Dynamic Change Between Intimate Partner Violence and Contraceptive Use Over Time in Young Adult Men’s and Women’s Relationships

The negative association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and contraceptive use is well established, but much of this research treats the association as static (e.g., similar across all relationships over development or time). Such studies do not account for individual development of sexual and romantic relationship mental, social, and behavioral well-being, which relate to contraceptive use. These studies are also predominantly woman-focused; such work could be complemented by examining men’s associations. The current study examined how associations between sexual and physical IPV and consistent condom and birth control (BC) use changed across up to seven sequential relationships in young adulthood over a five-year period within a nationally representative sample. Results indicated that physical IPV–contraception associations were significant only across earliest or latest relationships. Sexual IPV–contraception associations were significant over more relationships but often changed in valence (negative to positive). There were few significant differences in these associations between men and women. Developmental context (e.g., prior relationship/IPV experience) may be important when considering IPV–contraception associations. In addition, although the IPV–contraception association does not appear to be a unique problem for women, research needs to explore how underlying mechanisms explaining this association may be a result of gendered and nongendered contexts.     

Friendsourcing Peer Support for Alzheimer’s Caregivers Using Facebook Social Media

ABSTRACT

This research piloted an e-health intervention that used social media to friendsource peer support for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) caregivers. Friendsourcing is a variant of crowdsourcing. Crowdsourcing recruits online participants who share a characteristic that makes their volunteerism meaningful when they join to achieve an outcome. Friendsourcing recruits online participants who share membership in a social network that makes their volunteerism meaningful when they join to achieve an outcome. This article introduces our friendsourcing intervention research and examines the effects on the psychological well-being of AD caregivers. After a 6-week intervention, caregivers were found to have significantly decreased burden (Z?=??2.01, p?<?.05) and perceived stress (Z?=??2.95, p?<?.01). Emotional and informational support scores were significantly increased (Z?=??2.32, p?<?.05). Qualitative data analysis of the intervention identified positive effects in new caregiving knowledge acquisition and application and reduced stress in the acceptance of the caregiving role. Joining social networks in support groups through friendsourcing was feasible for AD caregivers who were familiar with social media, and can provide another means of guiding the development of their personal support networks.     

Online or Offline? Nonprofits’ Choice and Use of Social Media in Hong Kong

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Nonprofits are strategically using social media to disseminate information, engage with community, and mobilize...     

Examining Heterosexual Women’s Anal Sexual Health Knowledge and Product Use

Prevalence rates indicate that receptive anal sex is increasingly part of heterosexual women’s sexual repertoire. However, there is a body of literature linking this behavior to risk for adverse sexual health outcomes. Women’s anal sexual health knowledge and awareness of behaviors associated with elevated risk have received less attention in the research literature. The aim of the current study was to examine anal sexual health knowledge and product use among heterosexual women aged 18 to 30 years. A total of 33 self-identified heterosexual women recruited from the general population participated in one of six focus groups. The results suggest that knowledge was variable. Salient sexual health themes centered on risks of human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infections (HIV/STIs), other infections, and physical harm/damage. Product-use themes included cleanliness/hygiene, comfort, and product safety. Participants expressed the desire for anal sexual health education. The results have implications for sexual health research, education, and clinical practice.     

An Exploratory Study of Gambling Operators’ Use of Social Media and the Latent Messages Conveyed

Advertisements for gambling products have historically been restricted due to their potential to normalize gambling and contribute to excessive gambling behaviours among vulnerable populations. However, social media enables gambling operators to promote products and brands with fewer constraints than in traditional forms of media. This study investigated how social media is used by gambling operators to promote gambling activities including an analysis of the latent messages that are conveyed. A representative sample of major land-based and online gambling venues and operators, including casinos, clubs, hotels, lottery and wagering operators (n = 101), was obtained. Websites and social media profiles of gambling operators were audited to investigate the types of social media used, content of promotions, and prevalence of responsible gambling messaging. The results showed that Facebook and Twitter were the dominant platforms used, most commonly by casinos and online wagering operators. A key finding was that online gambling operators included gambling content in conjunction with related news and events, as well as unrelated content, as way of normalizing gambling within a broader social context. Unlike land-based gambling promotions, responsible gambling information tended not to feature in operators’ posts and profiles. The key messages propagated in social media gambling promotions were positively framed, and tended to encourage gambling using a range of cross-promotional tactics to emphasize the winning aspect of gambling. The implications of freely accessible and pervasive gambling promotions via social media are discussed with respect to the general community as well as vulnerable populations.     

Examining Two Theoretical Models Predicting American and Dutch Parents’ Mediation of Adolescent Social Media Use

The goal of the present study was to utilize two theoretical models, one based on a mediation approach and the other on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), to understand parents’ mediation of their adolescents’ social media use. Data were collected from parents of adolescents ages 10–18 in two countries, the United States (US) and the Netherlands. Results indicated significant differences between the two samples. Specifically, American parents reported more concern about adolescent social media use, more positive attitudes and perceived subjective norms to control adolescent use, and higher levels of active and restrictive mediation. In general, demographics and parental concern accounted for more explained variance in mediation behaviors among Dutch parents, and the TPB-based variables accounted for more explained variance among American parents. Results suggest important implications for the integration of different theoretical models to explain parent mediation behavior.     

Over- and Under-Perceiving Social Support from One’s Partner and Relationship Quality Over Time

Abstract

Using dyadic data from a national longitudinal survey in Germany (N?=?3,674 couples), we tested associations between congruence/discrepancy in partners’ reports of providing and receiving social support (i.e., whether a recipient reports more or less than the provider) and relationship quality. All participants reported how much social support they provided to, and received from, their partner. Latent Congruence Modeling was used to enhance the reliability of difference scores between one partner’s reported provision and the other's reported receipt. In most instances, perceiving more support than one’s partner reported giving (over-perception) and extensive support reported jointly by providers and recipients were positively associated with recipients’ and providers’ relationship quality. Conceptual, methodological, and possible clinical issues are discussed.     

How Does Alcohol Consumption Affect Perceptions of One’s Own and a Drinking Partner’s Ability to Consent to Sexual Activity?

In this naturalistic study, our aim was to examine the extent to which alcohol consumption affected perceptions of one’s own and one’s friend’s ability to consent to sexual activity. We surveyed 160 adult bargoers in pairs about their own and their friends’ alcohol consumption, intoxication symptoms, and ability to consent to sexual activity. On average, participants reported consuming 4.97 drinks, rated themselves at the legal limit for driving, reported one intoxication symptom, and had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) just over .08. However, few thought they or their friend had diminished cognitive function. Accordingly, most indicated that they could consent to sex (93%) and their friend could consent to sex (87%). Number of drinks people reported consuming, self-reported intoxication levels and symptoms, and BACs were significantly correlated; however, none of these measures was significantly related to individuals’ perceptions of their own or their friends’ ability to consent to sexual activity. Finally, those in man–man pairs were significantly more likely than those in woman–woman pairs to indicate they would allow their friend to have sex if approached by an interested party. These findings have potential implications for prevention programming and for legal cases involving individuals who engage in sexual activity while intoxicated.     

Friend or Foe? The Media Coverage of Chicago’s Public Housing Transformation

Social movement theory highlights media coverage as a powerful resource for non-institutional actors, but it remains unclear how successful they are in gaining media standing relative to their institutionalized opponents. This study applies Gamson’s concept of media standing to Chicago’s Plan for Transformation, an effort to reform the city’s public housing system. Theory expects institutionalized elites to capture a greater share of coverage, allowing them to frame the rhetoric. I perform a content analysis of 2,151 quotes drawn from 554 articles published in the Chicago Tribune from 1997–2009. Results indicate that bureaucratic actors achieve greater media standing then grassroots counterparts, but neighborhood opposition was not ignored. Negative binomial regression models indicate that coverage of the case was driven by conflict, dialogue, and a need for journalists to balance their stories. Institutionalized actors have an easier time achieving media standing, but the opinions they are allowed to express are limited.     

Framing the Women’s March on Washington: Media coverage and organizational messaging alignment

Half a million citizens participated in the Women’s March on Washington the day after President Trump’s inauguration, starting a political movement. The march communicated key messages to the public directly and via the media. This study explores how media coverage framed those key messages through content analysis. Media frames mentioned all key messages, emphasizing solidarity and activation at the grassroots, and in a way that both supported and challenged organizational messages. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

“Knowing Your Status and Knowing Your Partner’s Status Is Really Where It Starts”: A Qualitative Exploration of the Process by Which a Sexual Partner’s HIV Status Can Influence Sexual Decision Making

Gay and bisexual men are at disproportionate risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. While prevention efforts often emphasize consistent condom use, there is growing evidence that men are using seroadaptive safer-sex strategies, such as serosorting and seropositioning. This qualitative analysis of 204 HIV-negative and HIV-positive gay and bisexual men explored the ways that a sexual partner’s HIV status can influence safer-sex strategies and sexual decisions. The majority of the respondents reported that they were influenced by their partners’ HIV status. Those respondents who reported no influence discussed adhering to safer-sex rules that were not dependent on partner status and a lack of concern about HIV. Conversely, respondents who reported influence identified three primary areas of influence: psychological impacts, partner preference and selection, and specific behavioral intentions and strategies. A conceptual model explicating a potential process by which respondents use partner serostatus information in shaping sexual decisions is presented.     

MSW Graduates’ Readiness to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence

The purpose of this study is to better understand the relationship among factors affecting social workers’ overall readiness to respond to intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of recent MSW graduates (N = 205). Findings suggest MSW IPV education and postgraduate IPV training are significantly associated with perceived preparedness and perceived knowledge but not actual knowledge of IPV. Personal experience with IPV was also significantly associated with perceived knowledge but not perceived preparedness. Furthermore, perceived knowledge appears to be positively associated with perceived preparedness. Findings can inform social work educators’ strategies to increase students’ perceived preparedness to respond to IPV. Specific IPV topics that MSW graduates might be particularly underprepared in are also discussed.     

Sex Partner Type,Drug Use and Condom Use Self-Efficacy Among African Americans from Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Are Associations with Consistent Condom Use Moderated by Gender?

Gender inequalities in sexual behavior are explored from the perspective of the theory of gender and power. This study focused on the effect of sex partner type (steady versus casual), drug use, and condom use self-efficacy regarding consistent condom use (CCU) among a community-based sample of adults. The sample included 1,357 African American men and women (M age 37.0, SD 13.1 years; 44% women, 66% men) from 61 disadvantaged census block groups in Atlanta, GA as part of a study of individual and neighborhood characteristics and HIV risk-taking. Having a steady partner decreased the odds of CCU, while higher condom use self-efficacy increased the odds of CCU. Among non-drug users, having a drug-using partner was associated with decreased odds of condom use for women only. Women with drug-using partners, especially a steady partner, were least likely to report CCU. Therefore, interventions intended to empower CCU among women need to expand beyond acknowledging the reduced control that women who use drugs demonstrate to also consider those who have drug-using sexual partners.     

Editor’s Notes

As we were editing this issue, wereceived the news that the renowned writerBing Xin had passed away. We were deeplygrieved over her death. Bing Xin, old as the century, had     

Editor’s Notes

CHINA has achieved great leaps in the 20 years since it launched itsreform. Economically it has reached a vital junction — the reform ofstate-owned enterprises. China is aiming to enable the majority of thelarge- or medium-sized state-owned enterprises to rid themselves of deficitand those serving as China's economic backbone to establish a modernenterprise system, all by the end of the century. This is the hard, urgent taskfacing the Chinese people. In this reform, women have given, and are stillgiving, an important contribution. Wang Hongming, General Manager of theShenyang Dawn Garments Group, provides a suitable focus for this issue.