterns were observed between levels of alcohol use and unprotected sex, homelessness, and daily heroin injection. In sum, hazardous alcohol use was positively associated with unsafe sexual behaviour and negatively associated with high-intensity drug use. Interventions to address hazardous alcohol use should be central to HIV prevention efforts for street-involved youth. PMID:27539676

  11. Seeking trust and transcendence: sexual risk-taking among Vietnamese youth.

    PubMed

    Gammeltoft, Tine

    2002-08-01

    This paper contends that sexuality research has paid far too limited attention to the phenomenology of sexual experience, thus failing to recognize the importance of embodied sensory experience for sexual perceptions and practices in general and for sexual risk-taking in particular. In order to comprehend the cultural rationales of sexual risk-taking among urban Vietnamese youth, the author presents an analysis which combines a detailed attention to the phenomenology of sexual experience with a social analysis of the wider socio-economic contexts within which sexual practices are embedded. It is demonstrated that the sexual encounters of Vietnamese youth involve much more than strivings for intimacy and pleasure: at stake are also fundamental questions of the moral integrity of the self and the socio-political shaping of intimate relations. Moreover, obstacles to safer sex stem not only from individual choices or intimate interpersonal interactions, but also from larger systems of moral meaning and social constraint. While the acknowledgement of individual capacities for action in the sexual sphere is important, it is equally important to recognize the responsibility of communities and political systems for the shaping of sexual interactions. Current limitations in the understanding of sexual experience and practice have consequences which seriously affect health interventions and education programmes targeting high-risk sexual behaviour. In order to develop more appropriate sexual health interventions, cultural transformations at the levels of both individual practice and societal organization are needed.

  12. Women's condom use assertiveness and sexual risk-taking: effects of alcohol intoxication and adult victimization.

    PubMed

    Stoner, Susan A; Norris, Jeanette; George, William H; Morrison, Diane M; Zawacki, Tina; Davis, Kelly Cue; Hessler, Danielle M

    2008-09-01

    This experiment examined relationships among adulthood victimization, sexual assertiveness, alcohol intoxication, and sexual risk-taking in female social drinkers (N=161). Women completed measures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence history and sexual assertiveness before random assignment to 1 of 4 beverage conditions: control, placebo, low dose (.04%), or high dose (.08%). After drinking, women read a second-person story involving a sexual encounter with a new partner. As protagonist of the story, each woman rated her likelihood of condom insistence and unprotected sex. Victimization history and self-reported sexual assertiveness were negatively related. The less sexually assertive a woman was, the less she intended to insist on condom use, regardless of intoxication. By reducing the perceived health consequences of unprotected sex, intoxication indirectly decreased condom insistence and increased unprotected sex. Findings extend previous work by elucidating possible mechanisms of the relationship between alcohol and unprotected sex - perceived health consequences and situational condom insistence - and support the value of sexual assertiveness training to enhance condom insistence, especially since the latter relationship was robust to intoxication.

  13. Sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in three states in North Eastern Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ajuwon, Ademola J; Olaleye, Adeniyi; Faromoju, Banji; Ladipo, Oladapo

    2006-12-23

    Interest in the reproductive health of adolescents continues to grow throughout the world. Few studies had explored the reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in North Eastern states of Nigeria. The objectives of this descriptive survey were to collect data to plan appropriate interventions that meet the reproductive health knowledge, service and skills needs of students in Bauchi, Borno and Gombe states. Face-to-face interviews were conducted for 624 consenting students who were randomly selected from eighteen secondary schools using an 83-item structured questionnaire. Data were collected on demographic profile, reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion. The mean age of the respondents was 16.5 years. There were slightly more males (52%) than females (48%). Students' knowledge about reproductive health was generally low even though girls had better knowledge than boys. Thirteen percent of the entire students had had sexual experience; significantly more males (19%) than females (6%) had done so (p < 0.001). Among boys the age at sexual debut ranged from 10-26 with a mean of 15.7 and median of 16. By contrast, the age at first sex among girls ranged from 10 to 18 years with a mean and median of 16.1 and 17 years respectively. Only 24% of those who were sexually active used a condom during their last sexual encounter. Overall 11% of the students reported that they had been tricked into having sex, 9% had experienced unwanted touch of breast and backside, and 5% reported rape. Students low reproductive health knowledge and involvement in risky sexual activities predispose them to undesirable reproductive health outcomes.

  14. Examining links between sexual risk behaviors and dating violence involvement as a function of sexual orientation.

    PubMed

    Hipwell, A E; Stepp, S D; Keenan, K; Allen, A; Hoffmann, A; Rottingen, L; McAloon, R

    2013-08-01

    To examine the association between dating violence perpetration and victimization and sexually risky behaviors among sexual minority and heterosexual adolescent girls. Adolescent girls reported on sexual orientation, sexual behaviors, and risk-taking, and their use of, and experience with, dating violence in the past year. Data were analyzed using multinomial regression adjusted for race, poverty, living in a single parent household, and gender of current partner to examine (1) whether sexual minority status was associated with sexual risk behaviors after sociodemographic correlates of sexual risk were controlled; and (2) whether dating violence context accounted for elevated risk. Urban, population-based sample of girls interviewed in the home. 1,647 adolescent girls (38% European American, 57% African American, and 5% other) aged 17 years. Over one-third of the sample lived in poverty. None. Sexual risk-taking. Sexual minority status differentiated girls engaging in high sexual risk-taking from those reporting none, after controlling for sociodemographic and relationship characteristics. Dating violence perpetration and victimization made unique additional contributions to this model and did not account for the elevated risk conferred by sexual minority status. Sexual minority girls (SMGs) were more likely than heterosexual girls to report high sexual risk-taking and teen dating violence victimization. As with heterosexual girls, sexual risk-taking among SMGs was compounded by dating violence, which was not explained by partner gender. Adolescent girls' risky sexual behavior may be reduced by interventions for teen dating violence regardless of sexual minority status. Copyright © 2013 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Examining links between sexual risk behaviors and dating violence involvement as a function of sexual orientation

    PubMed Central

    Hipwell, A.E.; Stepp, S.D.; Keenan, K.; Allen, A.; Hoffmann, A.; Rottingen, L.; McAloon, R.

    2013-01-01

    Study Objective To examine the association between dating violence perpetration and victimization and sexually risky behaviors among sexual minority and heterosexual adolescent girls. Design Adolescent girls reported on sexual orientation, sexual behaviors and risk-taking, and their use of and experience with dating violence in the past year. Data were analyzed using multinomial regression adjusted for race, poverty, living in a single parent household, and gender of current partner to examine (1) whether sexual minority status was associated with sexual risk behaviors after sociodemographic correlates of sexual risk were controlled; and (2) whether dating violence context accounted for elevated risk. Setting Urban, population-based sample of girls interviewed in the home. Participants 1,647 adolescent girls (38% European American, 57% African American, and 5% other) aged 17 years. Over one third of the sample lived in poverty. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measure Sexual risk-taking. Results Sexual minority status differentiated girls engaging in high sexual risk-taking from those reporting none, after controlling for sociodemographic and relationship characteristics. Dating violence perpetration and victimization made unique additional contributions to this model, and did not account for the elevated risk conferred by sexual minority status. Conclusions Sexual minority girls (SMGs) were more likely than heterosexual girls to report high sexual risk-taking and teen dating violence victimization. As with heterosexual girls, sexual risk-taking among SMGs was compounded by dating violence, which was not explained by partner gender. Adolescent girls’ risky sexual behavior may be reduced by interventions for teen dating violence regardless of sexual minority status. PMID:23726138

  16. Examining the spatial distribution of law enforcement encounters among people who inject drugs after implementation of Mexico's drug policy reform.

    PubMed

    Gaines, Tommi L; Beletsky, Leo; Arredondo, Jaime; Werb, Daniel; Rangel, Gudelia; Vera, Alicia; Brouwer, Kimberly

    2015-04-01

    In 2009, Mexico decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use in order to refocus law enforcement resources on drug dealers and traffickers. This study examines the spatial distribution of law enforcement encounters reported by people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tijuana, Mexico to identify concentrated areas of policing activity after implementation of the new drug policy. Mapping the physical location of law enforcement encounters provided by PWID (n = 461) recruited through targeted sampling, we identified hotspots of extra-judicial encounters (e.g., physical/sexual abuse, syringe confiscation, and money extortion by law enforcement) and routine authorized encounters (e.g., being arrested or stopped but not arrested) using point density maps and the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic calculated at the neighborhood-level. Approximately half of the participants encountered law enforcement more than once in a calendar year and nearly one third of these encounters did not result in arrest but involved harassment or abuse by law enforcement. Statistically significant hotspots of law enforcement encounters were identified in a limited number of neighborhoods located in areas with known drug markets. At the local-level, law enforcement activities continue to target drug users despite a national drug policy that emphasizes drug treatment diversion rather than punitive enforcement. There is a need for law enforcement training and improved monitoring of policing tactics to better align policing with public health goals.

  17. A lateralized functional auditory network is involved in anuran sexual selection.

    PubMed

    Xue, Fei; Fang, Guangzhan; Yue, Xizi; Zhao, Ermi; Brauth, Steven E; Tang, Yezhong

    2016-12-01

    Right ear advantage (REA) exists in many land vertebrates in which the right ear and left hemisphere preferentially process conspecific acoustic stimuli such as those related to sexual selection. Although ecological and neural mechanisms for sexual selection have been widely studied, the brain networks involved are still poorly understood. In this study we used multi-channel electroencephalographic data in combination with Granger causal connectivity analysis to demonstrate, for the first time, that auditory neural network interconnecting the left and right midbrain and forebrain function asymmetrically in the Emei music frog (Babina daunchina), an anuran species which exhibits REA. The results showed the network was lateralized. Ascending connections between the mesencephalon and telencephalon were stronger in the left side while descending ones were stronger in the right, which matched with the REA in this species and implied that inhibition from the forebrainmay induce REA partly. Connections from the telencephalon to ipsilateral mesencephalon in response to white noise were the highest in the non-reproductive stage while those to advertisement calls were the highest in reproductive stage, implying the attention resources and living strategy shift when entered the reproductive season. Finally, these connection changes were sexually dimorphic, revealing sex differences in reproductive roles.

  18. Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in the U.S. Military: Volume 3. Estimates for Coast Guard Service Members from the 2014 RAND Military Workplace Study

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-01-01

    workplace characterized by severe or per- vasive unwelcome sexual advances, comments, or physical conduct that offends service members – sexual ...either the service member or the offender as a sexual encounter. Ensuring that members of the Coast Guard understand the full scope of physical assaults...systems for sexual harassment, gender discrimination, hazing, bullying, and physical assaults. The prevalence of sexual assault in the Coast Guard is

  19. Women’s Condom Use Assertiveness and Sexual Risk-Taking: Effects of Alcohol Intoxication and Adult Victimization

    PubMed Central

    Norris, Jeanette; George, William H.; Morrison, Diane M.; Zawacki, Tina; Davis, Kelly Cue; Hessler, Danielle M.

    2008-01-01

    This experiment examined relationships among adulthood victimization, sexual assertiveness, alcohol intoxication, and sexual risk-taking in female social drinkers (N = 161). Women completed measures of sexual assault and intimate partner violence history and sexual assertiveness before random assignment to 1 of 4 beverage conditions: control, placebo, low dose (.04%), or high dose (.08%). After drinking, women read a second-person story involving a sexual encounter with a new partner. As protagonist of the story, each woman rated her likelihood of condom insistence and unprotected sex. Victimization history and self-reported sexual assertiveness were negatively related. The less sexually assertive a woman was, the less she intended to insist on condom use, regardless of intoxication. By reducing the perceived health consequences of unprotected sex, intoxication indirectly decreased condom insistence and increased unprotected sex. Findings extend previous work by elucidating possible mechanisms of the relationship between alcohol and unprotected sex – perceived health consequences and situational condom insistence – and support the value of sexual assertiveness training to enhance condom insistence, especially since the latter relationship was robust to intoxication. PMID:18556139

  20. Participants in urban Mexican male homosexual encounters.

    PubMed

    Carrier, J M

    1971-12-01

    Preliminary data are presented on 53 urban Mexican males interviewed during 1970-1971 in a study of homosexual encounters in a large Mexican city. These data are compared with data from recent studies in the United States and England of male homosexual behavior. Although preliminary and limited, the Mexican data indicate that cultural factors are important determinants of life styles and sex practices of homosexual males. Forty-eight of the 53 (90%) preferred and usually practiced anal intercourse, four preferred oral contacts, and one preferred mutual masturbation. Interviewees were also grouped according to major type of sex activity during the first sustained year of homosexual activity after puberty. One intragroup comparison indicates significant differences between anal active and anal passive interviewees. For example, as children anal passive subjects had significantly more homosexual contacts with adults; they also considered themselves more effeminate and as children were more involved with female sex-typed activities. Comparison of data from the English and United States studies with the present data suggests that preference for a particular sexual technique is not as developed in the former two countries; when there is a preference, it is not usually for anal intercourse.

  1. [Sexy cancer--sexuality for cancer patients].

    PubMed

    Peleg-Nesher, Sharon; Yachini, Brurya; Inbar, Moshe

    2009-09-01

    Sexuality is a basic need for every human being as long as he or she is alive, irrespective of age or health status. Approximately 23,500 individuals are diagnosed with cancer each year in Israel and join the 120,000 cancer patients currently living in Israel. The results of cancer treatments are traditionally assessed and based on the outcome regarding mortality versus survival. An equally important aspect to be addressed in this assessment must relate to quality of life. One of the more painful insults to the quality of life of cancer patients relates to the deleterious effects on sexuality. This article aims to present physicians with the spectrum of sexuality-related issues which are encountered by cancer patients and their partners, starting from the moment of diagnosis, throughout the various stages of treatment and to provide basic knowledge. Many individuals contracting cancer have difficulty dealing with the issue of sexuality. They are typically embarrassed and feel uneasy when asking health care providers about such a non-life threatening issue. Partners similarly feel both shame and guilt. In many cases sexuality, intimacy and emotional attachment are important aspects and may be essential for survival. Addressing these issues during treatment can provide patients with a sense of security, avoiding embarrassment and further exacerbation of such problems. Unfortunately, little has been done to develop an optimal interventional program, although standard sexual treatments have often been applied. Prospective clinical research and outcomes are missing. The physician can use the well-known PLISSIT model (1978): to provide sexuality involvement on different levels. The very new BETTER model (2004) can help emphasize that cancer treatment and the disease have an influence on intimacy and sexuality.

  2. Genital Appearance Dissatisfaction: Implications for Women's Genital Image Self-Consciousness, Sexual Esteem, Sexual Satisfaction, and Sexual Risk.

    PubMed

    Schick, Vanessa R; Calabrese, Sarah K; Rima, Brandi N; Zucker, Alyssa N

    2010-09-01

    Findings regarding the link between body image and sexuality have been equivocal, possibly because of the insensitivity of many of body image measures to potential variability across sensory aspects of the body (e.g., appearance versus odor), individual body parts (e.g., genitalia versus thighs), and social settings (e.g., public versus intimate). The current study refined existing methods of evaluating women's body image in the context of sexuality by focusing upon two highly specified dimensions: satisfaction with the visual appearance of the genitalia and self-consciousness about the genitalia during a sexual encounter. Genital appearance dissatisfaction, genital image self-consciousness, and multiple facets of sexuality were examined with a sample of 217 undergraduate women using an online survey. Path analysis revealed that greater dissatisfaction with genital appearance was associated with higher genital image self-consciousness during physical intimacy, which, in turn, was associated with lower sexual esteem, sexual satisfaction, and motivation to avoid risky sexual behavior. These findings underscore the detrimental impact of negative genital perceptions on young women's sexual wellbeing, which is of particular concern given their vulnerability at this stage of sexual development as well as the high rates of sexually transmitted infections within this age group. Interventions that enhance satisfaction with the natural appearance of their genitalia could facilitate the development of a healthy sexual self-concept and provide long-term benefits in terms of sexual safety and satisfaction.

  3. Sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in three states in North Eastern Nigeria

    PubMed Central

    Ajuwon, Ademola J; Olaleye, Adeniyi; Faromoju, Banji; Ladipo, Oladapo

    2006-01-01

    Background Interest in the reproductive health of adolescents continues to grow throughout the world. Few studies had explored the reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in North Eastern states of Nigeria. The objectives of this descriptive survey were to collect data to plan appropriate interventions that meet the reproductive health knowledge, service and skills needs of students in Bauchi, Borno and Gombe states. Methods Face-to-face interviews were conducted for 624 consenting students who were randomly selected from eighteen secondary schools using an 83-item structured questionnaire. Data were collected on demographic profile, reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion. Results The mean age of the respondents was 16.5 years. There were slightly more males (52%) than females (48%). Students' knowledge about reproductive health was generally low even though girls had better knowledge than boys. Thirteen percent of the entire students had had sexual experience; significantly more males (19%) than females (6%) had done so (p < 0.001). Among boys the age at sexual debut ranged from 10–26 with a mean of 15.7 and median of 16. By contrast, the age at first sex among girls ranged from 10 to 18 years with a mean and median of 16.1 and 17 years respectively. Only 24% of those who were sexually active used a condom during their last sexual encounter. Overall 11% of the students reported that they had been tricked into having sex, 9% had experienced unwanted touch of breast and backside, and 5% reported rape. Conclusion Students low reproductive health knowledge and involvement in risky sexual activities predispose them to undesirable reproductive health outcomes. PMID:17187685

  4. Prefrontal electroencephalographic activity during the working memory processes involved in a sexually motivated task in male rats.

    PubMed

    Hernández-González, Marisela; Almanza-Sepúlveda, Mayra Linné; Olvera-Cortés, María Esther; Gutiérrez-Guzmán, Blanca Erika; Guevara, Miguel Angel

    2012-08-01

    The prefrontal cortex is involved in working memory functions, and several studies using food or drink as rewards have demonstrated that the rat is capable of performing tasks that involve working memory. Sexual activity is another highly-rewarding, motivated behaviour that has proven to be an efficient incentive in classical operant tasks. The objective of this study was to determine whether the functional activity of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) changes in relation to the working memory processes involved in a sexually motivated task performed in male rats. Thus, male Wistar rats implanted in the mPFC were subjected to a nonmatching-to-sample task in a T-maze using sexual interaction as a reinforcer during a 4-day training period. On the basis of their performance during training, the rats were classified as 'good-learners' or 'bad-learners'. Only the good-learner rats showed an increase in the absolute power of the 8-13 Hz band during both the sample and test runs; a finding that could be related to learning of the working memory elements entailed in the task. During the maintenance phase only (i.e., once the rule had been learned well), the good-learner rats also showed an increased correlation of the 8-13 Hz band during the sample run, indicating that a high degree of coupling between the prefrontal cortices is necessary for the processing required to allow the rats to make correct decisions in the maintenance phase. Taken together, these data show that mPFC activity changes in relation to the working memory processes involved in a sexually motivated task in male rats.

  5. Burn Survivors' Perceptions regarding Relevant Sexual Education Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parrott, Yolan; Esmail, Shaniff

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the unique issues childhood burn survivors experience in relation to sex education and sexual development. Design/methodology/approach: Using a phenomenological approach, participants described their lived experiences with regards to sex education and the sexuality issues they encountered as child burn…

  6. Awareness of Prevention Strategies and Willingness to Use Preexposure Prophylaxis in Brazilian Men Who Have Sex With Men Using Apps for Sexual Encounters: Online Cross-Sectional Study

    PubMed Central

    De Boni, Raquel Brandini; de Vasconcellos, Mauricio TL; Luz, Paula Mendes; Hoagland, Brenda; Moreira, Ronaldo Ismerio; Veloso, Valdilea Gonçalves; Grinsztejn, Beatriz

    2018-01-01

    Background Geosocial networking (GSN) smartphone apps are becoming the main venue for sexual encounters among Brazilian men who have sex with men (MSM). To address the increased HIV incidence in this population, preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) was recently implemented in the Brazilian public health system in the context of combined HIV prevention. Objective This study aimed to describe the characteristics of MSM using GSN apps for sexual encounters, their awareness of prevention strategies, and willingness to use PrEP. Methods This study was an online cross-sectional study conducted in 10 Brazilian state capitals from July 1 to July 31, 2016. The questionnaire was programmed on SurveyGizmo and advertised in two GSN apps used by MSM to find sexual partners (Hornet and Grindr). Inclusion criteria were >18 years of age, cisgender men, with an HIV-negative status. Eligible individuals answered questions on: demographics; behavior; and knowledge, preferences, and willingness to use PrEP, nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis (nPEP), HIV self-testing (HIVST), and condoms. Logistic regression modeling was performed to assess the factors associated with daily oral PrEP willingness. Results During the study period, 8885 individuals provided consent and started the questionnaire. Of these, 23.05% (2048/8885) were ineligible, 6837 (6837/8885, 76.94%) initiated, and 5065 (5065/8885, 57.00%) completed the entire questionnaire and were included in the present analysis. Median age was 30 years (interquartile range: 25-36), most self-declared as MSM (4991/5065, 98.54%), white (3194/5065, 63.06%), middle income (2148/5065, 42.41%), and had 12 or more years of schooling (3106/5062, 61.36%). The majority of MSM (3363/5064, 66.41%) scored >10 points (high risk) on The HIV Incidence Risk for MSM Scale, but only 21.39% (1083/5064) had a low perceived likelihood of getting HIV in the next year. Daily use of apps for sex was reported by 35.58% (1798/5054). Most MSM (4327/5065, 85

  7. Sexual health and religion: a primer for the sexual health clinician (CME).

    PubMed

    Kellogg Spadt, Susan; Rosenbaum, Talli Y; Dweck, Alyssa; Millheiser, Leah; Pillai-Friedman, Sabitha; Krychman, Michael

    2014-07-01

    Sexual health is an integral part of the multifaceted human experience that is driven both by biological factors and psychological facets. Religion may provide a moral code of conduct or a sexual compass as to sexual norms and behaviors. The aim of this study was to summarize the integration of sexuality and religion. A review of published literature and religious texts was conducted. The integration of religion with country or state politics and laws is a complicated dilemma and will not be discussed in the scope of this article. The extent to which an individual incorporates their religious doctrine into their sexual life is a personal and individualized choice. The sexual medicine health professional will likely encounter a diverse patient population of distinct religious backgrounds, and a primer on religion and sexuality is a much needed adjunctive tool for the clinician. Because religion can influence sexuality and dictate, in part, the behavioral and medical treatments for sexual complaints, the clinician should be familiar with religious guidelines regarding sexuality, and treatment should be customized and individualized. Failure to do so can impact compliance with the therapeutic interventions. Religious awareness also solidifies the therapeutic alliance between clinician and patient as it demonstrates respect and acknowledgment for patient's beliefs and autonomy. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  8. Sexual Assault and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Lower-Income Rural Women: The Mediating Role of Self-Worth.

    PubMed

    Dodd, Julia; Littleton, Heather

    2017-02-01

    Sexual victimization is associated with risky sexual behaviors. Limited research has examined mechanisms via which victimization affects risk behaviors, particularly following different types of sexual victimization. This study examined self-worth as a mediator of the relationship between sexual victimization history: contact childhood sexual abuse (CSA), completed rape in adolescence/adulthood (adolescent/adulthood sexual assault [ASA]), and combined CSA/ASA, and two sexual risk behaviors: past year partners and one-time encounters. Participants were diverse (57.9% African American), low-income women recruited from an OB-GYN waiting room (n = 646). Women with a history of sexual victimization, 29.8% (n = 186) reported lower self-worth, t(586) = 5.26, p < .001, and more partners, t(612) = 2.45, p < .01, than nonvictims. Self-worth was a significant mediator only among women with combined CSA/ASA histories in both risk behavior models.

  9. Feelings of Belonging: An Exploratory Analysis of the Sociopolitical Involvement of Black, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander Sexual Minority Women.

    PubMed

    Harris, Angelique; Battle, Juan; Pastrana, Antonio; Daniels, Jessie

    2015-01-01

    This article compares and contrasts the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander American sexual minority women within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities of color. For the analysis, a sample of over 1,200 women from the Social Justice Sexuality project was analyzed. Findings indicate that, for all groups of women, feelings of connectedness to the LGBT community was the most significant predictor of sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color.

  10. Child Sexual Abuse, Sexual Anxiety, and Sexual Satisfaction: The Role of Self-Capacities.

    PubMed

    Bigras, Noémie; Godbout, Natacha; Briere, John

    2015-01-01

    Research indicates that child sexual abuse produces lasting alterations in interpersonal relatedness, identity, and affect regulation, often referred to as self-capacity disturbance. Child sexual abuse also has been shown to negatively impact sexual functioning. This study examined the role of altered self-capacities in mediating the relationship between child sexual abuse and sexual responses. Path analysis revealed that child sexual abuse was related to sexual anxiety and decreased sexual satisfaction through its association with reduced self-awareness and a propensity to be involved in difficult interpersonal relationships.

  11. The Involvement in Sexual Coercive Behaviors of Spanish College Men: Prevalence and Risk Factors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin, Antonio Fuertes; Vergeles, Maribel Ramos; Acevedo, Victoria de la Orden; Sanchez, Amaia del; Visa, Susana Lazaro

    2005-01-01

    This study aimed to know the prevalence of sexual coercion toward women perpetrated by acquaintance Spanish college men, and some personal factors associated with the involvement in these behaviors to replicate the confluence model. An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 196 university students that included an adaptation of the Sexual…

  12. Negotiating Sexuality and Masculinity in School Sport: An Autoethnography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carless, David

    2012-01-01

    This autoethnography explores challenging and ethically sensitive issues around sexual orientation, sexual identity and masculinity in the context of school sport. Through storytelling, I aim to show how sometimes ambiguous encounters with heterosexism, homophobia and hegemonic masculinity through sport problematise identity development for young…

  13. Feelings of Belonging: An Exploratory Analysis of the Sociopolitical Involvement of Black, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander Sexual Minority Women

    PubMed Central

    Harris, Angelique; Battle, Juan; Pastrana, Antonio; Daniels, Jessie

    2016-01-01

    This paper compares and contrasts the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander American sexual minority women within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities of color. For the analysis, a sample of over 1,200 women from the Social Justice Sexuality project was analyzed. Findings indicate that, for all groups of women, feelings of connectedness to the LGBT community was the most significant predictor of sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color. PMID:26073263

  14. Understanding sexual relationships between tourists and locals in Cuzco/Peru.

    PubMed

    Bauer, Irmgard

    2007-09-01

    Casual sexual encounters between tourists and locals have been increasingly discussed. The city of Cuzco/Peru is well known for an increased availability of such sexual opportunities. The objective of this study was to explore tourists' and locals' knowledge, attitudes, and reasoning for engaging in casual sexual relationships. In this qualitative study, 10 locals and 13 tourists were in-depth interviewed (15 women, 8 men, aged 19-50+). Participant and non-participant observations, and informal discussions provided supporting evidence. For tourists, the relationships with locals ranged from one-night-stands as part of the travel experience and having fun, to commitment for the term of a longer stay, to marriage. From the locals' point of view, these encounters ranged from sexual adventures to increase self-esteem and high standing in their circle of friends, to serious long-term commitments. In both cases, the difference in the physical appearance played a main part in the perceived attraction that had triggered the encounter. Lack of consistent condom use remains a concern along with the locals' profound lack of knowledge of STIs. Travel health advisors should place more emphasis on sexual health in pre-travel consultations. The use of condoms cannot be stressed enough. Local health professionals should aggressively increase safe sex health promotion, specifically targeting people related to the tourism industry.

  15. Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about contraceptive and sexual consent negotiation among college women.

    PubMed

    Fantasia, Heidi Collins; Sutherland, Melissa A; Fontenot, Holly; Ierardi, Janet A

    2014-01-01

    College women have the highest rates of sexual violence, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy compared with women in all other age groups. Although much is known about sexual risk behaviors among college women, less is known about how women negotiate consent for contraceptive use during sexual encounters. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore college women's knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about contraceptive and sexual consent during dating relationships. Twenty-six women participated in five focus groups on two college campuses in the northeastern United States. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The three main categories that emerged from the analysis included the influence of alcohol on sexual behaviors, lack of negotiation for sexual consent and contraceptive use, and fear of pregnancy. The results of this study highlight the complex social interactions and norms that college women encounter when making decisions regarding sexual activity and contraceptive use. The results of this study can inform the role of college health providers and forensic nurses to promote sexual health and safety when they interact with college women.

  16. "Only odd people wore suede shoes": careers and sexual identities of men attending a sexual health clinic.

    PubMed

    Pryce, Anthony

    2004-12-01

    This paper is concerned with the ways in which men construct and explain their sexual identity. When attending a genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic the constraints of the system and the imperatives of the clinical encounter tend to be reductive, reinforcing the dominant constructions of male sexuality and masculinity. Interviews with men recruited as part of a study of the social construction of male sexuality yielded richly textured narratives of sexual experiences and explanations of sexual identity. The paper reports on the ethnographic study and, using extracts from these narratives, will address central themes of: (i) emotional labour of identity formation; (ii) an essentialist view of sexual orientation and corresponding identity; and (iii) role, social fit and the reformulating of the dominant social notions of partnerships within a new geography of desire transgression, "authenticity".

  17. Let's Get Physical: Sexual Orientation Disparities in Physical Activity, Sports Involvement, and Obesity Among a Population-Based Sample of Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Mereish, Ethan H; Poteat, V Paul

    2015-09-01

    We examined sexual orientation disparities in physical activity, sports involvement, and obesity among a population-based adolescent sample. We analyzed data from the 2012 Dane County Youth Assessment for 13,933 students in grades 9 through 12 in 22 Wisconsin high schools. We conducted logistic regressions to examine sexual orientation disparities in physical activity, sports involvement, and body mass index among male and female adolescents. When we accounted for several covariates, compared with heterosexual females, sexual minority females were less likely to participate in team sports (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37, 0.53) and more likely to be overweight (AOR = 1.28; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.62) or obese (AOR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.43, 2.48). Sexual minority males were less likely than heterosexual males to be physically active (AOR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.46, 0.83) or to participate in team sports (AOR = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.20, 0.32), but the 2 groups did not differ in their risk of obesity. Sexual orientation health disparities in physical activity and obesity are evident during adolescence. Culturally affirming research, interventions, and policies are needed for sexual minority youths.

  18. Assessing the possibilities and challenges of patient involvement in sexual, reproductive and HIV/AIDS services.

    PubMed

    Meyrick, Jane; Gray, Debra; Jones, Abigail

    2016-06-01

    Patient and public involvement (PPI) is a key feature of healthcare services in the UK. Sexual and reproductive health and HIV (SRHH) services face unique PPI challenges, as the anonymity and confidentiality required by service users can be a barrier to attracting patient input. PPI could improve sexual health services, through increased trust in services and the ability to tackle sexual health inequalities. However, specific practical guidance on how to address PPI in sexual health and the evidence to support it is sparse. This research aims to begin building an evidence base for PPI in sexual health services through: 1) an audit of PPI in SRHH in the Bristol region; and 2) a parallel survey of potential users of sexual health services about their experiences of PPI. For the audit, 18 SRHH organisations from all those in the region invited complete a short online survey, representing a range of different service providers. For the survey, participants, through a convenience sample via the University of the West of England and social media, were invited to complete an anonymous online survey of their experiences of PPI in SSRHs; 96 people responded. Reliance on customer satisfaction approaches and patients not being asked for feedback or what PP is for are reported. Services cite under-resourcing and a lack of time as barriers. Improving the use of patient's voice in SRHH could be supported through clarity of purpose (measured against outcomes), better communication with patients, and the need for flexible methods.

  19. Dealing with Sexual Harassment.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rowe, Mary P.

    1981-01-01

    Advice is presented for managers who encounter sexual harassment problems. Three recommendations are offered: complainants can be helped to help themselves, such conflicts can be resolved through procedures designed to deal with all kinds of complaints, and the issue of power differences should be confronted. (MLW)

  20. Are Outness and Community Involvement Risk or Protective Factors for Alcohol and Drug Abuse Among Sexual Minority Women?

    PubMed

    Feinstein, Brian A; Dyar, Christina; London, Bonita

    2017-07-01

    Sexual minority women (SMW) are at increased risk for substance abuse compared to heterosexual women. Two psychosocial factors that have been implicated in SMW's substance abuse are outness and LGBT community involvement, but findings have been mixed as to whether these are risk or protective factors. One possible explanation is that they may have different consequences for subgroups of SMW (lesbians, bisexual women, and queer women). While being open about one's sexual orientation and involved in the community may be protective for lesbians, discrimination against bisexual women may lead these same factors to contribute to substance abuse for bisexual women. It is unclear how these associations will operate for queer women, given limited research on this subpopulation. The current study examined whether sexual identity moderated the associations between outness and community involvement with alcohol and drug abuse. We also examined whether perceived discrimination would help explain why these associations may be different for subgroups of SMW. A sample of 288 self-identified SMW (113 lesbians, 106 bisexual women, and 69 queer women) completed an online survey. Higher outness was associated with higher alcohol and drug abuse for bisexual women, but not for lesbians or queer women. Similarly, higher community involvement was associated with higher drug abuse for bisexual women, but not for lesbians or queer women. Among bisexual women, the association between community involvement and drug abuse was mediated by perceived discrimination. Further, the association between outness and drug abuse was mediated by both community involvement and perceived discrimination. Findings demonstrate that outness and community involvement function as risk factors for substance abuse for bisexual women, in part due to their associations with discrimination.

  1. Understanding sexual perpetration against children: effects of attachment style, interpersonal involvement, and hypersexuality.

    PubMed

    Miner, Michael H; Robinson, Beatrice E Bean; Knight, Raymond A; Berg, Dianne; Romine, Rebecca Swinburne; Netland, Jason

    2010-03-01

    This study explores in an adolescent sample hypotheses about child sexual abuse perpetration drawn from contemporary theories that implicate insecure attachment and adolescent social development. Specifically, three 13- to 18-year-old adolescent male samples (sex offenders with child victims, sex offenders with peer/adult victims, and nonsex delinquent youth) were compared in a cross-sectional design. Participants completed a computer-administered self-report questionnaire and a semistructured attachment style interview. Attachment style was coded by two independent raters blind to study hypotheses and group membership. The results indicated an indirect effect for attachment style. Attachment anxiety affected involvement with peers and interpersonal adequacy. Feelings of interpersonal inadequacy, combined with oversexualization and positive attitudes toward others distinguished sex offenders with child victims from nonsex delinquents and from sex offenders with peer/adult victims. These data provide a preliminary model of sexual abuse perpetration consistent with contemporary theories. Attachment anxiety with a lack of misanthropic attitudes toward others appears to lead to isolation from peers and feelings of interpersonal inadequacy. Individuals with this constellation of factors may turn to children to meet their intimacy and sexual needs, both of which seem to be exaggerated compared with other troubled youth.

  2. Sexual arousal and desire: interrelations and responses to three modalities of sexual stimuli.

    PubMed

    Goldey, Katherine L; van Anders, Sari M

    2012-09-01

    Traditionally, sexual desire is understood to occur spontaneously, but more recent models propose that desire responds to sexual stimuli. To experimentally assess whether sexual stimuli increased sexual desire; to compare how sexual arousal and desire responded to three modalities of sexual stimuli: erotic story, unstructured fantasy, and the Imagined Social Situation Exercise (ISSE). In an online study, participants (128 women, 98 men) were randomly assigned to one of four arousal conditions (ISSE, story, fantasy, or neutral), and then completed desire measures. In the ISSE, participants imagined and wrote about a positive sexual encounter with a self-defined attractive person. Sexual arousal (perceived genital, psychological, and perceived autonomic), anxiety, positive and negative affect, and state sexual desire via self-report measures pre- and post-condition; "trait" desire via the Sexual Desire Inventory post-condition. All three sexual conditions significantly increased sexual arousal and positive affect compared with the neutral condition, with trends for higher arousal to unstructured fantasy than the ISSE or story conditions. Sexual conditions significantly increased scores on state measures of sexual desire. In addition, sexual context influenced measurement of "trait" solitary sexual desire in women, such that women reported significantly higher trait desire after the neutral and ISSE conditions vs. fantasy. Results highlight the responsiveness of sexual desire, problems with measurement of desire as a long-term trait, trade-offs of using the ISSE and other stimuli in sexuality research, and the need to address context in discussions of women's and men's desire. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  3. History-Enriched Spaces for Shared Encounters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Konomi, Shin'ichi; Sezaki, Kaoru; Kitsuregawa, Masaru

    We discuss "history-enriched spaces" that use historical data to support shared encounters. We first examine our experiences with DeaiExplorer, a social network display that uses RFID and a historical database to support social interactions at academic conferences. This leads to our discussions on three complementary approaches to addressing the issues of supporting social encounters: (1) embedding historical data in embodied interactions, (2) designing for weakly involved interactions such as social navigation, and (3) designing for privacy. Finally, we briefly describe a preliminary prototype of a proxemics-based awareness tool that considers these approaches.

  4. Variations in Sexual Behavior.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Juhasz, Anne McCreary

    1983-01-01

    Questions are raised about the difficulty of defining normal and atypical sexual behavior. Variations from normalcy that students, parents, and educators are most likely to encounter are discussed. The importance of dealing with variations in ways that are best for the individual and the group is emphasized. (PP)

  5. It is complicated: sexual partner characteristic profiles and sexually transmitted infection rates within a predominantly African American population in Mississippi.

    PubMed

    Alexander, Jalen; Rose, Jennifer; Dierker, Lisa; Chan, Philip A; MacCarthy, Sarah; Simmons, Dantrell; Mena, Leandro; Nunn, Amy

    2015-05-01

    Mississippi has among the highest prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States. Understanding sexual networks can provide insight into risk factors for transmission and guide prevention interventions. Participants included 1437 primarily African American (95%) adults presenting for care at an STI clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Latent class analysis identified underlying population subgroups with unique patterns of response on a comprehensive set of 14 sexual partner variables, such as living with or having a child with a partner, partner dependence and trust, 1-time sexual encounters, multiple main partners, substance use, sexual concurrency, and incarceration. Classes were compared on participant age, sex, sexual orientation, public assistance, lifetime partners, relationship status, and self-reported past-year STI. Three classes emerged. Class 1 (n = 746) participants were less dependent on partners and less likely to live with or have a child with a partner. Class 2 participants (n = 427) endorsed multiple STI risk factors, including partner incarceration, 6 or more lifetime partners, sexual concurrency, 1-time sexual encounters, and substance use at last sex. Class 3 participants (n = 226) were more likely to be in dependent, committed relationships with children. Class 2 had a higher proportion of self-report past-year STIs (36.7%) compared with classes 1 (26.6%) and 3 (26.1%). Certain partner factors such as incarceration, substance use, and concurrency may contribute to increased STI risk. Partner factors may be useful proxies for STI risks and could be useful questions to include in screening questionnaires in clinical settings.

  6. Bothersome Exposure to Online Sexual Content among Adolescent Girls

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ševcíková, Anna; Simon, Laura; Daneback, Kristian; Kvapilík, Tomáš

    2015-01-01

    Prior research suggests that adolescent girls may react more negatively to online sexual content than boys. This study explored the qualitative experiences of adolescent girls who encountered bothersome or disturbing sexual content online. Fourteen girls (aged 15-17 years) were interviewed online about the context in which they saw bothersome…

  7. Sexual selection is influenced by both developmental and adult environments.

    PubMed

    Gillespie, Stephanie R; Scarlett Tudor, M; Moore, Allen J; Miller, Christine W

    2014-12-01

    Sexual selection is often assumed to be strong and consistent, yet increasing research shows it can fluctuate over space and time. Few experimental studies have examined changes in sexual selection in response to natural environmental variation. Here, we use a difference in resource quality to test for the influence of past environmental conditions and current environmental conditions on male and female mate choice and resulting selection gradients for leaf-footed cactus bugs, Narnia femorata. We raised juveniles on natural high- and low-quality diets, cactus pads with and without ripe cactus fruits. New adults were again assigned a cactus pad with or without fruit, paired with a potential mate, and observed for mating behaviors. We found developmental and adult encounter environments affected mating decisions and the resulting patterns of sexual selection for both males and females. Males were not choosy in the low-quality encounter environment, cactus without fruit, but they avoided mating with small females in the high-quality encounter environment. Females were choosy in both encounter environments, avoiding mating with small males. However, they were the choosiest when they were in the low-quality encounter environment. Female mate choice was also context dependent by male developmental environment. Females were more likely to mate with males that had developed on cactus with fruit when they were currently in the cactus with fruit environment. This pattern disappeared when females were in the cactus without fruit environment. Altogether, these results experimentally demonstrate context-dependent mate choice by both males and females. Furthermore, we demonstrate that simple, seasonal changes in resources can lead to fluctuations in sexual selection. © 2014 The Author(s). Evolution © 2014 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  8. Sexually explicit cell phone messaging associated with sexual risk among adolescents.

    PubMed

    Rice, Eric; Rhoades, Harmony; Winetrobe, Hailey; Sanchez, Monica; Montoya, Jorge; Plant, Aaron; Kordic, Timothy

    2012-10-01

    Sexting (sending/receiving sexually explicit texts and images via cell phone) may be associated with sexual health consequences among adolescents. However, to date, no published data from a probability-based sample has examined associations between sexting and sexual activity. A probability sample of 1839 students was collected alongside the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Los Angeles high schools. Logistic regressions were used to assess the correlates of sexting behavior and associations between sexting and sexual risk-taking. Fifteen percent of adolescents with cell phone access reported sexting, and 54% reported knowing someone who had sent a sext. Adolescents whose peers sexted were more likely to sext themselves (odds ratio [OR] = 16.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.62-29.59). Adolescents who themselves sexted were more likely to report being sexually active (OR = 7.17, 95% CI: 5.01-10.25). Nonheterosexual students were more likely to report sexting (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.86-4.04), sexual activity (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.07-2.15), and unprotected sex at last sexual encounter (OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.17-2.89). Sexting, rather than functioning as an alternative to "real world" sexual risk behavior, appears to be part of a cluster of risky sexual behaviors among adolescents. We recommend that clinicians discuss sexting as an adolescent-friendly way of engaging patients in conversations about sexual activity, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy. We further recommend that discussion about sexting and its associated risk behavior be included in school-based sexual health curricula.

  9. Discordance between sexual behavior and self-reported sexual identity: a population-based survey of New York City men.

    PubMed

    Pathela, Preeti; Hajat, Anjum; Schillinger, Julia; Blank, Susan; Sell, Randall; Mostashari, Farzad

    2006-09-19

    Persons reporting sexual identity that is discordant with their sexual behavior may engage in riskier sexual behaviors than those with concordant identity and behavior. The former group could play an important role in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. To describe discordance between self-described sexual identity and behavior among men who have sex with men and associations between identity-behavior and risk behaviors. Cross-sectional, random digit-dialed telephone survey of health status and risk behaviors. New York City. Population-based sample of 4193 men. Concurrent measures of sexual identity and sexual behaviors, including number and sex of sex partners, condom use during last sexual encounter, and recent testing for HIV infection. Sex partner information was ascertained in a separate section from sexual identity; all participants were asked about the number of male sex partners and then were asked about the number of female sex partners in the past year. Of New York City men reporting a sexual identity, 12% reported sex with other men. Men who had sex with men exclusively but self-identified as heterosexual were more likely than their gay-identified counterparts to belong to minority racial or ethnic groups, be foreign-born, have lower education and income levels, and be married. These men were more likely than gay-identified men who have sex with men to report having only 1 sexual partner in the previous year. However, they were less likely to have been tested for HIV infection during that time (adjusted prevalence ratio, 0.6 [95% CI, 0.4 to 0.9]) and less likely to have used condoms during their last sexual encounter (adjusted prevalence ratio, 0.5 [CI, 0.3 to 1.0]). The survey did not sample groups that cannot be reached by using residential telephone services. Many New York City men who have sex with men do not identify as gay. Medical providers cannot rely on patients' self-reported identities to appropriately assess risk for HIV infection

  10. Discordance in monogamy beliefs, sexual concurrency, and condom use among young adult substance-involved couples: implications for risk of sexually transmitted infections.

    PubMed

    Riehman, Kara S; Wechsberg, Wendee M; Francis, Shelley A; Moore, Melvin; Morgan-Lopez, Antonio

    2006-11-01

    The objectives of this study were to examine the association between individual and partnership characteristics with condom use, sexual concurrency, and discordance in monogamy perceptions among out-of-treatment, young adult, drug-involved couples to gain a better understanding of how discordance in monogamy beliefs may influence HIV/sexually transmitted infection risk. Data were collected from 94 predominantly black heavy alcohol and/or drug users (AOD) and their steady partners recruited through street outreach in Durham, North Carolina, and a methadone clinic in Raleigh, North Carolina. One third was wrong about partners' monogamy intentions. Greater lifetime number of substances, longer relationship duration, and at least weekly relationship conflict were associated with inconsistent condom use, and discordant monogamy beliefs were associated with consistent condom use. Many individuals misperceive their partners' monogamy intentions, although this misperception may be reflective of greater HIV/sexually transmitted infection protection. Interventions for couples should focus on strategies appropriate for committed long-term relationships, including increasing awareness of partner risk behavior, negotiating safety, and conflict resolution skills.

  11. Sexual risk, substance use, mental health, and trauma experiences of gang-involved homeless youth.

    PubMed

    Petering, Robin

    2016-04-01

    This study examined the associations of sexual risk behaviors, substance use, mental health, and trauma with varying levels of gang involvement in a sample of Los Angeles-based homeless youths. Data were collected from 505 homeless youths who self-reported various health information and whether they have ever identified as or been closely affiliated with a gang member. Multivariable logistic regression assessed associations of lifetime gang involvement with risk taking behaviors and negative health outcomes. Results revealed seventeen percent of youths have ever identified as a gang member and 46% as gang affiliated. Both gang members and affiliates were at greater risk of many negative behaviors than non-gang involved youths. Gang members and affiliates were more likely to report recent methamphetamine use, cocaine use, chronic marijuana use, having sex while intoxicated, and symptoms of depression, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. They were also more likely to have experienced childhood sexual abuse and witnessing family violence. Gang members were more likely to ever attempt suicide, experience recent partner violence, and report physical abuse during childhood. Results suggest that lifetime gang involvement is related to a trajectory of negative outcomes and amplified risk for youths experiencing homelessness. Additionally, being closely connected to a gang member appears to have just as much as an impact on risk as personally identifying as a gang member. Given the lack of knowledge regarding the intersection between youth homelessness and gang involvement, future research is needed to inform policies and programs that can address the specific needs of this population. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Stirring of a planetesimal swarm - The role of distant encounters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Weidenschilling, Stuart J.

    1989-01-01

    The viscous stirring algorithm developed by Stewart and Wetherill (1988) to treat the random velocities induced in planetesimals by their mutual gravitational perturbations encompasses only the scattering of bodies in crossing orbits by close encounters. Expressions are presently derived for the stirring rate due to distant encounters on the basis of three-body formalism, using a stirring rate that has the same mass-dependence as that for close encounters. The relative importance of both the close encounter and distant encounter mechanisms depends on the Safronov number. Perturbations by a planetary embryo in scenarios that involve explosive growth are found capable of affecting planetesimal evolution in noncrossing orbits.

  13. Priming Sexual and Romantic Representations in Two Media Environments: Sex Encourages and Romance Discourages Sexual Permissiveness … Sometimes.

    PubMed

    Dillman Carpentier, Francesca R

    2017-01-01

    Two experiments (Ns = 314, 447) were used to evaluate the effectiveness of sexual cues in temporarily increasing young adults' self-reported sexual permissiveness, as well as the effects of romantic cues in temporarily decreasing permissiveness. Participants were exposed to sexual or romantic cues embedded as a theme-defining component of an online game (Study 1) or in advertisements peripheral to the online game (Study 2). Sexual and romantic conditions were compared against a control condition. As hypothesized, participants in the romantic conditions rated themselves lower in sexual permissiveness, compared to participants in the sexual and control conditions, particularly when participants positively evaluated the online game experience. Findings suggest that exposure to entertaining media depictions of two people, as a committed couple, expressing love, as well as lust, for each other might deter young adults from considering engagement in casual sexual encounters indicative of "hookup culture."

  14. Frequency-dependent sexual selection.

    PubMed

    O'Donald, P; Majerus, M E

    1988-07-06

    Sexual selection by female choice is expected to give rise to a frequency-dependent sexual advantage in favour of preferred male phenotypes: the rarer the preferred phenotypes, the more often they are chosen as mates. This 'rare-male advantage' can maintain a polymorphism when two or more phenotypes are mated preferentially: each phenotype gains an advantage when it is rarer than the others; no preferred phenotype can then be lost from the population. Expression of preference may be complete or partial. In models of complete preference, females with a preference always mate preferentially. Models of partial preference are more realistic: in these models, the probability that a female mates preferentially depends on the frequency with which she encounters the males she prefers. Two different 'encounter models' of partial preference have been derived: the O'Donald model and the Charlesworth model. The encounter models contain the complete preference model as a limiting case. In this paper, the Charlesworth model is generalized to allow for female preference of more than one male phenotype. Levels of frequency dependence can then be compared in the O'Donald and Charlesworth models. The complete preference model and both encounter models are formulated in the same genetical terms of preferences for dominant and recessive male phenotypes. Polymorphic equilibria and conditions for stability are derived for each of the three models. The models are then fitted to data of frequencies of matings observed in experiments with the two-spot ladybird. The complete preference model gives as good a fit as the encounter models to the data of these and other experiments. The O'Donald and Charlesworth encounter models are shown to produce a very similar frequency-dependent relation. Generally, as females become less choosy, they express their preference with more dependence on male frequency, whereas the resulting selection of the males becomes less frequency dependent. More choosy

  15. What's Gender Got to Do with It: Perceptions of Sexual Coercion in a University Community.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haworth-Hoeppner, Susan

    1998-01-01

    Examined sex differences in attitudes toward sexual coercion among 325 college students at a Midwestern university. Significant sex differences exist in attitudes of sexual coercion in dating encounters across all situations, and in interpretation of sexual cues in interpersonal interactions. (EMS)

  16. Does Recent Physical and Sexual Victimization Affect Further Substance Use for Adult Drug-Involved Offenders?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zweig, Janine M.; Yahner, Jennifer; Rossman, Shelli B.

    2012-01-01

    This study examined whether physical and sexual victimization experiences were related to further substance use for a sample of drug-involved adult offenders and whether this increase could be attributed to depression experienced after the victimization occurred. A total of 674 men and 284 women from the longitudinal Multisite Adult Drug Court…

  17. Homosexual mating preferences from an evolutionary perspective: sexual selection theory revisited.

    PubMed

    Gobrogge, Kyle L; Perkins, Patrick S; Baker, Jessica H; Balcer, Kristen D; Breedlove, S Marc; Klump, Kelly L

    2007-10-01

    Studies in evolutionary psychology and sexual selection theory show that heterosexual men prefer younger mating partners than heterosexual women in order to ensure reproductive success. However, previous research has generally not examined differences in mating preferences as a function of sexual orientation or the type of relationship sought in naturalistic settings. Given that homosexual men seek partners for reasons other than procreation, they may exhibit different mating preferences than their heterosexual counterparts. Moreover, mating preferences may show important differences depending on whether an individual is seeking a long-term versus a short-term relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine these issues by comparing partner preferences in terms of age and relationship type between homosexual and heterosexual men placing internet personal advertisements. Participants included 439 homosexual and 365 heterosexual men who placed internet ads in the U.S. or Canada. Ads were coded for the participant's age, relationship type (longer-term or short-term sexual encounter) sought, and partner age preferences. Significantly more homosexual than heterosexual men sought sexual encounters, although men (regardless of sexual orientation) seeking sexual encounters preferred a significantly wider age range of partners than men seeking longer-term relationships. These findings suggest that partner preferences are independent of evolutionary drives to procreate, since both types of men preferred similar ages in their partners. In addition, they highlight the importance of examining relationship type in evolutionary studies of mating preferences, as men's partner preferences show important differences depending upon the type of relationship sought.

  18. Sexual harassment in medical training.

    PubMed

    Komaromy, M; Bindman, A B; Haber, R J; Sande, M A

    1993-02-04

    Sexual harassment has become a national concern and one that is increasingly recognized in the field of medicine. Although there are reports of the sexual harassment of medical trainees, there is little information on the prevalence of this problem and whether it is adequately addressed by training institutions. Surveys with descriptions and examples of sexual harassment were mailed to 133 internal medicine residents in a university training program. The residents were asked to report anonymously whether they had encountered sexual harassment during medical school or residency, the frequency and type of harassment, its effect on them, whether they chose to report it to a person in authority, and the factors that influenced this decision. Surveys were returned by 82 residents (response rate, 62 percent), 33 women and 49 men. Twenty-four women (73 percent) and 11 men (22 percent) reported that they had been sexually harassed at least once during their training. The women were more likely than the men to have been physically harassed, and the women's harassers were of higher professional status. Among those harassed, 19 of the women (79 percent) and 5 of the men (45 percent) thought that the experience created a hostile environment or interfered with their performance at work, but only 2 women and no men reported their experiences to an authority. The women cited a lack of confidence that they would be helped as the main reason for not reporting the experience, whereas men most commonly said that they had dealt with the problem without the need for outside assistance. Many medical trainees encounter what they believe to be sexual harassment during medical school or residency, and this often creates a hostile learning and work environment. Training institutions need to address the adverse effects this may have on medical education and patient care.

  19. Cumulative Childhood Trauma and Adult Sexual Satisfaction: Mediation by Affect Dysregulation and Sexual Anxiety in Men and Women.

    PubMed

    Bigras, Noémie; Daspe, Marie-Ève; Godbout, Natacha; Briere, John; Sabourin, Stéphane

    2017-05-19

    Childhood cumulative trauma (CCT) refers to an amalgam of childhood maltreatment experiences that can lead to a range of symptoms and problems in adulthood. The current study examined an integrative model of CCT for its relevance to psychosexual adjustment in adult survivors. A total of 620 participants aged 18 years and over completed a questionnaire assessing early life experiences, affect dysregulation, sexual anxiety, and sexual satisfaction. Path analyses confirmed the hypothesis that CCT is associated with affect dysregulation and sexual anxiety that, in turn, predict lower levels of sexual satisfaction. The validity of this mediational model was demonstrated for different operationalizations of CCT. The results suggested that sex therapists, who are likely to encounter CCT survivors in their practice, should consider targeting affect dysregulation in their efforts to decrease sexual anxiety and increase sexual satisfaction.

  20. Arab men who have sex with men in Israel: knowledge, attitudes and sexual practices.

    PubMed

    Mor, Z; Grayeb, E; Beany, A

    2016-04-01

    Arab men who have sex with men (AMSM) are becoming visible in society, and reports of HIV infection and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are emerging. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of AMSM regarding HIV transmission, their attitudes towards condom use and their sexual practices compared with Jewish MSM (JMSM), and to evaluate AMSM-JMSM friendships and sexual encounters. Participants in this cross-sectional study completed questionnaires in Arabic or Hebrew. The outcome variable was unprotected anal sex (UAI) in the previous 6 months with a partner(s) whose HIV status was discordant or unknown. AMSM and JMSM indicated if they had friends or sexual encounters from the other ethnic group. The questionnaires were completed by 342 (16.2%) AMSM and 1775 (83.8%) JMSM in 2012. AMSM were more likely to be religious, 'closeted' and married than JMSM; their knowledge regarding HIV transmission was inferior and attitudes towards condom use were less favourable. AMSM reported less alcohol and drug use than JMSM, were more likely to be attracted to and have sex with women, and reported a greater number of sexual partners and more UAI. Being AMSM was a predictive variable for UAI in the multivariate model. While 178 AMSM (52.0%) reported that most of their close friends were JMSM, 251 (73.4%) had only/mostly sexual encounters with JMSM. Among JMSM, 41 (2.3%) reported that their close friends were AMSM, and 308 (17.3%) had only/mostly sexual encounters with AMSM. The knowledge of AMSM regarding HIV transmission and their attitudes towards condom use were less favourable than those of JMSM, and they performed more UAI. AMSM may benefit from targeted interventions, including reconciling their same-sex attraction in positive terms. Same-sex attraction and gay identity may provide common ground to strengthen Arab-Jew communication in Israel. © 2015 British HIV Association.

  1. Sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence as predictors of HIV-related sexual risk during adulthood among female sexual partners of injection drug users.

    PubMed

    Klein, H; Chao, B S

    1995-03-01

    This study explores the relationship of sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence with HIV-related sexual risk behaviors during adulthood among female sexual partners of injection drug users. It analyzed data that was gathered between 1990 and 1993, which included a sample of 2794 women from the US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. 6 HIV-related sexual risk behaviors that occurred during the month prior to interview were examined; namely, number of sexual partners, number of drug-injecting sexual partners, number of sexual intercourse while high on alcohol and/or other drugs, number of times trading sex for drugs and/or money, proportion of all sexual acts involving protection, and overall HIV-related sexual risk. The results showed that more than one-third of the women (36.3%) experienced some form of sexual abuse during childhood, whereas 34.4% reported that they had been abused sexually during adolescence; 1 in 5 women (18.4%) stated being abused during both periods. The results further indicate that there is a strong link between sexual abuse victimization early in life and involvement later in life in HIV-related sexual risk behaviors. It was found out that certain forms of sexual abuse, such as forced exposure and touching of one's sexual parts were more strongly related than other forms of sexual abuse to subsequent involvement in HIV-related sexual behaviors.

  2. Sexually Explicit Cell Phone Messaging Associated With Sexual Risk Among Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Rhoades, Harmony; Winetrobe, Hailey; Sanchez, Monica; Montoya, Jorge; Plant, Aaron; Kordic, Timothy

    2012-01-01

    OBJECTIVES: Sexting (sending/receiving sexually explicit texts and images via cell phone) may be associated with sexual health consequences among adolescents. However, to date, no published data from a probability-based sample has examined associations between sexting and sexual activity. METHODS: A probability sample of 1839 students was collected alongside the 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in Los Angeles high schools. Logistic regressions were used to assess the correlates of sexting behavior and associations between sexting and sexual risk-taking. RESULTS: Fifteen percent of adolescents with cell phone access reported sexting, and 54% reported knowing someone who had sent a sext. Adolescents whose peers sexted were more likely to sext themselves (odds ratio [OR] = 16.87, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.62–29.59). Adolescents who themselves sexted were more likely to report being sexually active (OR = 7.17, 95% CI: 5.01–10.25). Nonheterosexual students were more likely to report sexting (OR = 2.74, 95% CI: 1.86–4.04), sexual activity (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.07–2.15), and unprotected sex at last sexual encounter (OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.17–2.89). CONCLUSIONS: Sexting, rather than functioning as an alternative to “real world” sexual risk behavior, appears to be part of a cluster of risky sexual behaviors among adolescents. We recommend that clinicians discuss sexting as an adolescent-friendly way of engaging patients in conversations about sexual activity, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and unwanted pregnancy. We further recommend that discussion about sexting and its associated risk behavior be included in school-based sexual health curricula. PMID:22987882

  3. Sexual activity and aging.

    PubMed

    Ni Lochlainn, Mary; Kenny, Rose Anne

    2013-08-01

    Sexuality is an important component of emotional and physical intimacy that men and women experience throughout their lives. Research suggesting that a high proportion of men and women remain sexually active well into later life refutes the prevailing myth that aging and sexual dysfunction are inexorably linked. Age-related physiological changes do not render a meaningful sexual relationship impossible or even necessarily difficult. Many of these physiological changes are modifiable. There are various therapeutic options available to patients to achieve maximum sexual capacity in old age. This article reviews the prevalence of sexual activity among older adults, the problems these adults encounter with sexual activity, and the role of the health care professional in addressing these problems. The physiological sex-related changes that occur as part of the normal aging process in men and women are reviewed, as well as the effect of age-related physical and psychological illness on sexual function. The attitudes and perceptions of the media and general public toward sexual activity and aging are summarized. An understanding of the sexual changes that accompany the aging process may help general practitioners and other doctors to give practical and useful advice on sexuality as well as refute the misconception that aging equates to celibacy. A thorough awareness of this aspect of older people's quality of life can raise meaningful expectations for aging patients. Copyright © 2013 American Medical Directors Association, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Feelings of Disgust and Disgust-Induced Avoidance Weaken following Induced Sexual Arousal in Women

    PubMed Central

    Borg, Charmaine; de Jong, Peter J.

    2012-01-01

    Background Sex and disgust are basic, evolutionary relevant functions that are often construed as paradoxical. In general the stimuli involved in sexual encounters are, at least out of context strongly perceived to hold high disgust qualities. Saliva, sweat, semen and body odours are among the strongest disgust elicitors. This results in the intriguing question of how people succeed in having pleasurable sex at all. One possible explanation could be that sexual engagement temporarily reduces the disgust eliciting properties of particular stimuli or that sexual engagement might weaken the hesitation to actually approach these stimuli. Methodology Participants were healthy women (n = 90) randomly allocated to one of three groups: the sexual arousal, the non-sexual positive arousal, or the neutral control group. Film clips were used to elicit the relevant mood state. Participants engaged in 16 behavioural tasks, involving sex related (e.g., lubricate the vibrator) and non-sex related (e.g., take a sip of juice with a large insect in the cup) stimuli, to measure the impact of sexual arousal on feelings of disgust and actual avoidance behaviour. Principal Findings The sexual arousal group rated the sex related stimuli as less disgusting compared to the other groups. A similar tendency was evident for the non-sex disgusting stimuli. For both the sex and non-sex related behavioural tasks the sexual arousal group showed less avoidance behaviour (i.e., they conducted the highest percentage of tasks compared to the other groups). Significance This study has investigated how sexual arousal interplays with disgust and disgust eliciting properties in women, and has demonstrated that this relationship goes beyond subjective report by affecting the actual approach to disgusting stimuli. Hence, this could explain how we still manage to engage in pleasurable sexual activity. Moreover, these findings suggest that low sexual arousal might be a key feature in the maintenance of

  5. Syndemics and gender affirmation: HIV sexual risk in female-to-male trans masculine adults reporting sexual contact with cisgender males

    PubMed Central

    Reisner, Sari L; Hughto, Jaclyn M White; Pardee, Dana; Sevelius, Jae

    2015-01-01

    Female-to-male trans masculine adults who have sex with cisgender (non-transgender) males (TMSM) represent an understudied population in relation to HIV/STI risk. This study examined the role of syndemic conditions and social gender affirmation processes (living full-time in one’s identified gender) in potentiating sexual risk among TMSM adults in Massachusetts. Cross-sectional data were restricted to TMSM who reported lifetime sexual behaviour with a cisgender male (n = 173; mean age = 29.4, SD = 9.6; 18.5% people of colour; 93.1% non-heterosexual identity; 56.1% hormones/surgery). Sexual risk outcomes were: lifetime STI diagnoses, three or more past-6-month sexual partners, and condomless anal/vaginal sex at last encounter with a cisgender male. Age- and survey mode-adjusted logistic regression models regressed sexual risk outcomes on the main effect of syndemics (six indicators summed: binge drinking, substance use, depression, anxiety, childhood abuse, intimate partner violence), followed by the interaction of syndemics and social gender affirmation. Syndemics were associated with increased odds of all sexual risk indicators (adjusted odds ratios (aORs) = 1.32–1.55; p < 0.0001). Social gender affirmation moderated the association between syndemics and condomless anal/vaginal sex at last encounter with a cisgender male (p < 0.0001). Syndemics were associated with sexual risk in TMSM who had socially affirmed their gender (aOR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.42–2.25; p < 0.001), but not among those TMSM who had not (aOR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.63–1.19; p = 0.37). Findings suggest that syndemic pathways to sexual risk are similar for TMSM who have socially gender affirmed as for cisgender MSM. Integration of syndemics and gender affirmation frameworks is recommended in interventions to address TMSM sexual risk. PMID:26384946

  6. Male Involvement: Implications for Reproductive and Sexual Health Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edmunds, Lena; Rink, Elizabeth; Zukoski, Ann P.

    2004-01-01

    The sexual health needs of young males have been largely ignored in the field of reproductive health. Until recently, the health care needs of females have received the vast majority of attention from public health professionals and organizations with services focused on the prevention of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and…

  7. Correlates of Sex Frequency and Sexual Satisfaction Among Partnered Older Adults.

    PubMed

    Gillespie, Brian Joseph

    2017-07-04

    This study examines behaviors associated with sex frequency and sexual satisfaction in a national sample of partnered older adults, age 50 to 85 (N = 9,164), together for over one year. The results indicate that older adults with active and satisfying sex lives engage more frequently in open sexual communication and setting the mood for sexual activity. Additionally, synchronicity in sexual desire and activities is related to a high-frequency and highly satisfying sex life in older adulthood. An expansive sexual repertoire, as measured by the number of sexual activities used during the last sexual encounter and the incorporation of sexual variety, is also associated with greater sex frequency and sexual satisfaction.

  8. Sexual behaviour among young Danes aged 15-29 years: a cross-sectional study of core indicators.

    PubMed

    Jørgensen, Marianne Johansson; Maindal, Helle Terkildsen; Christensen, Kaj Sparle; Olesen, Frede; Andersen, Berit

    2015-05-01

    Sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies occur at high rates among youth. Understanding sexual behaviour is essential for planning and implementing future effective preventive interventions. The present study examines the sexual behaviour in the general Danish population aged 15-29 years using the core indicators recommended by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in Denmark among a random sample of 20 000 men and women in 2012. Respondents completed a web-based sexual behaviour questionnaire and data were linked to a nationally held demographic database. Core indicators for sexual behaviour frequency stratified by gender are presented as unweighted and weighted data after consideration of sociodemographic differences between respondents and non-respondents. Response rate was 20.4%. Condoms were used at sexual debut by 69.9% of women and 62.3% of men, while 14.3% of women and 15.1% of men used no contraceptives at sexual debut. Half of the respondents used condom alone at the latest sexual encounter with a steady partner (women 51.8%, men 55.2%), while 10% used no contraceptives. Having a sexual encounter with a casual partner decreased the likelihood of using condoms (women 43.7%, men 49.5%) and increased the likelihood of using no contraceptives (women 14.8%, men 20.9%). Data on sexual behaviour characteristics showed only minor changes when weighted for non-response. The findings call for interventions addressing the use of appropriate contraception at sexual debut and at last sexual encounter; this seems particularly important when the sexual partner is a casual partner. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  9. Encountering Pedagogy through Relational Art Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Irwin, Rita L.; O'Donoghue, Donal

    2012-01-01

    Two artists involved in "socially engaged art" practice were invited to work with art education teacher candidates and instructors in an effort to rethink notions of teaching, learning and art. We initiated this residency, which we called "The Summerhill Residency", to examine how learning encounters might create environments…

  10. The relationship between sexual abuse and risky sexual behavior among adolescent boys: a meta-analysis.

    PubMed

    Homma, Yuko; Wang, Naren; Saewyc, Elizabeth; Kishor, Nand

    2012-07-01

    Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse has been shown to lead to increased odds of sexual behaviors that lead to sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy involvement. Research, meta-analyses, and interventions, however, have focused primarily on girls and young women who have experienced abuse, yet some adolescent boys are also sexually abused. We performed a meta-analysis of the existing studies to assess the magnitudes of the link between a history of sexual abuse and each of the three risky sexual behaviors among adolescent boys in North America. The three outcomes were (a) unprotected sexual intercourse, (b) multiple sexual partners, and (c) pregnancy involvement. Weighted mean effect sizes were computed from ten independent samples, from nine studies published between 1990 and 2011. Sexually abused boys were significantly more likely than nonabused boys to report all three risky sexual behaviors. Weighted mean odds ratios were 1.91 for unprotected intercourse, 2.91 for multiple sexual partners, and 4.81 for pregnancy involvement. Our results indicate that childhood and adolescent sexual abuse can substantially influence sexual behavior in adolescence among male survivors. To improve sexual health for all adolescents, even young men, we should strengthen sexual abuse prevention initiatives, raise awareness about male sexual abuse survivors' existence and sexual health issues, improve sexual health promotion for abused young men, and screen all people, regardless of gender, for a history of sexual abuse. Copyright © 2012 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. The Relationship Between Sexual Abuse and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Adolescent Boys: A Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Homma, Yuko; Wang, Naren; Saewyc, Elizabeth; Kishor, Nand

    2016-01-01

    Purpose Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse has been shown to lead to increased odds of sexual behaviors that lead to sexually transmitted infections and early pregnancy involvement. Research, meta-analyses, and interventions, however, have focused primarily on girls and young women who have experienced abuse, yet some adolescent boys are also sexually abused. We performed a meta-analysis of the existing studies to assess the magnitudes of the link between a history of sexual abuse and each of three risky sexual behaviors among adolescent boys in North America. Methods The three outcomes were a) unprotected sexual intercourse, b) multiple sexual partners, and c) pregnancy involvement. Weighted mean effect sizes were computed from 10 independent samples, from nine studies published between 1990 and 2011. Results Sexually abused boys were significantly more likely than non-abused boys to report all three risky sexual behaviors. Weighted mean odds ratios were 1.91 for unprotected intercourse, 2.91 for multiple sexual partners, and 4.81 for pregnancy involvement. Conclusions Our results indicate that childhood and adolescent sexual abuse can substantially Influence sexual behavior in adolescence among male survivors. To improve sexual health for all adolescents, even young men, we should strengthen sexual abuse prevention initiatives, raise awareness about male sexual abuse survivors’ existence and sexual health issues, improve sexual health promotion for abused young men, and screen all people, regardless of gender, for a history of sexual abuse. PMID:22727072

  12. Structural factors associated with an increased risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infection transmission among street-involved youth

    PubMed Central

    Marshall, Brandon DL; Kerr, Thomas; Shoveller, Jean A; Montaner, Julio SG; Wood, Evan

    2009-01-01

    Background The prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among street-involved youth greatly exceed that of the general adolescent population; however, little is known regarding the structural factors that influence disease transmission risk among this population. Methods Between September 2005 and October 2006, 529 street-involved youth were enroled in a prospective cohort known as the At Risk Youth Study (ARYS). We examined structural factors associated with number of sex partners using quasi-Poisson regression and consistent condom use using logistic regression. Results At baseline, 415 (78.4%) were sexually active, of whom 253 (61.0%) reported multiple sex partners and 288 (69.4%) reported inconsistent condom use in the past six months. In multivariate analysis, self-reported barriers to health services were inversely associated with consistent condom use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.25 – 1.07). Structural factors that were associated with greater numbers of sex partners included homelessness (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR] = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.11 – 2.14) and having an area restriction that affects access to services (aIRR = 2.32, 95%CI: 1.28 – 4.18). Being searched or detained by the police was significant for males (aIRR = 1.36, 95%CI: 1.02 – 1.81). Conclusion Although limited by its cross-sectional design, our study found several structural factors amenable to policy-level interventions independently associated with sexual risk behaviours. These findings imply that the criminalization and displacement of street-involved youth may increase the likelihood that youth will engage in sexual risk behaviours and exacerbate the negative impact of resultant health outcomes. Moreover, our findings indicate that environmental-structural interventions may help to reduce the burden of these diseases among street youth in urban settings. PMID:19134203

  13. Assessing Changes in Medical Student Attitudes toward Non-Traditional Human Sexual Behaviors Using a Confidential Audience Response System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tucker, Phebe; Candler, Chris; Hamm, Robert M.; Smith, E. Michael; Hudson, Joseph C.

    2010-01-01

    Medical students encountering patients with unfamiliar, unconventional sexual practices may have attitudes that can affect open communication during sexual history-taking. We measured changes in first-year US medical student attitudes toward 22 non-traditional sexual behaviors before and after exposure to human sexuality instruction. An…

  14. Cognitive and contextual variables in sexual partner and relationship perception.

    PubMed

    Alvarez, Maria-João; Garcia-Marques, Leonel

    2011-04-01

    This study examined the effects of contextual and cognitive variables for sexual protection on perceived social relationship factors. University students (108 women and 108 men) read script-based narratives on sexual encounters in which six variables were manipulated in two independent analyses. In the first analysis, four variables were evaluated: relational context (stable, casual), condom use (yes, no), script terminus (beginning, middle or end), and the rater's sex. The dependent variables were interpersonal perception of one of the characters of the narrative, and expectations regarding characteristics and future of the relationship. In the second analysis, two other factors were manipulated only in the "yes" condom conditions: communication strategy (verbal, non-verbal) and condom proponent gender. Our findings corroborated other studies where condom use was viewed as unromantic with less positive characteristics for relationships. Condom proponents, especially male, were perceived as less romantic, particularly when proposing a condom non-verbally at the beginning of the encounter. However, the controlled variables enabled us to propose ways of associating condom use with positive expectations towards the proponent and the relationship itself. Romanticism, expectation of sexual intercourse, emotional proximity, and expectations of condom use in encounters where a condom was proposed increased when suggested by a woman, postponed to the end of the encounter, and verbally mentioned. We encourage women to take the lead in suggesting condom use, thus empowering them since they do not have to wait for the male to make the first move.

  15. Effects of a Pilot Project To Involve Young Males in a School-Based Sexuality Education Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deatrick, Deborah A.; Knox, Cathryn Bradeen

    Recent trends in rates of sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, and teen pregnancies have led to a new emphasis on male involvement in family planning programs. Little research data exists on specific opinions, attitudes and needs of young males regarding the array of services available. This paper describes: (1) how market research (including…

  16. The role of alcohol and victim sexual interest in Spanish students' perceptions of sexual assault.

    PubMed

    Romero-Sánchez, Mónica; Megías, Jesús L; Krahé, Barbara

    2012-07-01

    Two studies investigated the effects of information related to rape myths on Spanish college students' perceptions of sexual assault. In Study 1, 92 participants read a vignette about a nonconsensual sexual encounter and rated whether it was a sexual assault and how much the woman was to blame. In the scenario, the man either used physical force or offered alcohol to the woman to overcome her resistance. Rape myth acceptance (RMA) was measured as an individual difference variable. Participants were more convinced that the incident was a sexual assault and blamed the woman less when the man had used force rather than offering her alcohol. In Study 2, 164 college students read a scenario in which the woman rejected a man's sexual advances after having either accepted or turned down his offer of alcohol. In addition, the woman was either portrayed as being sexually attracted to him or there was no mention of her sexual interest. Participants' RMA was again included. High RMA participants blamed the victim more than low RMA participants and were less certain that the incident was a sexual assault, especially when the victim had accepted alcohol and was described as being sexually attracted to the man. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the prevention and legal prosecution of sexual assault.

  17. Syndemics and gender affirmation: HIV sexual risk in female-to-male trans masculine adults reporting sexual contact with cisgender males.

    PubMed

    Reisner, Sari L; White Hughto, Jaclyn M; Pardee, Dana; Sevelius, Jae

    2016-10-01

    Female-to-male trans masculine adults who have sex with cisgender (non-transgender) males (TMSM) represent an understudied population in relation to HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) risk. This study examined the role of syndemic conditions and social gender affirmation processes (living full-time in one's identified gender) in potentiating sexual risk among TMSM adults in Massachusetts, US. Cross-sectional data were restricted to TMSM who reported lifetime sexual behaviour with a cisgender male (n = 173; mean age = 29.4, SD = 9.6; 18.5% people of colour; 93.1% non-heterosexual identity; 56.1% hormones/surgery). Sexual risk outcomes were: lifetime STI diagnoses, three or more sexual partners in the previous six months, and condomless anal/vaginal sex at last encounter with a cisgender male. Age- and survey mode-adjusted logistic regression models regressed sexual risk outcomes on the main effect of syndemics (six indicators summed: binge drinking, substance use, depression, anxiety, childhood abuse, intimate partner violence), followed by the interaction of syndemics and social gender affirmation. Syndemics were associated with increased odds of all sexual risk indicators (adjusted odds ratios [aORs] = 1.32-1.55; p < 0.0001). Social gender affirmation moderated the association between syndemics and condomless anal/vaginal sex at last encounter with a cisgender male (p < 0.0001). Syndemics were associated with sexual risk in TMSM who had socially affirmed their gender (aOR = 1.79; 95% CI = 1.42-2.25; p < 0.001), but not among those TMSM who had not (aOR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.63-1.19; p = 0.37). Findings suggest that syndemic pathways to sexual risk are similar for TMSM who have socially gender affirmed as for cisgender MSM. Integration of syndemics and gender affirmation frameworks is recommended in interventions to address TMSM sexual risk. © The Author(s) 2016.

  18. Factors Affecting Sexual History Taking in a Health Center Serving Homeless Persons.

    PubMed

    Sowicz, Timothy Joseph; Bradway, Christine K

    2018-03-01

    Low rates of documentation of sexual histories have been reported and research on sexual history taking (SHT) has focused on the content of, barriers to collecting, and interventions to improve documentation of sexual histories. Absent from this literature is an understanding of the contextual factors affecting SHT. To address this gap, a focused ethnography of one health center was conducted. Data were collected through observations of health care encounters and interviews with health care providers (HCPs). No SHT was observed and this was likely influenced by patients' characteristics, communication between patients and HCPs, the prioritization of patients' basic needs, and time constraints imposed upon encounters. Given that the health center studied serves patients experiencing homelessness, behavioral health concerns, and opioid use disorder, findings illuminate areas for future inquiry into a patient population affected by social as well as physiologic determinants of health and potentially at high risk for adverse sexual health outcomes.

  19. Characteristics of sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence influence sexual risk behavior in adulthood.

    PubMed

    Senn, Theresa E; Carey, Michael P; Vanable, Peter A; Coury-Doniger, Patricia; Urban, Marguerite

    2007-10-01

    Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse has been associated with subsequent (adult) sexual risk behavior, but the effects of force and type of sexual abuse on sexual behavior outcomes have been less well-studied. The present study investigated the associations between sexual abuse characteristics and later sexual risk behavior, and explored whether gender of the child/adolescent moderated these relations. Patients attending an STD clinic completed a computerized survey that assessed history of sexual abuse as well as lifetime and current sexual behavior. Participants were considered sexually abused if they reported a sexual experience (1) before age 13 with someone 5 or more years older, (2) between the ages of 13 and 16 with someone 10 or more years older, or (3) before the age of 17 involving force or coercion. Participants who were sexually abused were further categorized based on two abuse characteristics, namely, use of penetration and force. Analyses included 1177 participants (n=534 women; n=643 men). Those who reported sexual abuse involving penetration and/or force reported more adult sexual risk behavior, including the number of lifetime partners and number of previous STD diagnoses, than those who were not sexually abused and those who were abused without force or penetration. There were no significant differences in sexual risk behavior between nonabused participants and those who reported sexual abuse without force and without penetration. Gender of the child/adolescent moderated the association between sexual abuse characteristics and adult sexual risk behavior; for men, sexual abuse with force and penetration was associated with the greatest number of episodes of sex trading, whereas for women, those who were abused with penetration, regardless of whether the abuse involved force, reported the most episodes of sex trading. These findings indicate that more severe sexual abuse is associated with riskier adult sexual behavior.

  20. Effects of participation in and connectedness to the LGBT community on substance use involvement of sexual minority young people.

    PubMed

    Demant, Daniel; Hides, Leanne; White, Katherine M; Kavanagh, David J

    2018-06-01

    Research shows disproportionate levels of substance use among sexual minority young people. A range of reasons for these disparities have been suggested, including connectedness to and participation in the LGBT community. Little is known about how these constructs are related to substance use involvement in sexual minority (sub)groups or how these relationships are affected by other factors. 1266 young sexual minority Australians completed a cross-sectional online survey. Multiple regressions were conducted to assess associations between connectedness to and participation in the LGBT community on substance use involvement, before and after controlling for other factors such as substance use motives, psychological distress, wellbeing, resilience, minority stress, and age. Most participants identified as homosexual (57%, n=726) and male (54%, n=683). In the overall sample, participation in and connectedness the LGBT community were significantly associated with increased substance use involvement before (F(2,1263)=35.930, p≤0.001, R 2 =0.052) and after controlling for other variables (F(8,1095)=33.538, p≤0.001, R 2 =0.191), with meaningfully higher effect sizes for participation than for connectedness. After controlling for other variables, connectedness only remained significant for homosexuals. Effect sizes for participation were higher for females than males, and bisexuals than homosexuals. However, participation in the LGBT Community was not associated with substance use in participants identifying with a non-binary gender identity. In conclusion, substance use involvement was associated with participation in the LGBT community, but connectedness to the LGBT community only had a weak association with substance use involvement in the homosexual subgroup. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Factors influencing the degree and pattern of parental involvement in play therapy for sexually abused children.

    PubMed

    Hill, Andrew

    2009-01-01

    Although much has been written about the role of therapists in children's recovery from child sexual abuse, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of nonoffending parents. This study investigated the work of a team of therapists who sometimes included such parents in therapy sessions with children. The study sought to understand what factors were influencing the degree and pattern of parental involvement and to understand what effect these patterns of parental involvement were having on the process and outcomes of therapy. The study successfully identified a range of factors influencing the patterns of parental involvement, but more research will be needed to understand the effect on outcomes.

  2. Behavior and Symptom Change Among Women Treated with Placebo for Sexual Dysfunction

    PubMed Central

    Bradford, Andrea; Meston, Cindy M.

    2011-01-01

    Introduction In clinical trials of drug treatments for women’s sexual dysfunction, placebo responses have often been substantial. However, little is known about the clinical significance, specificity, predictors, and potential mechanisms of placebo response in sexual dysfunction. Aim We aimed to determine the nature and predictors of sexual function outcomes in women treated with placebo for female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD). Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the placebo arm of a 12-week, multisite, randomized controlled pharmaceutical trial for FSAD (N = 50). We analyzed the magnitude, domain specificity, and clinical significance of sexual function scores at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks (post-treatment). We examined longitudinal change in sexual function outcomes as a function of several baseline variables (e.g., age, symptom-related distress) and in relation to changes in sexual behavior frequency during the trial. Main Outcome Measure Female Sexual Function Index total score. Results The magnitude of change at post-treatment was clinically significant in approximately one-third of placebo recipients. Effect sizes were similar across multiple aspects of sexual function. Symptom improvement was strongly related to the frequency of satisfying sexual encounters during treatment. However, the relationship between sexual encounter frequency and outcome varied significantly between participants. Conclusions A substantial number of women experienced clinically significant improvement in sexual function during treatment with placebo. Changes in sexual behavior during the trial, more so than participant age or symptom severity at baseline, appeared to be an important determinant of outcome. Contextual and procedural aspects of the clinical trial may have influenced outcomes in the absence of an active drug treatment. PMID:20849412

  3. Perceptions of Sexual Orientation From Minimal Cues.

    PubMed

    Rule, Nicholas O

    2017-01-01

    People derive considerable amounts of information about each other from minimal nonverbal cues. Apart from characteristics typically regarded as obvious when encountering another person (e.g., age, race, and sex), perceivers can identify many other qualities about a person that are typically rather subtle. One such feature is sexual orientation. Here, I review the literature documenting the accurate perception of sexual orientation from nonverbal cues related to one's adornment, acoustics, actions, and appearance. In addition to chronicling studies that have demonstrated how people express and extract sexual orientation in each of these domains, I discuss some of the basic cognitive and perceptual processes that support these judgments, including how cues to sexual orientation manifest in behavioral (e.g., clothing choices) and structural (e.g., facial morphology) signals. Finally, I attend to boundary conditions in the accurate perception of sexual orientation, such as the states, traits, and group memberships that moderate individuals' ability to reliably decipher others' sexual orientation.

  4. Childhood Maltreatment and Child Protective Services Involvement Among the Commercially Sexually Exploited: A Comparison of Women Who Enter as Juveniles or as Adults.

    PubMed

    Cimino, Andrea N; Madden, Elissa E; Hohn, Kris; Cronley, Courtney M; Davis, Jaya B; Magruder, Karen; Kennedy, M Alexis

    2017-04-01

    A risk for commercial sexual exploitation is childhood maltreatment. It's unknown whether juveniles in commercial sexual exploitation experience more childhood maltreatment than adults or how involved child protective services is in investigating maltreatment, a focus of this study. Women (N = 96) who sold sex commercially completed a cross-sectional questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t tests, chi-squares, and odds ratios were used to examine differences in background, childhood maltreatment, and child protective services involvement by juvenile or adult entry. Although 93% of participants experienced child maltreatment, juveniles had increased odds of parent/caregiver sexual abuse, being left alone, being kicked out, and running away from a parent/caregiver. There were no differences in cumulative childhood maltreatment resulting in an investigation or removal, indicating that juveniles not investigated or removed by child protective services had as much childhood maltreatment as juveniles who were investigated or removed by child protective services. Results highlight the need for child welfare staff to recognize childhood maltreatment as risks for commercial sexual exploitation.

  5. Attachment orientation and sexual risk behaviour among young Black gay and bisexual men.

    PubMed

    Cook, Stephanie H; Watkins, Daphne C; Calebs, Benjamin; Wilson, Patrick A

    This mixed methods study used an explanatory sequential design to examine the relationship between attachment and sexual behavior among young Black gay and bisexual men (YBGBM). Cross sectional online surveys and sex diaries were completed by a sample of YBGBM in New York City ( n = 153) to assess the association between adult attachment insecurity and sexual risk behavior. The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised (ECR-R) was used to assess three types of adult attachment (i.e., secure, anxious, and avoidant). Participants reported condomless sex encounters, as well as serodiscordant condomless anal sex encounters, as measures of sexual risk. Quantitative findings suggested that there were few associations between attachment type and sexual risk behavior; only men with attachment avoidance were likely to engage in condomless sex. However, qualitative findings illuminated some of the social complexities of the association between attachment in childhood, attachment in young adulthood and intimate partnerships, which could be linked to young adult sexual risk behavior. The study findings highlight the need for researchers to further examine the process by which individual differences in attachment orientation are related to YBGBM's sexual behavior.

  6. Attachment orientation and sexual risk behaviour among young Black gay and bisexual men

    PubMed Central

    Cook, Stephanie H.; Watkins, Daphne C.; Calebs, Benjamin; Wilson, Patrick A.

    2016-01-01

    This mixed methods study used an explanatory sequential design to examine the relationship between attachment and sexual behavior among young Black gay and bisexual men (YBGBM). Cross sectional online surveys and sex diaries were completed by a sample of YBGBM in New York City (n = 153) to assess the association between adult attachment insecurity and sexual risk behavior. The Experiences in Close Relationships Scale-Revised (ECR-R) was used to assess three types of adult attachment (i.e., secure, anxious, and avoidant). Participants reported condomless sex encounters, as well as serodiscordant condomless anal sex encounters, as measures of sexual risk. Quantitative findings suggested that there were few associations between attachment type and sexual risk behavior; only men with attachment avoidance were likely to engage in condomless sex. However, qualitative findings illuminated some of the social complexities of the association between attachment in childhood, attachment in young adulthood and intimate partnerships, which could be linked to young adult sexual risk behavior. The study findings highlight the need for researchers to further examine the process by which individual differences in attachment orientation are related to YBGBM’s sexual behavior. PMID:27570578

  7. A stellar audit: the computation of encounter rates for 47 Tucanae and omega Centauri

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davies, Melvyn B.; Benz, Willy

    1995-10-01

    Using King-Mitchie models, we compute encounter rates between the various stellar species in the globular clusters omega Cen and 47 Tuc. We also compute event rates for encounters between single stars and a population of primordial binaries. Using these rates, and what we have learnt from hydrodynamical simulations of encounters performed earlier, we compute the production rates of objects such as low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs), smothered neutron stars and blue stragglers (massive main-sequence stars). If 10 per cent of the stars are contained in primordial binaries, the production rate of interesting objects from encounters involving these binaries is as large as that from encounters between single stars. For example, encounters involving binaries produce a significant number of blue stragglers in both globular cluster models. The number of smothered neutron stars may exceed the number of LMXBs by a factor of 5-20, which may help to explain why millisecond pulsars are observed to outnumber LMXBs in globular clusters.

  8. The Neglected Heart: The Emotional Dangers of Premature Sexual Involvement.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lickona, Thomas

    1994-01-01

    Discussions of teen sex usually focus on the dangers of pregnancy and disease but ignore the emotional hazards and destructive psychological consequences of temporary sexual relationships. Teenagers absorbed in a sexual relationship may turn inward at a time then they should be reaching out to others. (SLD)

  9. Boys Just Want to Have Fun? Masculinity, Sexual Behaviors, and Romantic Intentions of Gay and Straight Males in College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barrios, R. J.; Lundquist, Jennifer Hickes

    2012-01-01

    Scholars studying college student sexual culture in the United States largely frame men as being detached from emotions, unconcerned with relationships, and in pursuit of sexual conquests. By expanding the examination of college sexual culture, an environment often associated with meaningless sexual encounters, this article tests those stereotypes…

  10. The Sexuality Education Initiative: a programme involving teenagers, schools, parents and sexual health services in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

    PubMed

    Marques, Magaly; Ressa, Nicole

    2013-05-01

    In response to abstinence-only programmes in the United States that promote myths and misconceptions about sexuality and sexual behaviour, the comprehensive sexuality education community has been sidetracked from improving the sexuality education available in US schools for almost two decades now. Much work is still needed to move beyond fear-based approaches and the one-way communication of information that many programmes still use. Starting in 2008 Planned Parenthood Los Angeles developed and launched a teen-centred sexuality education programme based on critical thinking, human rights, gender equality, and access to health care that is founded on a theory of change that recognises the complex relationship between the individual and broader environment of cultural norms, socio-economic inequalities, health disparities, legal and institutional factors. The Sexuality Education Initiative is comprised of a 12-session classroom sexuality education curriculum for ninth grade students; workshops for parents; a peer advocacy training programme; and access to sexual health services. This paper describes that experience and presents the rights-based framework that was used, which seeks to improve the learning experience of students, strengthen the capacity of schools, teachers and parents to help teenagers manage their sexuality effectively and understand that they have the right to health care, education, protection, dignity and privacy. Copyright © 2013 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Factors related to sexual abuse and forced sex in a sample of women experiencing police-involved intimate partner violence.

    PubMed

    Messing, Jill Theresa; Thaller, Jonel; Bagwell, Meredith

    2014-08-01

    Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) is a significant social problem, particularly among women who are concurrently experiencing physical violence in their intimate relationships. This research examined the prevalence and factors associated with IPSV among a sample of women recruited at the scene of police-involved intimate partner violence incidents (N = 432). Within this sample, 43.98 percent of participants reported experiencing IPSV; this includes 17.36 percent who reported sexual abuse and 26.62 percent who reported forced sex. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the factors related to sexual abuse and forced sex, controlling for victim and relationship characteristics. Compared with women not reporting IPSV, women who were sexually abused or forced into sexual intercourse were significantly more likely to experience strangulation, feelings of shame, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Women whose partners had forced sex were more likely to report that they had a child in common with their abusive partner; and that their partner was sexually jealous, had threatened to kill them, had stalked or harassed them, or caused them to have a miscarriage due to abuse. These findings can be used to better inform social work practitioners about the prevalence and nature of IPSV and the associated risk factors, and can assist in routine screening and intervention.

  12. Encountering Gender: Resisting a Neo-Liberal Political Rationality for Sexuality Education as an HIV Prevention Strategy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gacoin, Andrée E.

    2017-01-01

    Globally, sexuality education is framed as a key programmatic strategy for achieving HIV prevention among youth. In particular, sexuality education is positioned as a way to address gender inequalities and promote youth empowerment in relation to gendered identities. In this paper, I argue that the focus on what content should be taught and…

  13. Sexual Misconduct by School Employees Involving Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mawdsley, Ralph D.; Hampton, Frederick M.

    1992-01-01

    Analyzes judicial response to employees who had been dismissed for sexual misconduct and objected to their school districts' dismissal processes. Issues tend to fall into three categories: elements of proof; relationship to the judicial evidentiary process; and standard for judicial review. Advises administrators to prepare, publish, and enforce…

  14. Prevalence of Pregnancy Involvement Among Canadian Transgender Youth and its Relation to Mental Health, Sexual Health, and Gender Identity.

    PubMed

    Veale, Jaimie; Watson, Ryan J; Adjei, Jones; Saewyc, Elizabeth

    2016-01-01

    While little research has been conducted into the reproductive experiences of transgender people, available evidence suggests that like cisgender people, most transgender people endorse a desire for these experiences. This study explores the pregnancy experiences and related health factors among transgender and gender-diverse 14-25 year olds using a national Canadian sample ( N = 923). Results indicated that 26 (5%) transgender youth reported a pregnancy experience in the past and the prevalence among 14-18 year olds was comparable to population-based estimates using the same question in the British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey. Transgender youth with a history of pregnancy involvement reported a diverse range of gender identities, and this group did not differ from the remainder of the sample on general mental health, social supports, and living in felt gender. This group did report over six times greater likelihood of having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection by a doctor (19%), but did they not differ in reported contraception use during last sexual intercourse. These findings suggest that pregnancy involvement is an issue that should not be overlooked by health professionals working with transgender youth and that this group has particular sexual health needs.

  15. My space, my body, my sexual subjectivity: social media, sexual practice and parental control among teenage girls in urban Chiang Mai.

    PubMed

    Fongkaew, Warunee; Fongkaew, Kangwan

    2016-01-01

    This ethnographic study conducted among young women aged 18-21 years in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, explored the parental control mechanisms imposed by Thai middle-class families on the sexuality of their daughters. It addressed the ways in which young women tactically use the social media in order to negotiate the sexual controls they encountered in everyday life. Taking the teenage girls' point of view, this paper argues that, as active agents, young women achieve a certain level of sexual autonomy and construct their own sexual selves in modern northern Thai society, despite their parents' attempts to prevent this. The paper highlights the ways in which social media are used by Thai girls in order to achieve such a goal. Research findings should inform the development of future programmes on sexual health promotion, parental skills and sexual communication between Thai parents and their children.

  16. Alienation of sexuality in male erotic dancing.

    PubMed

    Boden, David M

    2007-01-01

    This ethnographic study investigates a male-for-male gender arrangement of erotic dancing. Analysis of the data suggests that the men in this occupation understand their labor as titillation, a pleasurable erotic flirtation, for the entertainment of the consumer. Central to the performance is a constructed sexuality that is not reflective of the desires of the dancer but, rather, those of the consumer. The alienation of the dancer from his sexuality may result in behaviors and encounters that violate his normative and moral expectations.

  17. Effects of Familial Attachment, Social Support, Involvement, and Self-Esteem on Youth Substance Use and Sexual Risk Taking

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Christina Hamme; Buser, Trevor J.; Westburg, Nancy G.

    2010-01-01

    A study of protective factors against substance use and sexual risk taking was conducted among 610 high-poverty urban youth. Higher levels of family attachment, social support, involvement, and self-esteem were associated with lower levels of risk behaviors. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)

  18. Hispanic perspectives on sexual harassment and social support.

    PubMed

    Cortina, Lilia M

    2004-05-01

    Bridging the social support, sexual victimization, and cultural psychology literatures, this study examines social-support processes in the context of sexual harassment and Hispanic American culture. Surveys were administered to a community sample of Hispanic American working women, 249 of whom described some encounter with sexual harassment at work. Regression results provided mixed backing for hypotheses about support-seeking behavior, which appeared largely dependent on the social power of the harassment perpetrator. Additional findings upheld predictions about support-perception patterns; harassed women perceived more supportive social reactions when they turned to informal networks of friends and family, but responses were less positive when they turned to formal, organizational sources. Finally, as expected, perceived support and acculturation interacted to moderate relations between sexual harassment and job satisfaction. The article concludes with implications for research and interventions related to social support and sexual harassment.

  19. How Ministers Understand and Address Emotional and Sexual Pressures in Ministry Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reid, Genise Aria

    2012-01-01

    This study explored the perceptions of ministers in regard to how they understand and address emotional and sexual pressures encountered in ministry work. The research was guided by four questions: How do practicing ministers in the Church of Antioch describe and understand pressures in their work settings that they see as emotional or sexual in…

  20. Increasing condom use: evaluation of a theory-based intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in young women.

    PubMed

    Bryan, A D; Aiken, L S; West, S G

    1996-09-01

    A multicomponent intervention to increase condom use in sexually active young women was designed, implemented, and evaluated in a randomized experiment. Participants were 198 unmarried female college students (mean age = 18.6 years) who received a 1-session condom promotion intervention or a control (stress management) intervention. The condom promotion intervention led to increased self-reported condom use up to 6 months following intervention as well as positive changes in perceived benefits of condom use, affective attitudes toward condom use and condom users, perceived acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual encounter, perceived self-efficacy for condom use, and intentions to use condoms. Mediational analysis illustrated the mechanisms of the condom promotion intervention effects, linking psychological constructs affected by the intervention (perceived benefits, acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual encounter, attitudes toward condoms, and self-efficacy for condom use) to condom use intentions.

  1. Exploring a Contextual Model of Sexual Self-Disclosure and Sexual Satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Brown, Randal D; Weigel, Daniel J

    2018-02-01

    Sexual self-disclosure is a critical component of relationship and sexual satisfaction, yet little is known about the mechanisms that facilitate a person's engagement in sexual self-disclosure. Individuals (N = 265) involved in romantic relationships participated in an online study testing a contextual model of sexual self-disclosure across three contexts: relationship context, sexual self-disclosure context, and outcome of sexual self-disclosure. Results suggest that sexual satisfaction was predicted by a positive relationship context and a positive sexual self-disclosure context. In addition, the sexual self-disclosure context was predicted by the relationship context. These findings emphasize the importance of examining contextual influences that determine whether an individual will engage in or avoid sexual self-disclosure and the consequences of this engagement or avoidance on sexual satisfaction.

  2. The impact of depressive symptomatology on risky sexual behavior and sexual communication among African American female adolescents.

    PubMed

    Seth, Puja; Patel, Shilpa N; Sales, Jessica M; DiClemente, Ralph J; Wingood, Gina M; Rose, Eve S

    2011-05-01

    Adolescents, particularly African American adolescents, are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The association between psychosocial factors and risky sexual behavior has been well established. However, only a small number of studies have examined the relationship between depressive symptomatology among African American female adolescents, specifically over time. The present study examined depressive symptoms as a predictor of risky sexual behavior, sexual communication, and STIs longitudinally among African American female adolescents between the ages 15 and 21. Binary generalized estimating equation models were conducted assessing the impact of depressive symptoms at baseline on risky sexual behavior and STIs over six- and 12-months follow-up. Age, intervention group, and baseline outcome measures were entered as covariates. The results indicated that high levels of depressive symptoms predicted no condom use during last sexual encounter and multiple sexual partners over six-months follow-up. Depressive symptoms also predicted having a main partner with concurrent partners, high fear of communication about condoms, and sex while high on alcohol or drugs over six- and 12-months follow-up. These findings could be used to inform HIV/STI prevention intervention programs and clinicians providing regular health care maintenance to African American female adolescents engaging in risky sexual behavior. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

  3. The Impact of Depressive Symptomatology on Risky Sexual Behavior and Sexual Communication among African American Female Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Seth, Puja; Patel, Shilpa N.; Sales, Jessica M.; DiClemente, Ralph J.; Wingood, Gina M.; Rose, Eve S.

    2011-01-01

    Adolescents are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), particularly African American adolescents. The association between psychosocial factors and risky sexual behavior has been well established. However, only a small number of studies have examined the relationship between depressive symptomatology among African American female adolescents, specifically over time. The present study examined depressive symptoms as a predictor of risky sexual behavior, sexual communication, and STIs longitudinally among African American female adolescents between the ages of 15-21. Binary generalized estimating equation (GEE) models were conducted assessing the impact of depressive symptoms at baseline on risky sexual behavior and STIs over 6- and 12-months follow-up. Age, intervention group, and baseline outcome measures were entered as covariates. The results indicated that high levels of depressive symptoms predicted no condom use during last sexual encounter and multiple sexual partners over 6-months follow-up. Depressive symptoms also predicted having a main partner with concurrent partners, high fear of communication about condoms, and sex while high on alcohol or drugs over 6- and 12-months follow-up. These findings could be used to inform HIV/STI prevention intervention programs and clinicians providing regular health care maintenance to African American female adolescents engaging in risky sexual behavior. PMID:21491342

  4. HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in a cohort of women involved in high-risk sexual behavior in Kampala, Uganda.

    PubMed

    Vandepitte, Judith; Bukenya, Justine; Weiss, Helen A; Nakubulwa, Susan; Francis, Suzanna C; Hughes, Peter; Hayes, Richard; Grosskurth, Heiner

    2011-04-01

    Uganda has long been successful in controlling the HIV epidemic; however, there is evidence that HIV prevalence and incidence are increasing again. Data on the HIV/STI epidemic among sex workers are so far lacking from Uganda. This paper describes the baseline epidemiology of HIV/STI in a newly established cohort of women involved in high-risk sexual behavior in Kampala, Uganda. Women were recruited from red-light areas in Kampala. Between April 2008 and May 2009, 1027 eligible women were enrolled. Sociodemographic and behavioral information were collected; blood and genital samples were tested for HIV/STI. Risk factors for HIV infection were examined using multivariate logistic regression. HIV seroprevalence was 37%. The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was 13%, Chlamydia trachomatis, 9%; Trichomonas vaginalis, 17%; bacterial vaginosis, 56% and candida infection, 11%. Eighty percent had herpes simplex virus 2 antibodies (HSV-2), 21% were TPHA-positive and 10% had active syphilis (RPR+TPHA+). In 3% of the genital ulcers, Treponema pallidum (TP) was identified, Haemophilus ducreyi in 6%, and HSV-2 in 35%. Prevalent HIV was independently associated with older age, being widowed, lack of education, sex work as sole income, street-based sex work, not knowing HIV-status, using alcohol, and intravaginal cleansing with soap. HIV infection was associated with N. gonorrhoeae, T. vaginalis, bacterial vaginosis, HSV-2 seropositivity and active syphilis. Prevalence of HIV/STI is high among women involved in high-risk sexual behavior in Kampala. Targeted HIV prevention interventions including regular STI screening, voluntary HIV testing and counseling, condom promotion, and counseling for reducing alcohol use are urgently needed in this population.

  5. Sexual risk behavior and type of sexual partners in transnational indigenous migrant workers.

    PubMed

    Caballero-Hoyos, Ramiro; Villaseñor-Sierra, Alberto; Millán-Guerrero, Rebeca; Trujillo-Hernández, Benjamín; Monárrez-Espino, Joel

    2013-06-01

    Indigenous migrant workers (IMWs) have a high vulnerability to HIV and STDs due to poverty and marginalization. This study examined factors associated with sexual risk behavior (SRB) according to type of partner in transnational young male IMWs at a sugar cane agro-industrial complex in western Mexico. A total of 192 sexually active IMWs were recruited from four laborer shelters to participate in a sexual partner survey. The IMWs were interviewed about their sexual partners and practices over the last 12 months during which it emerged that they had had a total of 360 sexual partners. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify factors related to SRB in 222 main (spouse, mistress and girlfriend) and 138 casual partners (colleague, friend, casual encounter and sex worker). Results showed a significantly higher SRB score with casual partners. For the main partner regression model, prior exposure to HIV- and STD-preventive information and sexual intercourse with higher employment status partners (formal workers vs. self-employed in informal activities and unemployed) were associated with lower SRB scores, but if the sexual relations occurred in Mexico (vs. the U.S.), the SRB scores increased. For the casual partner model, the practice of survival sex (sex in exchange for basic needs), sexual relations in Mexico (vs. the U.S.), and being a circular migrant (person traveling for temporary work to return home when the contract is over) were related to higher SRB scores. Findings support the implementation of preventive interventions using different messages depending on the type of partners, main or casual, within the labor migrant context.

  6. Sexually stimulated testosterone release in male mice (Mus musculus): roles of genotype and sexual arousal.

    PubMed

    James, Peter J; Nyby, John G; Saviolakis, George A

    2006-09-01

    In virtually every mammalian species examined, some males exhibit reflexive testosterone release upon encountering a novel female (or female-related stimulus). At the same time, not every individual male (or every published study) provides evidence for reflexive testosterone release. Four experiments using house mice (Mus musculus) examined the hypothesis that both the male's genotype and his degree of sexual arousal (as indexed by ultrasonic mating calls) are related to such variability. In Experiment 1, CF-1 males exhibited reflexive testosterone elevations 30 min after encountering female urine. CK males, on the other hand, did not exhibit testosterone elevations 20, 30, 50, 60, or 80 min after encountering female urine (Experiments 1 and 2) suggesting this strain incapable of reflexive release. In Experiment 3, we measured both mating calls and reflexive testosterone release in response to female urine in CF-1 and CK males. Most males of both strains called vigorously to female urine but not to water. But, only CF-1 males exhibited significant testosterone elevations to female urine. In Experiment 4, DBA/2J males called vigorously to females followed by testosterone elevations 30 min later. The first 3 experiments support the hypothesis that male genotype is an important variable underlying mammalian reflexive testosterone release. Statistically significant correlations between mating calls in the first minute after stimulus exposure and testosterone elevations 30 min later (Experiments 3 and 4) support the hypothesis that, in capable males, reflexive testosterone release is related to the male's initial sexual arousal.

  7. Trait sexual motivation questionnaire: concept and validation.

    PubMed

    Stark, Rudolf; Kagerer, Sabine; Walter, Bertram; Vaitl, Dieter; Klucken, Tim; Wehrum-Osinsky, Sina

    2015-04-01

    Trait sexual motivation defines a psychological construct that reflects the long-lasting degree of motivation for sexual activities, which is assumed to be the result of biological and sociocultural influences. With this definition, it shares commonalities with other sexuality-related constructs like sexual desire, sexual drive, sexual needs, and sexual compulsivity. The Trait Sexual Motivation Questionnaire (TSMQ) was developed in order to measure trait sexual motivation with its different facets. Several steps were conducted: First, items were composed assessing sexual desire, the effort made to gain sex, as well as specific sexual behaviors. Factor analysis of the data of a first sample (n = 256) was conducted. Second, the factor solution was verified by a confirmatory factor analysis in a second sample (n = 498) and construct validity was demonstrated. Third, the temporal stability of the TSMQ was tested in a third study (n = 59). Questionnaire data. The exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed that trait sexual motivation is best characterized by four subscales: Solitary Sexuality, Importance of Sex, Seeking Sexual Encounters, and Comparison with Others. It could be shown that the test quality of the questionnaire is high. Most importantly for the trait concept, the retest reliability after 1 year was r = 0.87. Our results indicate that the TSMQ is indeed a suitable tool for measuring long-lasting sexual motivation with high test quality and high construct validity. A future differentiation between trait and state sexual motivation might be helpful for clinical as well as forensic research. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  8. Recognizing and Responding to Young Children's Sexual Behaviors in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenny, Maureen C.; Dinehart, Laura H.; Wurtele, Sandy K.

    2015-01-01

    Many early childhood educators encounter children who exhibit sexual behavior and are not sure how to respond. Although they have had training in childhood development, sexual development is rarely given the attention it deserves. At the same time, early childhood education personnel often get training in child abuse and in their responsibilities…

  9. Beyond sexual desire and curiosity: sexuality among senior high school students in Papua and West Papua Provinces (Indonesia) and implications for HIV prevention.

    PubMed

    Diarsvitri, Wienta; Utomo, Iwu Dwisetyani; Neeman, Teresa; Oktavian, Antonius

    2011-10-01

    When it comes to sexuality and norms, young Indonesians are becoming more open. Concern about this is related to the rapid increase in HIV prevalence in Indonesia, especially in Papua and West Papua Provinces. While much research has been conducted among youth who have left school, little is known about senior high school students' sexuality and sexual practices in these provinces. Using qualitative and quantitative data, we explore perspectives on and experiences of sexuality, contraceptive use, unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion among 1082 Year 11 students from 16 senior high schools in both provinces. Findings suggest that around 38.3% of students reported having had sexual intercourse and 36.5% of these having had their first sexual encounter before they were 15 years old. Furthermore, contraceptive use among sexually active students was very low. Around 32% of female students who reported having had sexual intercourse also reported having an unintended pregnancy and the majority of them had had unsafe abortions. The paper points to the implications of students' high-risk sexual behaviours for HIV prevention.

  10. Voyager 1: Encounter with Saturn

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Panagakos, N.

    1980-01-01

    The history of the Voyager Project is reviewed as well as known facts about Saturn and its satellites. Important results of encounters with Jupiter are summarized. Scientific objectives of the flyby of Saturn involve the planet's atmosphere, rings, and magnetic field interactions with the solar wind and satellites. The search for additional satellites, and various aspects of Titan, Rhea, Dione, Mimas, Iapetus, Hyperion, and Enceladas are also of interest. The instruments developed to obtain these goals are described.

  11. Management Advisory Report on Civil Rights Matters (Sexual Harassment) Involving FAA

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-10-21

    The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review of sexual harassment cases at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The objective was to determine the number of sexual harassment cases pending and resolved, including the case age, statu...

  12. Prevalence of Pregnancy Involvement Among Canadian Transgender Youth and its Relation to Mental Health, Sexual Health, and Gender Identity

    PubMed Central

    Veale, Jaimie; Watson, Ryan J.; Adjei, Jones; Saewyc, Elizabeth

    2017-01-01

    While little research has been conducted into the reproductive experiences of transgender people, available evidence suggests that like cisgender people, most transgender people endorse a desire for these experiences. This study explores the pregnancy experiences and related health factors among transgender and gender-diverse 14–25 year olds using a national Canadian sample (N = 923). Results indicated that 26 (5%) transgender youth reported a pregnancy experience in the past and the prevalence among 14–18 year olds was comparable to population-based estimates using the same question in the British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey. Transgender youth with a history of pregnancy involvement reported a diverse range of gender identities, and this group did not differ from the remainder of the sample on general mental health, social supports, and living in felt gender. This group did report over six times greater likelihood of having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection by a doctor (19%), but did they not differ in reported contraception use during last sexual intercourse. These findings suggest that pregnancy involvement is an issue that should not be overlooked by health professionals working with transgender youth and that this group has particular sexual health needs. PMID:29321720

  13. Management of sexual disorders.

    PubMed

    Kok, L P

    1993-12-01

    Sexual disorders comprise (a) disorders of function in which sexual functioning is disturbed leading to problems during sexual intercourse, (b) disorders of orientation whereby a non heterosexual partner or object is sought, and (c) other disorders involving aberrant psychosexual behaviour. In managing such problems a thorough psychosexual assessment is required in order to ascertain the exact nature of the problem and what the precipitating, predisposing and prolonging factors are. In disorders of orientation and disorders involving aberrant sexual behaviours, the developmental history and early childhood relationships must be looked into carefully. Laboratory investigations are usually indicated in erectile dysfunction as up to 80% would have an organic aetiology--vascular, neurological and endocrine disorders have to be ruled out. Treatment of the various conditions involves general sexual counselling, behaviour therapy including stress management, psychotherapy, marital therapy and drug therapy as indicated. However, in erectile dysfunction, drug treatment (including intracavernosal injections), mechanical aids, or surgery may be indicated; and in transsexualism--for those who are unable to revert to accepting their natural status--a sex reassignment operation is the treatment of choice.

  14. Assessment of Sexual Violence against Female Students in Wolaita Sodo University, Southern Ethiopia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tora, Abebayehu

    2013-01-01

    Studies indicate that girls and women encounter sexual violence in their day-to-day social life in all cultures and societies. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sexual violence against female students in Wolaita Sodo University; 374 female students provided responses to self-administered questionnaire. The study revealed 23.4% (95%…

  15. Planarian D-amino acid oxidase is involved in ovarian development during sexual induction.

    PubMed

    Maezawa, Takanobu; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Haruka; Ono, Mizuki; Aoki, Manabu; Matsumoto, Midori; Ishida, Tetsuo; Horiike, Kihachiro; Kobayashi, Kazuya

    2014-05-01

    To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying switching from asexual to sexual reproduction, namely sexual induction, we developed an assay system for sexual induction in the hermaphroditic planarian species Dugesia ryukyuensis. Ovarian development is the initial and essential step in sexual induction, and it is followed by the formation of other reproductive organs, including the testes. Here, we report a function of a planarian D-amino acid oxidase, Dr-DAO, in the control of ovarian development in planarians. Asexual worms showed significantly more widespread expression of Dr-DAO in the parenchymal space than did sexual worms. Inhibition of Dr-DAO by RNAi caused the formation of immature ovaries. In addition, we found that feeding asexual worms 5 specific D-amino acids could induce the formation of immature ovaries that are similar to those observed in Dr-DAO knockdown worms, suggesting that Dr-DAO inhibits the formation of immature ovaries by degrading these D-amino acids. Following sexual induction, Dr-DAO expression was observed in the ovaries. The knockdown of Dr-DAO during sexual induction delayed the maturation of the other reproductive organs, as well as ovary. These findings suggest that Dr-DAO acts to promote ovarian maturation and that complete sexual induction depends on the production of mature ovaries. We propose that Dr-DAO produced in somatic cells prevents the onset of sexual induction in the asexual state, and then after sexual induction, the female germ cells specifically produce Dr-DAO to induce full maturation. Therefore, Dr-DAO produced in somatic and female germline cells may play different roles in sexual induction. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Discussing and Defining Sexual Assault: A Classroom Activity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Franiuk, Renae

    2007-01-01

    The author devised a classroom activity that facilitates discussion and increases awareness about sexual assault. Students read scenarios involving sexual situations that varied in ambiguity, then labeled whether the situations involved a sexual assault. Students also gave their definitions of sexual assault and completed an evaluation of the…

  17. Early sexual experience and traditional values in Colombia.

    PubMed

    Ramirez, S

    1991-01-01

    Results on adolescent's knowledge, attitude, and practice in sexuality and reproductive health are presented from 2 surveys of 1199 middle-class youths aged 13-18 years in main cities of Colombia. Survey populations were selected from high schools and users of Family Compensation Fund. While traditional values and customs prevail among these youths, they nonetheless tend to begin sex between ages 15-18, and have little concern over the consequences of their sexual behavior. They are, moreover, quite ignorant about reproductive health. Sexuality is not thought of as part of marriage, women are expected to be virgins at marriage, and a resounding 87% of the study population rejected abortion legislation. 90% of the young men had their 1st sexual encounter with either a prostitute or domestic servant, while 90% of the young women had their 1st encounters with friends from within their social groups. Sexual relations from adolescence on were supported by 35% of the girls and 60% of the boys, 72% of the girls and 38% of the boys supported virginity, yet less than 10% were in favor of the notion of open relationships. 20% of the girls and 25% of the boys had active sex lives, with homosexuality representing 1.6% and 3.1% of the two sex groupings, respectively. Sex education is practically non-existent. Most young women know little of contraception, and fail to use it out of misconceptions regarding method safety, and fear of one's parents finding out. The young men, on the other hand, cite forgetfulness and inability to obtain contraception as reasons for use failure. Accordingly, 5% of the girls fell pregnant between ages 15-17, with 66% ending in abortion, and 18.6% of the girls and 12.3% of the boys admitted to having had a sexually transmitted disease. 55% indicated that they would not use contraceptives.

  18. Ethnic, Gender, and Acculturation Influences on Sexual Behaviors

    PubMed Central

    Ahrold, Tierney

    2015-01-01

    Much research has been conducted on ethnic differences in sexuality, but few studies have systematically assessed the importance of acculturation in sexual behavior. The present study assessed general differences in normative sexual practices in healthy Euro-American, Asian, and Hispanic populations, using measures of acculturation to analyze the relative effects of heritage and mainstream cultures within each group. A total of 1,419 undergraduates (67% Euro-American, 17% Hispanic, 16% Asian; 33% men, 67% women) completed questionnaires which assessed sexual experience and causal sexual behaviors. In concordance with previous studies, Asians reported more conservative levels of sexual experience and frequency of sexual behaviors, fewer lifetime partners, and later ages of sexual debut than Euro-American or Hispanic counterparts. Hispanic reported sexual experiences similar to that of Euro-Americans. There was a significant interaction between mainstream and heritage acculturation in predicting number of lifetime sexual partners in Asian women such that the relationship between heritage acculturation and casual sexual behavior was stronger at lower levels of mainstream acculturation. On the other hand, in Hispanic men, higher levels of mainstream acculturation predicted more casual sexual behavior (one-time sexual encounters and number of lifetime sexual partners) when heritage acculturation was low but less casual sexual behavior when heritage acculturation was high. These results suggest that, for sexual behavior, Hispanic men follow an “ethnogenesis” model of acculturation while Asian women follow an “assimilation” model of acculturation. PMID:18931901

  19. A new standard of sexual behavior? Are claims associated with the "hookup culture" supported by general social survey data?

    PubMed

    Monto, Martin A; Carey, Anna G

    2014-01-01

    Popular media have described intimate relationships among contemporary college students as dominated by a pervasive sexual "hookup culture," implying that students are involved in frequent sexual encounters pursued by both participants without the expectation of a continuing relationship. The hookup culture has been described as "a nationwide phenomenon that has largely replaced traditional dating on college campuses" (Bogle, 2008 , p. 5). We tested whether these claims are supported among young adults (18-25) who had completed at least one year of college. Contrasting 1988-1996 waves of the General Social Survey with 2004-2012 waves, we found respondents from the current era did not report more sexual partners since age 18, more frequent sex, or more partners during the past year than respondents from the earlier era. Sexually active respondents from the current era were more likely than those from the earlier era to report sex with a casual date/pickup or friend, and less likely to report sex with a spouse/regular partner. These modest changes are consistent with cultural shifts in the "scripts" and terminology surrounding sexuality. We find no evidence of substantial changes in sexual behavior that would indicate a new or pervasive pattern of non-relational sex among contemporary college students.

  20. "Girl, You Better Go Get You a Condom": Popular Culture and Teen Sexuality as Resources for Critical Multicultural Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ashcraft, Catherine

    2006-01-01

    Teens encounter a barrage of messages about sexuality in popular culture--messages that shape their identities and schooling experiences in profound ways. Meanwhile, teen sexuality, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) increasingly arouse public panic. To date, however, schools do little to help teens make sense of their…

  1. "Talking about child sexual abuse would have helped me": Young people who sexually abused reflect on preventing harmful sexual behavior.

    PubMed

    McKibbin, Gemma; Humphreys, Cathy; Hamilton, Bridget

    2017-08-01

    Harmful sexual behavior carried out by children and young people accounts for about half of all child sexual abuse perpetration. The aim of this study was to draw on the insights of young people who had been sexually abusive to enhance the current prevention agenda. The study involved semi-structured interviews with 14 young people and six treatment-providing workers. Sampling was purposive and the young people had previously completed a treatment program for harmful sexual behaviour in Victoria, Australia. The young people were approached as experts based on their previous experience of engaging in harmful sexual behavior. At the same time, their past abusive behavior was not condoned or minimised. Constructivist Grounded Theory was used to analyse the qualitative data. Opportunities for preventing harmful sexual behavior were the focus of the interviews with young people and workers. The research identified three opportunities for prevention, which involved acting on behalf of children and young people to: reform their sexuality education; redress their victimization experiences; and help their management of pornography. These opportunities could inform the design of initiatives to enhance the prevention agenda. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Religiosity and Sexual Risk Behaviors Among African American Cocaine Users in the Rural South

    PubMed Central

    Montgomery, Brooke E.E.; Stewart, Katharine E.; Yeary, Karen H.K.; Cornell, Carol E.; Pulley, LeaVonne; Corwyn, Robert; Ounpraseuth, Songthip T.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Racial and geographic disparities in human immunodeficency virus (HIV) are dramatic and drug use is a significant contributor to HIV risk. Within the rural South, African Americans who use drugs are at extremely high risk. Due to the importance of religion within African American and rural Southern communities, it can be a key element of culturally-targeted health promotion with these populations. Studies have examined religion’s relationship with sexual risk in adolescent populations, but few have examined specific religious behaviors and sexual risk behaviors among drug-using African American adults. This study examined the relationship between well-defined dimensions of religion and specific sexual behaviors among African Americans who use cocaine living in the rural southern United States. Methods Baseline data from a sexual risk reduction intervention for African Americans who use cocaine living in rural Arkansas (N = 205) were used to conduct bivariate and multivariate analyses examining the association between multiple sexual risk behaviors and key dimensions of religion including religious preference, private and public religious participation, religious coping, and God-based, congregation-based, and church leader-based religious support. Findings After adjusting individualized network estimator weights based on the recruitment strategy, different dimensions of religion had inverse relationships with sexual risk behavior, including church leadership support with number of unprotected vaginal/anal sexual encounter and positive religious coping with number of sexual partners and with total number of vaginal/anal sexual encounters. Conclusion Results suggest that specific dimensions of religion may have protective effects on certain types of sexual behavior, which may have important research implications. PMID:24575972

  3. Sex after 60? You've got to be joking! Senior sexuality in comedy film.

    PubMed

    Gatling, Margaret; Mills, Jane; Lindsay, David

    2017-01-01

    Representations of the sexuality of older people have been largely absent in mainstream films until recent times. Cinema as an art form has historically denied or ignored the fact that humans are sexual beings their whole lives. In this paper critical discourse analysis is used to examine four comedy films released between 1993 and 2012 that tackle the subject of 'senior sexuality'. All four films are explicit in representing older people as sexual beings but, unlike films about young people's sexual activity, the details of sexual encounters are left to viewers' imaginations. Two of the films challenge the notion of a heteronormative old age. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  4. Sexual homicide: Brief review of the literature and case report involving rape, genital mutilation and human arson.

    PubMed

    Karakasi, Maria-Valeria; Vasilikos, Epameinondas; Voultsos, Polichronis; Vlachaki, Aikaterini; Pavlidis, Pavlos

    2017-02-01

    The objective of the current paper is to report a new case of sexual murder involving human arson and summarize the literature on the phenomenon of sexual homicide. The present case study is unprecedented in Greece and a rarity in international literature due to the fact that the victim suffered genital mutilation and incineration while still alive. The evaluation consisted of 176 articles; 53 were reviewed by the authors. The results revealed sparse, but significant, research findings. The authors discuss the limitations regarding research, incidence of the phenomenon, crime-scene patterns, offender characteristics (killing methods, motive inferences, sociodemographic data, classifications, psychopathology, modus operandi), and victim selection. The incidence of the phenomenon is unclear (1-4%) due to non-standardized criteria. It is an expression of displaced anger or sexual sadism and/or a way to elude detection (ancillary benefit). Most offenders (in their first kill) and victims were in their late 20s to early 30s and belong to Caucasian populations. Personal weapons were commonly used against women, strangulation is the prevalent killing method against children, and firearms against men. Most of the sexual homicide perpetrators are non-psychotic at the time of the attack, but experience personality pathology, primitive defenses, pathological object relations, and withdrawal into fantasy in order to deal with social isolation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  5. Developmental, Ethnic, and Social Influences on Participation in Sexual Possibility Situations for Youth with HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Mothers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lewis, Linwood J.; Mellins, Claude A.; Brackis-Cott, Elizabeth

    2006-01-01

    This cross-sectional study examined the relationship among maternal HIV, pubertal development, gender, ethnicity, and spirituality and adolescent participation in sexual possibility situations (SPSs) and in sexual activity. SPSs are social encounters with cross-gender peers that afford the opportunity to engage in sexual activity. Heterosexual…

  6. Finding sexual partners online: prevalence and associations with sexual behaviour, STI diagnoses and other sexual health outcomes in the British population

    PubMed Central

    Cabecinha, Melissa; Mercer, Catherine H; Jones, Kyle G; Wellings, Kaye; Sonnenberg, Pam; Field, Nigel

    2017-01-01

    Objectives Online venues might facilitate sexual encounters, but the extent to which finding partners online is associated with sexual risk behaviour and sexual health outcomes is unclear. We describe use of the internet to find sexual partners in a representative sample in Britain. Methods The third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) was a cross-sectional probability survey of 15 162 adults (aged 16–74 years) undertaken 2010–2012. We estimated prevalence of, and identified factors associated with, finding sexual partners online among those reporting ≥1 new sexual partners in the past year. Results Finding sexual partners online in the past year was reported by 17.6% (95% CI 15.6 to 19.9) of men and 10.1% (8.5–11.9) of women, and most common among those aged 35–44 years. After age-adjustment, those reporting a non-heterosexual identity were more likely to report this. Finding partners online was also associated with reporting sexual risk behaviours: condomless sex with ≥2 partners (adjusted OR (aOR) men: 1.52 (1.03 to 2.23); women: 1.62 (1.06 to 2.49)), concurrent partnerships (aOR men: 2.33 (1.62 to 3.35); women: 2.41 (1.49 to 3.87)) and higher partner numbers (reporting ≥5 partners aOR men: 5.95 (3.78 to 9.36); women: 7.00 (3.77 to 13.00)) (all past year). STI diagnoses and HIV testing were more common among men reporting finding partners online (adjusted for age, partner numbers, same-sex partnerships), but not women. Conclusions Finding partners online was associated with markers of sexual risk, which might be important for clinical risk assessment, but this was not matched by uptake of sexual health services. Online opportunities to find partners have increased, so these data might underestimate the importance of this social phenomenon for public health and STI control. PMID:28396557

  7. THE LANGUAGE OF BLACK GAY MEN’S SEXUAL BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS FOR AIDS RISK REDUCTION

    PubMed Central

    Mays, Vickie M.; Cochran, Susan D.; Bellinger, George; Smith, Robert G.; Henley, Nancy; Daniels, Marlon; Tibbits, Thomas; Victorianne, Gregory D.; Osei, Olu Kwasi; Birt, Darryl K.

    2011-01-01

    The development of appropriate AIDS risk reduction interventions targeted at African-American gay men could be aided by an awareness of their terminology for specific sexual behaviors and types of sexual encounters. This paper explores similarities and differences between the HIV-related sexual language of Black and White gay men. While much of the vernacular is shared, differences in some terms and greater or lesser emphasis on others are apparent. PMID:25382870

  8. Effect of Student Vulnerability on Perceptions of Teacher-Student Sexual Involvement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fromuth, Mary Ellen; Mackey, Amber L.; Wilson, Amy

    2010-01-01

    This study explored whether the vulnerability of an adolescent student affected perceptions of teacher sexual misconduct. Respondents (150 male and 150 female undergraduates) read scenarios depicting teacher sexual misconduct varied by respondent gender, gender dyad (male teacher-female student and female teacher-male student), and three levels of…

  9. Sexual behavior and perceived risk of HIV/AIDS among young migrant factory workers in Nepal.

    PubMed

    Puri, M; Cleland, J

    2006-03-01

    To analyze the sexual behavior, perceived risk of contracting STIs and HIV/AIDS, and protective behaviors of migrant workers aged 14-19 years in carpet and garment factories in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. A common assumption in Nepal is that young migrant workers experience an increase in vulnerability. Moving away from the social controls of family and community, they become exposed to a mixed-gender environment and therefore might initiate sex earlier or have more casual encounters than might otherwise be the case. The analysis is based on a representative sample survey of 1050 factory workers. Information was also obtained from 23 in-depth case histories. Both bivarite and multivariate techniques were applied to identify the factors associated with involvement in risky sexual behavior. Despite religious and cultural restrictions, one in five boys and one in eight unmarried girls reported experience of sexual intercourse. Early sexual experimentation, multiple partners, and low and irregular use of condoms are not uncommon. Instances of sexual exploitation by factory owners or managers were documented but were rare. Most nonregular sex partners were described as friends from the same factory or community. Despite high-risk behavior, relatively few young people considered themselves to be at risk of getting STIs or HIV/AIDS. Information on the possible consequences of unsafe sex is inadequate. Programs aimed at promotion of safer sex practices and life skill training that facilitates communication and utilization of sexual health services should target vulnerable migrant young people.

  10. Child sexual abuse, links to later sexual exploitation/high-risk sexual behavior, and prevention/treatment programs.

    PubMed

    Lalor, Kevin; McElvaney, Rosaleen

    2010-10-01

    This paper reviews the literature on the nature and incidence of child sexual abuse, explores the link between child sexual abuse and later sexual exploitation, and reviews the literature on prevention strategies and effective interventions in child sexual abuse services. Our understanding of the international epidemiology of child sexual abuse is considerably greater than it was just 10 years ago, and studies from around the world are examined. Childhood sexual abuse can involve a wide number of psychological sequelae, including low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression. Numerous studies have noted that child sexual abuse victims are vulnerable to later sexual revictimization, as well as the link between child sexual abuse and later engagement in high-risk sexual behaviour. Survivors of child sexual abuse are more likely to have multiple sex partners, become pregnant as teenagers, and experience sexual assault as adults. Various models which attempt to account for this inter-relationship are presented; most invoke mediating variables such as low self-esteem, drug/alcohol use, PTSD and distorted sexual development. Prevention strategies for child sexual abuse are examined including media campaigns, school-based prevention programmes, and therapy with abusers. The results of a number of meta-analyses are examined. However, researchers have identified significant methodological limitations in the extant research literature that impede the making of recommendations for implementing existing therapeutic programmes unreservedly.

  11. Increased Health Care Utilization and Costs Among Veterans With a Positive Screen for Military Sexual Trauma.

    PubMed

    Brignone, Emily; Gundlapalli, Adi V; Blais, Rebecca K; Kimerling, Rachel; Barrett, Tyson S; Nelson, Richard E; Carter, Marjorie E; Samore, Matthew H; Fargo, Jamison D

    2017-09-01

    The effects of sexual trauma on long-term health care utilization and costs are not well understood due to infrequent documentation of sexual trauma history in health care systems. The Veteran's Health Administration provides a unique opportunity to address this constraint as sexual trauma is actively screened for as part of routine care. We used a retrospective cohort design to analyze Veteran's Health Administration mental health and medical service utilization and costs as a function of a positive screen for exposure to military sexual trauma (MST) among Veterans of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We computed adjusted 5-year estimates of overall utilization and costs, and utilization and costs determined not to be related to MST. The cohort included 426,223 men and 59,611 women. A positive MST screen was associated with 50% higher health care utilization and costs relative to a negative screen. Overall, a positive relative to negative MST screen was associated with a 5-year incremental difference of 34.6 encounters and $10,734 among women, and 33.5 encounters and $11,484 among men. After accounting for MST-related treatment, positive MST screen was associated with 11.9 encounters and $4803 among women, and 19.5 encounters and $8001 among men. Results demonstrate significant and consistent differences in health care utilization and costs between Veterans with a positive relative to negative MST screen. Even after accounting for MST-related care, a positive screen was associated with significantly higher utilization and costs. MST-related needs may be more readily recognized in women relative to men.

  12. Circumcision in Australia: prevalence and effects on sexual health.

    PubMed

    Richters, Juliet; Smith, Anthony M A; de Visser, Richard O; Grulich, Andrew E; Rissel, Christopher E

    2006-08-01

    The results from a telephone survey in 2001-02 of a probability sample of Australian households including 10,173 men aged 16-59 (response rate 69.4%) are used to assess the prevalence of circumcision across social groups in Australia and examine lifetime history of sexually transmissible infection (STI), sexual difficulties in the last year, sexual practices including masturbation, and sexual attitudes. More than half (59%) of the men were circumcised. Circumcision was less common among younger men (32% aged <20) and more common among the Australian born (69%). After correction for age, circumcision was unrelated to reporting STI, but appeared to protect against penile candidiasis. Circumcision was unrelated to most sexual difficulties, but circumcised men were less likely to report physical pain during intercourse or trouble keeping an erection; reasons for this are unknown. There were no significant differences in practices at last sexual encounter with a female partner or in masturbation alone. Circumcised men had somewhat more liberal sexual attitudes. Neonatal circumcision was routine in Australia until the 1970s. It appears not to be associated with significant protective or harmful sexual health outcomes. This study provides no evidence about the effects on sexual sensitivity.

  13. Disabled people in rural South Africa talk about sexuality.

    PubMed

    McKenzie, Judith Anne

    2013-01-01

    Disability is emerging as a human rights issue of public concern, rather than an individual tragedy requiring medical attention. The issue of sexuality remains relatively neglected in this agenda, particularly as regards the exploration of the complexities of sexuality encountered by disabled people themselves. This paper focuses on the experiences of sexuality of disabled people and parents of disabled children in settings of poverty in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Three individual interviews and two focus groups were conducted with disabled adults and parents of disabled children. Thematic analysis of the interviews identified three principal themes (1) sexuality development in the family of origin, (2) sexuality in the community and (3) adult sexuality and creating families. Each of these larger themes encompasses various sub-themes that are discussed in the findings. The paper concludes that while sexuality is a very difficult aspect of life for a disabled person due to myths and discrimination against disabled people, it is also an important arena for affirmation and establishing self-worth. It is therefore critical to consider the development of a healthy sexuality amongst disabled people and the promotion of their sexual rights.

  14. Sexual scripts and sexual risk behaviors among Black heterosexual men: development of the Sexual Scripts Scale.

    PubMed

    Bowleg, Lisa; Burkholder, Gary J; Noar, Seth M; Teti, Michelle; Malebranche, David J; Tschann, Jeanne M

    2015-04-01

    Sexual scripts are widely shared gender and culture-specific guides for sexual behavior with important implications for HIV prevention. Although several qualitative studies document how sexual scripts may influence sexual risk behaviors, quantitative investigations of sexual scripts in the context of sexual risk are rare. This mixed methods study involved the qualitative development and quantitative testing of the Sexual Scripts Scale (SSS). Study 1 included qualitative semi-structured interviews with 30 Black heterosexual men about sexual experiences with main and casual sex partners to develop the SSS. Study 2 included a quantitative test of the SSS with 526 predominantly low-income Black heterosexual men. A factor analysis of the SSS resulted in a 34-item, seven-factor solution that explained 68% of the variance. The subscales and coefficient alphas were: Romantic Intimacy Scripts (α = .86), Condom Scripts (α = .82), Alcohol Scripts (α = .83), Sexual Initiation Scripts (α = .79), Media Sexual Socialization Scripts (α = .84), Marijuana Scripts (α = .85), and Sexual Experimentation Scripts (α = .84). Among men who reported a main partner (n = 401), higher Alcohol Scripts, Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and Marijuana Scripts scores, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to more sexual risk behavior. Among men who reported at least one casual partner (n = 238), higher Romantic Intimacy Scripts, Sexual Initiation Scripts, and Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to higher sexual risk. The SSS may have considerable utility for future research on Black heterosexual men's HIV risk.

  15. Involving the Hard to Reach: Developing and Evaluating a Sexual Health Programme for Early School Leavers in Hong Kong

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wong, William C. W.; Holroyd, Eleanor A.; Lee, Albert; Wong, Jonathan C. P.; Leung, Phil W. S.

    2011-01-01

    Early school leavers cannot access school-based sex education programmes, increasing their vulnerability to sexual health issues. This study evaluated a culturally-sensitive and target-orientated sex education programme involving this group. Early school leavers were recruited from two branches of the Chinese Young Men's Christian Association in…

  16. Assessment of knowledge on sexually transmitted infections and sexual risk behaviour in two rural districts of Bhutan.

    PubMed

    Norbu, Kunzang; Mukhia, Sontosh; Tshokey

    2013-12-06

    The incidence of STI is high and increasing in Bhutan. Poor understanding of risky sexual behavior could be a cause. Comprehensive community surveys have not been previously done. This study was conducted to assess local knowledge on STIs and sexual risk behaviour in two rural districts of Bhutan: Gasa and Zhemgang. The study population included residents aged 15-49 years in the two districts. Health Assistants (HAs) visited all households to distribute questionnaires assessing understanding of knowledge on STIs and risk behaviour. Questionnaires were scored and analyzed. The average score was 61.6%. Respondents had highest knowledge about prevention and lowest about disease and complications. There was a positive correlation between level of education and knowledge on STI (P < 0.05). Almost 37% of students scored low. Nearly one-third of the study population was practicing risky sexual behavior with 31.2% having sexual relationships with non-regular partners and 10.9% had extramarital sexual contacts. Regular use of condoms with non-regular partners was 49.1%. The most common reason for not using condom was unavailability during the sexual encounter. The study showed that despite increasing knowledge there was no reduction in risky sexual behaviour (p > 0.05). The study population had variable understanding of STIs and their complications. One in three persons practiced risky sexual behaviour, higher in men. Condom use was low. There was no reduction of risky sexual behaviour with increasing level of knowledge indicating that increasing level of knowledge does not necessarily reduce risky sexual behaviour.

  17. A Longitudinal Study of Truant Youths' Involvement in Sexual Risk Behavior

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dembo, Richard; Briones-Robinson, Rhissa; Wareham, Jennifer; Winters, Ken C.; Ungaro, Rocío; Karas, Lora

    2016-01-01

    Truant youths are likely to engage in a number of problem behaviors, including sexual risky behaviors. As part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded, prospective intervention project, a sample of truant youths' sexual risk behavior was tracked over five time points. Analyses of the data was informed by four objectives: (a) determine…

  18. The importance of a positive approach to sexuality in sexual health programmes for unmarried adolescents in Bangladesh.

    PubMed

    van Reeuwijk, Miranda; Nahar, Papreen

    2013-05-01

    This article explores the mismatch that exists between what unmarried adolescents in Bangladesh experience, want and need in regard to their sexuality and what they receive from their society, which negatively impacts on their understanding of sexuality and their well-being. The findings provide a picture of Bangladeshi adolescents' (12-18 years) sexual feelings, experiences, behaviours, anxieties and concerns - in particular in relation to desire, pleasure, sexual power, masturbation, virginity, romantic love and dating, and arranged marriage - and how socio-sexual norms and taboos influence these. Curiosity of boys and girls about sex was driven by a need and desire to know and understand, but also because it was exciting to read about and talk about sex. Young people are not just passive recipients of adult norms and messages around sexuality, but agents who actively construe meanings and navigate between what is expected from them and what they want, need and feel themselves. Adolescents have a need for information and support - long before they ever have sex. We call for a positive, rights-based approach to sexuality education for adolescents and a focus beyond health outcomes alone to support adolescents and young people to make sense of the multiplicity of messages they encounter and reduce unnecessary feelings of guilt and anxiety. Copyright © 2013 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. The role of men's physical attractiveness in women's perceptions of sexual risk: danger or allure?

    PubMed

    Lennon, Carter A; Kenny, David A

    2013-09-01

    The rate of casual sexual encounters is increasing on college campuses. To decrease sexual risk behavior, information used to judge sexual risk in others needs to be identified. Women rated male targets on willingness to have unprotected sex with the target and likelihood that the target has a sexually transmitted infection. Physical attractiveness was the strongest predictor of ratings, accounting for all the target variance in willingness to have unprotected sex. However, risk factors reported by the target were inconsistent predictors of perceived sexual risk. Findings are discussed within the context of safer sex interventions for college students.

  20. Parents, peers and pornography: the influence of formative sexual scripts on adult HIV sexual risk behaviour among Black men in the USA.

    PubMed

    Hussen, Sophia A; Bowleg, Lisa; Sangaramoorthy, Thurka; Malebranche, David J

    2012-01-01

    Black men in the USA experience disproportionately high rates of HIV infection, particularly in the Southeastern part of the country. We conducted 90 qualitative in-depth interviews with Black men living in the state of Georgia and analysed the transcripts using Sexual Script Theory to: (1) characterise the sources and content of sexual scripts that Black men were exposed to during their childhood and adolescence and (2) describe the potential influence of formative scripts on adult HIV sexual risk behaviour. Our analyses highlighted salient sources of cultural scenarios (parents, peers, pornography, sexual education and television), interpersonal scripts (early sex- play, older female partners, experiences of child abuse) and intrapsychic scripts that participants described. Stratification of participant responses based on sexual-risk behaviour revealed that lower- and higher-risk men described exposure to similar scripts during their formative years; however, lower-risk men reported an ability to cognitively process and challenge the validity of risk-promoting scripts that they encountered. Implications for future research are discussed.

  1. Childhood Sexual Abuse as a Predictor of Adult Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Study of Couples Seeking Sex Therapy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarwer, David B.; Durlak, Joseph A.

    1996-01-01

    A study of 359 married women who sought sex therapy with their spouses found a connection between adult female sexual dysfunction and childhood sexual abuse. Abuse involving sexual penetration was specifically associated with adult sexual dysfunction. Future research on additional variables that contribute to sexual dysfunction is urged. (CR)

  2. Sexual Scripts and Sexual Risk Behaviors among Black Heterosexual Men: Development of the Sexual Scripts Scale

    PubMed Central

    Bowleg, Lisa; Burkholder, Gary J.; Noar, Seth M.; Teti, Michelle; Malebranche, David J.; Tschann, Jeanne M.

    2014-01-01

    Sexual scripts are widely shared gender and culture-specific guides for sexual behavior with important implications for HIV prevention. Although several qualitative studies document how sexual scripts may influence sexual risk behaviors, quantitative investigations of sexual scripts in the context of sexual risk are rare. This mixed methods study involved the qualitative development and quantitative testing of the Sexual Scripts Scale (SSS). Study 1 included qualitative semi-structured interviews with 30 Black heterosexual men about sexual experiences with main and casual sex partners to develop the SSS. Study 2 included a quantitative test of the SSS with 526 predominantly low-income Black heterosexual men. A factor analysis of the SSS resulted in a 34-item, seven-factor solution that explained 68% of the variance. The subscales and coefficient alphas were: Romantic Intimacy Scripts (α = .86), Condom Scripts (α = .82), Alcohol Scripts (α = .83), Sexual Initiation Scripts (α = .79), Media Sexual Socialization Scripts (α = .84), Marijuana Scripts (α = .85), and Sexual Experimentation Scripts (α = .84). Among men who reported a main partner (n = 401), higher Alcohol Scripts, Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and Marijuana Scripts scores, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to more sexual risk behavior. Among men who reported at least one casual partner (n = 238), higher Romantic Intimacy Scripts, Sexual Initiation Scripts, and Media Sexual Socialization Scripts, and lower Condom Scripts scores were related to higher sexual risk. The SSS may have considerable utility for future research on Black heterosexual men’s HIV risk. PMID:24311105

  3. On the involvement of progesterone in sexually rewarded choice behavior of the female rat.

    PubMed

    de Jonge, F H; van de Poll, N E

    1986-01-01

    The present experiment was designed to investigate the role of Progesterone in the regulation of two aspects of the female's appetitive sexual behavior. Ovariectomized females were tested for partner preference using either a test in which sexual interaction was not possible ("sexual orientation") or a test which included the possibility of sexual interaction ("sexually rewarded choice behavior"). The females were either primed with OIL, Estradiol benzoate (EB) or with Testosterone propionate (TP). Additional groups of females which were primed with EB or TP were treated with Progesterone (P) four hours prior to testing. The results indicate that females which are either treated with EB or with TP, show a male-directed orientation, while OIL-treated females do not. Sexually rewarded choice behavior however, was not affected by hormonal treatment with EB or TP. Additional treatment with P did not further increase the female's male-directed sexual orientation. Sexually rewarded choices for males, in contrast, were drastically increased. EB + P- or TP + P-treated females also showed a significant increase in heterosexual interactions with males in the goal box. The present results support the hypothesis that P plays a role in the female's appetitive sexual behavior, only when the possibility for interaction with a male is present.

  4. The Sexual Disgust Questionnaire; a psychometric study and a first exploration in patients with sexual dysfunctions.

    PubMed

    van Overveld, Mark; de Jong, Peter J; Peters, Madelon L; van Lankveld, Jacques; Melles, Reinhilde; ter Kuile, Moniek M

    2013-02-01

    Disgust may be involved in sexual problems by disrupting sexual arousal and motivating avoidance of sexual intercourse. To test whether heightened disgust for sexual contaminants is related to sexual dysfunctions, the Sexual Disgust Questionnaire (SDQ) has recently been developed. Previous research showed that particularly women with vaginismus display a generally heightened dispositional disgust propensity and heightened disgust toward stimuli depicting sexual intercourse. To determine the psychometric properties of the SDQ and test whether heightened disgust toward sexual stimuli is specific to vaginismus or can be observed in other sexual dysfunctions as well. First, a large sample of undergraduates and university employees completed the SDQ (N = 762) and several trait disgust indices. Next, women with vaginismus (N = 39), dyspareunia (N = 45), and men with erectile disorder (N = 28) completed the SDQ and were compared to participants without sexual problems (N = 70). SDQ to index sexual disgust. The SDQ proved a valid and reliable index to establish disgust propensity for sexual stimuli. Supporting construct validity of the SDQ, sexual disgust correlated with established trait indices. Furthermore, sexual disgust and willingness to handle sexually contaminated stimuli were associated with sexual functioning in women, but not in men. Specifically women with vaginismus displayed heightened sexual disgust compared to women without sexual problems, while men with erectile disorders demonstrated a lower willingness to handle sexually contaminated stimuli compared to men without sexual problems. The SDQ appears a valid and reliable measure of sexual disgust. The pattern of SDQ-scores across males and females with and without sexual dysfunctions corroborates earlier research suggesting that disgust appraisals are involved especially in vaginismus and supports the view that the difficulty with vaginal penetration experienced by women in vaginismus may partly be due to

  5. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Improving Sexual Function in Women: A Pilot Study.

    PubMed

    Dongre, Swati; Langade, Deepak; Bhattacharyya, Sauvik

    2015-01-01

    Many women experience sexual dysfunction where there are orgasm disorders and sexual difficulties. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a herb known to improve the body's physical and psychological condition. The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy and safety of a high-concentration ashwagandha root extract (HCARE) supplementation for improving sexual function in healthy females. In this pilot study, 50 study subjects were randomized to either (i) HCARE-treated group or (ii) placebo- (starch-) treated group. The subjects consumed either HCARE or placebo capsules of 300mg twice daily for 8 weeks. Sexual function was assessed using two psychometric scales, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) Questionnaire and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), and by the number of total and successful sexual encounters. The analysis indicates that treatment with HCARE leads to significantly higher improvement, relative to placebo, in the FSFI Total score (p < 0.001), FSFI domain score for "arousal" (p < 0.001), "lubrication" (p < 0.001), "orgasm" (p = 0.004), and "satisfaction" (p < 0.001), and also FSDS score (p < 0.001) and the number of successful sexual encounters (p < 0.001) at the end of the treatment. This study demonstrated that oral administration of HCARE may improve sexual function in healthy women. The present study is registered in the Clinical Trial Registry, Government of India, with a number CTRI/2015/07/006045.

  6. "Blurred lines?" Sexual aggression and barroom culture.

    PubMed

    Graham, Kathryn; Bernards, Sharon; Wayne Osgood, D; Abbey, Antonia; Parks, Michael; Flynn, Andrea; Dumas, Tara; Wells, Samantha

    2014-05-01

    Meeting potential sexual/romantic partners for mutual pleasure is one of the main reasons young adults go to bars. However, not all sexual contacts are positive and consensual, and aggression related to sexual advances is a common experience. Sometimes such aggression is related to misperceptions in making and receiving sexual advances while other times aggression reflects intentional harassment or other sexually aggressive acts. This study uses objective observational research to assess quantitatively gender of initiators and targets and the extent that sexual aggression involves intentional aggression by the initiator, the nature of responses by targets, and the role of third parties and intoxication. We analyzed 258 aggressive incidents involving sexual advances observed as part of a larger study on aggression in large capacity bars and clubs, using variables collected as part of the original research (gender, intoxication, intent) and variables coded from narrative descriptions (invasiveness, persistence, targets' responses, role of third parties). Hierarchical linear modeling analyses were used to account for nesting of incidents in evening and bars. Ninety percent of incidents involved male initiators and female targets, with almost all incidents involving intentional or probably intentional aggression. Targets mostly responded nonaggressively, usually using evasion. Staff rarely intervened; patron third parties intervened in 21% of incidents, usually to help the target but sometimes to encourage the initiator. initiators' level of invasiveness was related to intoxication of the targets, but not their own intoxication, suggesting intoxicated women were being targeted. Sexual aggression is a major problem in bars often reflecting intentional sexual invasiveness and unwanted persistence rather than misperceptions in sexual advances. Prevention needs to focus on addressing masculinity norms of male patrons and staff who support sexual aggression and better

  7. Sexual Harassment: State of the Law.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Culverhouse, Renee D.

    Sexual harassment under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidelines involves unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, as it applies to males or females in business situations. Harassment is discriminatory when females must act differently than males in order to…

  8. Sexual dysfunction with antihypertensive and antipsychotic agents.

    PubMed

    Smith, P J; Talbert, R L

    1986-05-01

    The physiology of the normal sexual response, epidemiology of sexual dysfunction, and the pharmacologic mechanisms involved in antihypertensive- and antipsychotic-induced problems with sexual function are discussed, with recommendations for patient management. The physiologic mechanisms involved in the normal sexual response include neurogenic, psychogenic, vascular, and hormonal factors that are coordinated by centers in the hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebral cortex. Sexual dysfunction is frequently attributed to antihypertensive and antipsychotic agents and is a cause of noncompliance. Drug-induced effects include diminished libido, delayed orgasm, ejaculatory disturbances, gynecomastia, impotence, and priapism. The pharmacologic mechanisms proposed to account for these adverse effects include adrenergic inhibition, adrenergic-receptor blockade, anticholinergic properties, and endocrine and sedative effects. The most frequently reported adverse effect on sexual function with the antihypertensive agents is impotence. It is seen most often with methyldopa, guanethidine, clonidine, and propranolol. In contrast, the most common adverse effect on sexual function with the antipsychotic agents involves ejaculatory disturbances. Thioridazine, with its potent anticholinergic and alpha-blocking properties, is cited most often. Drug-induced sexual dysfunction may be alleviated by switching to agents with dissimilar mechanisms to alter the observed adverse effect while maintaining adequate control of the patient's disease state.

  9. The Effects of Condom Availability on College Women's Sexual Discounting.

    PubMed

    Lemley, Shea M; Jarmolowicz, David P; Parkhurst, Daniel; Celio, Mark A

    2018-04-01

    College students commonly engage in risky sexual behaviors, such as casual sexual encounters and inconsistent condom use. Discounting paradigms that examine how individuals devalue rewards due to their delay or uncertainty have been used to improve our understanding of behavioral problems, including sexual risk. The current study assessed relations between college women's sexual partners discounting and risky sexual behavior. In this study, college women (N = 42) completed two sexual partners delay discounting tasks that assessed how choices among hypothetical sexual partners changed across a parametric range of delays in two conditions: condom availability and condom unavailability. Participants also completed two sexual partners probability discounting tasks that assessed partner choices across a parametric range of probabilities in condom availability and unavailability conditions. Additionally, participants reported risky sexual behavior on the Sexual Risk Survey (SRS). Participants discounted delayed partners more steeply in the condom availability condition, but those differences were significant only for those women with three or fewer lifetime sexual partners. There were no consistent differences in discounting rate across condom availability conditions for probability discounting. Sexual partners discounting measures correlated with risky sexual behaviors as measured by the SRS, but a greater number of significant relations were observed with the condoms-unavailable delay discounting task. These findings suggest the importance of examining the interaction of inconsistent condom use and multiple partners in examinations of sexual decision-making.

  10. The Effects of Sexual Victimization History, Acute Alcohol Intoxication, and Level of Consensual Sex on Responses to Sexual Assault in a Hypothetical Scenario.

    PubMed

    Parkhill, Michele R; Norris, Jeanette; Gilmore, Amanda K; Hessler, Danielle M; George, William H; Davis, Kelly Cue; Zawacki, Tina

    Assertive resistance to sexual assault can decrease the likelihood of completed rape and its subsequent aftermath; however, this relationship may be influenced by situational characteristics. This study examined how 2 manipulated variables, level of consensual sex during an encounter and acute alcohol intoxication, along with sexual victimization history, affected women's responses to a hypothetical sexual assault scenario. Female participants were assigned to a drink condition (alcohol/control) and to a consent history condition (low/high). Path analysis found that women who were previously victimized, consumed alcohol, and who were in the high consent condition endorsed greater immobility intentions during the assault; only level of consent predicted likelihood of assertive resistance. Resistance strategies were related to subsequent responding. Results suggest that interventions should seek to decrease negative consequences by empowering women to assertively resist unwanted sexual advances.

  11. Finding sexual partners online: prevalence and associations with sexual behaviour, STI diagnoses and other sexual health outcomes in the British population.

    PubMed

    Cabecinha, Melissa; Mercer, Catherine H; Gravningen, Kirsten; Aicken, Catherine; Jones, Kyle G; Tanton, Clare; Wellings, Kaye; Sonnenberg, Pam; Field, Nigel

    2017-12-01

    Online venues might facilitate sexual encounters, but the extent to which finding partners online is associated with sexual risk behaviour and sexual health outcomes is unclear. We describe use of the internet to find sexual partners in a representative sample in Britain. The third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) was a cross-sectional probability survey of 15 162 adults (aged 16-74 years) undertaken 2010-2012. We estimated prevalence of, and identified factors associated with, finding sexual partners online among those reporting ≥1 new sexual partners in the past year. Finding sexual partners online in the past year was reported by 17.6% (95% CI 15.6 to 19.9) of men and 10.1% (8.5-11.9) of women, and most common among those aged 35-44 years. After age-adjustment, those reporting a non-heterosexual identity were more likely to report this. Finding partners online was also associated with reporting sexual risk behaviours: condomless sex with ≥2 partners (adjusted OR (aOR) men: 1.52 (1.03 to 2.23); women: 1.62 (1.06 to 2.49)), concurrent partnerships (aOR men: 2.33 (1.62 to 3.35); women: 2.41 (1.49 to 3.87)) and higher partner numbers (reporting ≥5 partners aOR men: 5.95 (3.78 to 9.36); women: 7.00 (3.77 to 13.00)) (all past year). STI diagnoses and HIV testing were more common among men reporting finding partners online (adjusted for age, partner numbers, same-sex partnerships), but not women. Finding partners online was associated with markers of sexual risk, which might be important for clinical risk assessment, but this was not matched by uptake of sexual health services. Online opportunities to find partners have increased, so these data might underestimate the importance of this social phenomenon for public health and STI control. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

  12. Talking about Sexuality and Intimacy with Women Spousal Caregivers: Perspectives of Service Providers.

    PubMed

    Brotman, Shari; Drummond, Jennifer; Silverman, Marjorie; Sussman, Tamara; Orzeck, Pam; Barylak, Lucy; Wallach, Isabelle; Billette, Veronique

    2016-11-20

    This article reports the findings of an exploratory study examining service provider perceptions and experiences of addressing sexuality and intimacy with women spousal caregivers. The caregiver-provider encounter is examined, and challenges faced by service providers in addressing sexuality are considered. Themes identified include ambivalence and discomfort, personal and institutional barriers, meanings attributed to sexuality and intimacy, and lack of opportunities to discuss experiences. Strategies to overcome silence and invisibility on the part of service providers in the health and social services system are considered. © 2016 National Association of Social Workers.

  13. Specificity of sexual arousal for sexual activities in men and women with conventional and masochistic sexual interests.

    PubMed

    Chivers, Meredith L; Roy, Carolyn; Grimbos, Teresa; Cantor, James M; Seto, Michael C

    2014-07-01

    Prior studies consistently report that men's genital responses correspond to their sexual activity interests (consenting vs. coercive sex) whereas women's responses do not. For women, however, these results may be confounded by the sexual activities studied and lack of suitable controls. We examined the subjective and genital arousal responses of men and women with conventional (22 men and 15 women) or masochistic sexual interests (16 men and 17 women) to narratives describing conventional sex or masochistic sex. The aims of the studies were twofold: (1) to examine whether gender differences in the specificity of sexual arousal previously observed for gender also exist for sexual activity interests; and (2) to examine whether men and women with masochistic sexual interests demonstrate specificity of sexual response for their preferred sexual activities. Surprisingly, the pattern of results was very similar for men and women. Both men and women with conventional sexual interests (WCI) reported more sexual arousal, and responded more genitally, to conventional than to masochistic sex, demonstrating specificity of sexual arousal for their preferred sexual activities. Despite showing specificity for conventional sexual activities, the genital responses of WCI were still gender nonspecific. In contrast, women and men with masochistic sexual interests demonstrated nonspecific subjective and genital responses to conventional and masochistic sex. Indices of genital and subjective sexual arousal to masochistic versus conventional stimuli were positively and significantly correlated with self-reported thoughts, fantasies, interests, and behaviors involving masochism. The results suggest that gender similarities in the specificity of sexual arousal for sexual activity exist despite consistent gender differences in the specificity of sexual arousal for gender.

  14. Need fulfillment in the sexual relationships of HIV-infected men who have sex with men.

    PubMed

    Craft, Shonda M; Smith, Sarah A; Serovich, Julianne M; Bautista, Dianne T

    2005-06-01

    This article explores the associations among sexual need fulfillment, partner selection, and risky sexual behavior, using a functional/motivational perspective. The authors suggest that sexual needs influence partner selection (e.g., steady versus nonsteady), and engaging in UAI is influenced by sexual needs and partner selection. A sample of 108 HIV-positive gay men completed measures of sexual frequency, sexual risk-taking behaviors, and sexual need fulfillment. Results indicated support for both objectives. These men were more likely to choose a steady partner when they possessed greater relationship needs, whereas while men with higher substitution and pleasure needs were more likely to select nonsteady partners. In addition, only men who reported greater substitution needs were more likely to engage in UAI. The results suggest that certain sexual needs influence partner selection, but that sexual needs also influence what activities occur in the encounter.

  15. Heterogeneity in the Relationship of Substance Use to Risky Sexual Behavior Among Justice-Involved Youth: A Regression Mixture Modeling Approach.

    PubMed

    Schmiege, Sarah J; Bryan, Angela D

    2016-04-01

    Justice-involved adolescents engage in high levels of risky sexual behavior and substance use, and understanding potential relationships among these constructs is important for effective HIV/STI prevention. A regression mixture modeling approach was used to determine whether subgroups could be identified based on the regression of two indicators of sexual risk (condom use and frequency of intercourse) on three measures of substance use (alcohol, marijuana and hard drugs). Three classes were observed among n = 596 adolescents on probation: none of the substances predicted outcomes for approximately 18 % of the sample; alcohol and marijuana use were predictive for approximately 59 % of the sample, and marijuana use and hard drug use were predictive in approximately 23 % of the sample. Demographic, individual difference, and additional sexual and substance use risk variables were examined in relation to class membership. Findings are discussed in terms of understanding profiles of risk behavior among at-risk youth.

  16. Sexual Encounters: Gay Male College Students' Use of the Internet and Social Media

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reddick, Rinardo Lamon

    2012-01-01

    There have been many studies that focus on understanding various aspects of human sexuality and how it relates to college students. However, the current research focuses on heterosexual students, leaving a void in the research that focuses on gay male college students. Even more crucially, there is a void in research that focuses on the sexual…

  17. The Changing Experiences of Primary Teachers: Responding to Scenarios Involving Diverse Sexualities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van Leent, Lisa; Ryan, Mary

    2016-01-01

    Sex education and diverse sexualities are controversial topics within the primary school arena. Concepts of childhood innocence have influenced sex education curriculum, policy development and teaching practices within schools. However, research shows that primary school-aged students are aware of and talk about sexualities. The aim of this…

  18. Voyager 2 Saturn encounter attitude and articulation control experience

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hill, M.

    1982-01-01

    A description is given of the Voyager Attitude and Articulation Control System (AACS). The complex series of maneuvers required for Voyager 2 during the near encounter period to obtain fields and particle data, track the limb of Saturn during the earth occultation period, and reflect the RF beam off the Saturnian ring system are discussed. It is noted that some of these maneuvers involved rotating the spacecraft simultaneously about multiple axes while maintaining accurate pointing of the scan platform, a first for interplanetary missions. Also described are two anomalies experienced by the AACS during the near encounter period. The first was the significant roll attitude error that occurred shortly after all axis inertial control and that continued to grow until celestial reacquisition. The second was that the scan platform slewing in the azimuth axis stopped midway through the near encounter. These anomalies are analyzed, and their effect on future missions is assessed.

  19. African American grandfamilies' attitudes and feelings about sexual communication: focus group results.

    PubMed

    Cornelius, Judith B; LeGrand, Sara; Jemmott, Loretta Sweet

    2009-01-01

    Little attention has been given to the responsibilities that African American grandparent caregivers face when they assume the role of raising their grandchildren. One particularly challenging task of grandparent caregivers is communicating with their grandchildren about sexuality issues. This study therefore examined the sexual communications and attitudes and feelings toward these communications between African American grandparent caregivers and their adolescent grandchildren (11-13 years of age). Focus group methodology was used to generate data about the grandparent/grandchild sexuality communication process and attitudes and feelings toward that process. The sample included 40 dyads of African American grandparents/grandchildren, for a total of 80 participants. Grandparents as well as their adolescent grandchildren desired open communication about sexuality issues, said that societal pressure makes sexual encounters hard to resist, and felt that they needed assistance with the sexuality communication process. Nurses can build upon the study's results to assist African American grandparents and their adolescent grandchildren with sexual communication.

  20. A Model of Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Young Gay and Bisexual Men: Longitudinal Associations of Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Sexual Abuse, and the Coming-Out Process

    PubMed Central

    Rosario, Margaret; Schrimshaw, Eric W.; Hunter, Joyce

    2011-01-01

    Sexual risk behaviors of young gay and bisexual men must be understood within the context of other health concerns (e.g., anxiety, substance abuse), population-specific factors (i.e., the coming-out process and gay-related stress), childhood sexual abuse, and other theoretical factors (e.g., safer sex intentions). The current report proposes and longitudinally examines a model of risk factors for subsequent sexual risk behaviors among young gay and bisexual men in New York City. As hypothesized, more negative attitudes toward homosexuality, more substance abuse symptoms, and poorer intentions for safer sex were directly associated with a greater likelihood of unprotected anal sex over the following year. Further, lower self-esteem, more anxious symptoms, and childhood sexual abuse were related to more unprotected anal sex indirectly through more sexual partners, sexual encounters, and substance abuse symptoms. These findings suggest that interventions targeting sexual risk behaviors of young gay and bisexual men may be more effective if they also address mental health concerns and aspects of the coming-out process. PMID:17067255

  1. Universalist ethics in extraterrestrial encounter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baum, Seth D.

    2010-02-01

    If humanity encounters an extraterrestrial civilization, or if two extraterrestrial civilizations encounter each other, then the outcome may depend not only on the civilizations' relative strength to destroy each other but also on what ethics are held by one or both civilizations. This paper explores outcomes of encounter scenarios in which one or both civilizations hold a universalist ethical framework. Several outcomes are possible in such scenarios, ranging from one civilization destroying the other to both civilizations racing to be the first to commit suicide. Thus, attention to the ethics of both humanity and extraterrestrials is warranted in human planning for such an encounter. Additionally, the possibility of such an encounter raises profound questions for contemporary human ethics, even if such an encounter never occurs.

  2. Risk and protective factors for sexual risk taking among adolescents involved in Prime Time.

    PubMed

    Garwick, Ann; Nerdahl, Peggy; Banken, Rachel; Muenzenberger-Bretl, Lynn; Sieving, Renee

    2004-10-01

    This article describes a preliminary qualitative evaluation of risk and protective factors associated with consistent contraceptive use and healthy sexual decision-making among ten of the first participants in the Prime Time intervention study. Prime Time is an 18-month intervention including one-on-one case management and peer educator training targeting sexually active 13-17-year-old girls who are recruited from health care clinics. Using an approach grounded in findings from previous research, social cognitive theory, and the social development model, Prime Time aims to improve participants' contraceptive use consistency, reduce number of sexual partners, and reduce unwanted sexual activity. Findings from this preliminary evaluation alert health care providers to the complex and dynamic nature of adolescent girls' sexual behaviors and to a broad range of risk and protective factors within individuals and their environments that may influence adolescent girls' sexual behaviors and contraceptive use. Findings suggest that an ongoing, supportive relationship with a case manager who is able to pace and tailor an intervention to the individual young person can have positive effects on adolescent girls' sexual behaviors and contraceptive use.

  3. Preventing Sexually Transmitted Diseases

    PubMed Central

    Kieren, Dianne; Cumming, Ceinwen E.; Cumming, David C.

    1992-01-01

    The discouraging results of early efforts to educate the public about sexually transmitted diseases indicated that the goals of STD preventive action must be longer term and must change attitudes and behaviour as well as educate. They must also avoid an ostrich mentality about the sexual involvement of young people. This article examines more recent approaches to teaching about sexuality in general and STD prevention in particular. PMID:21221351

  4. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract in Improving Sexual Function in Women: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Dongre, Swati

    2015-01-01

    Background. Many women experience sexual dysfunction where there are orgasm disorders and sexual difficulties. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a herb known to improve the body's physical and psychological condition. Objective. The purpose of the study was to determine the efficacy and safety of a high-concentration ashwagandha root extract (HCARE) supplementation for improving sexual function in healthy females. Methods. In this pilot study, 50 study subjects were randomized to either (i) HCARE-treated group or (ii) placebo- (starch-) treated group. The subjects consumed either HCARE or placebo capsules of 300mg twice daily for 8 weeks. Sexual function was assessed using two psychometric scales, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) Questionnaire and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), and by the number of total and successful sexual encounters. Results. The analysis indicates that treatment with HCARE leads to significantly higher improvement, relative to placebo, in the FSFI Total score (p < 0.001), FSFI domain score for “arousal” (p < 0.001), “lubrication” (p < 0.001), “orgasm” (p = 0.004), and “satisfaction” (p < 0.001), and also FSDS score (p < 0.001) and the number of successful sexual encounters (p < 0.001) at the end of the treatment. Conclusions. This study demonstrated that oral administration of HCARE may improve sexual function in healthy women. The present study is registered in the Clinical Trial Registry, Government of India, with a number CTRI/2015/07/006045. PMID:26504795

  5. Is Risky Sexual Behavior Continuous or Categorical? A Taxometric Analysis of the Sexual Risk Survey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marcus, David K.; Fulton, Jessica J.; Turchik, Jessica A.

    2011-01-01

    Risky sexual behaviors are behaviors that involve the possibility of an adverse outcome, such as contracting a sexually transmitted infection or unwanted pregnancy. The question of whether risky sexual behavior exists as a discrete class (i.e., taxon) or as a dimensional construct has not previously been explored. The authors performed a set of…

  6. Specialization for aggression in sexually dimorphic skeletal morphology in grey wolves (Canis lupus)

    PubMed Central

    Morris, Jeremy S; Brandt, Ellissa K

    2014-01-01

    Aggressive behaviour is important in the life history of many animals. In grey wolves (Canis lupus), territory defence through direct competition with conspecifics is severe and often lethal. Thus, performance in aggressive encounters may be under strong selection. Additionally, grey wolves frequently kill large dangerous prey species. Because both sexes actively participate in aggressive activities and prey capture, wolves are expected to exhibit a low level of musculoskeletal sexual dimorphism. However, male wolves more often lead in agonistic encounters with conspecifics and must provision the nursing female during the pup-rearing period of the breeding season. These behaviours may select for males that exhibit a higher degree of morphological adaptation associated with aggression and prey capture performance. To test this prediction, we assessed skeletal sexual dimorphism in three subspecies of grey wolves using functional indices reflecting morphological specialization for aggression. As expected, sexual dimorphism in skeletal shape was limited. However, in two of three subspecies, we found sexually dimorphic traits in the skull, forelimbs and hindlimbs that are consistent with the hypothesis that males are more specialized for aggression. These characters may also be associated with selection for improved prey capture performance by males. Thus, the sexually dimorphic functional traits identified by our analysis may be adaptive in the contexts of both natural and sexual selection. Several of these traits may conflict with locomotor economy, indicating the importance of aggression in the life history of male grey wolves. The presence of functional specialization for aggression in a generally monogamous species indicates that sexual dimorphism in specific musculoskeletal traits may be widespread among mammals. PMID:24810384

  7. Specialization for aggression in sexually dimorphic skeletal morphology in grey wolves (Canis lupus).

    PubMed

    Morris, Jeremy S; Brandt, Ellissa K

    2014-07-01

    Aggressive behaviour is important in the life history of many animals. In grey wolves (Canis lupus), territory defence through direct competition with conspecifics is severe and often lethal. Thus, performance in aggressive encounters may be under strong selection. Additionally, grey wolves frequently kill large dangerous prey species. Because both sexes actively participate in aggressive activities and prey capture, wolves are expected to exhibit a low level of musculoskeletal sexual dimorphism. However, male wolves more often lead in agonistic encounters with conspecifics and must provision the nursing female during the pup-rearing period of the breeding season. These behaviours may select for males that exhibit a higher degree of morphological adaptation associated with aggression and prey capture performance. To test this prediction, we assessed skeletal sexual dimorphism in three subspecies of grey wolves using functional indices reflecting morphological specialization for aggression. As expected, sexual dimorphism in skeletal shape was limited. However, in two of three subspecies, we found sexually dimorphic traits in the skull, forelimbs and hindlimbs that are consistent with the hypothesis that males are more specialized for aggression. These characters may also be associated with selection for improved prey capture performance by males. Thus, the sexually dimorphic functional traits identified by our analysis may be adaptive in the contexts of both natural and sexual selection. Several of these traits may conflict with locomotor economy, indicating the importance of aggression in the life history of male grey wolves. The presence of functional specialization for aggression in a generally monogamous species indicates that sexual dimorphism in specific musculoskeletal traits may be widespread among mammals. © 2014 Anatomical Society.

  8. Voyager's last encounter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miner, Ellis D.

    1989-01-01

    Preliminary results from Voyager's encounter with Neptune are reviewed. The major events of the encounter are listed and the data on the atmosphere, magnetosphere, and ring-arc region of Neptune are discussed. The communications and photographical techniques used in the mission are examined. In addition, a search for Neptune satellites is considered.

  9. Is Location of Sex Associated with Sexual Risk Behaviour in Men Who Have Sex with Men? Systematic Review of Within-Subjects Studies.

    PubMed

    Melendez-Torres, G J; Nye, Elizabeth; Bonell, Chris

    2016-06-01

    To understand associations between location of sex and sexual risk, it is most helpful to compare sexual encounters within persons. We systematically reviewed within-subjects comparisons of sexual encounters reported by men who have sex with men (MSM) with respect to location of sex. Within-subjects comparisons of sexual risk and location of sex were eligible if they collected data post-1996 from samples of MSM. We independently screened results and full-text records in duplicate. Of 6,336 deduplicated records, we assessed 138 full-text studies and included six, most of which compared unprotected anal intercourse against other anal intercourse. This small, but high quality, body of evidence suggests that associations between attendance at sex-on-premises venues and person-level sexual risk may be due to overall propensity towards unprotected sex. However, there may be some location factors that promote or are associated with serononconcordant unprotected anal intercourse. Health promoters may wish to focus on person-level characteristics.

  10. The study of sexual satisfaction in Iranian women applying for divorce.

    PubMed

    Gheshlaghi, Farzad; Dorvashi, Gholamali; Aran, Farzaneh; Shafiei, Faranak; Najafabadi, Gita Montazeri

    2014-10-01

    Marital instability is affected by many factors. In Iran, socio-cultural and political limitations are obstacles for sexuality-related studies; therefore, insufficient in- formation is available in this area. In the present research, we investigated the relation- ship between marital instability and sexual satisfaction among Iranian women. A case-control study was carried out to investigate women ap- plying for divorce in comparison with our controls during 2011 to 2012 in Isfahan, Iran. Data gathering was done using a questionnaire including two parts: socio-demographic information and factors influencing sexual satisfaction. Larson Inventory of Sexual Sat- isfaction for determining sexual satisfaction was used to determine sexual satisfaction. Divorce rate is significantly related to sexual satisfaction (p=0.009). There were also significant relationships between sexual satisfaction and the following variables: age, economic status, amount of income, duration of marriage, number of children, hous- ing, alcohol/drug abuse by spouse, being beaten by spouse, compulsory marriage, second marriage of spouse, and being happy with current partner. Sexual satisfaction plays an important role in marital stability of Iranian women. Thus, development of practical strategies in order to provide cultural intervention is needed to improve Iranian couples' awareness of their sexual relationship. Indeed, train- ings in communication skills through sexual encounters are essential.

  11. Child Sexual Abuse and Adolescent Prostitution: A Comparative Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seng, Magnus J.

    1989-01-01

    Explored relationship between sexual abuse and adolescent prostitution by comparing 70 sexually abused children with 35 prostitution-involved children on 22 variables. Findings suggest that relationship is not direct, but involves runaway behavior as intervening variable. Concludes that it is not so much sexual abuse that leads to prostitution, as…

  12. Sexual Orientation Identity in Relation to Minority Stress and Mental Health in Sexual Minority Women.

    PubMed

    Puckett, Jae A; Surace, Francisco I; Levitt, Heidi M; Horne, Sharon G

    2016-10-01

    Research often erases the distinct experiences of bisexual and queer women through collapsing participants with lesbian or gay women. In addition, queer is often not included as a sexual orientation identity in research, therefore limiting the available information about how this group experiences minority stress. Given these limitations, we sought to compare groups, based on their sexual orientation identity, on experiences of minority stress and mental health to further understand between group differences that often go unaccounted for in research. Participants (N = 249; age range 19-77; M = 38.43, SD = 12.98) completed an online survey exploring experiences of minority stress and mental health. We found that the group most at risk for encountering minority stressors depended on the specific stressor being examined. Queer and gay or lesbian women encountered greater victimization, discrimination, and expectations of discrimination than bisexual women. However, bisexual women had higher levels of identity concealment and internalized heterosexism than gay, lesbian, or queer women. While queer women tended to have fewer proximal stressors, they were similar to bisexual women in terms of psychological distress, with both groups scoring higher than gay or lesbian women. These results highlight the need to examine between group differences in future research. The experiences of minority stress appear to complexly relate to psychological distress in varying ways for different groups of women, with bisexual and queer women having the highest rates of psychological distress although they vary in the types of stressors that they encounter. In addition, the experiences of queer women were divergent from those of gay, lesbian, or bisexual women across many of the stressors, indicating that there is a need to further recognize this distinct group of women in future research.

  13. Demographic Predictors of Event-Level Associations between Alcohol Consumption and Sexual Behavior.

    PubMed

    Wells, Brooke E; Rendina, H Jonathon; Kelly, Brian C; Golub, Sarit A; Parsons, Jeffrey T

    2016-02-01

    Alcohol consumption is associated with sexual behavior and outcomes, though research indicates a variety of moderating factors, including demographic characteristics. To better target interventions aimed at alcohol-related sexual risk behavior, our analyses simultaneously examine demographic predictors of both day- and event-level associations between alcohol consumption and sexual behavior in a sample of young adults (N = 301) who are sexually active and consume alcohol. Young adults (aged 18-29) recruited using time-space sampling and incentivized snowball sampling completed a survey and a timeline follow-back calendar reporting alcohol consumption and sexual behavior in the past 30 days. On a given day, a greater number of drinks consumed was associated with higher likelihood of sex occurring, particularly for women and single participants. During a given sexual event, number of drinks consumed was not associated with condom use, nor did any demographic predictors predict that association. Findings highlight associations between alcohol and sexual behavior, though not between alcohol and sexual risk behavior, highlighting the need for additional research exploring the complex role of alcohol in sexual risk behavior and the need to develop prevention efforts to minimize the role of alcohol in the initiation of sexual encounters.

  14. Sexual harassment victimization in adolescence: Associations with family background.

    PubMed

    Kaltiala-Heino, Riittakerttu; Fröjd, Sari; Marttunen, Mauri

    2016-06-01

    Sexual harassment has been studies as a mechanism reproducing inequality between sexes, as gender based discrimination, and more recently, as a public health problem. The role of family-related factors for subjection to sexual harassment in adolescent has been little studied. Our aim was to study the role of socio-demographic family factors and parental involvement in adolescent's persona life for experiences of sexual harassment among 14-18-year-old population girls and boys. An anonymous cross-sectional classroom survey was carried out in comprehensive and secondary schools in Finland. 90953 boys and 91746 girls aged 14-18 participated. Sexual harassment was elicited with five questions. Family structure, parental education, parental unemployment and parental involvement as perceived by the adolescent were elicited. The data were analyzed using cross-tabulations with chi-square statistics and logistic regressions. All types of sexual harassment experiences elicited were more common among girls than among boys. Parental unemployment, not living with both parents and low parental education were associated with higher likelihood of reporting experiences of sexual harassment, and parental involvement in the adolescent's personal life was associated with less reported sexual harassment. Parental involvement in an adolescent's life may be protective of perceived sexual harassment. Adolescents from socio-economically disadvantaged families are more vulnerable to sexual harassment than their more advantaged peers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Sexual Harassment in Nursing.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duldt, Bonnie W.

    1982-01-01

    Sexual harassment in the workplace, specifically in nursing, is discussed. The impact of sexual harassment, characteristics of those commonly involved, the need for changing attitudes of men and women in the workplace, the factor of power in relationships, and ways to avoid legal suits are all examined. (CT)

  16. Ethical and Methodological Complexities in Research Involving Sexual Minorities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bettinger, Thomas V.

    2010-01-01

    While there is growing attention to sexual minorities in adult education (AE) and human resource development (HRD) literature, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people have received very little attention in AE or in HRD research. This article captures methodological issues and concerns from LBGTQ-related research from…

  17. Standard operating procedures for taking a sexual history.

    PubMed

    Althof, Stanley E; Rosen, Raymond C; Perelman, Michael A; Rubio-Aurioles, Eusebio

    2013-01-01

    While there is evidence of increased professional and public awareness of sexual problems, both male and female sexual dysfunctions remain underdiagnosed and undertreated by health care professionals around the world. Health care professionals (HCPs) are typically reluctant, disinterested, or unskilled in sexual problem management and regrettably are often disinclined to inquire about sexual issues. HCPs in all countries receive variable, nonstandardized, or inadequate training in sexual history taking and its treatment. This article presents a standard operating procedure (SOP) for taking a sexual history from men or women with sexual problems or performance concerns. Review of relevant evidence-based literature identified through a PubMed search, integrated with expert opinion. Guidelines for taking a sexual history are presented along with the relevant domains, opening and follow-up questions. The SOP presented in this article offers HCPs a brief, structured, and uniform method for obtaining a sexual history from men or women seeking health care services. Sexual history taking should be based on three basic principles, which serve as the foundation for managing sexual problems in men and women. These include the following: (i) a patient-centered approach; (ii) evidenced-based diagnostic and treatment recommendations; and (iii) use of a unified management approach for men and women. Sexual history taking should always be conducted in a culturally sensitive manner, taking account of the individual's background and lifestyle, status of the partner relationship, and the clinician's comfort and experience with the topic. Sexual inquiry should be incorporated into all new patient encounters, when possible, if only to ask one or two broad questions such as the following: "Are you sexually active? Do you have any sexual concerns or problems you would like to discuss?" Sexual history taking is a cornerstone of sexual medicine clinical practice. All patients should be

  18. The phenomenology of shame in the clinical encounter.

    PubMed

    Dolezal, Luna

    2015-11-01

    This article examines the phenomenology of body shame in the context of the clinical encounter, using the television program 'Embarrassing Bodies' as illustrative. I will expand on the insights of Aaron Lazare's 1987 article 'Shame and Humiliation in the Medical Encounter' where it is argued that patients often see their diseases and ailments as defects, inadequacies or personal shortcomings and that visits to doctors and medical professionals involve potentially humiliating physical and psychological exposure. I will start by outlining a phenomenology of shame in order to understand more clearly the effect shame about the body can have in terms of one's personal experience and, furthermore, one's interpersonal dynamics. I will then examine shame in the clinical encounter, linking body shame to the cultural stigma attached to illness, dysfunction and bodily frailty. I will furthermore explore how shame can be exacerbated or even incited by physicians through judgment and as a result of the power imbalance inherent to the physician-patient dynamic, compounded by the contemporary tendency to moralise about 'lifestyle' illnesses. Lastly, I will provide some reflections for how health care workers might approach patient shame in clinical practice.

  19. Reporting on first sexual experience: The importance of interviewer-respondent interaction

    PubMed Central

    Poulin, Michelle

    2010-01-01

    Survey methodologists typically seek to improve data on sensitive topics by standardizing surveys and avoiding the use of human interviewers. This study uses data collected from 90 never-married young adults in rural Malawi to compare reports on first sexual encounters between a standard survey and an in-depth interview. A significant fraction of young women who claimed in the survey to have never been sexually active affirmed sexual experience during the in-depth interview, fielded shortly thereafter. Two elements of the in-depth interview, flexibility and reciprocal exchange, foster trust and more truthful reporting. The findings contradict the long-standing presumption that face-to-face interviews are inherently threatening when the topic is sex. PMID:20357897

  20. Sexual behaviors in children: evaluation and management.

    PubMed

    Kellogg, Nancy D

    2010-11-15

    Sexual behaviors in children are common, occurring in 42 to 73 percent of children by the time they reach 13 years of age. Developmentally appropriate behavior that is common and frequently observed in children includes trying to view another person's genitals or breasts, standing too close to other persons, and touching their own genitals. Sexual behaviors become less common, less frequent, or more covert after five years of age. Sexual behavior problems are defined as developmentally inappropriate or intrusive sexual acts that typically involve coercion or distress. Such behaviors should be evaluated within the context of other emotional and behavior disorders, socialization difficulties, and family dysfunction, including violence, abuse, and neglect. Although many children with sexual behavior problems have a history of sexual abuse, most children who have been sexually abused do not develop sexual behavior problems. Children who have been sexually abused at a younger age, who have been abused by a family member, or whose abuse involved penetration are at greater risk of developing sexual behavior problems. Although age-appropriate behaviors are managed primarily through reassurance and education of the parent about appropriate behavior redirection, sexual behavior problems often require further assessment and may necessitate a referral to child protective services for suspected abuse or neglect.

  1. Family relationships and sexual orientation disclosure to family by gay and bisexual men in Jamaica

    PubMed Central

    White, Yohann; Sandfort, Theo; Morgan, Kai; Carpenter, Karen; Pierre, Russell

    2016-01-01

    Gay and bisexual men in Jamaica encounter stigma and discrimination due to criminalization of and negative attitudes towards same-sex sexuality. Disclosure of sexual orientation may be self-affirming, but could increase exposure to negative responses and stressors. Outcomes of an online survey among 110 gay and bisexual Jamaican men ages 18 to 56 years suggest that disclosure to family is affected by level of economic independence. Furthermore, negative familial responses to sexual identity significantly predicted depression. Social and structural interventions, and efforts to strengthen positive family relationships, are needed to foster an environment that enables well-being among sexual minorities in Jamaica. PMID:28243342

  2. Sexual health and relationships after age 60.

    PubMed

    Minkin, Mary Jane

    2016-01-01

    A commonly used phrase describing aging is "60 is the new 40". Although in many aspects of life this may be correct, in discussing sexual health, challenges to maintaining excellent sexual health become more common around age 60. Biological aging challenges physical sexual activity and responsiveness. We commence by briefly surveying the extensive coverage of 'normal' physiological aging. We primarily focus on issues that arise in distinct disease and or pathophysiological states, including gynecological and breast cancer, as well as those associated with partners of men who are either prostate cancer survivors or who have taken therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED). Regrettably, there is a very modest literature on sexual health and associated possible interventions in older patients in these cohorts. We discuss a variety of interventions and approaches, including those that we have developed and applied in a clinic at our host university, which have generally produced successful outcomes. The extended focus to sexual relationship dynamics in partners of men with either prostate cancer or ED in particular is virtually unexplored, yet is especially timely given the large numbers of women who encounter this situation. Finally, we briefly discuss cross-cultural distinctions in older couples' expectations, which exhibit remarkable variation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Prime time sexual harassment.

    PubMed

    Grauerholz, E; King, A

    1997-04-01

    This study explores the explicit and implicit messages of sexual harassment that viewers receive when viewing prime-time television in the US. A content analysis of 48 hours of prime-time television reveals that sexual harassment on television is both highly visible and invisible. Sexual harassment is rendered visible simply by its prominence in these programs. Incidents involving quid-pro-quo harassment and environmental harassment occur with regularity on television. Furthermore, about 84% of the shows studied contained at least one incident of sexual harassment; yet these acts of sexual harassment remained largely invisible because none of the behaviors were labeled as sexual harassment. These incidents are presented in humorous ways, and victims are generally unharmed and very effective at ending the harassment. Although such programs may actually reflect the reality of many women's lives in terms of prevalence of sexual harassment, they perpetuate several myths about sexual harassment, such as that sexual harassment is not serious and that victims should be able to handle the situations themselves.

  4. Association between early sexual abuse and adult HIV-risky sexual behaviors among community-recruited women.

    PubMed

    Parillo, K M; Freeman, R C; Collier, K; Young, P

    2001-03-01

    The first purpose was to determine whether sexual abuse involving penetration that occurred in childhood only, adolescence only, or both childhood and adolescence differently impacted whether community-recruited women had ever traded sex for money or drugs, their number of recent sex partners, and the number of times they had engaged in recent unprotected sex. The second purpose was to assess the mediating effects of adulthood rape, recent drug use, and recent sex with an injection drug user on these three HIV-risky sexual behaviors. Women (n = 1,490) recruited from three US sites were questioned about their childhood and/or adolescent sexual abuse histories, adulthood rape experiences, recent drug use, and adult HIV-risky sexual behaviors via structured interviews. One-third of the women reported having experienced sexual abuse involving penetration in childhood and/or adolescence. Overall, regression analyses indicated a significant relationship between early sexual abuse and adult risky behaviors; rape in adulthood mediated this relationship for all three HIV-risky behaviors. Abuse that occurred in childhood only and abuse that occurred in both childhood and adolescence had a stronger impact on later risky behaviors than did abuse that occurred in adolescence only. Because childhood constitutes a critical period in individuals' sexual, social, and personal development, sexual abuse precipitated during this time may distort women's constructions of sex and sexuality. Women abused in childhood may therefore engage in HIV-risky sexual behaviors to a greater extent than women abused in adolescence as a result of these disruptions to their development. Rape in adulthood appears to intensify the effects of early sexual abuse,

  5. NASN position statement: Sexual orientation and gender identity/expression (sexual minority students): school nurse practice.

    PubMed

    Bradley, Beverly; Kelts, Susan; Robarge, Deb; Davis, Catherine; Delger, Suzey; Compton, Linda

    2013-03-01

    It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or the sexual orientation of their parents and family members, are entitled to a safe school environment and equal opportunities for a high level of academic achievement and school participation/involvement. Sexual minority persons are those who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (LGB) or are unsure of their sexual orientation, or those who have had sexual contact with persons of the same sex or both sexes (Kann et al., 2011). Sexual minority is thought to be a more inclusive and neutral term. For the purposes of this statement, the term sexual minority will be used in lieu of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning).

  6. Teacher Educators Using Encounter Stories

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davis, Danné E.; Kellinger, Janna Jackson

    2014-01-01

    Many prospective teachers are unaware of the encounters that Black, heterosexual women or White lesbians face. Here, we present encounter stories--individual narratives of poignant encounters and interactions that we have experienced with people unlike us--to identify with and ultimately draw on their experiences. Subsequently, the narratives…

  7. Sexual sensation seeking, transactional sex, and rural African American cocaine users

    PubMed Central

    Gullette, Donna; Booth, Brenda M.; Wright, Patricia B.; Montgomery, Brooke E. E.; Stewart, Katharine E.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to explore correlates of sexual sensation seeking (SSS) in a sample of rural African American cocaine users. Respondent-driven sampling was used to recruit 251 participants from two impoverished rural counties in eastern Arkansas. Consistent with previous investigations, SSS scores were associated with being younger, being male, having more sexual partners, and having more unprotected sexual encounters in the previous 30 days. Multiple regression revealed SSS was correlated with number of oral sex acts, transactional sex (exchanging sex for food, shelter, drugs, money, or other commodities), and Addiction Severity Index (ASI) drug composite. SSS continues to demonstrate a strong association with sexual risk behaviors in diverse populations, including vulnerable groups like this community. Interventions to reduce unsafe sexual behaviors among high-risk groups, including drug users and individuals who engage in transactional sex, should incorporate approaches that include high sensation seekers' needs for novelty and variety. PMID:24070647

  8. Parental Interpretations of "Childhood Innocence": Implications for Early Sexuality Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGinn, Laura; Stone, Nicole; Ingham, Roger; Bengry-Howell, Andrew

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Despite general recognition of the benefits of talking openly about sexuality with children, parents encounter and/or create barriers to such communication. One of the key barriers is a desire to protect childhood innocence. The purpose of this paper is to explore parental interpretations of childhood innocence and the influence this has…

  9. Confidentiality and parental involvement in adolescent sexual and reproductive health care: a cross-sectional study of Lithuanian general practitioners.

    PubMed

    Jaruseviciene, Lina; Lazarus, Jeffrey V; Zaborskis, Apolinaras

    2011-07-01

    We surveyed Lithuanian general practitioners' (GPs) views on the importance of confidentiality for adolescents and on their practices in informing parents about sexual and reproductive health consultations with this age group. In this cross-sectional study, a 41-item questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 607 Lithuanian GPs. The purpose of this questionnaire was to gain knowledge about current practices of GPs in informing parents on the importance of confidentiality as well as in protecting the privacy of minors. GPs' knowledge of the current legal age limit of confidentiality protection in patient-provider settings was also assessed. Although 67.5% of the responding GPs (response rate 73.5%) stated that they inform the parents or guardians of adolescent patients about the importance of confidentiality, 82.9% of them only did so if the opportunity arose. When consulting on general sexual issues, more than 70% stated that they would guarantee their minor patients confidentiality. However, when cases involved sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy, nearly the same percentage said they would inform the parents. 62.3% of GPs incorrectly believed that the law only protects the right to confidentiality for patients who are 18 or older. Our findings indicate that Lithuanian GPs frequently violate adolescents' right to confidential health services. The study highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the confidentiality of sexual and reproductive health services for this group in Lithuanian primary care.

  10. Endocrine regulation and sexual differentiation of avian copulatory sexually selected characters.

    PubMed

    Brennan, Patricia L R; Adkins-Regan, Elizabeth

    2014-10-01

    Reproductive specializations in birds have provided intriguing model systems to better understand the role of endocrine mechanisms that regulate phenotype expression and the action of sexual selection. A comparative approach can elucidate how endocrine systems associated with control of sexual differentiation, sexual maturation, and reproductive physiology and behavior have diversified. Here we compare the copulatory sexually selected traits of two members of the galloanseriform superfamily: quail and ducks. Japanese quail have a non-intromittent penis, and they have evolved a unique foam gland that is known to be involved in post-copulatory sexual selection. In contrast, ducks have maintained a large intromittent penis that has evolved via copulatory male-male competition and has been elaborated in a sexually antagonistic race due to sexual conflict with females over mating. These adaptations function in concert with sex-specific and, in part, species-specific behaviors. Although the approaches to study these traits have been different, exploring the differences in neuroendocrine regulation of sexual behavior, development and seasonality of the foam gland and the penis side by side, allow us to suggest some areas where future research would be productive to better understand the evolution of novelty in sexually selected traits. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Approaches to Sexual Counseling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobs, Marion; And Others

    1975-01-01

    This journal section contains 25 articles dealing with the field of sexual counseling. Each approach to sexual problems is deeply involved in refining its own theoretical statements, developing its clinical techniques, and implementing a research program. This issue should be helpful to persons wanting a broad look at the field of sexual…

  12. Incontinence and sexuality in later life.

    PubMed

    Garrett, Dawne; Tomlin, Karen

    2015-07-01

    This article explores the interrelated aspects of incontinence and sexuality in older age. It describes the physiological changes that may have an effect on sexual function and the genitourinary system as people age. The enduring importance of sexual intimacy is discussed. Treatments for incontinence and to improve sexual function are explored. The authors conclude that nurses, particularly those involved in continence management, have a role in ensuring sensitive assessment and access to treatment, which can support many older people to maintain fulfilling sexual activity.

  13. Is risky sexual behavior continuous or categorical? A taxometric analysis of the Sexual Risk Survey.

    PubMed

    Marcus, David K; Fulton, Jessica J; Turchik, Jessica A

    2011-03-01

    Risky sexual behaviors are behaviors that involve the possibility of an adverse outcome, such as contracting a sexually transmitted infection or unwanted pregnancy. The question of whether risky sexual behavior exists as a discrete class (i.e., taxon) or as a dimensional construct has not previously been explored. The authors performed a set of taxometric analyses on 4 factor scales derived from the Sexual Risk Survey (Turchik & Garske, 2009) with data from 1,103 college students. The results provided consistent support for a dimensional latent structure in which variations in reported risky sexual behavior reflect differences in degree and not differences in kind. The implications of these findings for the assessment of risky sexual behavior are discussed.

  14. Suicidal ideation and attempts among sexual minority youths receiving social services.

    PubMed

    Walls, N Eugene; Freedenthal, Stacey; Wisneski, Hope

    2008-01-01

    The increased risk of suicidal ideation and attempts among sexual minority youths have been documented in studies using both convenience samples and representative community samples. However, as most youths do not access social services, these studies do not necessarily represent the sexual minority youths that community-based social workers may encounter in their day-to-day practice. As such, the present study on risk and protective factors related to suicidality surveyed 182 sexual minority youths (14 to 21 years of age) who sought assistance at a community-based social services agency in Denver. Similar to existing literature, the findings suggest that risk factors related to suicidality include hopelessness, methamphetamine use, homelessness, and in-school victimization. However, unlike studies of the general youth population, this study found that African American and male sexual minority youths were not at a lower risk of suicidality than sexual minority youths who were, respectively, white or female. In addition, our findings suggest that the presence of gay-straight alliances in schools may function as a protective resource for sexual minority youths. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

  15. Clinical encounters between nurses and First Nations women in a Western Canadian hospital.

    PubMed

    Browne, Annette J

    2007-05-01

    Based on findings from an ethnographic study, this paper explores the sociopolitical context of nurses' encounters with First Nations women in a Western Canadian hospital. Data were collected using in-depth interviews and participant observation of clinical encounters involving nurses and First Nations women who were in-patients in the hospital. Four themes in the data are discussed: relating across presumed "cultural differences"; constructing the Other; assumptions influencing clinical practice; and responding to routine patient requests. The findings illustrate how discourses and assumptions about Aboriginal people, culture, and presumed differences can become interwoven into routine clinical encounters. These results highlight the importance of analyzing health-care encounters in light of the wider sociopolitical and historical forces that give rise to racialization, culturalism and Othering, and underscore the need for critical awareness of these issues among nurses and other heath-care providers.

  16. Understanding metropolitan patterns of daily encounters.

    PubMed

    Sun, Lijun; Axhausen, Kay W; Lee, Der-Horng; Huang, Xianfeng

    2013-08-20

    Understanding of the mechanisms driving our daily face-to-face encounters is still limited; the field lacks large-scale datasets describing both individual behaviors and their collective interactions. However, here, with the help of travel smart card data, we uncover such encounter mechanisms and structures by constructing a time-resolved in-vehicle social encounter network on public buses in a city (about 5 million residents). Using a population scale dataset, we find physical encounters display reproducible temporal patterns, indicating that repeated encounters are regular and identical. On an individual scale, we find that collective regularities dominate distinct encounters' bounded nature. An individual's encounter capability is rooted in his/her daily behavioral regularity, explaining the emergence of "familiar strangers" in daily life. Strikingly, we find individuals with repeated encounters are not grouped into small communities, but become strongly connected over time, resulting in a large, but imperceptible, small-world contact network or "structure of co-presence" across the whole metropolitan area. Revealing the encounter pattern and identifying this large-scale contact network are crucial to understanding the dynamics in patterns of social acquaintances, collective human behaviors, and--particularly--disclosing the impact of human behavior on various diffusion/spreading processes.

  17. Sexual repertoires of heterosexuals: implications for HIV/sexually transmitted disease risk and prevention. The ACSF Group, Analyse des Comportements Sexuels en France.

    PubMed

    Messiah, A; Blin, P; Fiche, V

    1995-12-01

    To provide a quantitative and population-based analysis of sexual repertoires among heterosexuals. The French National Survey of Sexual Behaviour (ACSF), conducted between September 1991 and February 1992 on a representative sample of the population aged 18-69 years. Sexual practices of the last heterosexual encounter were investigated among 4261 individuals; we measured the combinations of different practices and their correlations with age, and calculated frequencies for the main repertoires and their correlations with the interpartner relationship. Vaginal penetration and caressing were almost systematic, self-masturbation and anal penetration were rare, while mutual masturbation and orogenital practices had intermediate levels of occurrence. Examination of the correlations revealed (1) a very high correlation between practices which are reciprocal or symmetrical, (2) a strong association between genito-manual and genito-oral practices, (3) an association between anal penetration and fellatio, and (4) no clear correlation between any set of practices and vaginal sex or condom use. A small number of repertoires accounted for the vast majority of encounters. Younger people tended to have a more diversified repertoire. Repertoire types and diversity were strongly correlated to the pattern of interpartner relationship, independently of age. Reciprocity seems a standard feature of the heterosexual repertoire. The absence of a negative correlation between vaginal or anal penetration and other practices argues against promotion of the latter as substitute for the former. By contrast, the independence between condom use and any specific repertoire argues for its promotion as a universal means of protection.

  18. An Initial Investigation of Sexual Minority Youth Involvement in School-Based Extracurricular Activities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toomey, Russell B.; Russell, Stephen T.

    2013-01-01

    Sexual minority youth are at risk for negative school-based experiences and poor academic outcomes. Yet, little is known about their experiences in positive school-based contexts. Using the "National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health" (1,214 sexual minority and 11,427 heterosexual participants), this study compared participation…

  19. Monitoring inter-group encounters in wilderness

    Treesearch

    Alan E. Watson; Rich Cronn; Neal A. Christensen

    1998-01-01

    Many managers face the challenge of monitoring rates of visitor encounters in wilderness. This study (1) provides estimates of encounter rates through use of several monitoring methods, (2) determines the relationship between the various measures of encounter rates, and (3) determines the relationship between various indirect predictors of encounter rates and actual...

  20. Race, gender, and sexual orientation in hate crime victimization: identity politics or identity risk?

    PubMed

    Dunbar, Edward

    2006-06-01

    This study examined the impact of hate crimes upon gay and lesbian victims, reviewing 1538 hate crimes committed in Los Angeles County. Differences between sexual orientation and other hate crime categories were considered for offense severity, reportage to law enforcement, and victim impact. The type of offense varied between crimes classified for sexual orientation (n=551) and other bias-motivated crimes (n=987). Assault, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and stalking were predictive of sexual orientation hate crimes. Sexual orientation bias crimes evidenced greater severity of violence to the person and impact upon victim level of functioning. More violent forms of aggression were predictive of gay and lesbian victim's underreportage to law enforcement. For sexual orientation offenses, victim gender and race/ethnicity differences were predictive of the base rates of crime reportage as well. These findings are considered in terms of a group-risk hypothesis, encountered by multiple outgroup persons, that influences help-seeking behavior and ingroup identity.

  1. Gender bias against and sexual harassment of AMWA members in Massachusetts.

    PubMed

    Lenhart, S A; Klein, F; Falcao, P; Phelan, E; Smith, K

    1991-01-01

    Despite the increasing participation of women in medicine over the past few decades, hindrances to professional advancement for women physicians and medical students persist. The present study sought to assess the prevalence of gender bias and sexual harassment in a sample of women physicians and medical students. Within a one-year period, 54% of respondents encountered some form of sex discrimination. In addition, approximately one-fourth experienced sexual harassment (27%) and/or discrimination related to parenthood (24%). Unwanted sexual attention not viewed as sexual harassment was experienced by more than twice as many respondents (55%). Other forms of discrimination were reported as well: age (22%), sexual preference (20%), and race (7%). Perceptions of the extent of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, of their impact on professional commitment, and of the adequacy of solutions at institutions varied directly with whether or not respondents had experienced some form of employment discrimination within the past 12 months. This study points to the need for clarification of what constitutes sexual harassment and for the creation of safe, effective mechanisms to remedy and prevent all forms of gender bias.

  2. Propensity Scoring and the Relationship between Sexual Media and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: Comment on Steinberg and Monahan (2011)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Collins, Rebecca L.; Martino, Steven C.; Elliott, Marc N.

    2011-01-01

    Longitudinal research has demonstrated a link between exposure to sexual content in media and subsequent changes in adolescent sexual behavior, including initiation of intercourse and various noncoital sexual activities. Based on a reanalysis of one of the data sets involved, Steinberg and Monahan (2011) have challenged these findings. However,…

  3. Sexual Orientation and Behavior of Adult Jews in Israel and the Association With Risk Behavior.

    PubMed

    Mor, Zohar; Davidovich, Udi

    2016-08-01

    Estimating the size of key risk groups susceptible to HIV/sexually transmitted diseases (STI) is necessary for establishment of interventions and budget allocation. This study aimed to identify various dimensions of sexual orientation and practices in Israel, and correlate the findings with sexual risk behavior (SRB). It used a random representative sample of the Jewish population aged 18-44 years who completed online questionnaires regarding their self-identified sexual orientation, attraction and practices, and SRB. Concordant heterosexuals were those who self-reported heterosexual identity, were attracted and had sex only with the opposite gender. National estimates regarding prevalence of gay, lesbian, and bisexual men and women were based on the civil census. The sample included 997 men and 1005 women, of whom 11.3 and 15.2 % were attracted to the same-gender, 10.2 and 8.7 % reported lifetime same-gender encounters, while 8.2 and 4.8 % self-identified as gay or bisexual men and lesbian or bisexual women, respectively. The estimated population of self-identified Jewish gay or bisexual men and lesbian or bisexual women aged 18-44 in Israel was 94,176, and 57,671, respectively. SRB was more common among self-identified gays or bisexual men and among discordant heterosexual men and women. Those who reported same-gender sexual practices reported greater SRB than those who only had opposite-gender encounters. Interestingly, SRB among discordant heterosexuals was associated with same-sex behavior rather than attraction. Health practitioners should increase their awareness of sexual diversity among their clientele, and should recognize that risk for HIV/STI may exist among self-identified heterosexuals, who may not disclose their actual sexual attraction or practices.

  4. INTERRUPTED STELLAR ENCOUNTERS IN STAR CLUSTERS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Geller, Aaron M.; Leigh, Nathan W. C., E-mail: a-geller@northwestern.edu, E-mail: nleigh@amnh.org

    Strong encounters between single stars and binaries play a pivotal role in the evolution of star clusters. Such encounters can also dramatically modify the orbital parameters of binaries, exchange partners in and out of binaries, and are a primary contributor to the rate of physical stellar collisions in star clusters. Often, these encounters are studied under the approximation that they happen quickly enough and within a small enough volume to be considered isolated from the rest of the cluster. In this paper, we study the validity of this assumption through the analysis of a large grid of single–binary and binary–binarymore » scattering experiments. For each encounter we evaluate the encounter duration, and compare this with the expected time until another single or binary star will join the encounter. We find that for lower-mass clusters, similar to typical open clusters in our Galaxy, the percent of encounters that will be “interrupted” by an interloping star or binary may be 20%–40% (or higher) in the core, though for typical globular clusters we expect ≲1% of encounters to be interrupted. Thus, the assumption that strong encounters occur in relative isolation breaks down for certain clusters. Instead, many strong encounters develop into more complex “mini-clusters,” which must be accounted for in studying, for example, the internal dynamics of star clusters, and the physical stellar collision rate.« less

  5. A gender discrepancy analysis of heterosexual sexual behaviors in two university samples.

    PubMed

    Jozkowski, Kristen N; Satinsky, Sonya A

    2013-12-01

    The current study aimed to (1) offer a large-scale enumeration of college students' lifetime sexual behaviors and sexual behaviors at last event, and (2) apply a gender discrepancy lens to college students' sexual behaviors in order to examine potential gender differences in heterosexual college students' experiences. Nine-hundred and seventy college students between the ages of 18 and 27 from two large universities in the United States participated in the current study. Participants filled out a paper-pencil questionnaire during the last 30 min of class. Measures of lifetime sexual behaviors and engagement in behaviors at last sexual event were replicated from the National Survey of Sexual Health Behavior. Most college students engaged in some form of sexual behavior (manual, oral, vaginal-penile, anal). Men more frequently reported engaging in receptive sexual behaviors (e.g., receiving oral sex) where as women were more likely to engage in performative sexual behaviors (e.g., performing oral sex). At most recent sexual event, men were more likely than women to report being the sexual initiator. Findings highlight gender differences in sexual behavior and provide a foundation for social norms interventions. Holistic sexual health promotion for young adults includes acknowledging and discouraging sites of disparity in equity and pleasure. Therefore, college-level sexual health educators should pay attention to the potential pleasure gap between men and women in heterosexual encounters, and to see pleasure as an important part of sexual health that should be included in social norms campaigns.

  6. University students' definitions of sexual abstinence and having sex.

    PubMed

    Byers, E Sandra; Henderson, Joel; Hobson, Kristina M

    2009-10-01

    We asked 298 heterosexual Canadian university students about their definitions of the terms abstinence and having sex. For both terms, students were provided with a list of 17 sexual behaviors and indicated whether they would include each in their definition. The majority of both male and female students included activities that did not involve genital stimulation in their definition of sexual abstinence and did not include these activities in their definition of having sex. Conversely, most students did not include bidirectional sexual stimulation (penile-vaginal intercourse or penile-anal intercourse) in their definitions of sexual abstinence but did include them in their definitions of having sex. Students were quite mixed in whether activities involving unidirectional genital stimulation (e.g., oral sex, genital fondling) constituted abstinence, having sex, or neither abstinence nor having sex. However, they were more likely to see these behaviors as abstinent than as having sex. Students were more likely to rate a behavior as abstinence if orgasm did not occur. A canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the patterns of association between a number of predictors and inclusions of behaviors involving no genital stimulation, unidirectional stimulation, and bidirectional genital stimulation in abstinence definitions. The results indicated that male participants who were more involved with their religion and sexually conservative, less sexually experienced, and who had not received sexual health education at home were more likely to define bidirectional genital stimulation and less likely to define no genital stimulation and unidirectional sexual stimulation as sexual abstinence. The research and health promotion implications of these results are discussed.

  7. Young men's vulnerability in constituting hegemonic masculinity in sexual relations.

    PubMed

    Hyde, Abbey; Drennan, Jonathan; Howlett, Etaoine; Brady, Dympna

    2009-09-01

    This article reports on a qualitative analysis of the accounts of young men on their experiences of heterosexual encounters. Based on data collected in Ireland using 17 focus groups with 124 young men aged between 14 and 19 years (a subsection of a wider study), the manner in which intricate peer group mechanisms acted as surveillance strategies in regulating the young men toward presenting themselves in ways consistent with hegemonic manifestations of masculinity is explored. However, there were also elements of resistance to such a culture in the way in which sexual pleasure for some young men was derived relationally through giving pleasure rather than merely through mechanical, emotionally detached sexual acts that characterize hegemonic masculinity. In emphasizing male vulnerabilities such as uncertainty, fear, and rejection in the realm of sexuality, it is proposed that one must not lose sight of the broader context of male sexual dominance for which, as data indicate, men themselves pay a price.

  8. How Common is Men's Self-Reported Sexual Interest in Prepubescent Children?

    PubMed

    Dombert, Beate; Schmidt, Alexander F; Banse, Rainer; Briken, Peer; Hoyer, Jürgen; Neutze, Janina; Osterheider, Michael

    2016-01-01

    Consistent evidence exists for sexual interest in children in nonclinical/nonforensic male populations. However, prevalences for community men's self-reported sexual interest in children have been based on indiscriminate definitions including postpubescent individuals, age-restricted samples, and/or small convenience samples. The present research assessed men's self-reported sexual interest in children (including child prostitution and child sex tourism) on the community level and examined the link between strictly defined sexual fantasies and behaviors involving prepubescent children. In an online survey of 8,718 German men, 4.1% reported sexual fantasies involving prepubescent children, 3.2% reported sexual offending against prepubescent children, and 0.1% reported a pedophilic sexual preference. Sexual fantasies involving prepubescent children were positively related to sexual offending against prepubescent children. Sexual interest in children was associated with subjectively perceived need for therapeutic help. In contrast to findings from forensic samples, men who reported child pornography use exclusively were identified as a subgroup differing from contact sexual offenders against prepubescent children and men who reported both child pornography use and contact sexual offenses against prepubescent children. The empirical link between child-related sexual fantasies and sexual victimization of prepubescent children and high levels of subjective distress from this inclination underscore the importance of evidence-based child sexual abuse prevention approaches in the community. Findings are discussed in terms of their relation to pedophilic disorder.

  9. The Risks and Rewards of Sexual Debut

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golden, Rachel Lynn; Furman, Wyndol; Collibee, Charlene

    2016-01-01

    The sex-positive framework of sexual development hypothesizes that healthy sexual experiences can be developmentally appropriate and rewarding for adolescents despite the risks involved. Research has not examined whether risky behaviors and rewarding cognitions actually change with sexual debut at a normative or late age. This study measured the…

  10. Associations between Sexually Experienced Adolescents' Sources of Information about Sex and Sexual Risk Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Secor-Turner, Molly; Sieving, Renee E.; Eisenberg, Marla E.; Skay, Carol

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to describe prevalent informal sources of information about sex and examine associations between informal sources of information about sex and sexual risk outcomes among sexually experienced adolescents. Work involved the secondary analysis of data from the Minnesota Student Survey, a statewide survey to monitor…

  11. Sexual Satisfaction and Sexual Reactivity in Infertile Women: The Contribution of The Dyadic Functioning and Clinical Variables.

    PubMed

    Czyżkowska, Anna; Awruk, Katarzyna; Janowski, Konrad

    2016-01-01

    Infertility is a factor which has been linked to higher prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in women; however, ambiguous results have been reported about the impact of infertility on women's sexual satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to compare sexual and dyadic functioning in infertile and fertile women. Furthermore, the associations between sexual variables and clinical variables (depressive symptoms, period trying to conceive, and treatment period) were assessed in infertile women sample. The cross-sectional study involved 50 women with the history of infertility and 50 fertile women recruited from the general population. The Sexual Satisfaction Scale (SSS), Mell-Krat Scale (women's version), Family Assessment Measure (FAM-III), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to all participants. Infertile women reported lower sexual satisfaction and more maladaptive patterns of dyadic functioning in comparison to the control group. As many as 45 (90%) of infertile women, compared to 13 (26%) of the control group, reported the scores on the Mell-Krat Scale indicative of the presence of dysfunctions in sexual reactivity (P≤0.001). Infertile women reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than the women from the control group (P≤0.001). Negative correlations were observed between sexual satisfaction and dyadic functioning in both groups (P≤0.05); however, the patterns of these associations were different in infertile and fertile women. For example, negative correlations were found between satisfaction with control and task accomplishment, role performance, affective involvement, and values and norms in infertile women. However, these relationships were not observed in the control group. No correlations were revealed between sexual reactivity and dyadic functioning in infertile women and the control group. Negative correlations were observed between satisfaction with control and relationship duration and treatment period as well

  12. Cultural beliefs about health professionals and perceived empathy influence continuity of cancer screening following a negative encounter.

    PubMed

    Amador, Jael A; Flynn, Patricia M; Betancourt, Hector

    2015-10-01

    Negative health care encounters have implications for preventive medical services and continuity of health care. This study examined cultural and interpersonal psychological factors involved in health care interactions that may ameliorate the detrimental effects of negative encounters. A mixed-methods approach was implemented to examine the relations among positive cultural beliefs about health professionals, perceived professional empathy, interpersonal emotions, and continuity of cancer screening among 237 Latin American (Latino) and non-Latino White (Anglo) American women who reported a negative health care encounter. Multi-group structural equation modeling revealed that for Latino and Anglo women, positive cultural beliefs about health professionals in general were associated with higher perceptions of empathy regarding a professional involved in a negative encounter. In addition, for Latino women, perceptions of higher professional empathy and less negative emotions were associated with better continuity of cancer screening. Interventions designed to improve professionals' empathy skills and diverse patients' perceptions of professionals could improve patient-professional relations.

  13. Involvement of WNK1-mediated potassium channels in the sexual dimorphism of blood pressure.

    PubMed

    Yu, Guofeng; Cheng, Mengting; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Rong; Liu, Zhen

    2017-04-01

    Potassium homeostasis plays an essential role in the control of blood pressure. It is unknown, however, whether potassium balance is involved in the gender-associated blood pressure differences. We therefore investigated the possible mechanism of sexual dimorphism in blood pressure regulation by measuring the blood pressure, plasma potassium, renal actions of potassium channels and upstream regulator in male and female mice. Here we found that female mice exhibited lower blood pressure and higher plasma K + level as compared to male littermates. Western blot analyses of mouse kidney extract revealed a significant decrease in renal outer medullary potassium (ROMK) channel expression, while large-conductance Ca 2+ -activated K + (BK) channel and Na-K-2Cl cotransporter (NKCC2) as well as the upstream regulator with-no-lysine kinase 1 (WNK1) enhanced in female mice under normal condition. Surprisingly, both dietary K + loading and K + depletion eliminated the differences in plasma K + and blood pressure between females and males, and the differences of renal K + channels and WNK1 also attenuated in both groups of mice. These findings indicated the existence of a close correlation between K + homeostasis and sex-associated blood pressure. Moreover, the differential regulation of ROMK, BK-α and NKCC2 between female and male mice, at least, were partly mediated via WNK1 pathway, which may contribute to the sexual dimorphism of plasma K + and blood pressure control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The mesolimbic system participates in the naltrexone-induced reversal of sexual exhaustion: opposite effects of intra-VTA naltrexone administration on copulation of sexually experienced and sexually exhausted male rats.

    PubMed

    Garduño-Gutiérrez, René; León-Olea, Martha; Rodríguez-Manzo, Gabriela

    2013-11-01

    Male rats allowed to copulate until reaching sexual exhaustion exhibit a long-lasting sexual behavior inhibition (around 72 h) that can be reversed by systemic opioid receptor antagonist administration. Copulation activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic system (MLS) and promotes endogenous opioid release. In addition, endogenous opioids, acting at the ventral tegmental area (VTA), modulate the activity of the MLS. We hypothesized that endogenous opioids participate in the sexual exhaustion phenomenon by interacting with VTA opioid receptors and consequently, its reversal by opioid antagonists could be exerted at those receptors. In this study we determined the effects of intra-VTA infusion of different doses of the non-specific opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (0.1-1.0 μg/rat) on the already established sexual behavior inhibition of sexually exhausted male rats. To elucidate the possible involvement of VTA δ-opioid receptors in the naltrexone-mediated reversal of sexual exhaustion, the effects of different doses of the selective δ-opioid receptor antagonist, naltrindole (0.03-1.0 μg/rat) were also tested. Results showed that intra-VTA injection of 0.3 μg naltrexone reversed the sexual inhibition of sexually exhausted rats, evidenced by an increased percentage of animals capable of showing two successive ejaculations. Intra-VTA infused naltrindole did not reverse sexual exhaustion at any dose. It is concluded that the MLS is involved in the reversal of sexual exhaustion induced by systemic naltrexone, and that μ-, but not δ-opioid receptors participate in this effect. Intra-VTA naltrexone infusion to sexually experienced male rats had an inhibitory effect on sexual activity. The opposite effects of intra-VTA naltrexone on male rat sexual behavior expression of sexually experienced and sexually exhausted rats is discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sexual and Fertility Rehabilitation: The Sexual Rehabilitation Framework

    PubMed Central

    Hocaloski, Shea; Carlson, Marie

    2017-01-01

    Many studies have identified improvement in sexual function as a priority for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). Due to the various secondary sensory, motor, and autonomic consequences following SCI and due to the complexity of sexuality per se, this area can be overwhelming to many health care professionals. The literature indicate that sexual and fertility rehabilitation must be addressed in a biopsychosocial manner and include various disciplines. The multidisciplinary utilization of a Sexual Rehabilitation Framework (SRF) allows the medical and/or psychosocial factors that impede or improve sexual and reproductive function to be examined. The SRF is a user-friendly and simplified way to proactively address the major biopsychosocial areas of sexuality and to create a plan of action for the person with SCI. It is an adjunct tool to the full sexual history, and it encourages all disciplines involved in SCI rehabilitation to address the issue of sexual function in the same manner as they would other activities of daily living. Eight areas are included in the SRF: sexual drive/interest, sexual functioning, fertility and contraception, factors associated with the condition, motor and sensory influences, bladder and bowel influences, sexual self-view and self-esteem, and partnership issues. The use of the SRF is encouraged in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary team work is encouraged in sexual and fertility rehabilitation to move clinicians toward providing proactive and comprehensive care for individuals with SCI or other chronic disabilities. PMID:29339877

  16. Police encounters involving citizens with mental illness: use of resources and outcomes.

    PubMed

    Charette, Yanick; Crocker, Anne G; Billette, Isabelle

    2014-04-01

    Few studies have addressed use of resources in police interventions involving individuals with mental illness. The time police officers spend on interventions is a straightforward measure with significant administrative weight, given that it addresses human resource allocation. This study compared the characteristics of police interventions involving individuals with mental illness and a control sample of individuals without mental illness. A total of 6,128 police interventions in Montreal, Québec, were analyzed by using a retrospective analysis of police intervention logs from three days in 2006. Interventions involving citizens with (N=272) and without (N=5,856) mental illness were compared by reason for the intervention, the use of arrest, and the use of police resources. Police interventions involving individuals with mental illness were less likely than those involving individuals without mental illness to be related to more severe offenses. However, interventions for minor offenses were more likely to lead to arrest when they involved citizens with mental illness. Interventions for reasons of equal severity were twice as likely to lead to arrest if the citizen involved had a mental illness. After controlling for the use of arrest and the severity of the situation, the analysis showed that police interventions involving individuals with mental illness used 87% more resources than interventions involving individuals without mental illness. Future studies using administrative police data sets could investigate the use of resources and division of costs involved in new programs or partnerships to better address the interface of criminal justice and mental health care.

  17. Linguistic validation of the Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) translated into five South Asian languages: Oxford Sexual Dysfunction Study (OSDS).

    PubMed

    Malavige, Lasantha S; Wijesekara, Pabasi N; Jayaratne, Shanthilal D; Kathriarachchi, Samudra T; Ranasinghe, Priyanga; Sivayogan, Sivagurunathan; Levy, Jonathan C; Bancroft, John

    2013-12-20

    The purpose of the linguistic validation of the Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) was to produce translated versions in five South Asian languages (Hindi, Urdu, Panjabi, Tamil and Sinhalese) that was "conceptually equivalent" to the original U.S. English version, for use in the Oxford Sexual Dysfunction Study (OSDS). Initially an expert committee was appointed to carry out the task of linguistic validation. This committee included the principal investigator, project coordinator and the associate project manager of the OSDS and a language consultant for each of the South Asian languages. The process of translation and validation was conducted in the following order; a) production of two independent forward translations, b) comparison and reconciliation of the translations, c) backward translation of the first reconciled version, d) comparison of the original version of SIS/SES and the backward version leading to the production of the second reconciled version and e) pilot testing and finalization. Several linguistic and conceptual issues arose during the process of translating the instrument. Problems were also encountered with cultural differences in acceptability of certain concepts, and with semantic difficulties in finding an appropriate translation. In addition, the researchers had to find culturally acceptable equivalents for some terms and idiomatic phrases. The problems encountered in pilot testing, during cognitive debriefing and clinicians' review, were categorized as cultural or conceptual/semantic. Cultural issues describe the acceptability of using certain terms and phrases in a particular socio-cultural milieu. The conceptual and semantic difficulties reflect the inability to deliver the idea/meaning of a source statement in the target language. The current paper describes a selection of these issues. We applied a rigorous translation method to ensure conceptual equivalence and acceptability of SIS/SES in the five different South

  18. Intimacy, intercourse and adjustments: Experiences of sexual life of a group of people with physical disabilities in South Africa.

    PubMed

    Hunt, Xanthe; Braathen, Stine Hellum; Swartz, Leslie; Carew, Mark Thomas; Rohleder, Poul

    2018-02-01

    There is a growing recognition of the sexual and reproductive rights of people with disabilities, and since the World Health Organisation's World Report on Disability, increased international attention has been given to these issues. Past research, however, suggests that this group encounter barriers to sexual and reproductive rights, which are both physical and attitudinal. Against this backdrop, this article employs a sequential mixed qualitative methodology to explore the practical and subjective experiences of 13 people with physical disabilities in South Africa, with regard to their sexual lives and experiences of sexuality. These experiences were marked by concerns about their 'fitness' as sexual beings and indicated that social forces were key in shaping their expectations for their own sexual life.

  19. 32 CFR 147.6 - Guidance D-Sexual behavior.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., exploitation, or duress, or reflects lack of judgment or discretion. 1 Sexual orientation or preference may not... 32 National Defense 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Guidance D-Sexual behavior. 147.6 Section 147.6... Guidance D—Sexual behavior. (a) The concern. Sexual behavior is a security concern if it involves a...

  20. Sexual Abuse of Vulnerable Young and Old Men

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberto, Karen A.; Teaster, Pamela B.; Nikzad, Katherina A.

    2007-01-01

    During a 4-year period, aggregated data from Adult Protective Services case files in Virginia revealed 17 cases of sexually abused young, middle-age, and old men. The most common types of sexual abuse across age groups involved instances of sexualized kissing and fondling and unwelcome sexual interest in the individual men's bodies. The majority…

  1. Women's sexual concerns: data analysis from a help-line.

    PubMed

    Papaharitou, Stamatis; Nakopoulou, Evangelia; Kirana, Paraskevi; Iraklidou, Maria; Athanasiadis, Loukas; Hatzichristou, Dimitrios

    2005-09-01

    To report female sexual problems and concerns, as presented by women calling a help-line, and to evaluate women's help-seeking behavior regarding sexual matters. The study included all telephone calls from women who called for sexual concerns to a help-line dedicated to sexual problems during a 5-year period. During the call, the counselor addresses demographic characteristics of the caller, the sexual problem reported, their sexual function, any previous doctor contacts, coexisting physical and mental health problems, couple's relationship, and lifestyle factors that may influence sexual function. Data processing employed descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis in order to detect possible associations between categorical variables. Of a total of 3,523 calls made by women, 2,287 full forms were analyzed, reflecting a response rate of 64.9%. Most women (46.6%) called for problems encountered by their partners, 45.1% called for their own sexual problems, while 5.9% were calling for their children. Only 34.3% of them had already consulted a doctor. The most frequently reported difficulties were achieving orgasm (25.6%), reduced sexual desire (16.9%), and pain during intercourse (6.1%). Women in the 40-49 age group had the higher odds ratios for the sexual problems reported (reduced sexual desire: odds ratio [OR] 5.0; difficulties achieving orgasm: OR 6.3; pain during intercourse: OR 5.8). Both married and single women had high risk of experiencing low levels of sexual desire (40% and 30%, respectively). Women's sexual concerns are not devoted to their sexual problems, but also their partner's and children's problems. Most frequently reported sexual problems are difficulties in reaching orgasm and reduced sexual desire. However, women are reluctant to seek medical advice on their sexual concerns. There is a need for general practitioners and family doctors to become aware of the possibility of a sexual problem and to be trained on how to manage this at

  2. Sexual Coercion among Adolescents: Victims and Perpetrators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lacasse, Anne; Mendelson, Morton J.

    2007-01-01

    Adolescence is a transitional period when the pressure to engage in romantic and sexual relationships can leave teenagers feeling confused and at risk for sexual coercion. Our studies investigated characteristics of male and female perpetrators and victims of peer sexual coercion, focusing on self-esteem, sexist attitudes, and involvement in…

  3. Sex in murky waters: algal-induced turbidity increases sexual selection in pipefish.

    PubMed

    Sundin, Josefin; Aronsen, Tonje; Rosenqvist, Gunilla; Berglund, Anders

    2017-01-01

    Algal-induced turbidity has been shown to alter several important aspects of reproduction and sexual selection. However, while turbidity has been shown to negatively affect reproduction and sexually selected traits in some species, it may instead enhance reproductive success in others, implying that the impact of eutrophication is far more complex than originally believed. In this study, we aimed to provide more insight into these inconsistent findings. We used molecular tools to investigate the impact of algal turbidity on reproductive success and sexual selection on males in controlled laboratory experiments, allowing mate choice, mating competition, and mate encounter rates to affect reproduction. As study species, we used the broad-nosed pipefish, Syngnathus typhle , a species practicing male pregnancy and where we have previously shown that male mate choice is impaired by turbidity. Here, turbidity instead enhanced sexual selection on male size and mating success as well as reproductive success. Effects from mating competition and mate encounter rates may thus override effects from mate choice based on visual cues, producing an overall stronger sexual selection in turbid waters. Hence, seemingly inconsistent effects of turbidity on sexual selection may depend on which mechanisms of sexual selection that have been under study. Algal blooms are becoming increasingly more common due to eutrophication of freshwater and marine environments. The high density of algae lowers water transparency and reduces the possibility for fish and other aquatic animals to perform behaviors dependent on vision. We have previously shown that pipefish are unable to select the best partner in mate choice trials when water transparency was reduced. However, fish might use other senses than vision to compensate for the reduction in water transparency. In this study, we found that when fish were allowed to freely interact, thereby allowing competition between partners and direct contact

  4. Evolution of fungal sexual reproduction.

    PubMed

    Heitman, Joseph; Sun, Sheng; James, Timothy Y

    2013-01-01

    We review here recent advances in our understanding of the genetic, molecular and genomic basis of sex determination and sexual reproduction in the fungal kingdom as a window on the evolution of sex in eukaryotes more generally. In particular, we focus on the evolution of the mating-type locus and transitions in modes of sexual reproduction using examples from throughout the kingdom. These examples illustrate general principles of the origins of mating-type loci/sex chromosomes and the balance between inbreeding and outcrossing afforded by different modes of sexual reproduction involving tetrapolar, bipolar and unipolar sexual cycles.

  5. Factors Associated with the Sexual Experiences of Underprivileged Mexican Adolescents.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huerta-Franco, Raquel; Malacara, Juan Manuel

    1999-01-01

    Summarizes that sexual activity was strongly associated with age, knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases, and attitudes toward sexuality. Positive affective responsiveness in the family was associated with sexual activity and number of sexual partners. Use of contraceptives was negatively related to affective involvement between parents.…

  6. Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hill, Catherine; Kearl, Holly

    2011-01-01

    Sexual harassment has long been an unfortunate part of the climate in middle and high schools in the United States. Often considered a kind of bullying, sexual harassment by definition involves sex and gender and therefore warrants separate attention. The legal definition of sexual harassment also differentiates it from bullying. Based on a…

  7. Female Sexual Homicide Offenders: A Descriptive and Comparative Study.

    PubMed

    Skott, Sara; Beauregard, Eric; Darjee, Rajan

    2018-04-23

    Research on female sexual homicide has been very scarce. In Europe, it has rarely been examined, and in Scotland, it has never previously been studied. This exploratory study aims to examine the characteristics of sexual homicides involving female offenders between 1990 and 2015 in Scotland. Using data from the Scottish Homicide Database between 1990 and 2015, female sexual homicides (n = 7) were compared to nonsexual homicides committed by females (n = 106) and to sexual homicides committed by men (n = 89) using Fisher's exact tests. The findings show that although female sexual homicide offenders are similar to both female nonsexual homicide offenders and male sexual homicide offenders in certain aspects, there are important differences that distinguish sexual homicides involving female offenders from both groups. Female sexual homicide offenders can arguably be seen as a distinct group of offenders, with specific characteristics and specific needs. © 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

  8. Sexual Satisfaction and the Importance of Sexual Health to Quality of Life Throughout the Life Course of U.S. Adults.

    PubMed

    Flynn, Kathryn E; Lin, Li; Bruner, Deborah Watkins; Cyranowski, Jill M; Hahn, Elizabeth A; Jeffery, Diana D; Reese, Jennifer Barsky; Reeve, Bryce B; Shelby, Rebecca A; Weinfurt, Kevin P

    2016-11-01

    Discussions about sexual health are uncommon in clinical encounters, despite the sexual dysfunction associated with many common health conditions. Understanding of the importance of sexual health and sexual satisfaction in U.S. adults is limited. To provide epidemiologic data on the importance of sexual health for quality of life and people's satisfaction with their sex lives and to examine how each is associated with demographic and health factors. Data are from a cross-sectional self-report questionnaire from a sample of 3,515 English-speaking U.S. adults recruited from an online panel that uses address-based probability sampling. We report ratings of importance of sexual health to quality of life (single item with five-point response) and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Satisfaction With Sex Life score (five items, each with five-point responses, scores centered on the U.S. mean). High importance of sexual health to quality of life was reported by 62.2% of men (95% CI = 59.4-65.0) and 42.8% of women (95% CI = 39.6-46.1, P < .001). Importance of sexual health varied by sex, age, sexual activity status, and general self-rated health. For the 55% of men and 45% of women who reported sexual activity in the previous 30 days, satisfaction with sex life differed by sex, age, race-ethnicity (among men only), and health. Men and women in excellent health had significantly higher satisfaction than participants in fair or poor health. Women with hypertension reported significantly lower satisfaction (especially younger women), as did men with depression or anxiety (especially younger men). In this large study of U.S. adults' ratings of the importance of sexual health and satisfaction with sex life, sexual health was a highly important aspect of quality of life for many participants, including participants in poor health. Moreover, participants in poorer health reported lower sexual satisfaction. Accordingly, sexual health should be a routine

  9. “Blurred Lines?”1 Sexual Aggression and Barroom Culture

    PubMed Central

    Graham, Kathryn; Bernards, Sharon; Osgood, D. Wayne; Abbey, Antonia; Parks, Michael; Flynn, Andrea; Dumas, Tara; Wells, Samantha

    2014-01-01

    Background Meeting potential sexual/romantic partners for mutual pleasure is one of the main reasons young adults go to bars. However, not all sexual contacts are positive and consensual, and aggression related to sexual advances is a common experience. Sometimes such aggression is related to misperceptions in making and receiving sexual advances while other times aggression reflects intentional harassment or other sexually aggressive acts. The present study uses objective observational research to assess quantitatively gender of initiators and targets and the extent that sexual aggression involves intentional aggression by the initiator, the nature of responses by targets, and the role of third parties and intoxication. Methods We analyzed 258 aggressive incidents involving sexual advances observed as part of a larger study on aggression in large capacity bars and clubs, using variables collected as part of the original research (gender, intoxication, intent) and variables coded from narrative descriptions (invasiveness, persistence, targets’ responses, role of third parties). Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) analyses were used to account for nesting on incidents in evening and bars. Results 90% of incidents involved male initiators and female targets, with almost all incidents involving intentional or probably intentional aggression. Targets mostly responded nonaggressively, usually using evasion to end the incident. Staff rarely intervened; patron third parties intervened in 21% of incidents, usually to help the target but sometimes to encourage the initiator. Initiators’ level of invasiveness was related to intoxication of the targets but not their own intoxication, suggesting intoxicated women were being targeted. Conclusions Sexual aggression is a major problem in bars often reflecting intentional sexual invasiveness and unwanted persistence rather than misperceptions in sexual advances. Prevention needs to focus on addressing masculinity norms of male

  10. Graduate students' perceptions of contrapower sexual harassment.

    PubMed

    Mohipp, Charmaine; Senn, Charlene Y

    2008-09-01

    This study compared the perceptions of 172 graduate students to traditional versus contrapower sexual harassment. Graduate students are a unique sample due to their dual role as a student and a teacher. After controlling for attitudes toward feminism and sexual harassment, participants viewed contrapower sexual harassment as less indicative of sexual harassment than traditional sexual harassment. Those with teaching experience perceived the scenarios provided as more indicative of sexual harassment than participants without teaching experience, and this effect was magnified for males. These findings suggest that people take sexual harassment less seriously in contrapower sexual harassment than in traditional sexual harassment. Furthermore, it is possible that teaching experience makes graduate students more aware of the complicated power differentials involved in classroom settings.

  11. Cross-sectional comparative study of risky sexual behaviours among HIV-infected persons initiated and waiting to start antiretroviral therapy in rural Rakai, Uganda.

    PubMed

    Nakiganda, Lydia Jacenta; Nakigozi, Gertrude; Kagaayi, Joseph; Nalugoda, Fred; Serwadda, David; Sewankambo, Nelson; Gray, Ronald; Ndyanabo, Anthony; Muwanika, Richard; Asamoah, Benedict Oppong

    2017-09-11

    To compare risky sexual behaviours between HIV-positive persons initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) (ART-experienced) and persons waiting to start on ART (ART-naive) and assess predictors of risky sexual behaviours among HIV-infected patients in rural Rakai district, Uganda. This is a cross-sectional study that used data from the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS) database between 2013 and 2014. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. We used stepwise logistic regression as an index to estimate the adjusted ORs for the association between risky sexual behaviours and ART treatment status. This study was conducted in Rakai district, located in south-western Uganda. The data for this study were extracted from the RCCS. RCCS is an open prospective cohort of approximately 15 000 consenting participants aged 15-49 years. HIV-positive participants aged 18-49 years who had sex at least once a month with any partner prior to the start of the study. Inconsistent/no condom use in the last 12 months, alcohol use at last sexual encounter, and two or more sexual partners. ART-naive participants were more likely to report inconsistent condom use (OR=1.74, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.73) and more likely to drink alcohol at last sexual encounter (OR=1.65, 95% CI 1.11 to 2.46), compared with ART-experienced patients. ART treatment status (p<0.001) was a significant predictor of risky sexual behaviours. Both marital status (p=0.016) and occupation level (p=0.009) were positively associated with inconsistent condom use, while sex (p<0.001) correlated with alcohol use at last sexual encounter. ART-naive participants were more likely to exhibit risky sexual behaviours than the ART-experienced participants. The intensity of risk reduction counselling should be increased for HIV-positive persons waiting to start ART but already in HIV care. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No

  12. Understanding metropolitan patterns of daily encounters

    PubMed Central

    Sun, Lijun; Axhausen, Kay W.; Lee, Der-Horng; Huang, Xianfeng

    2013-01-01

    Understanding of the mechanisms driving our daily face-to-face encounters is still limited; the field lacks large-scale datasets describing both individual behaviors and their collective interactions. However, here, with the help of travel smart card data, we uncover such encounter mechanisms and structures by constructing a time-resolved in-vehicle social encounter network on public buses in a city (about 5 million residents). Using a population scale dataset, we find physical encounters display reproducible temporal patterns, indicating that repeated encounters are regular and identical. On an individual scale, we find that collective regularities dominate distinct encounters’ bounded nature. An individual’s encounter capability is rooted in his/her daily behavioral regularity, explaining the emergence of “familiar strangers” in daily life. Strikingly, we find individuals with repeated encounters are not grouped into small communities, but become strongly connected over time, resulting in a large, but imperceptible, small-world contact network or “structure of co-presence” across the whole metropolitan area. Revealing the encounter pattern and identifying this large-scale contact network are crucial to understanding the dynamics in patterns of social acquaintances, collective human behaviors, and—particularly—disclosing the impact of human behavior on various diffusion/spreading processes. PMID:23918373

  13. Sexuality education in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Suplicy, M

    1994-01-01

    The development of a comprehensive program of sex education in Brazilian schools is described in the context of Brazil's culture and traditions such as the Carnival. The influence of Catholicism is explored as is the effect of the behavioral restrictions called for by scientists concerned about sexually transmitted diseases. The Brazilian response to homosexuality is described, and the emergence of a public discussion of sexuality in the media is traced. It is noted that improvements in the status of women have been held in check by a public ridicule of feminism and by the strength of the traditional patriarchal structures which dominate the culture. With this picture given of how the issue of sexuality fits into Brazilian life, the 1980s initiative on the part of the Work and Research Group for Sex Education is described. Opposition to this effort has largely taken the form of passive resistance; even the Catholic Church has not officially protested the sex education program. Details are provided about 1) the selection of teachers, teacher training, and weekly supervisory teacher meetings; 2) the way in which parental permission for student participation was gained; 3) the implementation of the program; 4) the successes achieved; and 5) the difficulties encountered. Finally, it is noted that plans were made to expand the sex education project from the Sao Paulo area to 6 additional large cities in 1994. Also planned is the publication of the Brazilian Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality which will explain the sex education methodology and be extremely valuable in the establishment of new projects.

  14. Male adolescent sexual and reproductive health care.

    PubMed

    Marcell, Arik V; Wibbelsman, Charles; Seigel, Warren M

    2011-12-01

    Male adolescents' sexual and reproductive health needs often go unmet in the primary care setting. This report discusses specific issues related to male adolescents' sexual and reproductive health care in the context of primary care, including pubertal and sexual development, sexual behavior, consequences of sexual behavior, and methods of preventing sexually transmitted infections (including HIV) and pregnancy. Pediatricians are encouraged to address male adolescent sexual and reproductive health on a regular basis, including taking a sexual history, performing an appropriate examination, providing patient-centered and age-appropriate anticipatory guidance, and delivering appropriate vaccinations. Pediatricians should provide these services to male adolescent patients in a confidential and culturally appropriate manner, promote healthy sexual relationships and responsibility, and involve parents in age-appropriate discussions about sexual health with their sons.

  15. First spacecraft encounter with an asteroid approaches

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tholen, David J.

    1991-01-01

    During the course of the Galileo spacecraft's journey to Jupiter it will make two excursions through the steroid belt situated between Mars and Jupiter. The first excursion involves an encounter with the asteroid 951 Gaspra, which will take place on October 29, 1991. Gaspra is a small (about 15 km diameter) asteroid near the outer edge of the main asteroid belt. It's spectral classification is S, suggesting a composition similar to those of stony-iron meteorites. A figure is given showing the brightness of this asteroid as a function of time.

  16. Development and validation of a five-factor sexual satisfaction and distress scale for women: the Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSS-W).

    PubMed

    Meston, Cindy; Trapnell, Paul

    2005-01-01

    This article presents data based on the responses of over 800 women who contributed to the development of the Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSS-W). The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive, multifaceted, valid, and reliable self-report measure of women's sexual satisfaction and distress. Phase I involved the initial selection of items based on past literature and on interviews of women diagnosed with sexual dysfunction and an exploratory factor analysis. Phase II involved an additional administration of the questionnaire, factor analyses, and refinement of the questionnaire items. Phase III involved administration of the final questionnaire to a sample of women with clinically diagnosed sexual dysfunction and controls. Psychometric evaluation of the SSS-W conducted in a sample of women meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for female sexual dysfunction and in a control sample provided preliminary evidence of reliability and validity. The ability of the SSS-W to discriminate between sexually functional and dysfunctional women was demonstrated for each of the SSS-W domain scores and total score. The SSS-W is a brief, 30-item measure of sexual satisfaction and sexual distress, composed of five domains supported by factor analyses: contentment, communication, compatibility, relational concern, and personal concern. It exhibits sound psychometric properties and has a demonstrated ability to discriminate between clinical and nonclinical samples.

  17. The Glass Is Half Full: Geriatric Precepting Encounters in Family Medicine

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rollins, Lisa K.; Martirosian, Tovia; Gazewood, John D.

    2009-01-01

    Approximately 19% to 20% of all family medicine office visits involve care to patients older than age 65, yet limited research addresses family medicine geriatric education in the outpatient setting. This study explored how geriatric content is incorporated into resident/attending precepting encounters, using direct observation. An observer…

  18. Quality of Sexual Life and Changes Occurring in Sexual Life of Women With High-Risk Pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Tugut, Nilufer; Golbasi, Zehra; Bulbul, Tulay

    2017-02-17

    This study was aimed at determining the quality of sexual life and changes occurring in the sexual life of women with high-risk pregnancy. The study was carried out at the obstetric clinic of a hospital in a province located in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. The population of this cross-sectional study comprised 112 women diagnosed with high-risk pregnancy. When the period during which the women had a diagnosis of high-risk pregnancy was compared to the period during which they did not have such a diagnosis, it was determined that more than half of the women experienced adverse changes in their sexual lives. Also high-risk pregnancies involved such complaints as sexual dissatisfaction, sexual self-dislike, and feelings of pain during sexual intercourse.

  19. Effects of Aversive Classical Conditioning on Sexual Response in Women With Dyspareunia and Sexually Functional Controls.

    PubMed

    Both, Stephanie; Brauer, Marieke; Weijenborg, Philomeen; Laan, Ellen

    2017-05-01

    In dyspareunia-a somatically unexplained vulvovaginal pain associated with sexual intercourse-learned pain-related fear and inhibited sexual arousal are supposed to play a pivotal role. Based on research findings indicating that enhanced pain conditioning is involved in the etiology and maintenance of chronic pain, in the present study it was hypothesized that enhanced pain conditioning also might be involved in dyspareunia. To test whether learned associations between pain and sex negatively affect sexual response; whether women with dyspareunia show stronger aversive learning; and whether psychological distress, pain-related anxiety, vigilance, catastrophizing, and sexual excitation and inhibition were associated with conditioning effects. Women with dyspareunia (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 35) completed a differential conditioning experiment, with one erotic picture (the CS + ) paired with a painful unconditional stimulus and one erotic picture never paired with pain (the CS - ). Genital sexual response was measured by vaginal photoplethysmography, and ratings of affective value and sexual arousal in response to the CS + and CS - were obtained. Psychological distress, pain cognitions, and sexual excitation and inhibition were assessed by validated questionnaires. The two groups showed stronger negative affect and weaker subjective sexual arousal to the CS + during the extinction phase, but, contrary to expectations, women with dyspareunia showed weaker differential responding. Controls showed more prominent lower genital response to the CS + during acquisition than women with dyspareunia. In addition, women with dyspareunia showed stronger expectancy for the unconditional stimulus in response to the safe CS - . Higher levels of pain-related fear, pain catastrophizing, and sexual inhibition were associated with weaker differential conditioning effects. Pairing of sex with pain negatively affects sexual response. The results indicate that a learned

  20. Encounters with a Pedagogista

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vintimilla, C. D.

    2018-01-01

    This article documents the initial work and encounters of a pedagogista with a group of educators on the west coast of Canada. The article retraces the complexities and vulnerabilities of such encounters, and presents them as generative and rich conversations that were carried along by, and not despite, their difficulty. They followed a practice…

  1. Pubertal Timing and Adolescent Sexual Behavior in Girls

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moore, Sarah R.; Harden, K. Paige; Mendle, Jane

    2014-01-01

    Girls who experience earlier pubertal timing relative to peers also exhibit earlier timing of sexual intercourse and more unstable sexual relationships. Although pubertal development initiates feelings of physical desire, the transition into romantic and sexual relationships involves complex biological and social processes contributing both to…

  2. Sexual assault support services and community systems: understanding critical issues and needs in the LGBTQ community.

    PubMed

    Todahl, Jeffrey L; Linville, Deanna; Bustin, Amy; Wheeler, Jenna; Gau, Jeff

    2009-08-01

    Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals encounter social conditions that create important considerations for LGBTQ sexual assault victims. This exploratory, mixed-methods study examines the relationship between community attitudes toward LGBTQ persons and associated community responses to LGBTQ sexual assault victims. An online and paper-and-pencil survey (n = 130) and four focus group interviews (n = 14) are analyzed using frequency distributions and grounded theory methods. The central theme that emerged in focus group interviews, titled "low community awareness and support for sexual violence in the LGBTQ community," was corroborated by survey participants. Participants' views of unique considerations for LGBTQ sexual assault victims are presented, including causal factors, consequences, and recommended strategies.

  3. Prostitution, sexual behavior and STDs.

    PubMed

    Gaspari, V; D'Antuono, A; Bellavista, S; Trimarco, R; Patrizi, A

    2012-08-01

    Prostitution involves the exchange of sexual services for economic compensation. As sexual behaviour is an important determinant in transmitting HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), sex workers (SWs), transgenders and clients are often labeled as a "high risk group" in the context of HIV and STDs. It has been documented that female sex workers in particular have an increased prevalence of untreated STDs and have been hypothesized to affect the health and HIV incidence of the general population. People involved in prostitution are a cause for concern from both public health and economic perspectives. However, little is known about why they remain in this type of activity given the risks prostitution presents, and even less is known about how to intervene and interrupt the complex cycle of prostitution. The aim of this paper is to provide a clinical and epidemiological analysis of the relationship between prostitution, sexual behavior and outbreaks of STDs; to assess the role that migrants, transgenders and clients of SWs have in prostitution and in the outbreaks of STDs. In addition, we also want to highlight how new sexual networks, like the Internet, have become an increasingly important vehicle to sharing information about prostitution, sexual behavior and STDs. Finally we present what may be the prevention strategies and the goals in order to stem the spread of STDs among these hard-to-access groups.

  4. Sexual assertiveness in heterosexually active men: a test of three samples.

    PubMed

    Noar, Seth M; Morokoff, Patricia J; Redding, Colleen A

    2002-08-01

    Heterosexually active men have great potential to increase condom use rates during sexual encounters. However, this potential cannot be realized if men are not assertive with their partners regarding condom use. This study reports on the examination of condom-specific sexual assertiveness (SA) in three independent samples of heterosexually active men. In so doing, a reliable and brief four-item measure of SA was developed from a measure previously used with women. Across all three samples, those with higher SA were significantly more likely to be further along the condom stages of change, and significantly less likely to have engaged in unprotected sex. Results suggest that SA is a meaningful construct for men and that increasing SA in men may result in subsequent increases in safer sexual behaviors.

  5. Voyager Saturn encounter attitude and articulation control experience

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carlisle, G.; Hill, M.

    1981-01-01

    The Voyager attitude and articulation control system is designed for a three-axis stabilized spacecraft; it uses a biasable sun sensor and a Canopus Star Tracker (CST) for celestial control, as well as a dry inertial reference unit, comprised of three dual-axis dry gryos, for inertial control. A series of complex maneuvers was required during the first of two Voyager spacecraft encounters with Saturn (November 13, 1980); these maneuvers involved rotating the spacecraft simultaneously about two or three axes while maintaining accurate pointing of the scan platform. Titan and Saturn earth occulation experiments and a ring scattering experiment are described. Target motion compensation and the effects of celestial sensor interference are also considered. Failure of the CST, which required an extensive reevaluation of the star reference and attitude control mode strategy, is discussed. Results analyzed thus far show that the system performed with high accuracy, gathering data deeper into Saturn's atmosphere than on any previous planetary encounter.

  6. Stream Lifetimes Against Planetary Encounters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Valsecchi, G. B.; Lega, E.; Froeschle, Cl.

    2011-01-01

    We study, both analytically and numerically, the perturbation induced by an encounter with a planet on a meteoroid stream. Our analytical tool is the extension of pik s theory of close encounters, that we apply to streams described by geocentric variables. The resulting formulae are used to compute the rate at which a stream is dispersed by planetary encounters into the sporadic background. We have verified the accuracy of the analytical model using a numerical test.

  7. Afferentation of the lateral nidopallium: A tracing study of a brain area involved in sexual imprinting in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata).

    PubMed

    Sadananda, Monika; Bischof, Hans-Joachim

    2006-08-23

    The lateral forebrain of zebra finches that comprises parts of the lateral nidopallium and parts of the lateral mesopallium is supposed to be involved in the storage and processing of visual information acquired by an early learning process called sexual imprinting. This information is later used to select an appropriate sexual partner for courtship behavior. Being involved in such a complicated behavioral task, the lateral nidopallium should be an integrative area receiving input from many other regions of the brain. Our experiments indeed show that the lateral nidopallium receives input from a variety of telencephalic regions including the primary and secondary areas of both visual pathways, the globus pallidus, the caudolateral nidopallium functionally comparable to the prefrontal cortex, the caudomedial nidopallium involved in song perception and storage of song-related memories, and some parts of the arcopallium. There are also a number of thalamic, mesencephalic, and brainstem efferents including the catecholaminergic locus coeruleus and the unspecific activating reticular formation. The spatial distribution of afferents suggests a compartmentalization of the lateral nidopallium into several subdivisions. Based on its connections, the lateral nidopallium should be considered as an area of higher order processing of visual information coming from the tectofugal and the thalamofugal visual pathways. Other sensory modalities and also motivational factors from a variety of brain areas are also integrated here. These findings support the idea of an involvement of the lateral nidopallium in imprinting and the control of courtship behavior.

  8. Identifying familiar strangers in human encounter networks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Di; Li, Xiang; Zhang, Yi-Qing

    2016-10-01

    Familiar strangers, pairs of individuals who encounter repeatedly but never know each other, have been discovered for four decades yet lack an effective method to identify. Here we propose a novel method called familiar stranger classifier (FSC) to identify familiar strangers from three empirical datasets, and classify human relationships into four types, i.e., familiar stranger (FS), in-role (IR), friend (F) and stranger (S). The analyses of the human encounter networks show that the average number of FS one may encounter is finite but larger than the Dunbar Number, and their encounters are structurally more stable and denser than those of S, indicating the encounters of FS are not limited by the social capacity, and more robust than the random scenario. Moreover, the temporal statistics of encounters between FS over the whole time span show strong periodicity, which are diverse from the bursts of encounters within one day, suggesting the significance of longitudinal patterns of human encounters. The proposed method to identify FS in this paper provides a valid framework to understand human encounter patterns and analyse complex human social behaviors.

  9. "I am yet to encounter any survey that actually reflects my life": a qualitative study of inclusivity in sexual health research.

    PubMed

    Carrotte, Elise R; Vella, Alyce M; Bowring, Anna L; Douglass, Caitlin; Hellard, Margaret E; Lim, Megan S C

    2016-07-27

    Heteronormativity describes a set of norms and assumptions pertaining to heterosexual identities and binary gender. In 2015, we conducted our annual Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll study, an online health survey of over 1000 Victorians aged 15-29 years. Feedback from participants suggested that our survey contained heteronormative language. In response to this, we aimed to make inclusive changes to our survey via consultation with young gender and sexually diverse (GSD) people. We conducted two semi-structured focus groups in Melbourne with a total of 16 participants (age range: 21-28 years). Participants were mostly cisgender women, and there were two transgender participants and one non-binary participant. Participants also had a range of sexual identities including lesbian, queer, bisexual, pansexual, and asexual. Focus group discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Most participants indicated heteronormativity affects their lives in multiple ways, noting its impacts on access to sexual healthcare, invalidating sexual experiences and miscommunication in forms and surveys. Overall, participants emphasised the need for sexual health research to avoid assumptions about behaviour, to be clear and eliminate question ambiguity and avoiding treating gender as binary. Participants also discussed how the Sex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll survey could address a range of sexual behaviours and experiences, rather than focusing on penetrative sex, which many participants found invalidating. Our findings have important implications for future health surveys aimed at general populations. We present recommendations that encourage research to be more inclusive to ensure data collection from GSD participants is respectful and rigorous.

  10. Sexual possibility situations and sexual behaviors among young adolescents: the moderating role of protective factors.

    PubMed

    DiLorio, Colleen; Dudley, William N; Soet, Johanna E; McCarty, Frances

    2004-12-01

    To examine sexual possibility situations (SPS) and protective practices associated with involvement in intimate sexual behaviors and the initiation of sexual intercourse among young adolescents and to determine if protective factors moderate the relationship between SPS and sexual behaviors. Data for these analyses were obtained from the baseline assessment for adolescents conducted as part of an HIV prevention study called "Keepin' it R.E.A.L.!" The study was conducted with a community-based organization (CBO) in an urban area serving a predominantly African-American population. In addition to items assessing SPS, intimate sexual behaviors, and initiation of sexual intercourse, adolescents provided information on the following protective factors: educational goals, self-concept, future time perspective, orientation to health, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, parenting, communication, values, and prosocial activities. Background personal information, including age and gender, was also collected. The analyses were conducted on data from 491 predominantly African-American adolescents, 61% of whom were boys. Variables were combined to form SPS and protective indices that were used in the first set of regression analyses. In a second set of analyses, the indices were unbundled and individual variables were entered into regression analyses. Both SPS and protective indices explained significant portions of variance in intimate sexual behaviors, and the SPS index explained a significant portion of variance in the initiation of sexual intercourse. The regression analysis using the unbundled SPS and protective factors revealed the following statistically significant predictors for intimate sexual behaviors: age, gender, time alone with groups of peers, time alone with a member of the opposite sex, behavior self-concept, popularity self-concept, self-efficacy for abstinence, outcome expectations for abstinence, parental control, personal values, and parental values. A

  11. Same-sex sexual attraction, behavior, and practices of Jewish men in Israel and the association with HIV prevalence.

    PubMed

    Mor, Zohar; Davidovich, Udi

    2016-01-01

    In order to efficiently direct efforts and resources required for the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Israel, it is necessary to define their particular behaviors, estimate their size, and asses the HIV-burden. This cross-sectional study included a sub-sample from a random representative National study performed in Israel, which included Jewish males aged 18-44 who completed online anonymous questionnaires regarding their sexual attraction and practices, commercial sex-work, as well as condom and substances' use. Additionally, participants were asked to identify themselves as gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. National estimates regarding prevalence of risk-behaviors and HIV-infection among MSM were based on the Statistical Abstract of Israel and the National HIV Registry, respectively. Of the total sample of 997 men, 11.9% reported lifetime male sex encounters, while 4.5% and 3.7% self-identified as gay or bisexual, respectively. The estimated population of self-identified Jewish gays/bisexuals aged 18-44 in Israel was 94,176, and in Tel-Aviv 33,839. HIV prevalence among MSM was estimated at 0.7% in Israel and 1.0% in Tel-Aviv. MSM were more likely to live in Tel-Aviv, had higher levels of education, and were scored higher on several determinants of sexual risk in comparison to those attracted to women, including early sexual debut, greater number of sexual partners, ever paid/been paid for sex, sexually coerced, and substance use. In conclusion, MSM were involved in greater risk behaviors than those who only had female sex partners. Most MSM were living in Tel-Aviv and their estimated HIV prevalence was 1.0%.

  12. Introduction: Science, Sexuality, and Psychotherapy: Shifting Paradigms.

    PubMed

    Cerbone, Armand R

    2017-08-01

    This introduction presents an overview of the current issue (73, 8) of Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session. This issue features a series of articles, with clinical cases, each presented to illustrate the challenges faced by individuals and couples whose sexual and gender identities and expressions do not comport with traditional and cultural norms. These articles also document the challenges to the therapists who treat them. Considered individually, each article underscores the need to recognize the importance of evidence in guiding psychotherapy in cases involving sexuality. The discussions in each article offer recommendations meant to help and guide psychotherapists. Considered collectively, they raise important questions and considerations about shifting paradigms of human sexuality. Implications for assessment and treatment of cases involving sexuality and gender identity are discussed and recommended. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity/Expression (Sexual Minority Students): School Nurse Practice. Position Statement. Revised

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradley, Beverly

    2012-01-01

    It is the position of the National Association of School Nurses that all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or the sexual orientation of their parents and family members, are entitled to a safe school environment and equal opportunities for a high level of academic achievement and school participation/involvement. Establishment of…

  14. Psoriasis and sexual behavior in U.S. women: an epidemiologic analysis using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

    PubMed

    Armstrong, April W; Follansbee, Matthew R; Harskamp, Caitlin T; Schupp, Clayton W

    2013-02-01

    Although sexual behavior is an integral part of most adults' overall well-being, this aspect of psoriasis patients' quality of life is rarely explored. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between psoriasis and sexual behavior in U.S. women. We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2006. Our study focuses on responses to the dermatology and sexual behavior questionnaires of the NHANES. This study examines the association between psoriasis and sexual behavior in U.S. women with regard to sexual orientation, age of first sexual encounter, number of sexual partners, and frequency of unprotected sex. A total of 3,462 women provided responses to their psoriasis status: 2,753 (80%) women were heterosexual and 709 (20%) were nonheterosexual. Among them, 2.7% reported a physician-given diagnosis of psoriasis. On multivariate analyses, psoriasis was not associated with differences in sexual orientation (odds ratio [OR] 0.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.62-2.01). Among nonheterosexual women, multivariate analysis revealed a lower number of lifetime female sexual partners in women with psoriasis (rate ratio [RR] 0.11, 95% CI 0.04-0.33, P = 0.001). Among heterosexual women, no significant differences existed between those with and without psoriasis in age of first sexual encounter (weighted difference -0.54 years, 95% CI -1.27 to 0.19), number of lifetime male sexual partners (RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.69-2.06), or number of lifetime male oral sex partners (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.40-1.29). Heterosexual women with psoriasis had 1.13 times more unprotected sex (RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.24, P = 0.03) compared with those without psoriasis. Psoriasis is associated with a significantly reduced number of sexual partners in nonheterosexual women. Psoriasis may differentially impact sexual behavior based on sexual orientation in women. © 2012 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  15. Sexual Communication in the Drosophila Genus.

    PubMed

    Bontonou, Gwénaëlle; Wicker-Thomas, Claude

    2014-06-18

    In insects, sexual behavior depends on chemical and non-chemical cues that might play an important role in sexual isolation. In this review, we present current knowledge about sexual behavior in the Drosophila genus. We describe courtship and signals involved in sexual communication, with a special focus on sex pheromones. We examine the role of cuticular hydrocarbons as sex pheromones, their implication in sexual isolation, and their evolution. Finally, we discuss the roles of male cuticular non-hydrocarbon pheromones that act after mating: cis-vaccenyl acetate, developing on its controversial role in courtship behavior and long-chain acetyldienylacetates and triacylglycerides, which act as anti-aphrodisiacs in mated females.

  16. Association of Depressive Symptoms and Substance Use With Risky Sexual Behavior and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among African American Female Adolescents Seeking Sexual Health Care.

    PubMed

    Jackson, Jerrold M; Seth, Puja; DiClemente, Ralph J; Lin, Anne

    2015-10-01

    We examined how depression and substance use interacted to predict risky sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among African American female adolescents. We measured depressive symptoms, substance use, sexual behavior, and STIs in 701 African American female adolescents, aged 14 to 20 years, at baseline and at 6-month intervals for 36 months in Atlanta, Georgia (2005-2007). We used generalized estimating equation models to examine effects over the 36-month follow-up period. At baseline, more than 40% of adolescents reported significant depressive symptoms; 64% also reported substance use in the 90 days before assessment. Depression was associated with recently incarcerated partner involvement, sexual sensation seeking, unprotected sex, and prevalent STIs (all P < .001). In addition, adolescents with depressive symptoms who reported any substance use (i.e., marijuana, alcohol, Ecstasy) were more likely to report incarcerated partner involvement, sexual sensation seeking, unprotected sex, and have an incident STI over the 36-month follow-up (all P < .05). African American female adolescents who reported depressive symptoms and substance use were more likely to engage in risky behavior and acquire incident STIs. This population might benefit from future prevention efforts targeting the intersection of depression and substance use.

  17. Association of Depressive Symptoms and Substance Use With Risky Sexual Behavior and Sexually Transmitted Infections Among African American Female Adolescents Seeking Sexual Health Care

    PubMed Central

    Seth, Puja; DiClemente, Ralph J.; Lin, Anne

    2015-01-01

    Objectives. We examined how depression and substance use interacted to predict risky sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among African American female adolescents. Methods. We measured depressive symptoms, substance use, sexual behavior, and STIs in 701 African American female adolescents, aged 14 to 20 years, at baseline and at 6-month intervals for 36 months in Atlanta, Georgia (2005–2007). We used generalized estimating equation models to examine effects over the 36-month follow-up period. Results. At baseline, more than 40% of adolescents reported significant depressive symptoms; 64% also reported substance use in the 90 days before assessment. Depression was associated with recently incarcerated partner involvement, sexual sensation seeking, unprotected sex, and prevalent STIs (all P < .001). In addition, adolescents with depressive symptoms who reported any substance use (i.e., marijuana, alcohol, Ecstasy) were more likely to report incarcerated partner involvement, sexual sensation seeking, unprotected sex, and have an incident STI over the 36-month follow-up (all P < .05). Conclusions. African American female adolescents who reported depressive symptoms and substance use were more likely to engage in risky behavior and acquire incident STIs. This population might benefit from future prevention efforts targeting the intersection of depression and substance use. PMID:25905854

  18. Teenage sexual behaviour: attitudes towards and declared sexual activity.

    PubMed

    Burack, R

    1999-01-01

    Although the teenage pregnancy rates in the UK are falling in the 16 to 19 year old range, they are still rising in the 13 to 15 year olds. Overall, they remain one of the highest within Western Europe. Teenagers continue to present a challenge to the health services due to the increase in their sexual risk taking behaviour, the earlier age at which they are starting sexual activity and a reluctance to utilise services available to them. In an attempt to develop current services and make them more 'user friendly', a sexual health needs assessment was carried out on teenagers, part of which looked at their attitudes towards risk taking sexual behaviour and their declared sexual behaviour. A quantitative survey, using a questionnaire in schools, was answered by 1500 pupils aged between 13 and 18 years old, and showed that the majority of teenagers had declared some form of sexual contact with a partner with a degree of sexual activity increasing with age. Twenty per cent of 13 year olds reported that they had already had either full or oral sexual intercourse with a partner. Feeling peer pressure, not knowing the facts about sexual risk taking and a declared intent that would increase the likelihood of putting themselves or others at risk sexually were significantly more likely in the younger teenage boys surveyed. This study confirms that there remain many different factors involved in teenagers' decision-making processes, about their developing attitudes towards sex and their resultant behaviour. Despite a lack of maturity, such opinions and attitudes are bringing about definite views and sexual behaviour patterns in teenagers as young as 12 or 13 years old who are becoming fully sexually active. In particular teenage boys are becoming fully sexually active at a younger age than the girls and are taking risks in doing so. They are being influenced by peer pressure, condoning promiscuity and are declaring the intent to practice unsafe sexual intercourse. Their level

  19. Effects of relationship motivation, partner familiarity, and alcohol on women's risky sexual decision making.

    PubMed

    Zawacki, Tina; Norris, Jeanette; Hessler, Danielle M; Morrison, Diane M; Stoner, Susan A; George, William H; Davis, Kelly Cue; Abdallah, Devon A

    2009-06-01

    This experiment examined the effects of women's relationship motivation, partner familiarity, and alcohol consumption on sexual decision making. Women completed an individual difference measure of relationship motivation and then were randomly assigned to partner familiarity condition (low, high) and to alcohol consumption condition (high dose, low dose, no alcohol, placebo). Then women read and projected themselves into a scenario of a sexual encounter. Relationship motivation and partner familiarity interacted with intoxication to influence primary appraisals of relationship potential. Participants' primary and secondary relationship appraisals mediated the effects of women's relationship motivation, partner familiarity, and intoxication on condom negotiation, sexual decision abdication, and unprotected sex intentions. These findings support a cognitive mediation model of women's sexual decision making and identify how individual and situational factors interact to shape alcohol's influences on cognitive appraisals that lead to risky sexual decisions. This knowledge can inform empirically based risky sex interventions.

  20. Demographic drivers of age-dependent sexual selection.

    PubMed

    Martin, A M; Festa-Bianchet, M; Coltman, D W; Pelletier, F

    2016-07-01

    Sexual selection has a critical role in evolution, and it is fundamental to identify what ecological factors drive its variation. Disentangling the ecological correlates of sexual selection over the long term, however, is challenging and has rarely been done in nature. We sought to assess how demographic changes influenced the intensity, direction and form of sexual selection and whether selective pressures varied with age. We tested whether breeder sex ratio, number of competitors and age structure influenced selection differentials on horn length of wild bighorn rams (Ovis canadensis) of different age classes on Ram Mountain, Alberta. We used 21 years of data including a detailed pedigree, demographic parameters and repeated morphological measurements. Sexual selection on horn length of males of all ages was directional and positive. Selection intensity increased with the number of competitors, reflecting male-male encounter rate during the rut, but was independent of breeder sex ratio or age structure. This result can also be linked to changes in population size because the number of competitors was highly correlated to total number of sheep. This demographic effect likely arises from age-dependent mating tactics. Males aged 2-4 years are weakly competitive and experienced stronger sexual selection as they accounted for a greater proportion of all males. Selection experienced by mature males appeared independent of demography. Our study provides a rare description of the demographic determinants of sexual selection in nature. © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2016 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

  1. Perceptions of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault: A Study of Gender Differences among U.S. Navy Officers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-03-01

    2008), 1–362. 22 Susan Carney, "Sexual Assault Awareness: Prevention Activities to Get Teens Aware and Involved," suite101.com, April 2, 2007...there were nude pictures of women hung at each workstation (this was acceptable back then). This only stopped when I hung my own pictures of naked ...January 2010: 193–222. 164 Carney, Susan. "Sexual Assault Awareness: Prevention Activities to Get Teens Aware and Involved." suite101.com. April 2

  2. The organizational effects of pubertal testosterone on sexual proficiency in adult male Syrian hamsters.

    PubMed

    De Lorme, Kayla C; Sisk, Cheryl L

    2016-10-15

    T@P males: a reduction in ectopic mounts after repeated encounters with a receptive female and an inverted U-shape pattern in mounts and intromissions when these encounters do not lead to ejaculations. These results support the hypothesis that pubertal testosterone organizes neural circuits underlying behavioral flexibility and adaptability to promote sexual proficiency in adulthood. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Estimation of heritability, evolvability and genetic correlations of two pollen and pistil traits involved in a sexual conflict over timing of stigma receptivity in Collinsia heterophylla (Plantaginaceae).

    PubMed

    Madjidian, Josefin A; Andersson, Stefan; Lankinen, Asa

    2012-07-01

    Heritable genetic variation is crucial for selection to operate, yet there is a paucity of studies quantifying such variation in interactive male/female sexual traits, especially those of plants. Previous work on the annual plant Collinsia heterophylla, a mixed-mating species, suggests that delayed stigma receptivity is involved in a sexual conflict: pollen from certain donors fertilize ovules earlier than others at the expense of reduced maternal seed set and lower levels of pollen competition. Parent-offspring regressions and sib analyses were performed to test for heritable genetic variation and co-variation in male and female interactive traits related to the sexual conflict. SOME heritable variation and evolvability were found for the female trait (delayed stigma receptivity in presence of pollen), but no evidence was found for genetic variation in the male trait (ability to fertilize ovules early). The results further indicated a marginally significant correlation between a male's ability to fertilize early and early stigma receptivity in offspring. However, despite potential indirect selection of these traits, antagonistic co-evolution may not occur given the lack of heritability of the male trait. To our knowledge, this is the first study of a plant or any hermaphrodite that examines patterns of genetic correlation between two interactive sexual traits, and also the first to assess heritabilities of plant traits putatively involved in a sexual conflict. It is concluded that the ability to delay fertilization in presence of pollen can respond to selection, while the pollen trait has lower evolutionary potential.

  4. Childhood sexual history of 20 male pedophiles vs. 24 male healthy control subjects.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Lisa J; McGeoch, Pamela G; Gans, Sniezyna Watras; Nikiforov, Konstantin; Cullen, Ken; Galynker, Igor I

    2002-11-01

    Despite the widespread incidence of childhood sexual abuse, there is insufficient investigation into the childhood sexual history of perpetrators. In addition, there is little published on the specific similarities between childhood and adult sexual histories. The present study investigates the incidence of childhood sexual abuse in a carefully characterized sample of male pedophiles compared with a demographically similar control group. Concordance between and cognitive distortions about characteristics of childhood abuse and pedophilic behavior are also studied. Twenty men with pedophilia, heterosexual type were compared with 24 demographically similar, healthy male control subjects on a questionnaire specifically designed to assess childhood sexual history in pedophiles. Sixty percent of pedophiles compared with 4% of control subjects reported adult sexual advances as a child. Seventy-five percent of pedophiles and 22% of control subjects reported a first sexual encounter before age 14 years. About 60% concordance was found between acts experienced as a child and perpetrated as an adult. Finally, numerous inconsistencies throughout the questionnaire add preliminary support for the role of cognitive distortions with regard to childhood and adult sexual history. The present findings replicate the elevated rate of childhood sexual abuse found among pedophiles and are consistent with the notion of a causative relationship between early childhood abuse and later pedophilic behavior.

  5. Recreational drug use and risks of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among Chinese men who have sex with men: Mediation through multiple sexual partnerships.

    PubMed

    Xu, Jun-Jie; Zhang, Chen; Hu, Qing-Hai; Chu, Zhen-Xing; Zhang, Jing; Li, Yong-Ze; Lu, Lin; Wang, Zhe; Fu, Ji-Hua; Chen, Xi; Yan, Hong-Jing; Zhuang, Ming-Hua; Jiang, Yong-Jun; Geng, Wen-Qing; Vermund, Sten H; Shang, Hong; Qian, Han-Zhu

    2014-12-02

    Recreational drug use (RDU) may result in sexual disinhibition and higher risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. We assessed whether RDU was associated with HIV, syphilis, and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) within the context of multiple sexual partnerships and unprotected sex. We conducted a cross-sectional study among sexually-active MSM in six Chinese cities (Kunming, Jinan, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, and Shanghai) in 2012-2013. We interviewed participants regarding RDU and sexual activity and drew blood for HIV, syphilis, and HSV-2. We fit multiple logistic regression models to assess associations of drug use and HIV, syphilis and HSV-2 infections, controlling for number of sexual partners and unprotected sex. Of 3830 participants, 28% reported ever using ≥1 of these drugs in the past 6 months: popper (alkyl nitrites), ecstasy, ice (methamphetamine), amphetamine, tramadol, and ketamine. In the past six months, 62% of MSM reported ≥2 sexual partners and 76% did not use condoms at last sexual encounter. HIV, syphilis and HSV-2 prevalences were 9.2%, 12.2%, and 10.3%, respectively.RDU was associated with HIV infection (aOR = 1.67; 95% CI, 1.31-2.13). Men with RDU were more likely to report multiple sexual partners (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.44-1.98) and unprotected sex (aOR = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.05-1.49). The RDU-HIV association persisted (aOR = 1.58; 95% CI = 1.23-2.02) after adjusting for numbers of partners. RDU was associated with multiple sexual partnerships, unprotected sex, and HIV among Chinese MSM. It is plausible that RDU is a driver of increased sexual/HIV risk and/or may be an associated behavior with sexually risky lifestyles. Community engagement is needed.

  6. Latent Classes of Adolescent Sexual and Romantic Relationship Experiences: Implications for Adult Sexual Health and Relationship Outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Vasilenko, Sara A.; Kugler, Kari C.; Lanza, Stephanie T.

    2015-01-01

    Adolescents’ sexual and romantic relationship experiences are multidimensional, but often studied as single constructs. Thus, it is not clear how different patterns of sexual and relationship experience may interact to differentially predict later outcomes. In this study we used latent class analysis to model patterns (latent classes) of adolescent sexual and romantic experiences, and then examined how these classes are associated with young adult sexual health and relationship outcomes in data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We identified six adolescent relationship classes: No Relationship (33%), Waiting (22%), Intimate (38%), Private (3%), Low Involvement (3%), and Physical (2%). Adolescents in the Waiting and Intimate classes were more likely to have married by young adulthood than those in other classes, and those in the Physical class had a greater number of sexual partners and higher rates of STIs. Some gender differences were found; for example, women in the Low-involvement and Physical classes in adolescence had average or high odds of marriage, whereas men in these classes had relatively low odds of marriage. Our findings identify more and less normative patterns of romantic and sexual experiences in late adolescence, and elucidate associations between adolescent experiences and adult outcomes. PMID:26445133

  7. Building a Culture of Respect across Genders: Eliminating Sexual Misconduct

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cooper, Stewart E.; Dranger, Paula N.

    2018-01-01

    Clinical staff members at virtually all college counseling centers provide therapy for victims of sexual misconduct experiences such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence, and stalking. A number of college counseling center counselors are also involved in primary, secondary, and tertiary sexual assault prevention efforts.…

  8. Sexuality education in Malaysia: perceived issues and barriers by professionals.

    PubMed

    Khalaf, Zahra Fazli; Low, Wah Yun; Merghati-Khoei, Effat; Ghorbani, Behzad

    2014-07-01

    This research explored the perspectives of Malaysian professionals on the issues and barriers affecting the implementation of sexuality education in Malaysia. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 15 key professionals working in the field of sexuality and reproductive health in Malaysia. Thematic analysis was selected to analyze data. Barriers to sexuality education were perceived from 5 aspects: feasibility, acceptability, accountability, strategies, and community unawareness. Respondents believed that implementing national sexuality education is a time-consuming project. They regarded Malaysian multicultural society as a barrier to national sexuality education, and they believed that school-based sexuality education is not easily accomplished in Malaysia; also abstinence-only policy restricts the access of young people to accurate information. Lack of community involvement was perceived as a key concern to sexuality education. Campaigning to promote awareness of families, teachers, community leaders, and policy makers are recommended to help establishing national sexuality education in Malaysia. © 2014 APJPH.

  9. Born both ways: the alloparenting hypothesis for sexual fluidity in women.

    PubMed

    Kuhle, Barry X; Radtke, Sarah

    2013-04-07

    Given the primacy of reproduction, same-sex sexual behavior poses an evolutionary puzzle. Why would selection fashion motivational mechanisms to engage in sexual behaviors with members of the same sex? We propose the alloparenting hypothesis, which posits that sexual fluidity in women is a contingent adaptation that increased ancestral women's ability to form pair bonds with female alloparents who helped them rear children to reproductive age. Ancestral women recurrently faced the adaptive problems of securing resources and care for their offspring, but were frequently confronted with either a dearth of paternal resources due to their mates' death, an absence of paternal investment due to rape, or a divestment of paternal resources due to their mates' extra-pair mating efforts. A fluid sexuality would have helped ancestral women secure resources and care for their offspring by promoting the acquisition of allomothering investment from unrelated women. Under this view, most heterosexual women are born with the capacity to form romantic bonds with both sexes. Sexual fluidity is a conditional reproductive strategy with pursuit of men as the default strategy and same-sex sexual responsiveness triggered when inadequate paternal investment occurs or when women with alloparenting capabilities are encountered. Discussion focuses on (a) evidence for alloparenting and sexual fluidity in humans and other primates; (b) alternative explanations for sexual fluidity in women; and(c) fourteen circumstances predicted to promote same-sex sexual behavior in women.

  10. Challenges encountered in providing integrated HIV, antenatal and postnatal care services: a case study of Katakwi and Mubende districts in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Ahumuza, Sharon Eva; Rujumba, Joseph; Nkoyooyo, Abdallah; Byaruhanga, Raymond; Wanyenze, Rhoda K

    2016-04-18

    Integration of sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV/AIDS and maternal health (MH) services is a critical strategy to confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic, high maternal mortality and the unmet need for contraception. In 2011 the AIDS Information Centre (AIC) in partnership with the Ministry of Health implemented SRH, HIV/AIDS and MH integration services in the districts of Katakwi and Mubende in Uganda. This paper documents challenges encountered in providing these integrated services in the two districts. This was a cross-sectional qualitative study conducted in Mubende and Katakwi districts in Uganda. Data were collected using 10 focus group discussions with 89 women attending ANC and postnatal care and 21 key informant interviews with district managers and health workers who were involved in the integrated service delivery. Content thematic approach was used for data analysis. The study findings indicate that various challenges were encountered in integrating HIV, ANC and PNC services. Major challenges included inadequate staff, gaps in knowledge of service providers especially with regard to provision of long-term family planning, limited space, shortage of critical supplies such as HIV test kits, drugs and gloves. These findings indicate that the delivery of integrated HIV, SRH and MH services is hampered greatly by health system challenges and depict the need for additional staffing in health facilities, capacity building of health workers and health managers as well as ensuring sufficient supplies to health facilities for smooth implementation of integrated SRH, HIV and MH services.

  11. Hypersexuality or altered sexual preference following brain injury.

    PubMed Central

    Miller, B L; Cummings, J L; McIntyre, H; Ebers, G; Grode, M

    1986-01-01

    Eight patients are described in whom either hypersexuality (four cases) or change in sexual preference (four cases) occurred following brain injury. In this series disinhibition of sexual activity and hypersexuality followed medial basal-frontal or diencephalic injury. This contrasted with the patients demonstrating altered sexual preference whose injuries involved limbic system structures. In some patients altered sexual behaviour may be the presenting or dominant feature of brain injury. Images PMID:3746322

  12. Accessing sexual health information online: use, motivations and consequences for youth with different sexual orientations

    PubMed Central

    Mitchell, Kimberly J.; Ybarra, Michele L.; Korchmaros, Josephine D.; Kosciw, Joseph G.

    2014-01-01

    We examine reasons why youth of different sexual orientations look for sexual health information online, and what, if anything, they do with it. The Teen Health and Technology study involved online surveys of 5542 Internet users, ages 13 through 18 in the United States. Searching for sexual health information online was reported frequently and varied significantly by sexual orientation: from 19% of heterosexual youth to 78% of gay/lesbian/queer youth. The most common reasons youth look for sexual health information is for privacy and curiosity. Sexual minority youth are more likely than heterosexual youth to report that they looked for information online because they did not have anyone to ask. Once youth have the information, no differences by sexual orientation were noted as to what they did with it. Instead, seeking out the information for privacy-related reasons and having no one to ask were related to taking some action on the information received. Findings indicate that online information is most valuable to those youth who lack alternatives. Care needs to be taken to help ensure that the sexual health information online is accurate and includes topics specific to sexual minority youth. PMID:23861481

  13. A dual physiological character for sexual function: libido and sexual pheromones.

    PubMed

    Motofei, Ion G

    2009-12-01

    Human sexual response is a complex function involving many cerebral, spinal and peripheral aspects; the last are relatively known and benefit from good pharmacological control, as in the case of erectile dysfunction. Spinal cord sexual reflexes also have a good theoretical and experimental description. There is minimal understanding of the cerebral sexual processes (libido, sexual arousal, orgasm). The initial perspective was that the cerebral areas implied in sexuality exert descending stimulatory and inhibitory influences on spinal cord sexual centres/reflexes. This was a wrong supposition, which inhibited progress in this subject, with a considerable impact on a subject's individual and social life. A new approach to sexual function arises from the idea that simple neurological structures can support only simple functions, while a more complex function requires correspondingly complex anatomical structures. For this reason the spinal cord would not be able to realise the integration of multiple (spinal and psychosensorial) stimuli into a unique and coherent ejaculation response. Consequently, all mechanisms implied in human sexuality would be cerebral processes, ejaculation reflexes ascending in evolution to the cerebral level. This new evolutionary concept was developed after 2001 in five distinct articles on the cerebral duality of sexual arousal, sexual hormones, ejaculation and serotonergic receptors. During this period other published results suggested a possible cerebral duality for sexual pheromones and libido in humans. All these dual physiological aspects are integrated in this review into one neurophysiological model, thus trying to further develop the new concepts of sexual function and perhaps relational behaviour. In conclusion, ejaculation is a dual cerebral process with arousal sensation (hormonally modulated) and libido perception (pheromonally modulated) as the afferent part. Two neurophysiological axes could exist in both men and women. In this

  14. Sport and male sexuality.

    PubMed

    Sgrò, P; Di Luigi, L

    2017-09-01

    The relationships between sport and sexuality in males are of great social and clinical interest, because of sports and motor activities that highly promote social and sexual relationships. Even if few literature exist, two main questions should be taken into account: whether and how physical exercise and sport positively or negatively influence sexual health and behavior and/or whether and how sexual behavior may affect a sub-sequent sport performance. Physical exercise and sport per se can influence, positively or negatively, the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis function and, consequently, the individual's reproductive and/or sexual health. This depends on individual factors such as genetic and epigenetic ones and on different variables involved in the practice of sport activities (type of sport, intensity and duration of training, doping and drug use and abuse, nutrition, supplements, psychological stress, allostatic load, etc.). If well conducted, motor and sport activities could have beneficial effects on sexual health in males. Among different lifestyle changes, influencing sexual health, regular physical activity is fundamental to antagonize the onset of erectile dysfunction (ED). However, competitive sport can lead both reproductive and/or sexual tract damages and dysfunctions, transient (genital pain, hypoesthesia of the genitalia, hypogonadism, DE, altered sexual drive, etc.) or permanent (hypogonadism, DE, etc.), by acting directly (traumas of the external genitalia, saddle-related disorders in cyclists, etc.) or indirectly (exercise-related hypogonadism, drug abuse, doping, stress, etc.). Sexual activities shortly performed before a sport competition could differently influence sport performance. Due to the few existing data, it is advisable to avoid an absolute pre-competition sexual abstinence.

  15. Is lack of sexual assertiveness among adolescent and young adult women a cause for concern?

    PubMed

    Rickert, Vaughn I; Sanghvi, Rupal; Wiemann, Constance M

    2002-01-01

    Understanding young women's sexual assertiveness is critical to developing effective interventions to promote sexual health and reduce sexual risk-taking and violence. Young women's perception of their sexual rights may vary according to demographic characteristics, sexual health behaviors and victimization history. Data were collected from 904 sexually active 14-26-year-old clients of two family planning clinics in Texas, reflecting their perceptions of their right to communicate expectations about or control aspects of their sexual encounters. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess which characteristics were independently associated with believing that one never has each specified sexual right. Almost 2096 of women believed that they never have the right to make their own decisions about contraception, regardless of their partner's wishes; to tell their partner that they do not want to have intercourse without birth control, that they want to make love differently or that their partner is being too rough; and to stop foreplay at any time, including at the point of intercourse. Poor grades in school, sexual inexperience, inconsistent contraceptive use and minority ethnicity were independently associated with lacking sexual assertiveness. Many sexually active young women perceive that they do not have the right to communicate about or control aspects of their sexual behavior. Interventions to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancy and coercive sexual behaviors should include strategies to evaluate and address these perceptions.

  16. Psoriasis and Sexual Behavior in Men: examination of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States.

    PubMed

    Armstrong, April W; Harskamp, Caitlin T; Schupp, Clayton W

    2014-02-01

    Epidemiologic data on sexual behavior in psoriasis patients are lacking. We aim to examine and compare the sexual behaviors between men with and without psoriasis in the United States. We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2006 and 2009 to 2010. Responses from male participants to the dermatology and sexual behavior questionnaires of the NHANES were collated and analyzed. Outcome measures included sexual orientation, age of first sexual encounter, number of oral and non-oral sexual partners, and frequency of unprotected sex. Among 6,444 U.S. men that responded to the psoriasis question, 170 (2.6%) reported a physician-given diagnosis of psoriasis. Heterosexual men accounted for 95.5% and nonheterosexual men 4.5% of the overall study population. On multivariate analysis, psoriasis was not associated with differences in sexual orientation (odds ratio 1.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75-4.15). Heterosexual men with psoriasis experienced first sexual encounter at an earlier age than those without psoriasis (weighted difference -0.9 years, P = 0.002). Heterosexual men with psoriasis had significantly fewer female oral sexual partners compared with heterosexual men without psoriasis on multivariate analysis (lifetime partner number: rate ratio [RR] 0.65, 95% CI 0.45-0.95; past-year partner number: RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.97). No significant differences existed between heterosexual men with and without psoriasis regarding frequency of unprotected sex (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.85-1.09). Among nonheterosexual men with and without psoriasis, no significant differences existed in age first had sex, number of sexual partners, or frequency of unprotected sex. Heterosexual men with psoriasis have significantly fewer lifetime female oral sexual partners compared with those without psoriasis. Dermatologists and other healthcare providers need to examine the genital region routinely and initiate appropriate therapy to improve

  17. Encounters and the guided group trip: going "on the scene" to examine the situational interpretation of encounters

    Treesearch

    Erin K. Sharpe

    2002-01-01

    The disconnection between reported encounter norms and the number of encounters visitors can tolerate has disturbed recreation researchers for a number of years. Recent research suggests that visitors, specifically white water rafters on a guided group trip, make sense of encounters not normatively, but through a process of situational negotiation at the moment of the...

  18. AIDS and human sexuality.

    PubMed

    Smith, L L; Lathrop, L M

    1993-01-01

    The sexual behaviours placing an individual at risk for HIV infection are those also placing him/her at risk for gonorrhoea, syphilis, hepatitis B, chlamydia and unplanned pregnancy. This article proposes that approaches to HIV prevention must be included within a broad context of human sexuality. To address disease prevention in the absence of including people's relationships, social, behavioural and emotional needs is futile. Compartmentalization, denial of risk by various populations, and societal barriers are all factors to be overcome in the fight against HIV transmission. Specific strategies involved in a comprehensive approach are outlined under the categories of predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors contributing to healthy sexual behaviour.

  19. Public house patrons' engagement in hypothetical sexual assault: a test of Alcohol Myopia Theory in a field setting.

    PubMed

    Flowe, Heather D; Stewart, Jade; Sleath, Emma R; Palmer, Francesca T

    2011-01-01

    Previous research has found that drinking establishments are often antecedent to sexual aggression outcomes. In this study, male participants were randomly selected from public houses (i.e., "pubs") and asked to imagine themselves in a hypothetical intimate encounter in which the female in the scenario stops consenting to sexual contact. Participants were given the option to continue making sexual advances up to and including sexual intercourse against the woman's will. It was hypothesized based on Alcohol Myopia Theory that participant blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels would be associated with hypothetical sexual aggression when stereotypical cues of a woman's sexual availability (revealing clothing and alcohol use) were present in the scenario. Men's engagement in hypothetical sexual aggression was associated with BAC levels, but only when the woman was wearing revealing clothing. The sobriety of the female actor was not associated with sexual aggression. Results indicate that Alcohol Myopia Theory generalizes to a field setting. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Prenatal endocrine influences on sexual orientation and on sexually differentiated childhood behavior

    PubMed Central

    Hines, Melissa

    2012-01-01

    Both sexual orientation and sex-typical childhood behaviors, such as toy, playmate and activity preferences, show substantial sex differences, as well as substantial variability within each sex. In other species, behaviors that show sex differences are typically influenced by exposure to gonadal steroids, particularly testosterone and its metabolites, during early development (prenatally or neonatally). This article reviews the evidence regarding prenatal influences of gonadal steroids on human sexual orientation, as well as sex-typed childhood behaviors that predict subsequent sexual orientation. The evidence supports a role for prenatal testosterone exposure in the development of sex-typed interests in childhood, as well as in sexual orientation in later life, at least for some individuals. It appears, however, that other factors, in addition to hormones, play an important role in determining sexual orientation. These factors have not been well-characterized, but possibilities include direct genetic effects, and effects of maternal factors during pregnancy. Although a role for hormones during early development has been established, it also appears that there may be multiple pathways to a given sexual orientation outcome and some of these pathways may not involve hormones. PMID:21333673

  1. Prenatal endocrine influences on sexual orientation and on sexually differentiated childhood behavior.

    PubMed

    Hines, Melissa

    2011-04-01

    Both sexual orientation and sex-typical childhood behaviors, such as toy, playmate and activity preferences, show substantial sex differences, as well as substantial variability within each sex. In other species, behaviors that show sex differences are typically influenced by exposure to gonadal steroids, particularly testosterone and its metabolites, during early development (prenatally or neonatally). This article reviews the evidence regarding prenatal influences of gonadal steroids on human sexual orientation, as well as sex-typed childhood behaviors that predict subsequent sexual orientation. The evidence supports a role for prenatal testosterone exposure in the development of sex-typed interests in childhood, as well as in sexual orientation in later life, at least for some individuals. It appears, however, that other factors, in addition to hormones, play an important role in determining sexual orientation. These factors have not been well-characterized, but possibilities include direct genetic effects, and effects of maternal factors during pregnancy. Although a role for hormones during early development has been established, it also appears that there may be multiple pathways to a given sexual orientation outcome and some of these pathways may not involve hormones. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Sexual Behaviors of U.S. Men by Self-Identified Sexual Orientation: Results From the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior.

    PubMed

    Dodge, Brian; Herbenick, Debby; Fu, Tsung-Chieh Jane; Schick, Vanessa; Reece, Michael; Sanders, Stephanie; Fortenberry, J Dennis

    2016-04-01

    Although a large body of previous research has examined sexual behavior and its relation to risk in men of diverse sexual identities, most studies have relied on convenience sampling. As such, the vast majority of research on the sexual behaviors of gay and bisexual men, in particular, might not be generalizable to the general population of these men in the United States. This is of particular concern because many studies are based on samples of men recruited from relatively "high-risk" venues and environments. To provide nationally representative baseline rates for sexual behavior in heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men in the United States and compare findings on sexual behaviors, relationships, and other variables across subgroups. Data were obtained from the 2012 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, which involved the administration of an online questionnaire to a nationally representative probability sample of women and men at least 18 years old in the United States, with oversampling of self-identified gay and bisexual men and women. Results from the male participants are included in this article. Measurements include demographic characteristics, particularly sexual identity, and their relations to diverse sexual behaviors, including masturbation, mutual masturbation, oral sex, vaginal sex, and anal sex. Behaviors with male and female partners were examined. Men of all self-identified sexual identities reported engaging in a range of sexual behaviors (solo and partnered). As in previous studies, sexual identity was not always congruent for gender of lifetime and recent sexual partners. Patterns of sexual behaviors and relationships vary among heterosexual, gay, and bisexual men. Several demographic characteristics, including age, were related to men's sexual behaviors. The results from this probability study highlight the diversity in men's sexual behaviors across sexual identities, and these data allow generalizability to the broader population of

  3. STELLAR ENCOUNTER RATE IN GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bahramian, Arash; Heinke, Craig O.; Sivakoff, Gregory R.

    2013-04-01

    The high stellar densities in the cores of globular clusters cause significant stellar interactions. These stellar interactions can produce close binary mass-transferring systems involving compact objects and their progeny, such as X-ray binaries and radio millisecond pulsars. Comparing the numbers of these systems and interaction rates in different clusters drives our understanding of how cluster parameters affect the production of close binaries. In this paper we estimate stellar encounter rates ({Gamma}) for 124 Galactic globular clusters based on observational data as opposed to the methods previously employed, which assumed 'King-model' profiles for all clusters. By deprojecting cluster surface brightness profilesmore » to estimate luminosity density profiles, we treat 'King-model' and 'core-collapsed' clusters in the same way. In addition, we use Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effects of uncertainties in various observational parameters (distance, reddening, surface brightness) on {Gamma}, producing the first catalog of globular cluster stellar encounter rates with estimated errors. Comparing our results with published observations of likely products of stellar interactions (numbers of X-ray binaries, numbers of radio millisecond pulsars, and {gamma}-ray luminosity) we find both clear correlations and some differences with published results.« less

  4. Men's constructions of masculinity and male sexuality through talk of buying sex.

    PubMed

    Huysamen, Monique; Boonzaier, Floretta

    2015-01-01

    Commercial sex is an everyday occurrence across a range of contexts in South Africa. In this paper we turn our attention to the often-marginalised role of the buyers of sex by drawing on narrative interviews with male clients of female sex workers recruited through online advertisements in order to explore the ways in which heterosexual men construct, negotiate and perform their masculinity and sexuality through talking about their experiences of paying for sex. We highlight parallels between men's narratives of paying for sex and dominant discourses of gender and heterosexuality. We show how men draw on heteronormative sexual scripts in constructing and making sense of paid sexual encounters and how men are simultaneously able to construct and enact a particular idealised version of masculinity and male sexuality through their talk on paying for sex. Finally, we discuss how online resources could be used more extensively in future research with the male clients of sex workers.

  5. The testosterone metabolite 3α-Diol enhances female rat sexual motivation when infused in the nucleus accumbens shell

    PubMed Central

    Hernández, Lizaida; Barreto Estrada, Jennifer L; Ortiz, José G; Carlos Jorge, Juan

    2010-01-01

    Aim The purpose of this study was to provide a quantitative assessment of female rat sexual behaviors after acute exposure to the A-ring reduced testosterone metabolite, androstanediol (3α-Diol), through the nucleus accumbens (NA) shell. Main outcome measures Quantitative analyses of female rat sexual behaviors and assessment of protein levels for the enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase isoform 67 (GAD67) and gephyrin, a protein that participates in the clustering of GABA-A receptors in postsynaptic cells, were accomplished. Methods Female rats were ovariectomized and primed with estrogen and progesterone to induce sexual behaviors. Females received a 3α-Diol infusion via guided cannula that aimed to the NA shell five minutes prior to a sexual encounter with a stud male. The following parameters were videotaped and measured in a frame by frame analysis: lordosis quotient (LQ), Lordosis rating (LR), frequency and duration of proceptive behaviors (hopping/darting and ear wiggling). Levels of GAD67 and gephyrin were obtained by Western blot analysis two or twenty-four hours after the sexual encounter. Results Acute exposure to 3α-Diol in the NA shell enhanced LR, ear wiggling, and hopping/darting but not LQ. Some of these behavioral effects were counteracted by co-infusion of 3α-Diol plus the GABAA-receptor antagonist GABAzine. A transient reduction of GAD67 levels in the NA shell was detected. Conclusions The testosterone metabolite 3α-Diol enhances sexual proceptivity, but not receptivity, when infused into the NA shell directly. The GABAergic system may participate in the androgen-mediated enhancement of female rat sexual motivation. PMID:20646182

  6. [Central American migrants' sexual experiences and rights in their transit to the USA].

    PubMed

    Infante, César; Silván, Rubén; Caballero, Marta; Campero, Lourdes

    2013-07-01

    To explore the causes and circumstances that determine the way in which migrants experience their sexuality and how this impacts their sexual rights. Qualitative study conducted between April 2009 and July 2010 in Chiapas, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosí, and Tamaulipas. We conducted 22 in-depth interviews to migrants in transit and to ten different key actors. For the analysis we used elements of grounded theory. Migrants know and identify the risks they may encounter in their transit but have scarce access to services to effectively exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. Their vulnerability makes them internalize and accept the violence enacted on them as part of their destiny and as what they must suffer in order to reach the USA. Violence, including sexual violence, determines much of the experiences of their transit through Mexico. Differences between groups and between male and female migrants are determined by gender inequalities and power.

  7. Sex differences in succumbing to sexual temptations: a function of impulse or control?

    PubMed

    Tidwell, Natasha D; Eastwick, Paul W

    2013-12-01

    Men succumb to sexual temptations (e.g., infidelity, mate poaching) more than women. Explanations for this effect vary; some researchers propose that men and women differ in sexual impulse strength, whereas others posit a difference in sexual self-control. These studies are the first to test such underlying mechanisms. In Study 1, participants reported on their impulses and intentional control exertion when they encountered a real-life tempting but forbidden potential partner. Study 2 required participants to perform a reaction-time task in which they accepted/rejected potential partners, and we used process dissociation to separate the effects of impulse and control. In both studies, men succumbed to the sexual temptations more than women, and this sex difference emerged because men experienced stronger impulses, not because they exerted less intentional control. Implications for the integration of evolutionary and self-regulatory perspectives on sex differences are discussed.

  8. Application of Close Encounters in Determining the Masses of Asteroids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, H. J.; Li, F.; Fu, Y. N.

    2017-11-01

    Asteroids are important part of the solar system. So far, the number of known asteroids is more than seven hundred thousand, and the total number is probably more than one million. Among many events of encounters among asteroids, those very close ones can be used to improve the precision of the masses of asteroids. To achieve this, it's necessary to search for the latter events in advance by making an accurate assessment of the effectiveness of an encounter in the mass determination. In this context, the previous dynamical models and assessing indicators are not precise enough. By using a more realistic dynamical model and introducing a properly defined Signal-to-Noise ratio, we are able to estimate the precision of the mass determination based on observations made from the Earth. Moreover, the best observation time span can be quantitatively given, which is useful in collecting observational data and planning further observations. We search systematically for the useful asteroid encounters involving one of the 773 massive asteroids with equivalent diameter larger than 50 km, for which the searched time span is from the year 2000 to 2030.

  9. A new perspective on sexual mixing among men who have sex with men by body image.

    PubMed

    Leung, Ka-Kit; Wong, Horas T H; Naftalin, Claire M; Lee, Shui Shan

    2014-01-01

    "Casual sex" is seldom as non-selective and random as it may sound. During each sexual encounter, people consciously and unconsciously seek their casual sex partners according to different attributes. Influential to a sexual network, research focusing on quantifying the effects of physical appearance on sexual network has been sparse. We evaluated the application of Log odds score (LOD) to assess the mixing patterns of 326 men who have sex with men (MSM) in Hong Kong in their networking of casual sex partners by Body Image Type (BIT). This involved an analysis of 1,196 respondents-casual sex partner pairs. Seven BITs were used in the study: Bear, Chubby, Slender, Lean toned, Muscular, Average and Other. A hierarchical pattern was observed in the preference of MSM for casual sex partners by the latter's BIT. Overall, Muscular men were most preferred, followed by Lean toned while the least preferred was Slender, as illustrated by LOD going down along the hierarchy in the same direction. Marked avoidance was found between men who self-identified as Chubby and men of Other body type (within-group-LOD: 1.25-2.89; between-group-LOD: <-1). None of the respondents reported to have networked a man who self-identified as Average for casual sex. We have demonstrated the possibility of adopting a mathematical prototype to investigate the influence of BIT in a sexual network of MSM. Construction of matrix based on culture-specific BIT and cross-cultural comparisons would generate new knowledge on the mixing behaviors of MSM.

  10. Sex Parties: Female Teen Sexual Experimentation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Toscano, Sharyl Eve

    2006-01-01

    Adolescent participants in a study aimed at exploring the nature and characteristics of girls' dating relationships revealed the phenomenon of sex parties. These teens defined a "sex party" as an opportunity to engage in sexual contact outside of typical dating relationships. Sexual activity could involve actual intercourse, but usually involved…

  11. Hormonal predictors of women's extra-pair vs. in-pair sexual attraction in natural cycles: Implications for extended sexuality.

    PubMed

    Grebe, Nicholas M; Emery Thompson, Melissa; Gangestad, Steven W

    2016-02-01

    In naturally cycling women, Roney and Simmons (2013) examined hormonal correlates of their desire for sexual contact. Estradiol was positively associated, and progesterone negatively associated, with self-reported desire. The current study extended these findings by examining, within a sample of 33 naturally cycling women involved in romantic relationships, hormonal correlates of sexual attraction to or interests in specific targets: women's own primary partner or men other than women's primary partner. Women's sexual interests and hormone (estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone) levels were assessed at two different time points. Whereas estradiol levels were associated with relatively greater extra-pair sexual interests than in-pair sexual interests, progesterone levels were associated with relatively greater in-pair sexual interests. Both hormones specifically predicted in-pair sexual desire, estradiol negatively and progesterone positively. These findings have implications for understanding the function of women's extended sexuality - their sexual proceptivity and receptivity outside the fertile phase, especially during the luteal phase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Sexual Experience of Iranian Women in Their Middle Life: A Qualitative Approach.

    PubMed

    Moghasemi, Sedigheh; Ozgoli, Giti; Ahmadi, Fazlollah; Simbar, Masomeh

    2018-01-01

    Sexual problems are common among the middle-aged women; however, there is no deep understanding of sexuality in midlife. The current study aimed to investigate Iranian women's attitudes and experiences about sexual life changes in midlife. This is a descriptive qualitative study. Seventeen women aged 40 -65 years old were purposively selected from urban health centers in Gorgan, Iran, in 2015. Face-to-face, semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted for data collection until data saturation was attained. The resulting data were analyzed based on Graneheim and Lundman's approach. MAXQDA 10 was used for organization of data. Data analysis demonstrated seventh sub-themes and three themes. The emerged themes were entitled (1) "Continuous paradox over being a sexual agent" with three subthemes of beliefs on asexuality as socially accepted view for women in midlife, changing in motivation for sex and changing in sexual performance, (2) "Considering menopause; opportunities and threats for sexual life" with two subthemes of menopause related cons for sexual life and menopause related pros in sexual life, and (3) "Coping strategies for changes in sexuality in midlife" with two subthemes of different psychological reactions to changes that have influenced the sex and take practical steps for restoration of sexual attraction. The findings demonstrated that middle-aged women in a male-dominant culture encounter paradox over being a sexual agent. In a bio-psycho-social approach, they perceived menopause as an opportunity or threat for their own sexuality. Following the conflicts, threats and changes of sexuality in midlife, they adopt diverse coping strategies to improve their sexual relationships and preserve their family.

  13. Sexual Experience of Iranian Women in Their Middle Life: A Qualitative Approach

    PubMed Central

    Moghasemi, Sedigheh; Ozgoli, Giti; Ahmadi, Fazlollah; Simbar, Masomeh

    2018-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background: Sexual problems are common among the middle-aged women; however, there is no deep understanding of sexuality in midlife. The current study aimed to investigate Iranian women’s attitudes and experiences about sexual life changes in midlife. Methods: This is a descriptive qualitative study. Seventeen women aged 40 -65 years old were purposively selected from urban health centers in Gorgan, Iran, in 2015. Face-to-face, semi-structured and in-depth interviews were conducted for data collection until data saturation was attained. The resulting data were analyzed based on Graneheim and Lundman’s approach. MAXQDA 10 was used for organization of data. Results: Data analysis demonstrated seventh sub-themes and three themes. The emerged themes were entitled (1) “Continuous paradox over being a sexual agent” with three subthemes of beliefs on asexuality as socially accepted view for women in midlife, changing in motivation for sex and changing in sexual performance, (2) “Considering menopause; opportunities and threats for sexual life” with two subthemes of menopause related cons for sexual life and menopause related pros in sexual life, and (3) “Coping strategies for changes in sexuality in midlife” with two subthemes of different psychological reactions to changes that have influenced the sex and take practical steps for restoration of sexual attraction. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that middle-aged women in a male-dominant culture encounter paradox over being a sexual agent. In a bio-psycho-social approach, they perceived menopause as an opportunity or threat for their own sexuality. Following the conflicts, threats and changes of sexuality in midlife, they adopt diverse coping strategies to improve their sexual relationships and preserve their family. PMID:29344535

  14. Family medicine outpatient encounters are more complex than those of cardiology and psychiatry.

    PubMed

    Katerndahl, David; Wood, Robert; Jaén, Carlos Roberto

    2011-01-01

    comparison studies suggest that the guideline-concordant care provided for specific medical conditions is less optimal in primary care compared with cardiology and psychiatry settings. The purpose of this study is to estimate the relative complexity of patient encounters in general/family practice, cardiology, and psychiatry settings. secondary analysis of the 2000 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for ambulatory patients seen in general/family practice, cardiology, and psychiatry settings was performed. The complexity for each variable was estimated as the quantity weighted by variability and diversity. there is minimal difference in the unadjusted input and total encounter complexity of general/family practice and cardiology; psychiatry's input is less complex. Cardiology encounters involved more input quantitatively, but the diversity of general/family practice input eliminated the difference. Cardiology also involved more complex output. However, when the duration of visit is factored in, the complexity of care provided per hour in general/family practice is 33% more relative to cardiology and 5 times more relative to psychiatry. care during family physician visits is more complex per hour than the care during visits to cardiologists or psychiatrists. This may account for a lower rate of completion of process items measured for quality of care.

  15. Changes in heart rate associated with contest outcome in agonistic encounters in lobsters.

    PubMed

    Hernáindez-Falcón, Jesús; Basu, Alo C; Govindasamy, Siddhartan; Kravitz, Edward A

    2005-03-01

    Agonistic contests between lobsters housed together in a confined space progress through encounters of increasing intensity until a dominance relationship is established. Once this relationship is established, losing animals continually retreat from the advances of winners. These encounters are likely to consume much energy in both winning and losing animals. Therefore, one might expect involvement of many physiological systems before, during and after fights. Here, we report effects of agonistic encounters on cardiac frequency in winning and losing adult lobsters involved in dyadic interactions. The results show that: (i) small but significant increases in heart rate are observed upon chemical detection of a conspecific; (ii) during agonistic interactions, further increases in heart rate are seen; and (iii) ultimate winners exhibit greater increases in heart rate lasting longer periods of time compared to ultimate losers. Heart rate in winners remains elevated for at least 15 min after the contests have ended and animals have been returned to their home tanks. Reduced effects are seen in second and third pairings between familiar opponents. The sustained changes in heart rate that we observe in winning lobsters may result from hormonal modulation of cardiac function related to the change in social status brought about by contest outcome.

  16. Coy Males and Seductive Females in the Sexually Cannibalistic Colonial Spider, Cyrtophora citricola.

    PubMed

    Yip, Eric C; Berner-Aharon, Na'ama; Smith, Deborah R; Lubin, Yael

    2016-01-01

    The abundance of sperm relative to eggs selects for males that maximize their number of mates and for females that choose high quality males. However, in many species, males exercise mate choice, even when they invest little in their offspring. Sexual cannibalism may promote male choosiness by limiting the number of females a male can inseminate and by biasing the sex ratio toward females because, while females can reenter the mating pool, cannibalized males cannot. These effects may be insufficient for male choosiness to evolve, however, if males face low sequential encounter rates with females. We hypothesized that sexual cannibalism should facilitate the evolution of male choosiness in group living species because a male is likely to encounter multiple receptive females simultaneously. We tested this hypothesis in a colonial orb-weaving spider, Cyrtophora citricola, with a high rate of sexual cannibalism. We tested whether mated females would mate with multiple males, and thereby shift the operational sex ratio toward females. We also investigated whether either sex chooses mates based on nutritional state and age, and whether males choose females based on reproductive state. We found that females are readily polyandrous and exhibit no mate choice related to male feeding or age. Males courted more often when the male was older and the female was younger, and males copulated more often with well-fed females. The data show that males are choosier than females for the traits we measured, supporting our hypothesis that group living and sexual cannibalism may together promote the evolution of male mate choice.

  17. Coy Males and Seductive Females in the Sexually Cannibalistic Colonial Spider, Cyrtophora citricola

    PubMed Central

    Yip, Eric C.; Berner-Aharon, Na’ama; Smith, Deborah R.; Lubin, Yael

    2016-01-01

    The abundance of sperm relative to eggs selects for males that maximize their number of mates and for females that choose high quality males. However, in many species, males exercise mate choice, even when they invest little in their offspring. Sexual cannibalism may promote male choosiness by limiting the number of females a male can inseminate and by biasing the sex ratio toward females because, while females can reenter the mating pool, cannibalized males cannot. These effects may be insufficient for male choosiness to evolve, however, if males face low sequential encounter rates with females. We hypothesized that sexual cannibalism should facilitate the evolution of male choosiness in group living species because a male is likely to encounter multiple receptive females simultaneously. We tested this hypothesis in a colonial orb-weaving spider, Cyrtophora citricola, with a high rate of sexual cannibalism. We tested whether mated females would mate with multiple males, and thereby shift the operational sex ratio toward females. We also investigated whether either sex chooses mates based on nutritional state and age, and whether males choose females based on reproductive state. We found that females are readily polyandrous and exhibit no mate choice related to male feeding or age. Males courted more often when the male was older and the female was younger, and males copulated more often with well-fed females. The data show that males are choosier than females for the traits we measured, supporting our hypothesis that group living and sexual cannibalism may together promote the evolution of male mate choice. PMID:27249787

  18. Amyloid beta precursor protein regulates male sexual behavior.

    PubMed

    Park, Jin Ho; Bonthius, Paul J; Tsai, Houng-Wei; Bekiranov, Stefan; Rissman, Emilie F

    2010-07-28

    Sexual behavior is variable between individuals, ranging from celibacy to sexual addictions. Within normal populations of individual men, ranging from young to middle aged, testosterone levels do not correlate with libido. To study the genetic mechanisms that contribute to individual differences in male sexual behavior, we used hybrid B6D2F1 male mice, which are a cross between two common inbred strains (C57BL/6J and DBA/2J). Unlike most laboratory rodent species in which male sexual behavior is highly dependent upon gonadal steroids, sexual behavior in a large proportion of these hybrid male mice after castration is independent of gonadal steroid hormones and their receptors; thus, we have the ability to discover novel genes involved in this behavior. Gene expression arrays, validation of gene candidates, and transgenic mice that overexpress one of the genes of interest were used to reveal genes involved in maintenance of male sexual behavior. Several genes related to neuroprotection and neurodegeneration were differentially expressed in the hypothalamus of males that continued to mate after castration. Male mice overexpressing the human form of one of these candidate genes, amyloid beta precursor protein (APP), displayed enhanced sexual behavior before castration and maintained sexual activity for a longer duration after castration compared with controls. Our results reveal a novel and unexpected relationship between APP and male sexual behavior. We speculate that declining APP during normal aging in males may contribute to the loss of sexual function.

  19. Binge drinking, reflection impulsivity, and unplanned sexual behavior: impaired decision-making in young social drinkers.

    PubMed

    Townshend, Julia M; Kambouropoulos, Nicolas; Griffin, Alison; Hunt, Frances J; Milani, Raffaella M

    2014-04-01

    The repeated pattern of heavy intoxication followed by withdrawal from alcohol (i.e., "binge drinking") has been found to have substantial adverse effects on prefrontal neural systems associated with decision-making and impulse control. Repeated binge drinking has been linked to risky and unplanned sexual behavior; however few studies have examined the role of impulsivity and related cognitive processes in understanding this association. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between binge drinking, "reflection impulsivity" (deficits in gathering and evaluating information during decision-making), alcohol-related expectancies, and unplanned sexual behavior in a sample of young social drinkers. Ninety-two university students completed the alcohol use questionnaire (AUQ) to measure alcohol intake and binge drinking. Two groups (low-binge and high-binge) were generated from the AUQ data. The Information Sampling Task (IST) was used to measure reflection impulsivity; the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ) for alcohol outcome expectancies; and an unplanned sexual behavior questionnaire, which asked about the number of unplanned sexual events. When compared to the low-binge drinking group, the high-binge drinkers had significantly more unplanned sexual encounters and were impaired on the IST, reflection-impulsivity task. They scored higher on the alcohol expectancy factors of sociability, risk and aggression, negative self-perception, and in particular liquid courage. In a regression analysis, number of unplanned sexual encounters, binge drinking score, and liquid courage were all significantly related. These results support the role of binge drinking in reduced impulse control and decision-making deficits. The findings indicate that high-binge drinkers demonstrate impairments on an impulse control task similar to that observed in dependent samples and this may be a factor in understanding the negative behavioral consequences associated with excessive

  20. Pharmacy users' expectations of pharmacy encounters: a Q-methodological study.

    PubMed

    Renberg, Tobias; Wichman Törnqvist, Kristina; Kälvemark Sporrong, Sofia; Kettis Lindblad, Asa; Tully, Mary P

    2011-12-01

    Pharmacy practice is evolving according to general health-care trends such as increased patient involvement and public health initiatives. In addition, pharmacists strive to find new professional roles. Clients' expectations of service encounters at pharmacies is an under-explored topic but crucial to understanding how pharmacy practice can evolve efficiently. To identify and describe different normative expectations of the pharmacy encounter among pharmacy clients. Q methodology, an approach to systematically explore subjectivity that retains complete patterns of responses and organizes these into factors of operant subjectivity. Eighty-five regular prescription medication users recruited at Swedish community pharmacies and by snowballing. Seven factors of operant subjectivity were identified, and organized into two groups. Factors that emphasized the physical drug product as the central object of the pharmacy encounter were labelled as independent drug shopping; logistics of drug distribution; and supply of individual's own drugs. Factors that emphasized personal support as desirable were labelled competence as individual support; individualist professional relations, just take care of me; and practical health-care and lifestyle support. The systematic Q-methodological approach yielded valuable insights into how pharmacy clients construct their expectations for service encounters. They hold differentiating normative expectations for pharmacy services. Understanding these varying viewpoints may be important for developing and prioritizing among efficient pharmacy services. Clients' expectations do not correspond with trends that guide current pharmacy practice development. This might be a challenge for promoting or implementing services based on such trends. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  1. Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: How to Take the First Steps.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Cordelia

    This booklet provides advice and guidelines for persons interested in developing and implementing child sexual abuse prevention programs. Eight steps to child sexual abuse prevention are outlined. Step 1 involves recognition that child sexual abuse can be prevented, and provides facts to use when discussing sexual abuse. Step 2 highlights ways of…

  2. Issues in the Sexual Molestation of Deaf Youth.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vernon, McCay; Miller, Katrina R.

    2002-01-01

    Discussion of issues involved in sexual abuse of deaf youth in schools considers characteristics of pedophiles and hebephiles and how sexual offenders are dealt with in the criminal justice system. It suggests ways to prevent sexual abuse of children who are deaf and what to look for in identifying deaf children who are being victimized. (Contains…

  3. The Role of Alcohol Use during Sexual Situations in the Relationship between Sexual Revictimization and Women’s Intentions to Engage in Unprotected Sex

    PubMed Central

    Parkhill, Michele R.; Norris, Jeanette; Cue Davi, Kelly

    2015-01-01

    Research has demonstrated relationships among childhood sexual abuse, adult sexual assault, and sexual risk taking. This study proposes that one mechanism through which the victimization-sexual risk taking relationship works is through an increased likelihood of drinking during sexual situations. Using path analysis, the current study explores this hypothesis in a sample of 230 women. The model illustrates that women with a history of child and adult sexual victimization reported greater intentions to engage in unprotected sex and that this relationship is in part accounted for by an increased likelihood of drinking in sexual situations. The results suggest that sexual risk reduction programs and sexual assault treatment programs should educate women about the alcohol-involved sexual risk taking that often follows sexual assault victimization. PMID:25069152

  4. Maintaining Sexual Health throughout Gynecologic Cancer Survivorship: A Comprehensive Review and Clinical Guide

    PubMed Central

    Huffman, Laura B.; Hartenbach, Ellen M.; Carter, Jeanne; Rash, Joanne K.; Kushner, David M.

    2016-01-01

    Objective The diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic cancer can cause short- and long-term negative effects on sexual health and quality of life (QoL). The aim of this article is to present a comprehensive overview of the sexual health concerns of gynecologic cancer survivors and discuss evidence-based treatment options for commonly encountered sexual health issues. Methods A comprehensive literature search of English language studies on sexual health in gynecologic cancer survivors and the treatment of sexual dysfunction was conducted in MEDLINE databases. Relevant data are presented in this review. Additionally, personal and institutional practices are incorporated where relevant. Results Sexual dysfunction is prevalent among gynecologic cancer survivors as a result of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy--negatively impacting QoL. Many patients expect their healthcare providers to address sexual health concerns, but most have never discussed sex-related issues with their physician. Lubricants, moisturizers, and dilators are effective, simple, non-hormonal interventions that can alleviate the morbidity of vaginal atrophy, stenosis, and pain. Pelvic floor physical therapy can be an additional tool to address dyspareunia. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been shown to be beneficial to patients reporting problems with sexual interest, arousal, and orgasm. Conclusion Oncology providers can make a significant impact on the QoL of gynecologic cancer survivors by addressing sexual health concerns. Simple strategies can be implemented into clinical practice to discuss and treat many sexual issues. Referral to specialized sexual health providers may be needed to address more complex problems. PMID:26556768

  5. Serial monogamy and biologic concurrency: measurement of the gaps between sexual partners to inform targeted strategies.

    PubMed

    Mercer, Catherine H; Aicken, Catherine R H; Tanton, Clare; Estcourt, Claudia S; Brook, M Gary; Keane, Frances; Cassell, Jackie A

    2013-07-15

    Having multiple sexual partners concurrently increases the risk of transmission of a sexually transmitted infection. Even if partnerships do not overlap, transmission potential exists when the gap between partnerships is shorter than the remaining infectious period. In the present article, we quantify the gap between partners to assess transmission potential using data collected by a cross-sectional survey of 2,203 genitourinary medicine clinic patients in England in 2009. Questionnaires asked about patients' 3 most recent partnerships. Gaps were calculated as time (days) between the last sexual encounter with a former partner and the first sexual encounter with the next partner. Among 1,875 patients who reported 1 or more partners in the previous 3 months, 47.6% of men and 27.7% of women reported 2 or more partners. Forty-two percent of the gaps were negative (i.e., partnerships that were concurrent); the median gaps were -7 and -17 days for men and women, respectively (i.e., overlaps were 7 and 17 days for men and women, respectively). Although half of the gaps were positive (serially monogamous partnerships), many were of short duration; the median gaps were 14 and 24 days for men and women, respectively. In over half of the gaps, condoms were used inconsistently with one or both partners, and in one-quarter, condoms were never used with either partner. There is thus a high potential for sexually transmitted infections, as even if partnerships are not behaviorally concurrent, they may be biologically concurrent. These data have important implications for designing and targeting effective health promotion messages.

  6. Same-sex sexual attraction, behavior, and practices of Jewish men in Israel and the association with HIV prevalence

    PubMed Central

    Mor, Zohar; Davidovich, Udi

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT In order to efficiently direct efforts and resources required for the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Israel, it is necessary to define their particular behaviors, estimate their size, and asses the HIV-burden. This cross-sectional study included a sub-sample from a random representative National study performed in Israel, which included Jewish males aged 18–44 who completed online anonymous questionnaires regarding their sexual attraction and practices, commercial sex-work, as well as condom and substances' use. Additionally, participants were asked to identify themselves as gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. National estimates regarding prevalence of risk-behaviors and HIV-infection among MSM were based on the Statistical Abstract of Israel and the National HIV Registry, respectively. Of the total sample of 997 men, 11.9% reported lifetime male sex encounters, while 4.5% and 3.7% self-identified as gay or bisexual, respectively. The estimated population of self-identified Jewish gays/bisexuals aged 18–44 in Israel was 94,176, and in Tel-Aviv 33,839. HIV prevalence among MSM was estimated at 0.7% in Israel and 1.0% in Tel-Aviv. MSM were more likely to live in Tel-Aviv, had higher levels of education, and were scored higher on several determinants of sexual risk in comparison to those attracted to women, including early sexual debut, greater number of sexual partners, ever paid/been paid for sex, sexually coerced, and substance use. In conclusion, MSM were involved in greater risk behaviors than those who only had female sex partners. Most MSM were living in Tel-Aviv and their estimated HIV prevalence was 1.0%. PMID:26883581

  7. Nursing, sexual health and youth with disabilities: a critical ethnography.

    PubMed

    McCabe, Janet; Holmes, Dave

    2014-01-01

    To explore the experiences of nurses providing sexual health care to adolescents with physical and/or developmental disabilities, with attention to the institutional and social discourses that shape these interactions. Previous research has shown that nurses demonstrate a lack of attention to the impact of illness or disability on sexual health. However, in their therapeutic relationship with patients and families, nurses are in an ideal position to promote sexual health. A critical ethnography study was conducted in an urban paediatric rehabilitative facility. Field work occurred over 4 months (2008-2009) and data collection included interviews (n = 9), key informant discussions, collection of documentary evidence and observation of the institutional setting. Four themes were identified (institutional space, professional interactions, engaging with sexuality, nursing experience), which revealed that nurse-patient interactions about sexual health were affected by a complex network of discourses. These encounters were shaped by practical discourses, such as time and space and by more complex discourses, such as professional relationships, normalization and asexuality. Nurses occupy and strive to maintain, the role of a caring agent. However, aspects of the clinical, institutional and broader social environments may undermine their ability to promote sexual health. In nurses' efforts to maintain therapeutic relationships with clients, sexual health is often medicalised to legitimize it as an appropriate topic of discussion with patients and families. Facilities serving youth with disabilities should take steps to address barriers to the delivery of sexual health promotion and several solutions are proposed. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  8. Sexual identities and lifestyles among non-heterosexual urban Chiang Mai adolescents: implications for health

    PubMed Central

    Tangmunkongvorakul, Arunrat; Banwell, Cathy; Carmichael, Gordon; Utomo, Iwu Dwisetyani; Sleigh, Adrian

    2011-01-01

    Drawing upon quantitative and qualitative data we explore perspectives on and experiences of sexual lifestyles and relationships among more than 1,750 adolescents aged 17-20 years who reside in urban Chiang Mai, Thailand. We focus on respondents’ representations and understandings of their sexual/gender identities derived mainly from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, supplemented with observations and field notes. Our results show that while many young Thais described themselves as heterosexual males or females others described themselves as gay, kathoey, tom, dii, bisexual or something else. Some were still questioning their own identities. The terms gay, kathoey, tom and dii are commonly used by these Thais to describe a range of sexual/gender identities relating to persons who are sexually or romantically attracted to the same biological sex. We use case studies to illustrate the distinctive characterizations, sexual lifestyles and relationships of each of these identities. We conclude that the sexual lifestyles encountered among Northern Thai non-heterosexual adolescents could lead to negative health consequences and indicated a need for improved relationship education, counselling and sensitive sexual health services. PMID:20665299

  9. Pioneer 11 Encounter. [with Jupiter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    Pioneer 11's encounter with Jupiter is discussed in detail. The scientific experiments carried out on the probe are described along with the instruments used. Tables are included which provide data on the times of experiments, encounters, and the distances from Jupiter. Educational study projects are also given.

  10. A network analysis of relationship dynamics in sexual dyads as correlates of HIV risk misperceptions among high-risk MSM

    PubMed Central

    Fujimoto, Kayo; Williams, Mark L; Ross, Michael W

    2015-01-01

    Objectives Relationship dynamics influence the perception of HIV risk in sexual dyads. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of relational dynamics on knowledge or perception of a partner's HIV status in a sample of most at-risk men who have sex with men (MSM): drug-using male sex workers. The study identified relationship dimensions and examined their association with misperceptions about a particular partner's HIV status. Methods The analytical sample for the study consisted of 168 sexual partnerships of 116 male sex workers and their associates. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify dimensions of the interpersonal relationships in sexual partnerships that were then regressed on ‘risky misperceptions’ (misperceiving HIV negative when partner's self-report was positive or unknown). Results Six relationship dimensions of intimate, commitment, socialising, financial, trust and honesty were extracted. Commitment was found to be protective against misperception (adjusted OR (AOR)=0.45), while trust was not (AOR=2.78). Other factors also were found to be associated with misperception. HIV-negative MSM (AOR=7.69) and partners who were both self-identified as gay (AOR=3.57) were associated with misperception, while encounters identified as sex work (AOR=0.29), in which both partners were Caucasian (AOR=0.16), and involved with an older partner (AOR=0.90) were protective. Conclusions Couple-based HIV intervention efforts among MSM should consider that less trust and more commitment are protective factors in sexual partnerships. PMID:25305211

  11. Drug-related police encounters across the globe: How do they compare?

    PubMed

    Hughes, Caitlin E; Barratt, Monica J; Ferris, Jason A; Maier, Larissa J; Winstock, Adam R

    2018-06-01

    Drug law enforcement subsumes the majority of drug policy expenditure across the globe. Fuelled by knowledge that much of this investment is ineffective or counter-productive there have been increasing calls for cross-national comparisons to identify where policing approaches differ and what types of approaches may be more effective. Yet, to date cross-national comparison of drug law enforcement has proven a methodologically hazardous affair. Using a new drug policing module added to the 2017 Global Drug Survey, this study seeks to provide the first cross-national comparison of the incidence, nature and intensity of illicit drug-related police encounters amongst people who use drugs. The Global Drug Survey was administered in late 2016. Across 26 countries including Australia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, the UK and the USA a total of 45,942 people who had recently used drugs completed the drug policing module. Key variables assessed included the incidence and frequency of drug-related police encounters in the last 12 months that involved: a) being stopped and searched; b) encountering a drug detection dog; c) being given a caution or warning; d) being charged and arrested; and e) paying a bribe. Multi-level models were used to control for pre-existing national differences in drug use prevalence and non-drug specific policing (including the total number of police personnel in each country). Drug-related police encounters were most commonly reported in Italy and Scotland. Conversely, police encounters were most likely to lead to arrest in Norway, Finland and Sweden. The type and locations of encounters further differed across countries, with for example stop and search most reported in Greece and Colombia, and encounters with drug detection dogs most reported in Scotland, Italy, UK and Australia. Multi-level models showed that the incidence of reported policing encounters continued to differ significantly across countries after controlling for pre

  12. The influence of substance use, social sexual environment, psychosocial factors, and partner characteristics on high-risk sexual behavior among young Black and Latino men who have sex with men living with HIV: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    VanDevanter, Nancy; Duncan, Alexandra; Burrell-Piggott, Tiphani; Bleakley, Amy; Birnbaum, Jeffrey; Siegel, Karolynn; Lekas, Helen-Marie; Schrimshaw, Eric; Cohall, Alwyn; Ramjohn, Destiny

    2011-02-01

    Understanding the sexual risk behaviors of youths living with HIV/AIDS is critical to secondary prevention of HIV. As part of a larger qualitative study of youths living with HIV, in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 African American and Latino, HIV-infected young men who have sex with men, aged 16-24 years, living in New York City. The study explored the role of substance use, the social-sexual-environmental, and psychological contexts in which sexual risk behaviors occurred. Since learning of their HIV infection, the majority of participants had reduced their risky sexual behaviors; however, a subset (26%) of participants continued to have unprotected sex, in most cases with multiple partners. Substance use, the social environmental context of the sexual encounter, the psychological impact of HIV on sexual behavior, and partner characteristics were associated with high-risk sexual behaviors in this group. Among high-risk participants, factors associated with risky sexual behaviors clustered, with 57% reporting two or more factors. More intensive interventions are needed for this subset of youths living with HIV, including assessment and treatment for substance use and mental health issues, strategies for stress reduction, and partner interventions.

  13. The Influence of Substance Use, Social Sexual Environment, Psychosocial Factors, and Partner Characteristics on High-Risk Sexual Behavior Among Young Black and Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV: A Qualitative Study

    PubMed Central

    Duncan, Alexandra; Burrell-Piggott, Tiphani; Bleakley, Amy; Birnbaum, Jeffrey; Siegel, Karolynn; Lekas, Helen-Marie; Schrimshaw, Eric; Cohall, Alwyn; Ramjohn, Destiny

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Understanding the sexual risk behaviors of youths living with HIV/AIDS is critical to secondary prevention of HIV. As part of a larger qualitative study of youths living with HIV, in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 African American and Latino, HIV-infected young men who have sex with men, aged 16–24 years, living in New York City. The study explored the role of substance use, the social-sexual-environmental, and psychological contexts in which sexual risk behaviors occurred. Since learning of their HIV infection, the majority of participants had reduced their risky sexual behaviors; however, a subset (26%) of participants continued to have unprotected sex, in most cases with multiple partners. Substance use, the social environmental context of the sexual encounter, the psychological impact of HIV on sexual behavior, and partner characteristics were associated with high-risk sexual behaviors in this group. Among high-risk participants, factors associated with risky sexual behaviors clustered, with 57% reporting two or more factors. More intensive interventions are needed for this subset of youths living with HIV, including assessment and treatment for substance use and mental health issues, strategies for stress reduction, and partner interventions. PMID:21235387

  14. Family Sources of Sexual Health Information, Primary Messages, and Sexual Behavior of At-Risk, Urban Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Rosengard, Cynthia; Tannis, Candace; Dove, David C.; van den Berg, Jacob J.; Lopez, Rosalie; Stein, L. A. R.; Morrow, Kathleen M.

    2016-01-01

    Background Sources of sexual health information exert strong influence on adolescents’ sexual behavior. Purpose The current study was undertaken to understand how family serve as sexual information sources, the messages adolescents recall from family, and how family learning experiences affect sexual behavior among at-risk adolescents. Methods Individual interviews were conducted with 69 teens, ages 15–18 years, from an alternative high school and a juvenile correctional facility to capture adolescents’ early sexual health learning experiences involving family and evaluate their association with teens’ recent sexual behavior. Sexual learning narratives were compared among gender and sexual experience groups. Results Many participants identified family as sexual health information sources. Primary messages recalled: risks of sex, protection, and relationship advice. Many adolescents portrayed learning experiences as negative, cautionary, lacking detail and not always balanced with positive messages. Participants who reported four or more sexual risks were the only group to identify pornography as a sexual health information source. Participants who reported fewer than four sexual risks were most likely to identify family sexual health information sources. Discussion Participants identified family members as sources of sexual health information, with variations by gender. Negative/cautionary messages require teens to seek additional sexual information elsewhere (primarily friends/media). Males, in particular, appear to often lack familial guidance/education. Translation to Health Education Practice Sexual health messages should be tailored to adolescents’ needs for practical and sex-positive guidance regarding mechanics of sex and formation of healthy relationships, and balanced with cautions regarding negative consequences. PMID:27882190

  15. Appetitive responses to sexual stimuli are attenuated in individuals with low levels of sexual desire.

    PubMed

    Giargiari, Tracie D; Mahaffey, Amanda L; Craighead, W Edward; Hutchison, Kent E

    2005-10-01

    Despite the high prevalence of sexual desire disorders, little is known about their biological underpinnings in humans. Animal studies suggest that dopamine is involved in appetitive sexual behavior; thus, one aim of this study was to elucidate that relationship in humans. This study used measurement of the acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition of the startle response (PPI) as psychophysiological indicators of changes in motivational states to assess the potential relation between sexual desire and appetitive motivation in humans. Responses to sexually provocative stimuli consisting of single nude men and single nude women in a sample of 153 participants (77 men, 76 women) were assessed. The results indicated that ASR was attenuated after exposure to appetitive stimuli (i.e., sexually provocative pictures of attractive individuals) to a greater extent among participants with higher levels of sexual desire, as measured by the Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (Spector, I. P., Carey, M. P., & Steinberg, L. (1996). Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 22, 175-190). In addition, PPI was inversely associated with subjective ratings across stimuli such that greater subjective levels of desire were correlated with lower levels of PPI. In general, these results suggest that individuals with lower levels of sexual desire may have a diminished physiological response to appetitive sexual stimuli.

  16. Multiplayer games and HIV transmission via casual encounters.

    PubMed

    Tully, Stephen; Cojocaru, Monica-Gabriela; Bauch, Chris T

    2017-04-01

    Population transmission models have been helpful in studying the spread of HIV. They assess changes made at the population level for different intervention strategies. To further understand how individual changes affect the population as a whole, game-theoretical models are used to quantify the decision-making process. Investigating multiplayer nonlinear games that model HIV transmission represents a unique approach in epidemiological research. We present here 2-player and multiplayer noncooperative games where players are defined by HIV status and age and may engage in casual (sexual) encounters. The games are modelled as generalized Nash games with shared constraints, which is completely novel in the context of our applied problem. Each player's HIV status is known to potential partners, and players have personal preferences ranked via utility values of unprotected and protected sex outcomes. We model a player's strategy as their probability of being engaged in a casual unprotected sex encounter (USE), which may lead to HIV transmission; however, we do not incorporate a transmission model here. We study the sensitivity of Nash strategies with respect to varying preference rankings, and the impact of a prophylactic vaccine introduced in players of youngest age groups. We also study the effect of these changes on the overall increase in infection level, as well as the effects that a potential prophylactic treatment may have on age-stratified groups of players. We conclude that the biggest impacts on increasing the infection levels in the overall population are given by the variation in the utilities assigned to individuals for unprotected sex with others of opposite HIV status, while the introduction of a prophylactic vaccine in youngest age group (15-20 yr olds) slows down the increase in HIV infection.

  17. Sexual Reproduction of Human Fungal Pathogens

    PubMed Central

    Heitman, Joseph; Carter, Dee A.; Dyer, Paul S.; Soll, David R.

    2014-01-01

    We review here recent advances in our understanding of sexual reproduction in fungal pathogens that commonly infect humans, including Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Where appropriate or relevant, we introduce findings on other species associated with human infections. In particular, we focus on rapid advances involving genetic, genomic, and population genetic approaches that have reshaped our view of how fungal pathogens evolve. Rather than being asexual, mitotic, and largely clonal, as was thought to be prevalent as recently as a decade ago, we now appreciate that the vast majority of pathogenic fungi have retained extant sexual, or parasexual, cycles. In some examples, sexual and parasexual unions of pathogenic fungi involve closely related individuals, generating diversity in the population but with more restricted recombination than expected from fertile, sexual, outcrossing and recombining populations. In other cases, species and isolates participate in global outcrossing populations with the capacity for considerable levels of gene flow. These findings illustrate general principles of eukaryotic pathogen emergence with relevance for other fungi, parasitic eukaryotic pathogens, and both unicellular and multicellular eukaryotic organisms. PMID:25085958

  18. Adolescent criminal justice involvement and adulthood sexually transmitted infection in a nationally representative US sample.

    PubMed

    Khan, Maria R; Rosen, David L; Epperson, Matthew W; Goldweber, Asha; Hemberg, Jordana L; Richardson, Joseph; Dyer, Typhanye Penniman

    2013-08-01

    Criminal justice involvement (CJI) disrupts social and sexual networks, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) thrive on network disruption. Adolescent CJI may be a particularly important determinant of STI because experiences during adolescence influence risk trajectories into adulthood. We used Wave III (2001-2002: young adulthood) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 14,322) to estimate associations between history of adolescent (younger than 18 years) CJI and adult STI risk. Respondents who reported a history of repeat arrest in adolescence, adolescent conviction, and arrest both as an adolescent and an adult (persistent arrest) had between two to seven times the odds of STI (biologically confirmed infection with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis) in adulthood and between two to three times the odds of multiple partnerships and inconsistent condom use in the past year in adulthood. In analyses adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral factors, history of having six or more adolescent arrests was associated with more than five times the odds of STI (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 5.44, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.74-17.1). Both adolescent conviction and persistent CJI appeared to remain independent correlates of STI (conviction: AOR 1.90, 95 % CI 1.02-3.55; persistent CJI: AOR 1.60, 95 % CI 0.99-2.57). Adolescents who have repeat arrests, juvenile convictions, and persist as offenders into adulthood constitute priority populations for STI treatment and prevention. The disruptive effect of adolescent CJI may contribute to a trajectory associated with STI in adulthood.

  19. Sexual and reproductive health of Portuguese adolescents.

    PubMed

    Mendes, Neuza; Palma, Fátima; Serrano, Fátima

    2014-01-01

    As adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are major sources of morbidity, preventing them is an important health goal for Portuguese society. To review data on the knowledge, attitudes and statistics on sexual and reproductive health. A systematic review was conducted including peer-reviewed articles addressing issues influencing the sexuality of Portuguese adolescents (aged 13 to 19), published up to 2011 and conducted in any type of setting. After crossing-cleaning the reference list, 33 articles were included. The rate of sexual activity by Portuguese adolescents is high (44%-95%), but there has been an increase in the age of intercourse debut (currently 15.6 years). Early commencement of sexual intercourse is associated with smoking and regular alcohol consumption. Condoms are the most frequently chosen contraceptive method for first (76%-96%) and subsequent (52%-69%) sexual encounters. The perception of a double standard in sex still exists in teenage culture for both genders and influence behavior. There are significant differences between migrant and native adolescents: African adolescents initiate sexual intercourse at earlier ages and are more likely to have unprotected sex. Only one-third of Portuguese teenagers have ever visited a health facility to seek counseling concerning contraception or STIs, and less than half have ever attended classes on reproductive health. Very few (12%) have knowledge about Chlamydia trachomatis infection. The prevalence of STIs in Portuguese youth is unknown. The adolescent fertility rate is still high (14.7 births per 1000 females aged 15-19 years), but it, as well as the rate of abortion, is steadily decreasing. There is still a long way to go towards promoting a resourceful young population. Citizens and institutions must focus on increasing both the competence of youths and external supports. Information must be provided systematically and health services must have greater accessibility. Studies

  20. Ethical aspects of sexual medicine.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Gorm; Bondil, Pierre; Dabees, Khalid; Dean, John; Fourcroy, Jean; Gingell, Clive; Kingsberg, Sheryl; Kothari, Prakash; Rubio-Aurioles, Eusebio; Ugarte, Fernando; Navarrete, R Vela

    2005-03-01

    Ethics describe the ways in which moral life is understood. Morality comprises norms for human conduct, and addresses what is right and what is wrong. To provide a consensus-based summary of the ethical aspects of sexual medicine. Over 200 multidisciplinary specialists from 60 countries were divided into 17 consultation committees as part of a process organized by an international consultation on sexual medicine held in Paris, June 28-July 1, 2003 in close alliance with several sexual medicine organizations. Embarking on a study on ethics in sexual medicine, 10 experts from eight countries assembled over a two-year period to develop this consensus-based summary. Although ethics are recognized as subjective, expert opinion was based on grading of evidence-based medical literature, in addition to cultural and ethical considerations. The process also involved extensive internal committee discussion, public presentation, and debate. Contemporary medical practitioners provide health care for patients from many different cultures from all around the world. Thus, it is recommended that all health professionals working in sexual medicine should above all be able to demonstrate respect, understanding, and tolerance toward the differing moral worldviews of their patients and colleagues, and the societies they represent. In sexual medicine, health professionals have an obligation to respect the autonomy of any individual that they treat, regardless of that individual's religious or socio-cultural tradition, race, gender, or sexual orientation. Sexual rights are a necessary condition for sexual health. Sexual health requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence. For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be respected, protected, and fulfilled. Additional discussion and

  1. Male vulnerability explains the occurrence of sexual cannibalism in a moderately sexually dimorphic wolf spider.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Montraveta, Carmen; González, José Miguel; Cuadrado, Mariano

    2014-06-01

    Sexual cannibalism is a widespread phenomenon among a few animal taxa. Its occurrence is interpreted as female and/or male optimal reproductive decisions or as a non-adaptive side effect of selection for efficiently foraging females. In spite of the amount of research addressed at understanding its evolutionary origins, we lack accurate information about the proximate causes of sexual cannibalism. In a moderately sexually dimorphic wolf spider (Hogna radiata, Araneae, Lycosidae) we assessed the factors mediating the occurrence of sexual cannibalism and its fitness benefits to females. Sexual cannibalism was a rather common outcome of laboratory mating interactions, occurring in more than a quarter percent of courtship interactions involving virgin females. Sexual cannibalism mostly followed mating. Occurrence of sexual cannibalism depended on male vulnerability to female attacks: relatively smaller males were at higher risk of being attacked and older males were less likely to avoid female attacks. Sexual cannibalism had direct and positive effects on female fitness, as sexually cannibalistic females exhibited increased fecundity irrespective of their size, condition and foraging rate. Male consumption was almost complete and represented a relevant food intake to females. We interpret sexual cannibalism as a strategic foraging decision for H. radiata females that adjust their aggressive behaviour towards males so as to limit its potential costs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Involvement in the US criminal justice system and cost implications for persons treated for schizophrenia.

    PubMed

    Ascher-Svanum, Haya; Nyhuis, Allen W; Faries, Douglas E; Ball, Daniel E; Kinon, Bruce J

    2010-01-28

    Individuals with schizophrenia may have a higher risk of encounters with the criminal justice system than the general population, but there are limited data on such encounters and their attendant costs. This study assessed the prevalence of encounters with the criminal justice system, encounter types, and the estimated cost attributable to these encounters in the one-year treatment of persons with schizophrenia. This post-hoc analysis used data from a prospective one-year cost-effectiveness study of persons treated with antipsychotics for schizophrenia and related disorders in the United States. Criminal justice system involvement was assessed using the Schizophrenia Patients Outcome Research Team (PORT) client survey and the victimization subscale of the Lehman Quality of Life Interview (QOLI). Direct cost of criminal justice system involvement was estimated using previously reported costs per type of encounter. Patients with and without involvement were compared on baseline characteristics and direct annual health care and criminal justice system-related costs. Overall, 278 (46%) of 609 participants reported at least 1 criminal justice system encounter. They were more likely to be substance users and less adherent to antipsychotics compared to participants without involvement. The 2 most prevalent types of encounters were being a victim of a crime (67%) and being on parole or probation (26%). The mean annual per-patient cost of involvement was $1,429, translating to 6% of total annual direct health care costs for those with involvement (11% when excluding crime victims). Criminal justice system involvement appears to be prevalent and costly for persons treated for schizophrenia in the United States. Findings highlight the need to better understand the interface between the mental health and the criminal justice systems and the related costs, in personal, societal, and economic terms.

  3. Due Regard Encounter Model Version 1.0

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-08-19

    Table No. Page 1 Encounter model categories. 3 2 Geographic domain limits. 8 3 Cut points used for feature quantization. 15 B-1 Validation results. 34...out to the limits of radar coverage [ 8 ]. • Correlated Encounter Model of the National Airspace System (C): A correlated encounter model is used to...Note that no existing model covers encoun- ters between two IFR aircraft in oceanic airspace. The reason for this is that one cannot observe encounters

  4. The Influence of Neighborhood Characteristics on Police Officers’ Encounters with Persons Suspected to Have a Serious Mental Illness

    PubMed Central

    Krishan, Shaily; Bakeman, Roger; Broussard, Beth; Cristofaro, Sarah L.; Hankerson-Dyson, Dana; Husbands, Letheshia; Watson, Amy C.; Compton, Michael T.

    2014-01-01

    Objective Police officers’ decisions and behaviors are impacted by the neighborhood context in which police encounters occur. For example, officers may use greater force and be more likely to make arrests in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We examined whether neighborhood characteristics influence police encounters with individuals suspected to have a serious mental illness, addictive disorder, or developmental disability. Method We obtained data on 916 encounters from 166 officers in six jurisdictions in Georgia, USA and abstracted geographical data pertaining to the location of these encounters from United States Decennial Census data. Encounters were nested within 163 census tracts. Officer-reported data covered general encounter characteristics, the officer’s perception of the subject’s condition, subject demographics, use of force, and disposition of the encounter (e.g., arrest v. referral or transport to treatment services). Geographical data included 17 variables representing population and housing characteristics of the census tracts, from which three indices pertaining to neighborhood income, stability, and immigration status were derived using factor-analytic techniques. We then examined associations of these indices with various encounter-related variables using multi-level analysis. Results Encounters taking place in higher-income and higher-stability census tracts were more likely to be dispatch-initiated and take place in a private home compared to those in lower-income and lower-stability neighborhoods. In higher-income neighborhoods, encounters were more likely to involve a subject suspected to have a mental illness (as opposed to an addictive disorder or developmental disability) and less likely to involve a subject suspected to have alcohol problems. The officer’s level of force used was not associated with neighborhood factors. Regarding disposition, although the likelihood of arrest was unrelated to neighborhood characteristics, encounters

  5. The influence of neighborhood characteristics on police officers' encounters with persons suspected to have a serious mental illness.

    PubMed

    Krishan, Shaily; Bakeman, Roger; Broussard, Beth; Cristofaro, Sarah L; Hankerson-Dyson, Dana; Husbands, Letheshia; Watson, Amy C; Compton, Michael T

    2014-01-01

    Police officers' decisions and behaviors are impacted by the neighborhood context in which police encounters occur. For example, officers may use greater force and be more likely to make arrests in disadvantaged neighborhoods. We examined whether neighborhood characteristics influence police encounters with individuals suspected to have a serious mental illness, addictive disorder, or developmental disability. We obtained data on 916 encounters from 166 officers in six jurisdictions in Georgia, USA and abstracted geographical data pertaining to the location of these encounters from United States Decennial Census data. Encounters were nested within 163 census tracts. Officer-reported data covered general encounter characteristics, the officer's perception of the subject's condition, subject demographics, use of force, and disposition of the encounter (e.g., arrest v. referral or transport to treatment services). Geographical data included 17 variables representing population and housing characteristics of the census tracts, from which three indices pertaining to neighborhood income, stability, and immigration status were derived using factor-analytic techniques. We then examined associations of these indices with various encounter-related variables using multi-level analysis. Encounters taking place in higher-income and higher-stability census tracts were more likely to be dispatch-initiated and take place in a private home compared to those in lower-income and lower-stability neighborhoods. In higher-income neighborhoods, encounters were more likely to involve a subject suspected to have a mental illness (as opposed to an addictive disorder or developmental disability) and less likely to involve a subject suspected to have alcohol problems. The officer's level of force used was not associated with neighborhood factors. Regarding disposition, although the likelihood of arrest was unrelated to neighborhood characteristics, encounters taking place in higher

  6. Identifying and reducing risk factors related to trainee-client sexual misconduct.

    PubMed

    Hamilton, J C; Spruill, J

    1999-06-01

    Sexual misconduct involving therapists-in-training and their clients is addressed. Personal and situational factors that may constitute risk factors for the development of inappropriate sexual activity between trainees and their clients are identified. Although there may be certain characteristics that put particular students at risk for such involvement, the authors believe this risk is more strongly related to systemic, programmatic, and pedagogic characteristics of the environments in which students train. Examples include, respectively, the decline of concern over transference and countertransference, failure to include education about client-therapist sexual attraction and the consequences of sexual misconduct in graduate psychology curricula, and the reluctance of supervisors to deal straightforwardly with trainees' sexual feelings. Suggestions for reducing risks for client-therapist sexual misconduct are directed toward these situational factors.

  7. Sexual Fantasy and Masturbation Among Asexual Individuals: An In-Depth Exploration.

    PubMed

    Yule, Morag A; Brotto, Lori A; Gorzalka, Boris B

    2017-01-01

    Human asexuality is generally defined as a lack of sexual attraction. We used online questionnaires to investigate reasons for masturbation, and explored and compared the contents of sexual fantasies of asexual individuals (identified using the Asexual Identification Scale) with those of sexual individuals. A total of 351 asexual participants (292 women, 59 men) and 388 sexual participants (221 women, 167 men) participated. Asexual women were significantly less likely to masturbate than sexual women, sexual men, and asexual men. Asexual women were less likely to report masturbating for sexual pleasure or fun than their sexual counterparts, and asexual men were less likely to report masturbating for sexual pleasure than sexual men. Both asexual women and men were significantly more likely than sexual women and men to report that they had never had a sexual fantasy. Of those who have had a sexual fantasy, asexual women and men were significantly more likely to endorse the response "my fantasies do not involve other people" compared to sexual participants, and consistently scored each sexual fantasy on a questionnaire as being less sexually exciting than did sexual participants. When using an open-ended format, asexual participants were more likely to report having fantasies about sexual activities that did not involve themselves, and were less likely to fantasize about topics such as group sex, public sex, and having an affair. Interestingly, there was a large amount of overlap between sexual fantasies of asexual and sexual participants. Notably, both asexual and sexual participants (both men and women) were equally likely to fantasize about topics such as fetishes and BDSM.

  8. Adolescent mothers' sexual, contraceptive, and emotional relationship content with the fathers of their children following a first diagnosis of sexually transmitted infection.

    PubMed

    Hensel, Devon J; Fortenberry, J Dennis

    2011-09-01

    A sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis may profoundly change the meaning of adolescent women's relationships, particularly when the relationship involves a shared child. This study explored the sexual, contraceptive, and emotional characteristics of sexual partners with whom adolescent women had and did not have children in the 3 months after the first STI diagnosis. Adolescent women (n = 387; age: 14-17 years at enrollment) were tested quarterly for STI and completed partner-specific items on emotional and sexual relationship content. We used nonparametric statistics (SPSS/18.0) to compare these characteristics between partners with whom these adolescent women did (n = 20) or did not (n = 118) share a child. Rates of condom use at last sex, overall condom use, and condom insistence were lower with sexual partners involving shared children as compared with childless sexual partners. Relationship status, commitment to partner, and using no method of contraception were more common in parous sexual relationships as compared with nulliparous sexual relationships after an STI. After an STI, adolescent women have different sexual risk behaviors with the fathers of their children, even after a signal event such as a recent STI diagnosis. Tailored counseling may specifically address the challenges of STI prevention with partners who have the unique status of being the "father of the baby." Copyright © 2011 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. The Association of Attendance at Religious Services and Involvement in Church/Religious Activities and Youth Assets, by Gender, with Youths Engagement in Sexual Intercourse

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mueller, Trisha; Bensyl, Diana; Vesely, Sara K.; Oman, Roy F.; Aspy, Cheryl B.

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Previous research has shown that religion plays a role in the lives of many youths. This paper aims to extend previous research and examine attendance at religious services and involvement in religious/church activities as separate items to determine if one aspect was more strongly associated with never having had sexual intercourse among…

  10. Encounters of aircraft with volcanic ash clouds; A compilation of known incidents, 1953-2009

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Guffanti, Marianne; Casadevall, Thomas J.; Budding, Karin

    2010-01-01

    Information about reported encounters of aircraft with volcanic ash clouds from 1953 through 2009 has been compiled to document the nature and scope of risks to aviation from volcanic activity. The information, gleaned from a variety of published and other sources, is presented in database and spreadsheet formats; the compilation will be updated as additional encounters occur and as new data and corrections come to light. The effects observed by flight crews and extent of aircraft damage vary greatly among incidents, and each incident in the compilation is rated according to a severity index. Of the 129 reported incidents, 94 incidents are confirmed ash encounters, with 79 of those having various degrees of airframe or engine damage; 20 are low-severity events that involve suspected ash or gas clouds; and 15 have data that are insufficient to assess severity. Twenty-six of the damaging encounters involved significant to very severe damage to engines and (or) airframes, including nine encounters with engine shutdown during flight. The average annual rate of damaging encounters since 1976, when reporting picked up, has been approximately 2 per year. Most of the damaging encounters occurred within 24 hours of the onset of ash production or at distances less than 1,000 kilometers from the source volcanoes. The compilation covers only events of relatively short duration for which aircraft were checked for damage soon thereafter; documenting instances of long-term repeated exposure to ash (or sulfate aerosols) will require further investigation. Of 38 source volcanoes, 8 have caused 5 or more encounters, of which the majority were damaging: Augustine (United States), Chaiten (Chile), Mount St. Helens (United States), Pacaya (Guatemala), Pinatubo (Philippines), Redoubt (United States), Sakura-jima (Japan), and Soufriere Hills (Montserrat, Lesser Antilles, United Kingdom). Aircraft have been damaged by eruptions ranging from small, recurring episodes to very large

  11. Immigrant Sexual Citizenship: Intersectional Templates among Mexican Gay Immigrants to the United States

    PubMed Central

    Epstein, Steven; Carrillo, Héctor

    2014-01-01

    Existing literature on sexual citizenship has emphasized the sexuality-related claims of de jure citizens of nation-states, generally ignoring immigrants. Conversely, the literature on immigration rarely attends to the salience of sexual issues in understanding the social incorporation of migrants. This article seeks to fill the gap by theorizing and analyzing immigrant sexual citizenship. While some scholars of sexual citizenship have focused on the rights and recognition granted formally by the nation-state and others have stressed more diffuse, cultural perceptions of community and local belonging, we argue that the lived experiences of immigrant sexual citizenship call for multiscalar scrutiny of templates and practices of citizenship that bridge national policies with local connections. Analysis of ethnographic data from a study of 76 Mexican gay and bisexual male immigrants to San Diego, California reveals the specific citizenship templates that these men encounter as they negotiate their intersecting social statuses as gay/bisexual and as immigrants (legal or undocumented); these include an “asylum” template, a “rights” template, and a “local attachments” template. However, the complications of their intersecting identities constrain their capacity to claim immigrant sexual citizenship. The study underscores the importance of both intersectional and multiscalar approaches in research on citizenship as social practice. PMID:25013360

  12. Comparing sexual-minority and heterosexual young women's friends and parents as sources of support for sexual issues.

    PubMed

    Friedman, Carly K; Morgan, Elizabeth M

    2009-08-01

    The present study provides a comparative analysis of sexual-minority and heterosexual emerging adult women's experiences seeking support for sexual issues from parents and friends. Participants included 229 college women (88 sexual-minority women; 141 heterosexual women), ranging from 18 to 25 years of age, who provided written responses to an inquiry about a time they went to friends and parents for support for a issue related to their sexuality. Responses indicated that the majority of participants had sought support from either a parent or a friend and that mothers and female friends were more likely involved than fathers or male friends, respectively. Sexual issues that participants reported discussing with parents and friends were inductively grouped into five categories: dating and romantic relationships, sexual behavior, sexual health, identity negotiation, and discrimination and violence. Issues that were discussed differed based on sexual orientation identity and the source of support (parent or friend); they did not differ by age. Participants generally perceived parents and friends' responses as helpful, though sexual-minority participants perceived both parents and friends' responses as less helpful than did heterosexual participants. Overall, results suggest both similarities and differences between sexual-minority and heterosexual young women's experiences seeking support for sexual issues from parents and friends.

  13. Consequences of gynecological cancer in patients and their partners from the sexual and psychological perspective

    PubMed Central

    Woźniak, Katarzyna; Iżycka, Natalia

    2016-01-01

    The diagnosis of gynecological cancer and the following consequences of the treatment radically change the lives of cancer patients and their partners. Women experience negative consequences in terms of sexual, psychological and social functioning. Surgical treatment may result in a decrease in sexual pleasure and pain during intercourse. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause a loss of libido and negatively affect the capacity to experience pleasure or orgasm. Treatment-related changes may include the occurrence of body image disorders, decreased quality of life as well as depressive and anxiety disorders among patients. Furthermore, a negative influence on the relationship between the affected women and their partners, as well as an adverse effect on the social activity, can be observed. Cancer is not an individual experience. It also affects partners of the sick women in terms of psychological and sexual functioning. This article depicts possible problems encountered by cancer patients and their partners from the psychological and sexual perspective. The emphasis is put on understanding sexuality not only in the context of sexual performance, but also in a wider perspective. PMID:27582686

  14. Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School. Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    American Association of University Women, 2011

    2011-01-01

    Sexual harassment has long been an unfortunate part of the climate in middle and high schools in the United States. Often considered a kind of bullying, sexual harassment by definition involves sex and gender and therefore warrants separate attention. The legal definition of sexual harassment also differentiates it from bullying. Based on a…

  15. Abuse Characteristics and Psychiatric Consequences Associated with Online Sexual Abuse.

    PubMed

    Say, Gökçe Nur; Babadağı, Zehra; Karabekiroğlu, Koray; Yüce, Murat; Akbaş, Seher

    2015-06-01

    The current study examined the rate and psychiatric correlates of sexual abuse involving the use of digital technologies by the offender in a wide sample of juvenile victims. Sociodemographic, abuse, and psychiatric characteristics of 662 sexually abused children and adolescents were evaluated. Of these, 93 reported that digital devices were used by the offender in several ways to facilitate the sexual abuse. The offender-victim relationship was initiated through the Internet in 39 victims. Involvement of digital technologies in sexual abuse was significantly associated with penetrative and recurrent form of sexual abuse commited by multiple offenders with coexisting violence. Additionally, victims of sexual abuse with a digital component were 4.21 times more likely to develop any psychopathology, 3.77 times more likely to have depression, and 2.14 times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of sexual abuse. These results indicated that the offender's use of digital technology may aid the initiation and facilitation of the sexual abuse of youths and may relate to more severe outcomes. This study revealed the importance of raising the awareness of professionals and the community about the potential risks associated with digital technologies and sexual abuse. Mental health professionals should consider this additional form of victimization, especially when dealing with sexual abuse victims.

  16. Perception Differences in Ambiguous Forms of Workplace Sexual Harassment: A Comparison between the United States and Turkey.

    PubMed

    Toker, Yonca

    2016-07-03

    Certain social-sexual behaviors that could be potentially encountered in workplaces are ambiguous in nature and perceiving them as sexual harassment can depend on the culture. With an aim to delineate the overlap and distinctions of sexual harassment perceptions of such behaviors across samples of women university students from Turkey (TR, N = 215) and the United States (US, N = 209), measurement invariance and latent mean differences in perceiving three ambiguous forms; sexist hostility, sexual hostility, and insinuation-of-interest, were examined. It was hypothesized that the US sample would perceive sexist hostility more sexually harassing as sexist workplace discriminatory practices are emphasized as a form of sexual harassment, and that the TR sample would perceive sexual hostility and insinuation-of-interest as more sexually harassing as women in TR operate in a conservative context. Despite similarities in rank ordering, US participants perceived sexist hostility more sexually harassing; insinuation-of-interest and sexual hostility less sexually harassing than Turkish participants, supporting all three hypotheses. There are implications of differing perceptions across cultures for organizations in terms of disseminating awareness via training programs about the forms of sexual harassment (SH) in a local context and for taking account of local findings in shaping the labor code of countries in relation to SH.

  17. Temporal characteristics of decisions in hospital encounters: a threshold for shared decision making? A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Ofstad, Eirik H; Frich, Jan C; Schei, Edvin; Frankel, Richard M; Gulbrandsen, Pål

    2014-11-01

    To identify and characterize physicians' statements that contained evidence of clinically relevant decisions in encounters with patients in different hospital settings. Qualitative analysis of 50 videotaped encounters from wards, the emergency room (ER) and outpatient clinics in a department of internal medicine at a Norwegian university hospital. Clinical decisions could be grouped in a temporal order: decisions which had already been made, and were brought into the encounter by the physician (preformed decisions), decisions made in the present (here-and-now decisions), and decisions prescribing future actions given a certain course of events (conditional decisions). Preformed decisions were a hallmark in the ward and conditional decisions a main feature of ER encounters. Clinical decisions related to a patient-physician encounter spanned a time frame exceeding the duration of the encounter. While a distribution of decisions over time and space fosters sharing and dilution of responsibility between providers, it makes the decision making process hard to access for patients. In order to plan when and how to involve patients in decisions, physicians need increased awareness of when clinical decisions are made, who usually makes them, and who should make them. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. [A tale of two encounters].

    PubMed

    Chanel, Marie-Paule

    The moving testimony of a patient shows the impact which a successful encounter can have. Beyond the positive clinical consequences, her rediscovered motivation and pleasure are the essential drivers which have guided her along the pathway of reconstruction. A tale of two encounters which have marked her life course. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  19. [A prospective study of drug-facilitated sexual assault in Barcelona].

    PubMed

    Xifró-Collsamata, Alexandre; Pujol-Robinat, Amadeo; Barbería-Marcalain, Eneko; Arroyo-Fernández, Amparo; Bertomeu-Ruiz, Antonia; Montero-Núñez, Francisco; Medallo-Muñiz, Jordi

    2015-05-08

    To determine the frequency and characteristics of suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) among the victims of sexual assault in Barcelona. Prospective study of every adult consulting an emergency service because of alleged sexual assault and receiving forensic assessment in the city of Barcelona in 2011. A total of 35 of 114 cases (30.7%) met suspected DFSA criteria. Compared with the other victims, suspected DFSA cases were more likely to experience amnesia, to have been assaulted by night, after a social situation and by a recently acquainted man, to have used alcohol before the assault and to be foreigners. In this group ethanol was detected in blood or urine in 48.4% of analyzed cases; their mean back calculated blood alcohol concentration was 2.29g/l (SD 0.685). Also, at least one central nervous system drug other than ethanol was detected in 60,6%, mainly stimulant drugs of abuse. Suspected DFSA is frequent among victims of alleged sexual assault in Barcelona nowadays. The depressor substance most commonly encountered is alcohol, which contributes to victims' vulnerability. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  20. Pharmacy users’ expectations of pharmacy encounters: a Q‐methodological study

    PubMed Central

    Renberg, Tobias; Wichman Törnqvist, Kristina; Kälvemark Sporrong, Sofia; Kettis Lindblad, Åsa; Tully, Mary P.

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Background  Pharmacy practice is evolving according to general health‐care trends such as increased patient involvement and public health initiatives. In addition, pharmacists strive to find new professional roles. Clients’ expectations of service encounters at pharmacies is an under‐explored topic but crucial to understanding how pharmacy practice can evolve efficiently. Objective  To identify and describe different normative expectations of the pharmacy encounter among pharmacy clients. Methods  Q methodology, an approach to systematically explore subjectivity that retains complete patterns of responses and organizes these into factors of operant subjectivity. Setting and participants  Eighty‐five regular prescription medication users recruited at Swedish community pharmacies and by snowballing. Results  Seven factors of operant subjectivity were identified, and organized into two groups. Factors that emphasized the physical drug product as the central object of the pharmacy encounter were labelled as independent drug shopping; logistics of drug distribution; and supply of individual’s own drugs. Factors that emphasized personal support as desirable were labelled competence as individual support; individualist professional relations, just take care of me; and practical health‐care and lifestyle support. Discussion and conclusions  The systematic Q‐methodological approach yielded valuable insights into how pharmacy clients construct their expectations for service encounters. They hold differentiating normative expectations for pharmacy services. Understanding these varying viewpoints may be important for developing and prioritizing among efficient pharmacy services. Clients’ expectations do not correspond with trends that guide current pharmacy practice development. This might be a challenge for promoting or implementing services based on such trends. PMID:21199199

  1. Multiple violence victimisation associated with sexual ill health and sexual risk behaviours in Swedish youth.

    PubMed

    Blom, Helena; Högberg, Ulf; Olofsson, Niclas; Danielsson, Ingela

    2016-01-01

    To address the associations between emotional, physical and sexual violence, specifically multiple violence victimisation, and sexual ill health and sexual risk behaviours in youth, as well as possible gender differences. A cross-sectional population-based survey among sexually experienced youth using a questionnaire with validated questions on emotional, physical, and sexual violence victimisation, sociodemographics, health risk behaviours, and sexual ill health and sexual risk behaviours. Proportions, unadjusted/adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. The participants comprised 1192 female and 1021 male students aged 15 to 22 years. The females had experienced multiple violence (victimisation with two or three types of violence) more often than the males (21% vs. 16%). The associations between multiple violence victimisation and sexual ill health and sexual risk behaviours were consistent for both genders. Experience of/involvement in pregnancy yielded adjusted ORs of 2.4 (95% CI 1.5-3.7) for females and 2.1 (95% CI 1.3-3.4) for males, and early age at first intercourse 2.2 (95% CI 1.6-3.1) for females and 1.9 (95% CI 1.2-3.0) for males. No significantly raised adjusted ORs were found for non-use of contraceptives in young men or young women, or for chlamydia infection in young men. Several types of sexual ill health and sexual risk behaviours are strongly associated with multiple violence victimisation in both genders. This should be taken into consideration when counselling young people and addressing their sexual and reproductive health.

  2. Predictors of sexual bother in a population of male North American medical students.

    PubMed

    Smith, James F; Breyer, Benjamin N; Shindel, Alan W

    2011-12-01

    The prevalence and associations of sexual bother in male medical students has not been extensively studied. The aim of this study is to analyze predictors of sexual bother in a survey of male North American medical students. Students enrolled in allopathic and osteopathic medical schools in North America between February 2008 and July 2008 were invited to participate in an internet-based survey of sexuality and sexual function. The principle outcome measure was a single-item question inquiring about global satisfaction with sexual function. The survey also consisted of a questionnaire that included ethnodemographic factors, student status, sexual history, and a validated scale for the assessment of depression. Respondents completed the International Index of Erectile Function, the premature ejaculation diagnostic tool, and the Self-Esteem and Relationship Quality survey (SEAR). Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and multivariable logistic regression were utilized to analyze responses. There were 480 male subjects (mean age 26.3 years) with data sufficient for analysis. Forty-three (9%) reported sexual bother. Sexual bother was significantly more common in men with erectile dysfunction (ED), high risk of premature ejaculation (HRPE), depressive symptoms, and lower sexual frequency. However, after multivariate analysis including SEAR scores, ED, and HRPE were no longer independently predictive of sexual bother. Higher scores for all domains of the SEAR were associated with lower odds of sexual bother. ED and HRPE are associated with sexual bother in this young and presumably healthy population. However, after controlling for relationship factors neither ED nor HRPE independently predicted sexual bother. It is plausible to hypothesize that sexual dysfunction from organic causes is rare in this population and is seldom encountered outside of relationship perturbations. Attention to relationship and psychological factors is likely of key importance in

  3. ASRS Reports on Wake Vortex Encounters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Connell, Linda J.; Taube, Elisa Ann; Drew, Charles Robert; Barclay, Tommy Earl

    2010-01-01

    ASRS is conducting a structured callback research project of wake vortex incidents reported to the ASRS at all US airports, as well as wake encounters in the enroute environment. This study has three objectives: (1) Utilize the established ASRS supplemental data collection methodology and provide ongoing analysis of wake vortex encounter reports; (2) Document event dynamics and contributing factors underlying wake vortex encounter events; and (3) Support ongoing FAA efforts to address pre-emptive wake vortex risk reduction by utilizing ASRS reporting contributions.

  4. 28 CFR 549.92 - Definition of “sexually violent conduct.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Civil Commitment of a Sexually Dangerous Person § 549.92 Definition of “sexually... of a sexual nature with another person (“the victim”) that involves: (a) The use or threatened use of... person, will be harmed; (c) Rendering the victim unconscious and thereby engaging in conduct of a sexual...

  5. 28 CFR 549.92 - Definition of “sexually violent conduct.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Civil Commitment of a Sexually Dangerous Person § 549.92 Definition of “sexually... of a sexual nature with another person (“the victim”) that involves: (a) The use or threatened use of... person, will be harmed; (c) Rendering the victim unconscious and thereby engaging in conduct of a sexual...

  6. 28 CFR 549.92 - Definition of “sexually violent conduct.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Civil Commitment of a Sexually Dangerous Person § 549.92 Definition of “sexually... of a sexual nature with another person (“the victim”) that involves: (a) The use or threatened use of... person, will be harmed; (c) Rendering the victim unconscious and thereby engaging in conduct of a sexual...

  7. 28 CFR 549.92 - Definition of “sexually violent conduct.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Civil Commitment of a Sexually Dangerous Person § 549.92 Definition of “sexually... of a sexual nature with another person (“the victim”) that involves: (a) The use or threatened use of... person, will be harmed; (c) Rendering the victim unconscious and thereby engaging in conduct of a sexual...

  8. 28 CFR 549.92 - Definition of “sexually violent conduct.”

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... MANAGEMENT MEDICAL SERVICES Civil Commitment of a Sexually Dangerous Person § 549.92 Definition of “sexually... of a sexual nature with another person (“the victim”) that involves: (a) The use or threatened use of... person, will be harmed; (c) Rendering the victim unconscious and thereby engaging in conduct of a sexual...

  9. Sexual Risk Taking among HIV-Positive Injection Drug Users: Contexts, Characteristics, and Implications for Prevention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knight, Kelly R.; Purcell, David; Dawson-Rose, Carol; Halkitis, Perry N.; Gomez, Cynthia A.

    2005-01-01

    HIV-positive injection drug users (IDUs) (N = 161) were recruited to complete a qualitative interview and a quantitative survey about sexual behavior and transmission risk. We identified two contexts in which exposure encounters occurred most commonly for HIV-positive IDUs: in intimate serodiscordant relationships and in the drug/sex economy.…

  10. Gender and sexual vulnerability of young women in Africa: experiences of young girls in secondary schools in Uganda.

    PubMed

    Muhanguzi, Florence Kyoheirwe

    2011-06-01

    Sexuality is part and parcel of students' experiences of schooling manifested in personal friendships, relations and social interaction. These encounters constitute sites within which sexual identities are developed, practiced and actively produced through processes of negotiation. Drawing on qualitative research conducted in 14 selected secondary schools in Central and Western Uganda, the study illuminates gendered sexual vulnerability within patterns of social interaction and young girls gendered experiences and negotiation of their sexuality. The study reveals that through social and discursive practices, students construct complex gendered relations of domination and subordination that position boys and girls differently, often creating gender inequalities and sexual vulnerability for those gendered as girls. Girls' vulnerability is characterised by confusing and traumatic experiences fraught with double standards and silences. Typical of these experiences are complex tensions and contradictions surrounding constructions of sexuality that are predicated upon unequal power and gender relations characterised by homophobia, misogyny, control of female sexuality and sexual abuse and exploitation, all which work against girls' expression of sexuality. Gender sensitive sexuality education is identified as a valuable site of intervention to address such vulnerabilities and promote gender equality and equity in society.

  11. Problem drinking is associated with increased prevalence of sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima, Peru.

    PubMed

    Deiss, Robert G; Clark, Jesse L; Konda, Kelika A; Leon, Segundo R; Klausner, Jeffrey D; Caceres, Carlos F; Coates, Thomas J

    2013-09-01

    Alcohol use is an important but understudied HIV risk factor among men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly in Latin America. We studied the relationship between problem drinking and sexual risk among MSM in Lima, Peru. We recruited 718 participants from 24 neighborhoods for a study on sexually transmitted infections and community-building among MSM. Multivariate analysis was used to identify factors independently associated with problem drinking, which was defined via the CAGE Questionnaire. Of 718 participants, 58% met criteria for problem drinking. In univariate analysis, problem drinkers were significantly more likely to report failing to always use condoms, use alcohol or drugs prior to their most recent sexual encounter, report a history of sexual coercion and to engage in transactional sex. Problem drinkers also reported significantly higher numbers of recent and lifetime sexual partners. In multivariate analysis, factors independently associated with problem drinking included a history of sexual coercion [OR 1.8 95%, CI 1.2-2.6], having consumed alcohol prior to the most recent sexual encounter [OR 2.1 95%, CI 1.5-2.9], receiving compensation for sex in the last six months [OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.2] or having reported a prior HIV+ test [OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.2-0.9]. We found a high prevalence of problem drinking among MSM in Lima, Peru, which was associated with increased sexual risk in our study. Of note, individuals who were already HIV-infected were less likely to be problem drinkers. Further studies and targeted interventions to reduce problem drinking among MSM are warranted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Gender context of sexual violence and HIV sexual risk behaviors among married women in Iringa Region, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Nyamhanga, Tumaini M; Frumence, Gasto

    2014-01-01

    There is a dearth of empirical research illuminating possible connections between gender imbalances and sexual violence among married women in Tanzania. There is a need to generate in-depth information on the connectivity between gender imbalances (asymmetrical resource ownership, sexual decision making, roles, and norms) and sexual violence plus associated HIV risky sexual behavior among married women. This paper is based on a qualitative case study that involved use of focus group discussions (FGDs). A thematic analysis approach was used in analyzing the study findings. The study findings are presented under the three structures of gender and power theory. On sexual division of labor, our study found that economic powerlessness exposes women to sexual violence. This study suggests that married women experience a sexual risk of acquiring HIV that results from non-consensual sex. That non-consensual sex is a function of gender imbalances - ranging from women's economic dependence on their husbands or partners to socioculturally rooted norms and expectations regarding women's sexual behavior. The HIV risk is especially heightened because masculine sexual norms encourage men [husbands/partners] to engage in unprotected intra- and extramarital sex. It is recommended that the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) should address the gender dimensions of sexual violence in marriage.

  13. Seasonal variation in hospital encounters with hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia.

    PubMed

    Clemens, K K; Shariff, S; Richard, L; Booth, G; Gilliland, J; Garg, A X

    2017-07-01

    To assess whether rates of hospital encounters with hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia display seasonal variation. Time series analyses of the monthly rates of hospital encounters (emergency room visits or inpatient admissions) with hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia from 2003 to 2012 using linked healthcare databases in Ontario, Canada. Over the study period, there were 129 887 hypoglycaemia and 79 773 hyperglycaemia encounters. The characteristics of people at the time of their encounters were similar across the seasons in 2008 (median age 68 years for hypoglycaemia encounters and 53 years for hyperglycaemia encounters; 50% female; 90% with diabetes). We observed moderate seasonality in both types of encounters (R 2 autoregression coefficient 0.58 for hypoglycaemia; 0.59 for hyperglycaemia). The rate of hypoglycaemia encounters appeared to peak between April and June, when on average, there was an additional 49 encounters per month (0.36 encounters per 100 000 persons per month) compared with the other calendar months (5% increase). The rate of hyperglycaemia encounters appeared to peak in January, when on average, there was an additional 69 encounters per month (0.50 encounters per 100 000 persons per month) compared with the other calendar months (11% increase). In our region, there is seasonal variation in the rate of hospital encounters with hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. Our findings may help to highlight periods of vulnerability for people, may inform future epidemiological studies and may aid in the appropriate planning of healthcare resources. © 2017 Diabetes UK.

  14. The space of togetherness--a caring encounter.

    PubMed

    Holopainen, Gunilla; Kasén, Anne; Nyström, Lisbet

    2014-03-01

    Encounters in relation to the nurse-patient relationship are often discussed within nursing and caring literature without a reflection on the actual meaning of the concept. Assuming that an encounter is essential for nursing care, this article seeks to create a deeper understanding of the concept through a hermeneutic approach to texts by the philosophers Buber and Marcel. Presence, recognition, availability and mutuality seem to be essential prerequisites for an encounter. As these prerequisites are fulfilled within and between human beings who encounter each other, it is possible to speak of a space of togetherness, a mutual existence, where life's mystery shines forth and caring is realized. The challenge lies in creating these encounters within nursing care. © 2012 The Authors Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2012 Nordic College of Caring Science.

  15. Brain response to visual sexual stimuli in homosexual pedophiles.

    PubMed

    Schiffer, Boris; Krueger, Tillmann; Paul, Thomas; de Greiff, Armin; Forsting, Michael; Leygraf, Norbert; Schedlowski, Manfred; Gizewski, Elke

    2008-01-01

    The neurobiological mechanisms of deviant sexual preferences such as pedophilia are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to analyze whether brain activation patterns of homosexual pedophiles differed from those of a nonpedophile homosexual control group during visual sexual stimulation. A consecutive sample of 11 pedophile forensic inpatients exclusively attracted to boys and 12 age-matched homosexual control participants from a comparable socioeconomic stratum underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a visual sexual stimulation procedure that used sexually stimulating and emotionally neutral photographs. Sexual arousal was assessed according to a subjective rating scale. In contrast to sexually neutral pictures, in both groups sexually arousing pictures having both homosexual and pedophile content activated brain areas known to be involved in processing visual stimuli containing emotional content, including the occipitotemporal and prefrontal cortices. However, during presentation of the respective sexual stimuli, the thalamus, globus pallidus and striatum, which correspond to the key areas of the brain involved in sexual arousal and behaviour, showed significant activation in pedophiles, but not in control subjects. Central processing of visual sexual stimuli in homosexual pedophiles seems to be comparable to that in nonpedophile control subjects. However, compared with homosexual control subjects, activation patterns in pedophiles refer more strongly to subcortical regions, which have previously been discussed in the context of processing reward signals and also play an important role in addictive and stimulus-controlled behaviour. Thus future studies should further elucidate the specificity of these brain regions for the processing of sexual stimuli in pedophilia and should address the generally weaker activation pattern in homosexual men.

  16. Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Sexual Risk Behavior among Female Sex Workers in two South Indian Communities

    PubMed Central

    Heravian, Anisa; Solomon, Raja; Krishnan, Gopal; Vasudevan, CK; Krishnan, AK; Osmand, Thomas; Ekstrand, Maria L.

    2012-01-01

    Background HIV transmission in India is primarily heterosexual and there is a concentrated HIV epidemic among female sex workers (FSWs). Earlier reports demonstrate that many FSWs consume alcohol regularly before sexual encounters. This qualitative study is part of a larger quantitative study designed to assess alcohol consumption patterns among female sex workers and their association with sexual risk taking. Here we investigate the environmental influence, reasons for and consequences of consuming alcohol in the FSW population. Methods Trained staff from two Non-Governmental Organizations in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala conducted semi-structured interviews with 63 FSWs in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh (n=35) and Calicut, Kerala (n=28) following extensive formative research, including social mapping and key informant interviews, to assess drinking patterns and sexual risk behaviors. Results FSWs reported consuming alcohol in multiple contexts: sexual, social, mental health and self-medication. Alcohol consumption during sexual encounters with clients was usually forced, but some women drank voluntarily. Social drinking took place in public locations such as bars and in private locations including deserted buildings, roads and inside autorickshaws (motorcycle taxis). Consequences of alcohol consumption included failure to use condoms and to collect payments from clients, violence, legal problems, gastrointestinal side effects, economic loss and interference with family responsibilities. Conclusion FSWs consume alcohol in multilevel contexts. Alcohol consumption during transactional sex is often forced and can lead to failure to use condoms. Social drinkers consume alcohol with other trusted FSWs for entertainment and to help cope with psychosocial stressors. There are multiple reasons for and consequences of alcohol consumption in this population and future interventions should target each specific aspect of alcohol use. PMID:22608567

  17. Alcohol consumption patterns and sexual risk behavior among female sex workers in two South Indian communities.

    PubMed

    Heravian, Anisa; Solomon, Raja; Krishnan, Gopal; Vasudevan, C K; Krishnan, A K; Osmand, Thomas; Ekstrand, Maria L

    2012-11-01

    HIV transmission in India is primarily heterosexual and there is a concentrated HIV epidemic among female sex workers (FSWs). Earlier reports demonstrate that many FSWs consume alcohol regularly before sexual encounters. This qualitative study is part of a larger quantitative study designed to assess alcohol consumption patterns among female sex workers and their association with sexual risk taking. Here we investigate the environmental influence, reasons for and consequences of consuming alcohol in the FSW population. Trained staff from two Non-Governmental Organizations in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala conducted semi-structured interviews with 63 FSWs in Chirala, Andhra Pradesh (n = 35) and Calicut, Kerala (n = 28) following extensive formative research, including social mapping and key informant interviews, to assess drinking patterns and sexual risk behaviors. FSWs reported consuming alcohol in multiple contexts: sexual, social, mental health and self-medication. Alcohol consumption during sexual encounters with clients was usually forced, but some women drank voluntarily. Social drinking took place in public locations such as bars and in private locations including deserted buildings, roads and inside autorickshaws (motorcycle taxis). Consequences of alcohol consumption included failure to use condoms and to collect payments from clients, violence, legal problems, gastrointestinal side effects, economic loss and interference with family responsibilities. FSWs consume alcohol in multilevel contexts. Alcohol consumption during transactional sex is often forced and can lead to failure to use condoms. Social drinkers consume alcohol with other trusted FSWs for entertainment and to help cope with psychosocial stressors. There are multiple reasons for and consequences of alcohol consumption in this population and future interventions should target each specific aspect of alcohol use. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Sex Knowledge, Sex Guilt and Sexual Behavior among University Students.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Idalyn S.; Pollack, Robert H.

    Previous research has suggested a high level of sexual activity among students, often involving unprotected intercourse. To better understand what factors contribute to consistent use of effective contraception, the relationship between sexual knowledge and sexual behavior and the relationship of sex guilt to sex knowledge were investigated in a…

  19. Electrostatically Accelerated Encounter and Folding for Facile Recognition of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

    PubMed Central

    Ganguly, Debabani; Zhang, Weihong; Chen, Jianhan

    2013-01-01

    Achieving facile specific recognition is essential for intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) that are involved in cellular signaling and regulation. Consideration of the physical time scales of protein folding and diffusion-limited protein-protein encounter has suggested that the frequent requirement of protein folding for specific IDP recognition could lead to kinetic bottlenecks. How IDPs overcome such potential kinetic bottlenecks to viably function in signaling and regulation in general is poorly understood. Our recent computational and experimental study of cell-cycle regulator p27 (Ganguly et al., J. Mol. Biol. (2012)) demonstrated that long-range electrostatic forces exerted on enriched charges of IDPs could accelerate protein-protein encounter via “electrostatic steering” and at the same time promote “folding-competent” encounter topologies to enhance the efficiency of IDP folding upon encounter. Here, we further investigated the coupled binding and folding mechanisms and the roles of electrostatic forces in the formation of three IDP complexes with more complex folded topologies. The surface electrostatic potentials of these complexes lack prominent features like those observed for the p27/Cdk2/cyclin A complex to directly suggest the ability of electrostatic forces to facilitate folding upon encounter. Nonetheless, similar electrostatically accelerated encounter and folding mechanisms were consistently predicted for all three complexes using topology-based coarse-grained simulations. Together with our previous analysis of charge distributions in known IDP complexes, our results support a prevalent role of electrostatic interactions in promoting efficient coupled binding and folding for facile specific recognition. These results also suggest that there is likely a co-evolution of IDP folded topology, charge characteristics, and coupled binding and folding mechanisms, driven at least partially by the need to achieve fast association kinetics for

  20. Persuasion strategies and sexual solicitations and interactions in online sexual grooming of adolescents: Modeling direct and indirect pathways.

    PubMed

    Gámez-Guadix, Manuel; Almendros, Carmen; Calvete, Esther; De Santisteban, Patricia

    2018-02-01

    Online sexual grooming and exploitation of adolescents is receiving increasing social attention. Drawing on a social influence framework, the aim of this study was to test a model of the direct and mediated relationships between an adult's use of persuasion strategies and online sexual grooming of early adolescents. The initial sample of the study consisted of 2731 early Spanish adolescents between 12 and 15 years old (50.6% female). Of these, 196 adolescents (7.17% of the total; 53% girls) were involved in online grooming (mean age = 14.93, SD = 0.90). Persuasion strategies by the adult through internet increased the probability of using deceit, bribery, and the minor's nonsexual involvement. In addition, deceit and bribery were associated with higher rates of sexual solicitation, which in turn increased abusive sexual interactions. Understanding strategies used by adults to groom minors contributes to the prevention of and intervention in this crucial societal problem. Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Intellectual disability, sexuality and sexual abuse prevention - a study of family members and support workers.

    PubMed

    Eastgate, Gillian; Scheermeyer, Elly; van Driel, Mieke L; Lennox, Nick

    2012-03-01

    People with intellectual disability experience difficulty forming intimate relationships and are prone to sexual exploitation and abuse. This study sought information from people involved in the care of adults with intellectual disability regarding how they supported them in the areas of sexuality, relationships and abuse prevention. Semistructured interviews and focus groups were held with 28 family members and paid support workers caring for adults with intellectual disabilities. Interviews and focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, coded and analysed qualitatively. Major themes emerging included views on sexuality and intellectual disability, consent and legal issues, relationships, sexual knowledge and education, disempowerment, exploitation and abuse, sexual health and parenting. People with intellectual disability were described as lonely, disempowered and vulnerable to abuse. The sex industry, internet and mobile telephones were identified as new forms of risk. While this study looked at the views of both family members and support workers, the sample was too small to identify any meaningful differences between the two groups.

  2. RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENT SEXUAL ORIENTATION: DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH DISPARITIES, STIGMA AND RESILIENCE

    PubMed Central

    Saewyc, Elizabeth M.

    2016-01-01

    The decade between 1998 and 2008 saw rapid increases in research on adolescent sexual orientation development and related health issues, both in quantity and in quality of studies. While much of the research originated in North America, studies from other countries also contributed to emerging understanding of developmental trajectories and social influences on the health of sexual minority adolescents. This paper reviews the body of research from the past decade on adolescent sexual orientation, focused on issues of measurement, developmental trajectories, evidence related to health disparities, and the risks and protective factors that help explain the health and developmental challenges some lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents experience. Although many sexual minority adolescents face stigma and rejection within their families, their schools, or their communities, it should be noted that most successfully navigate the developmental tasks of adolescence, and attain similar levels of health and well-being as their heterosexual peers, often despite the stigma and discrimination they encounter. Further research is needed to understand population trends as well as individual patterns of development; cultural variations in both development and health disparities; the interplay of general and unique risk factors that contribute to various health disparities and protective factors that buffer those risks; and interventions to promote the healthy development of sexual minority adolescents. PMID:27099454

  3. HIV-Prevention Opportunities With GPS-Based Social and Sexual Networking Applications for Men Who Have Sex With Men.

    PubMed

    Jenkins Hall, Wendasha; Sun, Christina J; Tanner, Amanda E; Mann, Lilli; Stowers, Jason; Rhodes, Scott D

    2017-02-01

    The goal of this study was to gain insight on the sexual health needs of men who have sex with men (MSM) who use GPS-based social and sexual networking mobile applications (apps) and the future utility of app-based interventions. A health educator promoted HIV-testing resources in four popular apps used by MSM. Content analysis was used to identify salient themes that emerged from the conversations. Four major themes were identified: (1) soliciting sexual encounters, (2) relationship building, (3) HIV and STI-testing inquiries, and (4) seeking other sexual health information. The results suggest the intervention's social media-based strategy, respect for community culture, and unobtrusive approach was advantageous in establishing credibility and rapport with app users. These results highlight a need for convenient and discreet methods to access accurate sexual health information and suggest that apps provide an alternative, non-traditional venue for sexual health education in addition to HIV testing promotion.

  4. Diffusional encounter of barnase and barstar.

    PubMed

    Spaar, Alexander; Dammer, Christian; Gabdoulline, Razif R; Wade, Rebecca C; Helms, Volkhard

    2006-03-15

    We present an analysis of trajectories from Brownian dynamics simulations of diffusional protein-protein encounter for the well-studied system of barnase and barstar. This analysis reveals details about the optimal association pathways, the regions of the encounter complex, possible differences of the pathways for dissociation and association, the coupling of translational and rotation motion, and the effect of mutations on the trajectories. We found that a small free-energy barrier divides the energetically most favorable region into a region of the encounter complex above the barnase binding interface and a region around a second energy minimum near the RNA binding loop. When entering the region of the encounter complex from the region near the RNA binding loop, barstar has to change its orientation to increase the electrostatic attraction between the proteins. By concentrating the analysis on the successful binding trajectories, we found that the region of the second minimum is not essential for the binding of barstar to barnase. Nevertheless, this region may be helpful to steer barstar into the region of the encounter complex. When applying the same analysis to several barnase mutants, we found that single mutations may drastically change the free-energy landscape and may significantly alter the population of the two minima. Therefore, certain protein-protein pairs may require careful adaptation of the positions of encounter and transition states when interpreting mutation effects on kinetic rates of association and/or dissociation.

  5. The human sexual response cycle: brain imaging evidence linking sex to other pleasures.

    PubMed

    Georgiadis, J R; Kringelbach, M L

    2012-07-01

    Sexual behavior is critical to species survival, yet comparatively little is known about the neural mechanisms in the human brain. Here we systematically review the existing human brain imaging literature on sexual behavior and show that the functional neuroanatomy of sexual behavior is comparable to that involved in processing other rewarding stimuli. Sexual behavior clearly follows the established principles and phases for wanting, liking and satiety involved in the pleasure cycle of other rewards. The studies have uncovered the brain networks involved in sexual wanting or motivation/anticipation, as well as sexual liking or arousal/consummation, while there is very little data on sexual satiety or post-orgasmic refractory period. Human sexual behavior also interacts with other pleasures, most notably social interaction and high arousal states. We discuss the changes in the underlying brain networks supporting sexual behavior in the context of the pleasure cycle, the changes to this cycle over the individual's life-time and the interactions between them. Overall, it is clear from the data that the functional neuroanatomy of sex is very similar to that of other pleasures and that it is unlikely that there is anything special about the brain mechanisms and networks underlying sex. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Tracking and data system support for the Pioneer project. Volume 3: Pioneer 10 from 1 April 1972 through the Jupiter encounter period, January 1974

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miller, R. B.

    1975-01-01

    The Tracking and Data Systems support of the Pioneer 10 mission from April 1, 1972 through the Jupiter encounter period which ended January 5, 1974 is described. The period covered involves operations in the interplanetary environment from the time of completion of the second trajectory correction to the start of Jupiter encounter; the implementation, planning, and testing that lead to the Jupiter encounter; and the operations during the 60 day encounter period.

  7. Sexual practices among unmarried adolescents in Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    Kazaura, Method R; Masatu, Melkiory C

    2009-01-01

    Background Sexual activities are increasingly changing from the cultural point of view what they used to be. Knowledge of these practices among adolescents may be a basis to create awareness among adolescents on practices that involve risks. This study aims to assess sexual practices among unmarried adolescents in Tanzania. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among in-school and out-of-school but unmarried adolescents aged 10 to 19 in five locations in Tanzania. A questionnaire was used to collect information and to characterize sexual practices among these adolescents. Results About 32% of adolescents reported being sexually active; a higher proportion being males than females. The only inquired and reported sexual practices include vaginal sex, masturbation, oral and anal sex. About 15% of sexually active adolescents reported having multiple sexual partners. Significantly more males reported having multiple partners than females. Nearly 42% of sexually active adolescents reported having used a condom during most recent sexual act. Females reported older partners at first sexual act. Conclusion Adolescents experience several sexual practices that include penetrative and non-penetrative. More males reported being sexually active than females. Despite adolescents reporting having multiple sexual partners, reported condom use during the most recent sexual act was low. We advocate for a more enhanced approach of reproductive health education that includes safer sex to adolescents without forgetting those in-schools. PMID:19804651

  8. Sexual practices among unmarried adolescents in Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Kazaura, Method R; Masatu, Melkiory C

    2009-10-06

    Sexual activities are increasingly changing from the cultural point of view what they used to be. Knowledge of these practices among adolescents may be a basis to create awareness among adolescents on practices that involve risks. This study aims to assess sexual practices among unmarried adolescents in Tanzania. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among in-school and out-of-school but unmarried adolescents aged 10 to 19 in five locations in Tanzania. A questionnaire was used to collect information and to characterize sexual practices among these adolescents. About 32% of adolescents reported being sexually active; a higher proportion being males than females. The only inquired and reported sexual practices include vaginal sex, masturbation, oral and anal sex. About 15% of sexually active adolescents reported having multiple sexual partners. Significantly more males reported having multiple partners than females. Nearly 42% of sexually active adolescents reported having used a condom during most recent sexual act. Females reported older partners at first sexual act. Adolescents experience several sexual practices that include penetrative and non-penetrative. More males reported being sexually active than females. Despite adolescents reporting having multiple sexual partners, reported condom use during the most recent sexual act was low. We advocate for a more enhanced approach of reproductive health education that includes safer sex to adolescents without forgetting those in-schools.

  9. Sexuality and human rights: an Asian perspective.

    PubMed

    Laurent, Erick

    2005-01-01

    In Asia, the lesbian and gay rights movements are clearly dominated by activists, who tend to think in terms of a binary opposition (homo- vs hetero-) and clear-cut categories. Based on "Western patterns," the approach is practical, the arguments based on minority rights. "Coming out" is often perceived as a "white model" bringing more problems than real freedom. On the contrary, "Asian values" put the emphasis on family and social harmony, often in contradiction to what is pictured as "lesbian and gay rights." Homophobia follows very subtle ways in Asian countries. Asian gays have to negotiate their freedom, lifestyle and identities in an atmosphere of heterosexism, and not the endemic violent homophobia prevalent in many western countries. In Asia, one's identity relates to one's position in the group and sexuality plays a relatively insignificant role in its cultural construction. That Asian gays often marry and have children shows the elasticity their sexual identity encompasses. Fluidity of sexuality does not really match the Western approach in terms of essentialist categories that have a right to exist. Most Asian societies can be thought of as "tolerant" as long as homosexuality remains invisible. Procreative sexuality can be seen as a social duty, and heterosexual marriage is often not considered incompatible with a "homosexual life." The development of the Internet has even facilitated the encounters while allowing secrecy. Unfortunately, the traditional figures of transgender and transvestites have often been separated from the gay liberation movement.

  10. Exploring sexuality profiles of adolescents who have engaged in sexual abuse and their link to delinquency and offense characteristics.

    PubMed

    Spearson Goulet, Jo-Annie; Tardif, Monique

    2018-06-05

    Very few studies have taken a specific interest in the various sexual dimensions, beyond delinquent sexual behavior, of adolescents who have engaged in sexual abuse (AESA). Those that went beyond delinquent sexual behavior have report mixed results, suggesting they are a heterogeneous group. The current study used cluster analysis to examine the sexuality profiles of AESA, which included information on several sexual dimensions (atypical and normative fantasies and experiences, drive, body image, pornography, first masturbation, onset of sexual interest and first exposure to sex). Participants (N = 136) are adolescents who have engaged in sexual abuse involving physical contact, for which at least one parent also participated in the study. They were recruited from six specialized treatment centers and three youth centers in Quebec (Canada). Cluster analyses were performed to identify specific sexual profiles. Results suggest three clusters of AESA: 1- Discordant sexuality pertaining to adolescents who show mostly normative sexual interests, 2- Constrictive sexuality, characterizing adolescents who seem to be less invested/interested in their sexuality and 3- Overinvested sexuality for adolescents showing an exacerbated sexuality, including atypical sexual interest. Additional analyses (ANOVAs and Chi-square tests) reveal that five delinquency and offense characteristics were significantly more likely to be present in the Overinvested than the Constrictive cluster: non-sexual offenses, three or more victims, peer victims and alcohol and drug consumption. Advancing our knowledge on this topic can provide relevant data for clinicians to better target interventions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Sexual assault incidents among college undergraduates: Prevalence and factors associated with risk

    PubMed Central

    Gilbert, Louisa; Santelli, John S.; Thompson, Martie; Wilson, Patrick A.; Khan, Shamus; Benson, Stephanie; Bah, Karimata; Kaufman, Kathy A.

    2017-01-01

    Sexual assault on college campuses is a public health issue. However varying research methodologies (e.g., different sexual assault definitions, measures, assessment timeframes) and low response rates hamper efforts to define the scope of the problem. To illuminate the complexity of campus sexual assault, we collected survey data from a large population-based random sample of undergraduate students from Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City, using evidence based methods to maximize response rates and sample representativeness, and behaviorally specific measures of sexual assault to accurately capture victimization rates. This paper focuses on student experiences of different types of sexual assault victimization, as well as sociodemographic, social, and risk environment correlates. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression were used to estimate prevalences and test associations. Since college entry, 22% of students reported experiencing at least one incident of sexual assault (defined as sexualized touching, attempted penetration [oral, anal, vaginal, other], or completed penetration). Women and gender nonconforming students reported the highest rates (28% and 38%, respectively), although men also reported sexual assault (12.5%). Across types of assault and gender groups, incapacitation due to alcohol and drug use and/or other factors was the perpetration method reported most frequently (> 50%); physical force (particularly for completed penetration in women) and verbal coercion were also commonly reported. Factors associated with increased risk for sexual assault included non-heterosexual identity, difficulty paying for basic necessities, fraternity/sorority membership, participation in more casual sexual encounters (“hook ups”) vs. exclusive/monogamous or no sexual relationships, binge drinking, and experiencing sexual assault before college. High rates of re-victimization during college were reported across gender

  12. Sexual assault incidents among college undergraduates: Prevalence and factors associated with risk.

    PubMed

    Mellins, Claude A; Walsh, Kate; Sarvet, Aaron L; Wall, Melanie; Gilbert, Louisa; Santelli, John S; Thompson, Martie; Wilson, Patrick A; Khan, Shamus; Benson, Stephanie; Bah, Karimata; Kaufman, Kathy A; Reardon, Leigh; Hirsch, Jennifer S

    2017-01-01

    Sexual assault on college campuses is a public health issue. However varying research methodologies (e.g., different sexual assault definitions, measures, assessment timeframes) and low response rates hamper efforts to define the scope of the problem. To illuminate the complexity of campus sexual assault, we collected survey data from a large population-based random sample of undergraduate students from Columbia University and Barnard College in New York City, using evidence based methods to maximize response rates and sample representativeness, and behaviorally specific measures of sexual assault to accurately capture victimization rates. This paper focuses on student experiences of different types of sexual assault victimization, as well as sociodemographic, social, and risk environment correlates. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression were used to estimate prevalences and test associations. Since college entry, 22% of students reported experiencing at least one incident of sexual assault (defined as sexualized touching, attempted penetration [oral, anal, vaginal, other], or completed penetration). Women and gender nonconforming students reported the highest rates (28% and 38%, respectively), although men also reported sexual assault (12.5%). Across types of assault and gender groups, incapacitation due to alcohol and drug use and/or other factors was the perpetration method reported most frequently (> 50%); physical force (particularly for completed penetration in women) and verbal coercion were also commonly reported. Factors associated with increased risk for sexual assault included non-heterosexual identity, difficulty paying for basic necessities, fraternity/sorority membership, participation in more casual sexual encounters ("hook ups") vs. exclusive/monogamous or no sexual relationships, binge drinking, and experiencing sexual assault before college. High rates of re-victimization during college were reported across gender

  13. The Global Online Sexuality Survey (GOSS): male homosexuality among Arabic-speaking internet users in the Middle East--2010.

    PubMed

    Shaeer, Osama; Shaeer, Kamal

    2014-10-01

    The prevalence of male homosexuality is difficult to elicit considering the sensitivity of one's sexual orientation. The Global Online Sexuality Survey (GOSS) is an online epidemiologic study of male and female sexuality. The online nature of GOSS allows more confidentiality and wider geographic reach, particularly important in investigating sexual issues within the more conservative societies. This study aims to determine the prevalence of male homosexuality among Internet users in the Arabic-speaking Middle East and the unique characteristics of this subset of the population. Prevalence of male homosexuality. In the year 2010, GOSS was offered to Arabic-speaking web surfers above 18 years of age in the Middle East. Potential participants were invited via advertising on Facebook®. Invitations were dispatched randomly with the exception of geographic region and age, regardless web surfing preferences. GOSS relied in part on validated questionnaires such as the International Index of Erectile Function, as well on other nonvalidated questions. 17.1% reported desire toward the same sex, of whom 5.6% had homosexual encounters, mostly in the form of external stimulation rather than intercourse, and exclusively undercover. An overwhelming majority was ego-dystonic (78.2%). This is--to our knowledge--the first online survey to address the prevalence of homosexual orientation and practice in the Middle East, discriminating desire from practice, ego-syntonic from ego-dystonic, and investigating the pattern of practice. Homosexual desire is present in the Middle East as it is around the world, and homosexual encounters are as prevalent. Yet, the undercover and ego-dystonic states prevail. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

  14. A cross cultural study of vaginal practices and sexuality: implications for sexual health.

    PubMed

    Martin Hilber, Adriane; Hull, Terence H; Preston-Whyte, Eleanor; Bagnol, Brigitte; Smit, Jenni; Wacharasin, Chintana; Widyantoro, Ninuk

    2010-02-01

    Between 2005 and 2006, we investigated vaginal practices in Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Tete, Mozambique; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; and Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand. We sought to understand women's practices, their motivations for use and the role vaginal practices play in women's health, sexuality and sense of wellbeing. The study was carried out among adult women and men who were identified as using, having knowledge or being involved in trade in products. Further contacts were made using snowball sampling. Across the sites, individual interviews were conducted with 229 people and 265 others participated in focus group discussions. We found that women in all four countries have a variety of reasons for carrying out vaginal practices whose aim is to not simply 'dry' the vagina but rather decrease moisture that may have other associated meanings, and that they are exclusively "intravaginal" in operation. Practices, products and frequency vary. Motivations generally relate to personal hygiene, genital health or sexuality. Hygiene practices involve external washing and intravaginal cleansing or douching and ingestion of substances. Health practices include intravaginal cleansing, traditional cutting, insertion of herbal preparations, and application of substances to soothe irritated vaginal tissue. Practices related to sexuality can involve any of these practices with specific products that warm, dry, and/or tighten the vagina to increase pleasure for the man and sometimes for the woman. Hygiene and health are expressions of femininity connected to sexuality even if not always explicitly expressed as such. We found their effects may have unexpected and even undesired consequences. This study demonstrates that women in the four countries actively use a variety of practices to achieve a desired vaginal state. The results provide the basis for a classification framework that can be used for future study of this complex topic. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  15. Self-concept and sexuality of spinal cord injured women.

    PubMed

    Fitting, M D; Salisbury, S; Davies, N H; Mayclin, D K

    1978-03-01

    Differences in perceived self-concept and sexual response before and after spinal cord injury were examined. Twenty-four women between the ages of 20 and 40 completed a questionnaire and participated in a brief taped interview. Most of the women viewed themselves as very or somewhat attractive and had been involved in a sexual relationship since injury. The majority viewed sexual relationships as very enjoyable, although many commented that changes in bowel and bladder function had inhibited sexual expression. The need for more effective sexual counseling was highlighted. A trend was noted for an interrelationship between sexuality and self-concept in adapting to acquired disability.

  16. Sexual sadism in sexual offenders and sexually motivated homicide.

    PubMed

    Briken, Peer; Bourget, Dominique; Dufour, Mathieu

    2014-06-01

    This article gives a clinically oriented overview of forensically relevant forms of sexual sadism disorder and its specific relationship to sexual homicide. In sexual homicide perpetrators, peculiar patterns of sexual sadism may be a motivational pathway to kill. Sexual sadism increases the risk for reoffending in sexual offenders. Through psychotherapy and pharmacological interventions, treatment of sadistic sex offenders has to consider special characteristics that may be different from those of nonsadistic sex offenders. Many of these offenders share a combination of sexual sadistic motives and an intact self-regulation, sometimes combined with a high level of sexual preoccupation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Religiosity and risky sexual behavior in African-American adolescent females.

    PubMed

    McCree, Donna Hubbard; Wingood, Gina M; DiClemente, Ralph; Davies, Susan; Harrington, Katherine F

    2003-07-01

    To examine the association between religiosity (defined by frequency of engaging in religious/spiritual activities) and African-American adolescent females' sexual behaviors, attitudes toward sex, and ability to negotiate safer sex. Between December 1996 and April 1999, 1130 female adolescents were screened for eligibility in a sexually transmitted disease (STD)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention trial. Data collection was achieved through a confidential self-administered questionnaire that examined religiosity and a structured interview regarding sexual behavior. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sociodemographics of the sample and logistic regression was used to measure the association between religiosity and the outcome variables. In the study sample (n = 522), 64% of the adolescents had higher religiosity scores based on a 4-item scale (alpha =.68). Results indicate that adolescents who had higher religiosity scores were significantly more likely to have higher self-efficacy in communicating with new, as well as steady male partners about sex; about STDs, HIV, and pregnancy prevention; and in refusing an unsafe sexual encounter. These adolescents were also more likely to have initiated sex at a later age, used a condom in the past 6 months, and possess more positive attitudes toward condom use. Results from this study indicate a relationship between religiosity and sexual behaviors, attitudes toward sex, and ability to negotiate safer sex.

  18. Barriers faced by Ugandan university students in seeking medical care and sexual health counselling: a cross-sectional study.

    PubMed

    Boltena, Andualem Tadesse; Khan, Farhad Ali; Asamoah, Benedict O; Agardh, Anette

    2012-11-16

    Meeting the medical and sexual health care needs of young people is crucial for sustainable development. In Uganda, youth are faced with a number of challenges related to accessing medical care and sexual health counselling services. This study sought to investigate the barriers faced by Ugandan university students in seeking medical care and sexual health counselling. This study is part of a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2005 among 980 students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Data was collected by means of a self-administered 11-page questionnaire. The barriers encountered by respondents in seeking medical care and sexual health counselling were classified into three categories reflecting the acceptability, accessibility, or availability of services. Two out of five students reported unmet medical care needs, and one out of five reported unmet sexual health counselling needs. Acceptability of services was the main barrier faced by students for seeking medical care (70.4%) as well as for student in need of sexual health counselling (72.2%), regardless of age, gender, self-rated health, and rural/peri-urban or urban residence status. However, barriers differed within the various strata. There was a significant difference (p-value 0.01) in barriers faced by students originally from rural versus peri-urban/urban areas in seeking medical care (acceptability: 64.8%/74.5%, accessibility: 22.0% /12.6%, availability 13.2%/12.9%, respectively). Students who reported poor self-rated health encountered barriers in seeking both medical care and sexual health counselling that were significantly different from their other counterparts (p-value 0.001 and 0.007 respectively). Barriers faced by students in seeking medical and sexual health care should be reduced by interventions aimed at boosting confidence in health care services, encouraging young people to seek early treatment, and increasing awareness of where they can turn for services. The availability

  19. Not in the mood? Men under- (not over-) perceive their partner's sexual desire in established intimate relationships.

    PubMed

    Muise, Amy; Stanton, Sarah C E; Kim, James J; Impett, Emily A

    2016-05-01

    Men's sexual overperception bias-where men tend to perceive greater sexual interest in women's behavior than actually exists-is a well-documented finding in previous research. All of the existing research, however, has tested this effect in the context of initial encounters or for fictitious or unknown targets. No research currently exists on how people perceive their romantic partner's sexual desire in the context of ongoing, intimate relationships. In 3 dyadic studies, we provide evidence that men in established romantic relationships err in the direction of the opposite bias and underperceive their romantic partner's sexual desire. We also demonstrate that this underperception bias is functional (particularly for men) in that it is associated with their partner feeling more satisfied and committed to the relationship. In addition, people are particularly likely to underperceive their partner's desire on days when they are motivated to avoid sexual rejection, and men's underperception bias is, in part, accounted for by men's higher general levels of sexual desire than women. The current studies extend previous findings on sexual perceptual biases and demonstrate the important role of context in men's judgments of a partner's sexual interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Assessment of sexual orientation using the hemodynamic brain response to visual sexual stimuli.

    PubMed

    Ponseti, Jorge; Granert, Oliver; Jansen, Olav; Wolff, Stephan; Mehdorn, Hubertus; Bosinski, Hartmut; Siebner, Hartwig

    2009-06-01

    The assessment of sexual orientation is of importance to the diagnosis and treatment of sex offenders and paraphilic disorders. Phallometry is considered gold standard in objectifying sexual orientation, yet this measurement has been criticized because of its intrusiveness and limited reliability. To evaluate whether the spatial response pattern to sexual stimuli as revealed by a change in blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal can be used for individual classification of sexual orientation. We used a preexisting functional MRI (fMRI) data set that had been acquired in a nonclinical sample of 12 heterosexual men and 14 homosexual men. During fMRI, participants were briefly exposed to pictures of same-sex and opposite-sex genitals. Data analysis involved four steps: (i) differences in the BOLD response to female and male sexual stimuli were calculated for each subject; (ii) these contrast images were entered into a group analysis to calculate whole-brain difference maps between homosexual and heterosexual participants; (iii) a single expression value was computed for each subject expressing its correspondence to the group result; and (iv) based on these expression values, Fisher's linear discriminant analysis and the kappa-nearest neighbor classification method were used to predict the sexual orientation of each subject. Sensitivity and specificity of the two classification methods in predicting individual sexual orientation. Both classification methods performed well in predicting individual sexual orientation with a mean accuracy of >85% (Fisher's linear discriminant analysis: 92% sensitivity, 85% specificity; kappa-nearest neighbor classification: 88% sensitivity, 92% specificity). Despite the small sample size, the functional response patterns of the brain to sexual stimuli contained sufficient information to predict individual sexual orientation with high accuracy. These results suggest that fMRI-based classification methods hold promise for the diagnosis

  1. Involvement of dopamine in the differences in sexual behaviour between Roman high and low avoidance rats: an intracerebral microdialysis study.

    PubMed

    Sanna, Fabrizio; Piludu, Maria Antonietta; Corda, Maria Giuseppa; Melis, Maria Rosaria; Giorgi, Osvaldo; Argiolas, Antonio

    2015-03-15

    Outbred Roman high- (RHA) and low-avoidance (RLA) rats are selected for respectively rapid vs. poor acquisition of the active avoidance response and display different copulatory patterns when exposed to a sexually receptive female, with RHA rats showing more robust sexual motivation and better performance than RLA rats also after repeated sexual activity. Here we show that the distinct patterns of sexual behaviour of the Roman lines are correlated with differences in the activity of the dopaminergic mesolimbic system, which plays a key role in sexual motivation and copulatory performance. Thus, differential increases in the concentrations of dopamine and its main metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, occurred in dialysates obtained from the nucleus accumbens shell of naïve and sexually experienced Roman rats during the anticipatory and consummatory phases of sexual activity. These differences were particularly evident between sexually naïve RHA and RLA rats and tended to diminish but still persisted between sexually experienced rats, as did the differences in sexual behaviour. Analysis of the biochemical and behavioural findings showed that, while in RHA rats sexual experience caused a shift in the changes in both the dopaminergic activity and copulation towards the first period of the sexual test, in RLA rats sexual experience increased dopaminergic activity and copulation throughout the entire test. Therefore, this study adds experimental support to the view that the different sexual patterns of the Roman lines are due, at least in part, to a more robust functional tone of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of RHA rats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Female urinary incontinence and sexuality

    PubMed Central

    Mota, Renato Lains

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Urinary incontinence is a common problem among women and it is estimated that between 15 and 55% of them complain of lower urinary symptoms. The most prevalent form of urinary incontinence is associated with stress, followed by mixed urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence. It is a symptom with several effects on quality of life of women mainly in their social, familiar and sexual domains. Female reproductive and urinary systems share anatomical structures, which promotes that urinary problems interfere with sexual function in females. This article is a review of both the concepts of female urinary incontinence and its impact on global and sexual quality of life. Nowadays, it is assumed that urinary incontinence, especially urge urinary incontinence, promotes anxiety and several self-esteem damages in women. The odour and the fear of incontinence during sexual intercourse affect female sexual function and this is related with the unpredictability and the chronicity of incontinence, namely urge urinary incontinence. Female urinary incontinence management involves conservative (pelvic floor muscle training), surgical and pharmacological treatment. Both conservative and surgical treatments have been studied about its benefit in urinary incontinence and also the impact among female sexual function. Unfortunately, there are sparse articles that evaluate the benefits of female sexual function with drug management of incontinence. PMID:28124522

  3. Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among Mexican adolescents.

    PubMed

    Pineda-Lucatero, A G; Trujillo-Hernández, B; Millán-Guerrero, R O; Vásquez, C

    2009-03-01

    To determine the characteristics and prevalence of previous child sexual abuse among a group of Mexican junior high school students. A total of 1067 adolescents of both genders were selected to fill out a survey about child sexual abuse. The prevalence of child sexual abuse was 18.7% (n = 200). It was more frequent in girls (58%) than in boys (42%). Sexual abuse involved physical contact in 75% of those cases reporting abuse. The aggressors were neighbours (50.3%), relatives (36.8%) and strangers (13.9%). Abuse was committed through deception in 90% of the cases and involved physical mistreatment in 10% of the cases. Of the victims, 14.4% had spoken about the problem and 3.7% had taken legal action. And 9.6% of those surveyed stated that they required psychological counselling. In the population studied, the prevalency of child sexual abuse was greater than that reported in Mexico City (4.3-8.4%), although it was similar to that found in the Spanish child population (15-23%). The risk of sexual abuse is greater for girls and the principal aggressors are male neighbours, family friends and relatives; the abuse is committed in the home of the aggressor or the victim and very few cases are reported to the authorities.

  4. Sexual violence.

    PubMed

    Tavara, Luis

    2006-06-01

    Gender-based violence is related to the power imbalance between men and women that is present, to a greater or lesser degree, in all societies. It was recognized as a human rights problem by the United Nations relatively recently. It includes emotional, physical and sexual violence. Sexual violence is the extreme form of gender-based violence, usually accompanied by the other types of violence. Its prevalence is difficult to determine, but it is likely to affect at least one-third of women at some time in their life. It has multiple effects on women's physical and gynaecological health, and these depend greatly on the quality of care that women receive immediately after the assault. Unfortunately, most emergency health services, including those in women's hospitals, are not prepared to provide the correct care for these women. Care should be multidisciplinary and should involve crisis treatment, meticulous clinical examination with complementary auxiliary methods, treatment of physical lesions, prevention of pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted infections, and follow-up for at least 6 months after the assault.

  5. [Investigation of sexual problems in married people living in the center of Konya].

    PubMed

    Yilmaz, Ertan; Esra Zeytinci, Ismet; Sari, Serap; Fatih Karababa, Ibrahim; Savaş Cilli, Ali; Kucur, Rahim

    2010-01-01

    Sexual problems are widely encountered in community. While studies clinically performed concerning sexual problems in Turkey exist, there are no field studies related to sexual problems witnessed in both men and women. In this study, sexual problems in married population and the level of their sexual knowledge have been tried to be investigated. The cosmos of the study consisted of the whole married population between the ages of 18 and 60 and living in the province of Konya. Sociodemografic Information Form and Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction were performed in 945 subjects accepting to take part in the study and appropriate. Average age rate of the males taking part in the study was 38.5+/-9.5 and the same rate of women was 34.2+/-9.8. According to the findings provided via GRISS, the rate of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men was 14.5 %, the rate of premature ejeculation (PE) 29.3 %, the rate of anorgasmia in women was found to be 5.3 %,and the rate of vaginismus to be 15.3 %. Prevalence rates of PE, ED and anorgasmia in our sample was parallel to those provided from other countries at same age group. Vaginismus rate in our study is higher compared to other studies.

  6. Illicit drug use and its association with sexual risk behaviour among MSM: more questions than answers?

    PubMed

    Melendez-Torres, G J; Bourne, Adam

    2016-02-01

    Illicit drug use before or during sex - known as sexualized drug use (colloquially 'chemsex' or 'party and play') - has evolved as novel psychoactive substances have entered the market in many parts of the world. Here, we review key conceptual issues in associations between illicit drug use and sexual risk-behaviour in MSM. Although many studies have confirmed that MSM use drugs with greater prevalence than the general population, evidence is of variable quality and a sampling frame is difficult to establish. Moreover, psychosocial hypotheses linking drug use and sexual risk, including cognitive escape and sensation seeking, are unsatisfactory and generally ignore strategic use of drugs for sexual aims. Person-level associations between drug use history and both sexual risk behaviour and HIV infection tend to be consistent around the world, but evidence comparing encounters within subjects is generally unclear and out of date. There is a need for interventions for harm reduction targeted at MSM that account specifically for the social and cultural contexts of sexualized drug use. Expanded attention to surveillance of emerging drug use trends can help clinicians in sexual health and infectious diseases best anticipate the needs of their service users.

  7. A Reflective Encounter with the Fine Sand Area in a Nursery School Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barnett, Anthony

    2016-01-01

    This article draws on a model of reflection that involves creating meanings through repeated encounters with evocative objects. Responses to one such evocative object, a 20-second video clip of children playing in the fine sand area, illustrates the "turning toward" and then "turning away" from the object to engage with broader…

  8. The use of alcohol and condoms during sexual assault.

    PubMed

    Davis, Kelly Cue; Schraufnagel, Trevor J; George, William H; Norris, Jeanette

    2008-09-01

    Sexual assault remains an important public health issue due to the violence involved as well as the potential for health risks such as sexually transmitted infections. Alcohol has been associated with both violent and risky sexual behavior. This study assessed the frequency of sexual assault perpetration, alcohol use, and condom use during sexual assault in a community sample of young, heterosexual male social drinkers. Participants completed measures of their sexual assault perpetration. More than 50% reported sexual assault perpetration; 60% of these reported repeat perpetration. Almost one half of perpetrators reported alcohol consumption prior to every sexual assault incident. Never having used a condom during penetrative sexually aggressive acts was reported by 41.2% of perpetrators. Alcohol use and condom nonuse were positively correlated for acts of forcible rape. Findings provide information about the infrequent use of condoms during sexual assault incidents and support prior evidence of the association between alcohol and sexual assault.

  9. The Voyager encounter with Neptune

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Stone, E. C.; Miner, E. D.

    1991-01-01

    The investigations carried out by the Voyager Neptune/Interstellar Mission are discussed. Attention is given to the location of the various science instruments and the spacecraft subsystems on the Voyager spacecraft and to the charactgeristics of eleven instruments used in the Voyager mission. The Voyager 1 and 2 trajectories from the launch through the Voyager-2 Neptune encounter are presented together with data for the Neptune encounter events.

  10. Sexual Harassment in the Classroom: Teacher as Target.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tochterman, Suzanne; Barnes, Fred

    1998-01-01

    Discusses teachers as victims of sexual harassment in their classrooms. Includes examples involving preservice and new teachers. Discusses the impact of harassment on teachers themselves and on classroom performance. Offers strategies to support and intervene with new teachers who have been victims of sexual harassment. (MKA)

  11. The influence of knowledge and sociodemographics on AIDS perception and sexual practices among secondary school students in Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Oyeyemi, Y A; Abdulkarim, A; Oyeyemi, B O

    2011-08-01

    Recent trends show a disproportionate increase in new incidences of HIV infection among teenagers compared to other population segments. This study assessed secondary school students' perception of AIDS epidemic, and the influence of sociodemographic variables and AIDS knowledge on their perception and sexual practices. Nigerian teenagers (N=1143) were surveyed using a questionnaire that elicited information on their demographics, AIDS knowledge, perceptions and previous encounter with survivors, and sexual practices. Although AIDS epidemic was not a serious issue of concern to a substantial number of the students, they were knowledgeable on AIDS, and their perceptions on AIDS epidemics influenced their sexual practices. Female teenagers were more knowledgeable and concerned, and more frequently reported inexperience with sexual intercourse compared to their male counterparts. AIDS education and campaigns that foster the internalization of the seriousness of AIDS epidemics and arouse concern about them could enhance safe sexual practices among the youths.

  12. Neptune encounter highlights

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    1989-11-01

    Voyager encounter data are presented in computer animation (CA) and real (R) animation. The highlights include a view of 2 full rotations of Neptune. It shows spacecraft trajectory 'diving' over Neptune and intercepting Triton's orbit, depicting radiation and occulation zones. Also shown are a renegade orbit of Triton and Voyager's encounter with Neptune's Magnetopause. A model of the spacecraft's complex maneuvers during close encounters of Neptune and Triton is presented. A view from Earth of Neptune's occulation experiment is is shown as well as a recreation of Voyager's final pass. There is detail of Voyager's Image Compensation technique which produces Voyager images. Eighteen images were produced on June 22 - 23, 1989, from 57 million miles away. A 68 day sequence which provides a stroboscopic view - colorization approximates what is seen by the human eye. Real time images recorded live from Voyager on 8/24/89 are presented. Photoclinometry produced the topography of Triton. Three images are used to create a sequence of Neptune's rings. The globe of Neptune and 2 views of the south pole are shown as well as Neptune rotating. The rotation of a scooter is frozen in images showing differential motion. There is a view of rotation of the Great Dark Spot about its own axis. Photoclinometry provides a 3-dimensional perspective using a color mosaic of Triton images. The globe is used to indicate the orientation of Neptune's crescent. The east and west plumes on Triton are shown.

  13. Hooking up in Young Adulthood: A Review of Factors Influencing the Sexual Behavior of College Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stinson, Rebecca D.

    2010-01-01

    Hooking up, or casual "no strings attached" sexual encounters, has become the normative heterosexual relationship on college campuses. This phenomenon has only recently received public attention. Many citizens have become alarmed that this trend is indicative of moral decline in our culture, a reflection of our hypersexualized media, and a…

  14. Sexual conflict over the maintenance of sex: effects of sexually antagonistic coevolution for reproductive isolation of parthenogenesis.

    PubMed

    Kawatsu, Kazutaka

    2013-01-01

    Sexual reproduction involves many costs. Therefore, females acquiring a capacity for parthenogenetic (or asexual) reproduction will gain a reproductive advantage over obligately sexual females. In contrast, for males, any trait coercing parthenogens into sexual reproduction (male coercion) increases their fitness and should be under positive selection because parthenogenesis deprives them of their genetic contribution to future generations. Surprisingly, although such sexual conflict is a possible outcome whenever reproductive isolation is incomplete between parthenogens and the sexual ancestors, it has not been given much attention in the studies of the maintenance of sex. Using two mathematical models, I show here that the evolution of male coercion substantially favours the maintenance of sex even though a female barrier against the coercion can evolve. First, the model based on adaptive-dynamics theory demonstrates that the resultant antagonistic coevolution between male coercion and a female barrier fundamentally ends in either the prevalence of sex or the co-occurrence of two reproductive modes. This is because the coevolution between the two traits additionally involves sex-ratio selection, that is, an increase in parthenogenetic reproduction leads to a female-biased population sex ratio, which will enhance reproductive success of more coercive males and directly promotes the evolution of the coercion among males. Therefore, as shown by the individual-based model, the establishment of obligate parthenogenesis in the population requires the simultaneous evolution of strong reproductive isolation between males and parthenogens. These findings should shed light on the interspecific diversity of reproductive modes as well as help to explain the prevalence of sexual reproduction.

  15. Sexual Conflict over the Maintenance of Sex: Effects of Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution for Reproductive Isolation of Parthenogenesis

    PubMed Central

    Kawatsu, Kazutaka

    2013-01-01

    Sexual reproduction involves many costs. Therefore, females acquiring a capacity for parthenogenetic (or asexual) reproduction will gain a reproductive advantage over obligately sexual females. In contrast, for males, any trait coercing parthenogens into sexual reproduction (male coercion) increases their fitness and should be under positive selection because parthenogenesis deprives them of their genetic contribution to future generations. Surprisingly, although such sexual conflict is a possible outcome whenever reproductive isolation is incomplete between parthenogens and the sexual ancestors, it has not been given much attention in the studies of the maintenance of sex. Using two mathematical models, I show here that the evolution of male coercion substantially favours the maintenance of sex even though a female barrier against the coercion can evolve. First, the model based on adaptive-dynamics theory demonstrates that the resultant antagonistic coevolution between male coercion and a female barrier fundamentally ends in either the prevalence of sex or the co-occurrence of two reproductive modes. This is because the coevolution between the two traits additionally involves sex-ratio selection, that is, an increase in parthenogenetic reproduction leads to a female-biased population sex ratio, which will enhance reproductive success of more coercive males and directly promotes the evolution of the coercion among males. Therefore, as shown by the individual-based model, the establishment of obligate parthenogenesis in the population requires the simultaneous evolution of strong reproductive isolation between males and parthenogens. These findings should shed light on the interspecific diversity of reproductive modes as well as help to explain the prevalence of sexual reproduction. PMID:23469150

  16. Brain response to visual sexual stimuli in homosexual pedophiles

    PubMed Central

    Schiffer, Boris; Krueger, Tillmann; Paul, Thomas; de Greiff, Armin; Forsting, Michael; Leygraf, Norbert; Schedlowski, Manfred; Gizewski, Elke

    2008-01-01

    Objective The neurobiological mechanisms of deviant sexual preferences such as pedophilia are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to analyze whether brain activation patterns of homosexual pedophiles differed from those of a nonpedophile homosexual control group during visual sexual stimulation. Method A consecutive sample of 11 pedophile forensic inpatients exclusively attracted to boys and 12 age-matched homosexual control participants from a comparable socioeconomic stratum underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging during a visual sexual stimulation procedure that used sexually stimulating and emotionally neutral photographs. Sexual arousal was assessed according to a subjective rating scale. Results In contrast to sexually neutral pictures, in both groups sexually arousing pictures having both homosexual and pedophile content activated brain areas known to be involved in processing visual stimuli containing emotional content, including the occipitotemporal and prefrontal cortices. However, during presentation of the respective sexual stimuli, the thalamus, globus pallidus and striatum, which correspond to the key areas of the brain involved in sexual arousal and behaviour, showed significant activation in pedophiles, but not in control subjects. Conclusions Central processing of visual sexual stimuli in homosexual pedophiles seems to be comparable to that in nonpedophile control subjects. However, compared with homosexual control subjects, activation patterns in pedophiles refer more strongly to subcortical regions, which have previously been discussed in the context of processing reward signals and also play an important role in addictive and stimulus-controlled behaviour. Thus future studies should further elucidate the specificity of these brain regions for the processing of sexual stimuli in pedophilia and should address the generally weaker activation pattern in homosexual men. PMID:18197269

  17. Patients "Embodied" and "As-a-Body" within Bedside Teaching Encounters: A Video Ethnographic Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Elsey, Christopher; Challinor, Alexander; Monrouxe, Lynn V.

    2017-01-01

    Bedside teaching encounters (BTEs) involve doctor-patient-student interactions, providing opportunities for students to learn with, from and about patients. How the differing concerns of patient care and student education are balanced in situ remains largely unknown and undefined. This video ethnographic study explores "patient…

  18. Psychiatric disorders, suicidal ideation, and sexually transmitted infections among post-deployment veterans who utilize digital social media for sexual partner seeking.

    PubMed

    Turban, Jack L; Potenza, Marc N; Hoff, Rani A; Martino, Steve; Kraus, Shane W

    2017-03-01

    Digital social media platforms represent outlets through which individuals may find partners for sexual encounters. Using a sample of US post-deployment military veterans, the current study evaluated the prevalence of digital sex seeking as well as clinical correlates of psychopathology, suicidal ideation, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Using data from a baseline telephone interview and follow-up internet-based survey, we examined the prevalence of sexual partnering via digital social media platforms in a national sample of 283 US combat veterans. Among veterans, 35.5% of men and 8.5% of women reported having used digital social media to meet someone for sex. Individuals who reported having used digital social media to find sexual partners (DSMSP+) as compared to those who did not (DSMSP-) were more likely to be young, male, and in the Marine Corps. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, DSMSP+ status was associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (OR=2.26, p=0.01), insomnia (OR=1.99, p=0.02), depression (OR=1.95, p=0.03), hypersexuality (OR=6.16, p<0.001), suicidal ideation (OR=3.24, p=0.04), and treatment for an STI (OR=1.98, p=0.04). Among US post-deployment military veterans, DSMSP+ behaviors were prevalent, particularly among men. The association between DSMSP+ behaviors and PTSD, insomnia, depression, hypersexuality, suicidal ideation, and STIs suggest that veterans who engage in DSMSP+ behaviors should be particularly thoroughly screened and evaluated for these psychiatric concerns and counseled on the benefits of safe sexual practices. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  19. Sexual health resources at Minnesota colleges: associations with students' sexual health behaviors.

    PubMed

    Eisenberg, Marla E; Hannan, Peter J; Lust, Katherine A; Lechner, Kate E; Garcia, Carolyn; Frerich, Ellen A

    2013-09-01

    Sexual risk behaviors are common among college students, and research examining the environmental context of these behaviors is important for prevention. The presence of college sexual health resources is a potentially important part of that context. In a 2010-2011 survey, 6,318 undergraduates from 28 two- and four-year Minnesota college campuses provided data on their sexual health behaviors. In addition, a specially designed inventory was used to assess the sexual health resources available on each campus. Multilevel regression was used to test the associations of four types of resources with students' condom use, birth control use, STD or HIV testing, and unplanned pregnancy. In models that controlled for students' personal and demographic characteristics, the higher the level of sexual health resources at a college, the lower the likelihood that students had had intercourse without birth control, intercourse without a condom and involvement in unplanned pregnancy. For example, students attending colleges with the maximum number of general clinic resources had a lower predicted probability of reporting nonuse of reliable birth control at last intercourse than students attending colleges with no resources (7% vs. 14%). After college characteristics were adjusted for, most measures of resources remained significant, although associations were reduced; two measures became significant in unexpected directions. Colleges' provision of sexual health resources may be associated with students' sexual health behaviors. Research using quasi-experimental or experimental designs is needed to assess the mechanisms underlying these associations; such work could lead to interventions that might help reduce students' risky behaviors. Copyright © 2013 by the Guttmacher Institute.

  20. Assessing the potential for egg chemoattractants to mediate sexual selection in a broadcast spawning marine invertebrate

    PubMed Central

    Evans, Jonathan P.; Garcia-Gonzalez, Francisco; Almbro, Maria; Robinson, Oscar; Fitzpatrick, John L.

    2012-01-01

    In numerous species, egg chemoattractants play a critical role in guiding sperm towards unfertilized eggs (sperm chemotaxis). Until now, the known functions of sperm chemotaxis include increasing the effective target size of eggs, thereby promoting sperm–egg encounters, and facilitating species recognition. Here, we report that in the broadcast spawning mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, egg chemoattractants may play an unforeseen role in sexual selection by enabling sperm to effectively ‘choose’ between the eggs of different conspecific females. In an initial experiment, we confirmed that sperm chemotaxis occurs in M. galloprovincialis by showing that sperm are attracted towards unfertilized eggs when given the choice of eggs or no eggs in a dichotomous chamber. We then conducted two cross-classified mating experiments, each comprising the same individual males and females crossed in identical male × female combinations, but under experimental conditions that offered sperm ‘no-choice’ (each fertilization trial took place in a Petri dish and involved a single male and female) or a ‘choice’ of a female's eggs (sperm were placed in the centre of a dichotomous choice chamber and allowed to choose eggs from different females). We show that male-by-female interactions characterized fertilization rates in both experiments, and that there was remarkable consistency between patterns of sperm migration in the egg-choice experiment and fertilization rates in the no-choice experiment. Thus, sperm appear to exploit chemical cues to preferentially swim towards eggs with which they are most compatible during direct sperm-to-egg encounters. These results reveal that sperm differentially select eggs on the basis of chemical cues, thus exposing the potential for egg chemoattractants to mediate mate choice for genetically compatible partners. Given the prevalence of sperm chemotaxis across diverse taxa, our findings may have broad implications for sexual selection in

  1. Evolving Legal Standards Pertaining to Sexual Harassment: Administrators' Guide. From Inquiry to Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, Martha

    Few topics are receiving as much attention in the courts as sexual harassment. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court has delivered five case decisions since spring 1998. Three of the cases involved sexual harassment in employment, one involved teacher-to-student harassment, and one involved student-to-student (peer) harassment. These Supreme Court…

  2. Formal and informal sex education as determinants of premarital sexual behavior.

    PubMed

    Spanier, G B

    1976-01-01

    Controversies exist regarding the effects of sex education in the schools and informal sex education obtained from parents, peers, the mass media, and other sources. Similarly, there is widespread interest in premarital sexual behavior, especially its determinants. This study presents several issues reflecting these concerns which have been the subject of much speculation but which have received little attention by researchers. The purpose of this study was to investigate--through the use of respondent reports--how formal and informal sex education influences premarital sexual behavior during college. A national probability sample of 1177 college students was studied using face-to-face interviews with approximately equal numbers of males and females. These interviews, which were conducted for the Institute for Sex Research, included questions about past and present sexual involvement and other attitudinal, behavioral and background variables. Accordingly, the data about sexual behavior and attitudes are based on the interviewees' self-reports. Indices were created which operationalized independent variables such as familial sexual conservatism, exposure to eroticism, perceived sex knowledge, and sexual exposure and assault during childhood and adolescence. Individual items reflecting childhood sex play, masturbation, current religiosity, religiosity while growing up, social class, sources of sex information, sex education in classrooms, and high school and college dating were used. The dependent variable, premarital sociosexual involvement, is a composite measure of incidence and prevalence of premarital heterosexual involvement which meets Guttman scaling criteria. An Automatic Interaction Detector analysis was used to determine the relative influences of reported sexualization variables on premarital sexual behavior. Major findings can be summarized as follows: Heterosexual behavior progresses in stepwise fashion from elementary to advanced levels of involvement

  3. A content analysis of the prevalence and portrayal of sexual activity in adolescent literature.

    PubMed

    Callister, Mark; Coyne, Sarah M; Stern, Lesa A; Stockdale, Laura; Miller, Malinda J; Wells, Brian M

    2012-01-01

    Most research on sexual content in the media has focused on visual images such as those in TV, film, advertisements, and magazines. However, researchers have largely overlooked sexual content in novels. The popularity of novels and the potential for such literature to educate teens on sexual behaviors merits a closer examination into the sexual messages contained in popular adolescent literature. This study content analyzes the top 40 novels targeting adolescents. Results show that adolescent novels are replete with sex-related information, especially in novels targeted to girls. These sexual behaviors range from passionate kissing and romantic ideation to sexual intercourse. Over one third of the instances focus on references to sex, suggestive innuendos, or sexual descriptions; and an additional one third of sexual behavior involved sexual affection in the form of passionate kissing, intimate touching, and playful sexual behavior. Across the 40 books, there were 56 instances of sexual intercourse, most of which involved unmarried couples (94%); and many were in non-committal relationships. Moreover, sexual material rarely dealt with issues of abstinence, safe sex practices, and the health risks associated with sex.

  4. That Man Behind the Curtain: Investigating the Sexual Online Dating Behavior of Men Who Have Sex With Men but Hide Their Same-Sex Sexual Attraction in Offline Surroundings.

    PubMed

    Lemke, Richard; Weber, Mathias

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates how men who have sex with men (MSM) use chat and dating sites based on theories of stigma-related offline behavior and online self-disclosure. We hypothesize that hidden MSM (those who self-label as heterosexual or who hide their same-sex sexual attraction from family, friends, acquaintances, or a female romantic partner) differ from open MSM in how they behave on gay chat and dating sites and in offline gay venues. Drawing on a survey of 12,002 MSM, we show that hidden MSM tend to mask their identity on gay chat and dating sites while avoiding offline gay venues. They also focus more strongly on online sexual activities (e.g., masturbating during online chats) when using gay chat and dating sites. However, they spend the same amount of time on these sites, and they use them to initiate offline sexual encounters as often and as fast as open MSM.

  5. [Development of sexuality and motivational aspects of sexual behavior in men with obsessive-compulsive disorders].

    PubMed

    2014-09-01

    Sexual behavior and formation of sexuality in men with obsessive-compulsive disorder is one of the pressing issues in contemporary medicine. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by the development of intrusive thoughts, memories, movements and actions, as well as a variety of pathological fears (phobias). Increase in the number of patients with this pathology in modern clinical practice of neurotic disorders, the young age of the patients and as a result violation of interpersonal, communicational and sexual nature is quite apparent. The study involved 35 men aged 23 to 47 years with clinical signs of OCD. We determined the severity of obsessive-compulsive symptoms using the Yale-Brown scale. We established the presence of a mild degree of disorder in 34,3% of cases; in 48,6% of cases disorder of moderate severity was diagnosed; remaining 17.1% were assessed subclinical condition of OCD at the applicable scale. The system of motivational maintenance of sexual behavior in men with obsessive-compulsive disorders is investigated. Motives of sexual behavior of the investigated men with the pathology are determined. The presented research in men with OCD have established multidimensionality and complexity of motivational ensuring of sexual behavior.

  6. Exploring the venue’s role in risky sexual behavior among gay and bisexual men: An event-level analysis from a national online survey in the U.S

    PubMed Central

    Grov, Christian; Hirshfield, Sabina; Remien, Robert H.; Humberstone, Mike; Chiasson, Mary Ann

    2013-01-01

    Venue-based characteristics (e.g., alcohol in bars, anonymous chat online, dark/quiet spaces in bathhouses) can impact how men who have sex with men (MSM) negotiate sex and HIV-associated risk behavior. We sought to determine the association between HIV-associated risk factors and the venues where MSM met their most recent new (first-time) male sex partner, using data from a 2004–2005 national online anonymous survey of MSM in the U.S (n = 2865). Most men (62%) met their partner through the Internet. Among those reporting anal sex during their last encounter (n = 1,550), half had not used a condom. In multivariate modeling, and among men reporting anal sex during their last encounter, venue where partner was met was not associated with unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). Nevertheless, venue was related to other factors that contextualized men’s sexual encounters. For example, HIV status disclosure was lowest among men who met their most recent partner in a park, outdoors, or other public place and highest among men who met their most recent partner online. Alcohol use prior to/during last sexual encounter was highest among men who met their most recent partner in a bathhouse or a bar/club/party/event. These data suggest it is possible to reach men online who seek sex in many different venues, thus potentially broadening the impact of prevention messages delivered in virtual environments. Although not associated with UAI, venues are connected to social-behavioral facets of corresponding sexual encounters, and may be important arenas for differential HIV and STI education, treatment, and prevention. PMID:22012413

  7. Sexual imprinting on ecologically divergent traits leads to sexual isolation in sticklebacks

    PubMed Central

    Kozak, Genevieve M.; Head, Megan L.; Boughman, Janette W.

    2011-01-01

    During sexual imprinting, offspring learn parental phenotypes and then select mates who are similar to their parents. Imprinting has been thought to contribute to the process of speciation in only a few rare cases; this is despite imprinting's potential to generate assortative mating and solve the problem of recombination in ecological speciation. If offspring imprint on parental traits under divergent selection, these traits will then be involved in both adaptation and mate preference. Such ‘magic traits’ easily generate sexual isolation and facilitate speciation. In this study, we show that imprinting occurs in two ecologically divergent stickleback species (benthics and limnetics: Gasterosteus spp.). Cross-fostered females preferred mates of their foster father's species. Furthermore, imprinting is essential for sexual isolation between species; isolation was reduced when females were raised without fathers. Daughters imprinted on father odour and colour during a critical period early in development. These traits have diverged between the species owing to differences in ecology. Therefore, we provide the first evidence that imprinting links ecological adaptation to sexual isolation between species. Our results suggest that imprinting may facilitate the evolution of sexual isolation during ecological speciation, may be especially important in cases of rapid diversification, and thus play an integral role in the generation of biodiversity. PMID:21270044

  8. Sexual imprinting on ecologically divergent traits leads to sexual isolation in sticklebacks.

    PubMed

    Kozak, Genevieve M; Head, Megan L; Boughman, Janette W

    2011-09-07

    During sexual imprinting, offspring learn parental phenotypes and then select mates who are similar to their parents. Imprinting has been thought to contribute to the process of speciation in only a few rare cases; this is despite imprinting's potential to generate assortative mating and solve the problem of recombination in ecological speciation. If offspring imprint on parental traits under divergent selection, these traits will then be involved in both adaptation and mate preference. Such 'magic traits' easily generate sexual isolation and facilitate speciation. In this study, we show that imprinting occurs in two ecologically divergent stickleback species (benthics and limnetics: Gasterosteus spp.). Cross-fostered females preferred mates of their foster father's species. Furthermore, imprinting is essential for sexual isolation between species; isolation was reduced when females were raised without fathers. Daughters imprinted on father odour and colour during a critical period early in development. These traits have diverged between the species owing to differences in ecology. Therefore, we provide the first evidence that imprinting links ecological adaptation to sexual isolation between species. Our results suggest that imprinting may facilitate the evolution of sexual isolation during ecological speciation, may be especially important in cases of rapid diversification, and thus play an integral role in the generation of biodiversity.

  9. Descriptive experiences and sexual vs. nurturant aspects of cuddling between adult romantic partners.

    PubMed

    van Anders, Sari M; Edelstein, Robin S; Wade, Ryan M; Samples-Steele, Chelsea R

    2013-05-01

    Touch is a critical factor in intimate bonds between romantic partners. Although cuddling is a key expression of intimacy, it has received little empirical attention. Past research suggests that cuddling has some sexual aspects (e.g., it increases testosterone [T]), but there are theoretical reasons to expect cuddling to also involve nurturant intimacy (which should decrease T). In this article, we examined the phenomenon of partner cuddling to: (1) provide a descriptive examination; (2) determine if cuddling involved only nurturant intimacy or also sexual intimacy; and (3) test whether cuddling was perceived as nurturant but experienced as sexual. Via an online questionnaire, 514 participants (338 women) responded to quantitative and qualitative questions about cuddling with their romantic partners. Results suggested that cuddling occurred frequently and for relatively long durations, and was viewed very positively. Findings also showed that cuddling was perceived as nurturant and non-sexual but was experienced as at least somewhat sexual, which may explain why past research had found that cuddling increased T. Correlational analyses linked cuddling frequency and enjoyment positively with partnered sexual activities, but negatively with solitary sexuality. Results were discussed relative to evolutionary theories of distinct but overlapping neurobiological systems underlying pair bonding that involve sexual and nurturant intimacy.

  10. Do travel clinic visitors read information on sexual risk abroad in travel health brochures?

    PubMed Central

    Croughs, Mieke; de Gouw, Annemarie; Remmen, Roy; Van den Ende, Jef

    2016-01-01

    Background: A substantial proportion of travel clinic visitors have sexual encounters while abroad. Hence, guidelines on travel health recommend discussing sexual risk in a pre-travel consultation. However, previous studies showed that it often is not discussed. Although travel clinic visitors usually do receive written information on sexual risk abroad, few data are available on whether this information is read. Therefore, this prospective cohort study in travel clinic visitors was performed. Methods: Travel clinic visitors were invited to complete a questionnaire after return from their journey. Results: A total of 130 travellers (55%) responded. Half of them recorded they read the information on sexual risk. Male gender (OR 9.94 95% CI 3.12 – 31.63) and ‘travelling with others’ (OR 2.7 95% CI 1.29 – 5.78) were significant independent predictors of reading the information on sexual risk. High risk travellers, i.e. those travelling without a steady partner, were less likely to have read it. Although websites and apps were mentioned as better methods of providing information, none of the participants visited the websites on sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted infections recommended in the travel health brochure. Conclusion: Only half of travel clinic visitors read information on sexual risk in the health brochure received in the clinic and none of them visited the related websites mentioned in the brochure. Further research to identify the most effective way to inform travellers about sexual risk is needed. PMID:28989499

  11. Do travel clinic visitors read information on sexual risk abroad in travel health brochures?

    PubMed

    Croughs, Mieke; de Gouw, Annemarie; Remmen, Roy; Van den Ende, Jef

    2017-01-01

    A substantial proportion of travel clinic visitors have sexual encounters while abroad. Hence, guidelines on travel health recommend discussing sexual risk in a pre-travel consultation. However, previous studies showed that it often is not discussed. Although travel clinic visitors usually do receive written information on sexual risk abroad, few data are available on whether this information is read. Therefore, this prospective cohort study in travel clinic visitors was performed. Travel clinic visitors were invited to complete a questionnaire after return from their journey. A total of 130 travellers (55%) responded. Half of them recorded they read the information on sexual risk. Male gender (OR 9.94 95% CI 3.12 - 31.63) and 'travelling with others' (OR 2.7 95% CI 1.29 - 5.78) were significant independent predictors of reading the information on sexual risk. High risk travellers, i.e. those travelling without a steady partner, were less likely to have read it. Although websites and apps were mentioned as better methods of providing information, none of the participants visited the websites on sexual behaviour and sexually transmitted infections recommended in the travel health brochure. Only half of travel clinic visitors read information on sexual risk in the health brochure received in the clinic and none of them visited the related websites mentioned in the brochure. Further research to identify the most effective way to inform travellers about sexual risk is needed.

  12. Sexual behaviour and risk of sexually transmitted infections in young female healthcare students in Spain

    PubMed Central

    Navarro-Cremades, Felipe; Marhuenda-Amorós, Dolores; Tomás-Rodríguez, María Isabel; Antón-Ruiz, Fina; Belda-Ibañez, Josefina; Montejo, Ángel Luis; Gil-Guillén, Vicente Francisco

    2016-01-01

    Background. Several authors have examined the risk for sexually transmitted infections (STI), but no study has yet analyzed it solely in relation with sexual behaviour in women. We analyzed the association of sexual behaviour with STI risk in female university students of healthcare sciences. Methods. We designed a cross-sectional study assessing over three months vaginal intercourse with a man. The study involved 175 female university students, without a stable partner, studying healthcare sciences in Spain. Main outcome variable: STI risk (not always using male condoms). Secondary variables: sexual behaviour, method of orgasm, desire to increase the frequency of sexual relations, desire to have more variety in sexual relations, frequency of sexual intercourse with the partner, and age. The information was collected with an original questionnaire. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) in order to analyze the association between the STI risk and the study variables. Results. Of the 175 women, 52 were positive for STI risk (29.7%, 95% CI [22.9–36.5%]). Factors significantly associated with STI risk (p < 0.05) included: orgasm (not having orgasms →OR = 7.01, 95% CI [1.49–33.00]; several methods →OR = 0.77, 95% CI [0.31–1.90]; one single method →OR = 1; p = 0.008) and desiring an increased frequency of sexual activities (OR = 0.27, 95% CI [0.13–0.59], p < 0.001). Conclusions. Women’s desire for sexual activities and their sexual function were significant predictors of their risk for STI. Information about sexual function is an intrinsic aspect of sexual behaviour and should be taken into consideration when seeking approaches to reduce risks for STI. PMID:26966654

  13. Sexual Distress and Sexual Problems During Pregnancy: Associations With Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Vannier, Sarah A; Rosen, Natalie O

    2017-03-01

    Sexual problems are common during pregnancy, but the proportion of pregnant women who experience sexual distress is unknown. In non-pregnant samples, sexual distress is associated with lower sexual and relationship satisfaction. To identify the proportion of women experiencing sexual distress during pregnancy and to compare the sexual and relationship satisfaction of women who report sexual distress during pregnancy with that of women without distress. Two-hundred sixty-one pregnant women completed a cross-sectional online survey. Women completed validated measurements of sexual functioning (Female Sexual Function Index; score < 26.55 indicates a sexual problem), sexual distress (Female Sexual Distress Scale; score ≥ 15 indicates clinically significant distress), sexual satisfaction (Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction), and relationship satisfaction (Couples Satisfaction Index). Overall, 42% of women met the clinical cutoff for sexual distress. Of sexually active women (n = 230), 26% reported concurrent sexual problems and distress and 14% reported sexual distress in the absence of sexual problems. Sexual distress and/or problems in sexual functioning were linked to lower sexual and relationship satisfaction compared with pregnant women with lower sexual distress and fewer sexual problems. Sexual distress is common during pregnancy and associated with lower sexual and relationship satisfaction. Health care providers should ask pregnant women about feelings of sexual distress. Identifying pregnant women who experience sexual distress and referring them to appropriate resources could help minimize sexual and relationship problems during pregnancy. Vannier SA, Rosen NO. Sexual Distress and Sexual Problems During Pregnancy: Associations With Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction. J Sex Med 2017;14:387-395. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Contrasting effects of intralocus sexual conflict on sexually antagonistic coevolution

    PubMed Central

    Pennell, Tanya M.; de Haas, Freek J. H.; Morrow, Edward H.; van Doorn, G. Sander

    2016-01-01

    Evolutionary conflict between the sexes can induce arms races in which males evolve traits that are detrimental to the fitness of their female partners, and vice versa. This interlocus sexual conflict (IRSC) has been proposed as a cause of perpetual intersexual antagonistic coevolution with wide-ranging evolutionary consequences. However, theory suggests that the scope for perpetual coevolution is limited, if traits involved in IRSC are subject to pleiotropic constraints. Here, we consider a biologically plausible form of pleiotropy that has hitherto been ignored in treatments of IRSC and arrive at drastically different conclusions. Our analysis is based on a quantitative genetic model of sexual conflict, in which genes controlling IRSC traits have side effects in the other sex, due to incompletely sex-limited gene expression. As a result, the genes are exposed to intralocus sexual conflict (IASC), a tug-of-war between opposing male- and female-specific selection pressures. We find that the interaction between the two forms of sexual conflict has contrasting effects on antagonistic coevolution: Pleiotropic constraints stabilize the dynamics of arms races if the mating traits are close to evolutionary equilibrium but can prevent populations from ever reaching such a state. Instead, the sexes are drawn into a continuous cycle of arms races, causing the buildup of IASC, alternated by phases of IASC resolution that trigger the next arms race. These results encourage an integrative perspective on the biology of sexual conflict and generally caution against relying exclusively on equilibrium stability analysis. PMID:26755609

  15. Negotiating frame ambiguity: a study of simulated encounters in medical education.

    PubMed

    Seale, Clive; Butler, Christopher C; Hutchby, Ian; Kinnersley, Paul; Rollnick, Stephen

    2007-01-01

    We report an investigation of the sociolinguistic characteristics of simulated encounters (role plays) in medical education, focusing in particular on frame negotiation. The role played by context in influencing the nature of out-of-frame activity is noted through comparison with another published study of simulations (Linell and Thunqvist 2003). While in general sustaining a role-playing frame that involved an orientation to exact mimicry of clinical situations, the interactional work done to sustain this appearance of 'authenticity' at certain moments was revealed by out-of-frame utterances. One participating doctor in particular used humor to exploit the ambiguous realism of the role-playing frame. The success of this doctor in acquiring and applying new communication behaviors problematizes the view that 'realism', achieved through mimicry, is solely responsible for the success of training interventions. The implications for studying other kinds of simulated encounters, including an outline for a program of research into the sociolinguistics of acting tasks in general, are outlined. Sociolinguistic researchers involved in observational studies of talk would benefit from adopting the view that role-played, rehearsed, and even scripted talk of the sort used in dramatic performance is a variety of naturally occurring data and therefore worthy of study.

  16. Participation of Adolescent Girls in a Study of Sexual Behaviors: Balancing Autonomy and Parental Involvement

    PubMed Central

    Short, Mary B.; Wiemann, Constance; Rosenthal, Susan L.

    2009-01-01

    Study Objective The process of research with adolescents should balance parental involvement and adolescent autonomy. The attendance of parents and peers at research study visits of girls participating in a 6-month study of topical microbicide acceptability is described, as well as the participants’ conversations with their parents. Methods Girls, 14 through 21 years, were recruited from previous studies (3%), advertisements (14%), clinics (17%), and recommendations by friends (66%) to participate. Girls under 18 years were required to have parental consent, but parents could provide verbal phone consent as long as a signed consent form was returned before participation. Results The 208 participants were 41% African-American, 30% Hispanic, and 29% Caucasian. Girls averaged 18 years of age, and 95 (46%) were under 18. Seventeen percent of parents attended the first visit; all but one was with a daughter of less than 18 years. The mothers of older adolescents were less likely to attend the appointment with them. More Caucasian than African-American girls came with a mother. Parental attendance decreased at follow-up visits. Thirty-seven percent of girls brought a peer to the first visit; there were no age or race/ethnic differences. There was no relationship between attending with a parent or peer and talking to a parent about the study. Some adolescents obtained parental consent to participate in the study while keeping their sexual behaviors private. Conclusions Parental attendance at study visits may not be marker of parental involvement with the study. Creative ways for balancing concerns about confidentiality, promotion of autonomy, and adult involvement should be considered. PMID:19345916

  17. The nature of sexual reinforcement.

    PubMed Central

    Crawford, L L; Holloway, K S; Domjan, M

    1993-01-01

    Sexual reinforcers are not part of a regulatory system involved in the maintenance of critical metabolic processes, they differ for males and females, they differ as a function of species and mating system, and they show ontogenetic and seasonal changes related to endocrine conditions. Exposure to a member of the opposite sex without copulation can be sufficient for sexual reinforcement. However, copulatory access is a stronger reinforcer, and copulatory opportunity can serve to enhance the reinforcing efficacy of stimulus features of a sexual partner. Conversely, under certain conditions, noncopulatory exposure serves to decrease reinforcer efficacy. Many common learning phenomena such as acquisition, extinction, discrimination learning, second-order conditioning, and latent inhibition have been demonstrated in sexual conditioning. These observations extend the generality of findings obtained with more conventional reinforcers, but the mechanisms of these effects and their gender and species specificity remain to be explored. PMID:8354970

  18. Communicating HIV status in sexual interactions: assessing social cognitive constructs, situational factors, and individual characteristics among South African MSM.

    PubMed

    Knox, Justin; Reddy, Vasu; Kaighobadi, Farnaz; Nel, Dawie; Sandfort, Theo

    2013-01-01

    This study assessed whether social cognitive constructs, situational factors, and individual characteristics were associated with communicating HIV status and whether communication was related to sexual risk behavior. A quota-sampling method stratified by age, race, and township was used to recruit 300 men who have sex with men to participate in a community-based survey in Pretoria in 2008. Participants reported characteristics of their last sexual encounter involving anal sex, including whether they or their partner had communicated their HIV status. Fifty-nine percent of participants reported that they or their partner had communicated their HIV status. HIV communication self-efficacy (aOR = 1.2, 95 % CI: 1.04-1.68), being with a steady partner (aOR = 0.36, 95 % CI: 0.19-0.67), and being Black (versus White; aOR = 0.08, 95 % CI: 0.03-0.27) were independently associated with communicating HIV status. Communicating HIV status was not associated with unprotected anal intercourse. HIV communication self-efficacy increases men's likelihood of communicating HIV status. Being with a steady partner and being Black reduces that likelihood. Communication about HIV status did not lead to safer sex.

  19. Self-Presentation, Desired Partner Characteristics, and Sexual Behavior Preferences in Online Personal Advertisements of Men Seeking Non-Gay-Identified Men.

    PubMed

    Downing, Martin J; Schrimshaw, Eric W

    2014-03-14

    Despite attention to the sexual behaviors of non-gay-identified (NGI) men who have same-sex encounters, virtually no research has focused on issues of partner desirability and selection. Limited evidence suggests that a subgroup of men who have sex with men (MSM) advertise online for sexual encounters with NGI men. Exchange theory provided a framework to investigate this seeking of NGI men, based on the content of Internet personal advertisements for same-sex encounters. Researchers analyzed 282 ads posted to an online bulletin board. Ads by men who explicitly desired encounters with NGI men were compared with those by men who did not indicate this preference in potential partners. Multivariate analyses revealed that NGI-seeking men had significantly increased odds of identifying as discreet (Adjusted odds ratio [ AOR ] = 2.82), seeking a discreet encounter ( AOR = 4.68), seeking a masculine partner ( AOR = 2.18), being willing to host ( AOR = 2.77), as well as seeking oral-receptive sex ( AOR = 2.69), unprotected oral sex ( AOR = 6.76), and anal-receptive sex ( AOR = 2.18). Further, NGI-seeking ads were more likely to not mention condom use or safer sex practices ( AOR = 4.13) and were less likely to indicate a desire for oral-insertive sex ( AOR = 0.34) and rimming ( AOR = 0.21). Findings suggest that some men may deliberately present themselves in ways that they perceive as being attractive to NGI men, and have research implications for NGI MSM, their partners, and the risk outcomes of these online ads.

  20. Self-Presentation, Desired Partner Characteristics, and Sexual Behavior Preferences in Online Personal Advertisements of Men Seeking Non-Gay-Identified Men

    PubMed Central

    Schrimshaw, Eric W.

    2015-01-01

    Despite attention to the sexual behaviors of non-gay-identified (NGI) men who have same-sex encounters, virtually no research has focused on issues of partner desirability and selection. Limited evidence suggests that a subgroup of men who have sex with men (MSM) advertise online for sexual encounters with NGI men. Exchange theory provided a framework to investigate this seeking of NGI men, based on the content of Internet personal advertisements for same-sex encounters. Researchers analyzed 282 ads posted to an online bulletin board. Ads by men who explicitly desired encounters with NGI men were compared with those by men who did not indicate this preference in potential partners. Multivariate analyses revealed that NGI-seeking men had significantly increased odds of identifying as discreet (Adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.82), seeking a discreet encounter (AOR = 4.68), seeking a masculine partner (AOR = 2.18), being willing to host (AOR = 2.77), as well as seeking oral-receptive sex (AOR = 2.69), unprotected oral sex (AOR = 6.76), and anal-receptive sex (AOR = 2.18). Further, NGI-seeking ads were more likely to not mention condom use or safer sex practices (AOR = 4.13) and were less likely to indicate a desire for oral-insertive sex (AOR = 0.34) and rimming (AOR = 0.21). Findings suggest that some men may deliberately present themselves in ways that they perceive as being attractive to NGI men, and have research implications for NGI MSM, their partners, and the risk outcomes of these online ads. PMID:25750927