The Risk Factors of Sexual Behavior Among Middle School Students in South Korea

Understanding sexual intercourse among adolescents is an important public health issue. To establish the risk factors of coitus among youth, we use 11th Korea Youth Risk Behaviour Web-based Survey data. Participants were completed a questionnaire on sexual behaviour, alcohol consumption, smoking, mental health, physical activity, weight management, health equity, and others. Among boys, coitus experience was higher in boys-only schools than in mixed-sex schools; conversely, in girls, coitus experience was higher in mixed-sex schools than in girls-only schools. High economic status, having step-parents, consuming alcohol or tobacco, low sex education, and low happiness scores were associated with coitus in boys, while the factors in girls were consuming alcohol or tobacco, low body mass index, low happiness score, and low academic performance. Boys with high economic status should be regarded as high risk, and mental health appears important for sexual health in both boys and girls.     

Correlates of Sexual Behavior in Young Children

SUMMARY

Sexual behavior in children ages 2–12 is related to a variety of environmental, child-specific, and reporter-related variables. This paper reviews correlational research that has examined the relationship of sexual behavior to the variables of sexual abuse, domestic violence, physical abuse, family sexuality, age and gender of the child, child behavior problems, and reporter characteristics. Sexual behavior is directly related to environmental variables that cause dysregulated behavior in children. It is also associated with child behavior problems and varies with age and gender. There are a number of reporter-specific variables, including education level, abuse history, and openness to sexuality, that are also related to the level of reported sexual behavior. The article concludes with a reminder that correlation does not mean causation.     

Sexual risk behaviors among youth in the child welfare system

This study uses data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) to provide estimates of sexual risk behaviors for 877 youth, age 11–14 at baseline, in the child welfare system. It examines the association between baseline psychosocial risk and protective factors on engagement in sexual risk behaviors after 36 months. It further compares rates of sexual risk behaviors between youth placed in out-of-home care and those who remained with their biological family. Key findings include a high rate of pregnancy, a high percentage of youth who initiated sexual activity at or before age 13 as well as a limited role of protective factors in moderating sexual risk behaviors. A history of placement into out-of-home care is not significantly associated with greater engagement in sexual risk behaviors. Implications for intervention development and child welfare policy for this population are discussed.     

Sexual Behavior Among College Students in the AIDS Era

The sexual behavior of a 1988 midwestern college sample was compared to a highly similar 1982 sample to determine the impact of the AlDS epidemic. Contrary to expectations, sexual activity increased over the six-year period. More 1988 students had engaged in intercourse, and females had engaged in it more times with more partners. Age of first intercourse remained unchanged. Attitudes for both sexes became more permissive, and males also perceived their parents to have become more permissive. A continuing double-standard was suggested. For males there were increases in contraceptive frequency, contraception at last intercourse, and condom use. Increased condom use was probably not AIDS-induced, as there was no increase in use from first to last intercourse. Students' sexual, contraceptive, and verbal behavior suggested little concern about AIDS.     

Sexual Problems and Distress among Men and Women with Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Sexual Partners: An Analysis of a Nationally Representative Sample of Adults in Great Britain

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine differences in reporting sexual problems and distress among men and women with same-sex and opposite-sex sexual partners.

Methods: Multinomial regression was undertaken on risk of reporting sexual problems and/or distress using data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.

Results: Differences were detected between men of different sexual behavior groups when considering the problems “lack of enjoyment in sex,” “felt anxious during sex,” “felt no excitement or arousal during sex,” “lack of interest in sex,” “did not reach/took a long time to reach climax,” and “getting or keeping an erection.” Fewer differences were detected among women.

Conclusions: Women reporting same sex sexual partners, and to a greater extent men reporting same sex sexual partners , have different sexual health needs and report sexual health problems and distress to a different extent than is the case for individuals who only have opposite-sex sexual partners     

High-Risk Sexual Behavior in Postmenopausal Women

Individuals who participate in sexual behavior indeed expose themselves to multiple risks, including social, emotional, and physical risks. Outcomes associated with risk behavior can have detrimental consequences on one’s interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, and overall health and well-being. This study examined how four factors (relational, decision-making, sexual variables, and safety) operate in a postmenopausal women’s decision to engage in risky sexual behavior. Data were collected online from 44 women, ranging in age from 34 to 68. Results indicate this model explains 62.6% of the variance in risky decision-making for postmenopausal women. Implications and directions for future research are addressed.     

Sexual Behavior In and Out of Marriage

No abstract available for this article.     

Tracking the Sexual Behavior-Specific Effects of a Foster Family Treatment Program for Children with Serious Sexual Behavior Problems

Few treatment programs exist for very young children with serious sexual behavior problems. Fewer still have produced data relating to their effectiveness, and the sparse data that have emerged have focused on global social adjustment or improvement rather than on sexual behavior- specific changes. This study tracked both frequency of problem sexual behaviors and care giver estimates of the propensity to re-offend of six initial clients referred to a treatment-intensive foster care program for sexually reactive children and pre-adolescent sexual offenders. A simple pre-post (basepoint-treatment) design was used, and in-treatment data gathered over a two-year interval are presented. Initial results indicate that the problem sexual behaviors of most of these youthful clients were effectively and immediately suppressed in the context of their treatment intensive foster placements, but that the program's impact on the clients' propensity to re-offend given the opportunity—a crude measure of treatment internalization—was much less immediate, less pronounced, and less predictable across clients. Recommendations based on these data are offered concerning the viability of foster care intervention for sexualized and offending children, as well as optimal durations for such treatments. The strengths and weaknesses of the novel progress tracking method are discussed.     

Predictors of High-Risk Sexual Behavior Among Individuals Living with HIV Disease and AIDS

An important focus of the 1996 World Aids Conference related to the extent of unprotected sex among gay men, particularly those in their twenties. This paper will use logistic analysis to explore the extent of unsafe sexual practices among individuals living in Bexar County, Texas, who are HIV+ assymptomatic, HIV+ symptomatic, or have AIDS. Using survey research data, we assess the significance and impact of various independent factors on whether respondents reported they did or did not engage in unprotected sex. The most striking finding is that unprotected sexual activity is prevalent regardless of demographic and/or status differences among respondents. Findings reinforce the use of community planning processes, which emphasize the importance of sound behavioral and social science combined with efforts to include the affected constituency to create effective HIV prevention programs.     

Masturbation and Sexual Health

Abstract

In this study we applied research examining the hypothesized benefits of masturbation in dealing with sexual problems to the urgent health crisis posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This is the first study to test the hypothesized relationship between masturbation and HIV risk as predicted by the Sexual Health Model, a sex-positive approach to sexual health developed in response to the need for a more explicit focus on sexuality and relationships in HIV prevention. This is also the first study to examine the relationship between several masturbation variables (i.e., masturbation guilt, lifetime masturbation, and current masturbation) and HIV-related sexual behaviors and attitudes in a sample of African American women (N =239). Data was collected using face-to-face structured interviews as part of the Women's Initiative for Sexual Health (WISH), a randomized, controlled trial of an HIV prevention intervention based on the Sexual Health Model, targeting low income, adult African American women. Contrary to expectations, results showed that participants who reported masturbating were more likely to report having multiple partners, being in a nonmonogamous relationship and engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors. There was no significant relationship between level of masturbation guilt and HIV risk nor between masturbation and consistent condom use or attitudes toward condoms. This study adds to the growing empirical support for associations between sexual health variables and safer sex and argues for a more explicit focus on sexuality in HIV prevention.     

Explicit Verbal Sexual Consent Communication: Effects of Gender,Relationship Status,and Type of Sexual Behavior

Objectives: College students believe that they are supposed to be explicit and verbal in their sexual consent communication. We examined various contexts to determine when sexual consent is likely to be communicated explicitly and verbally. Method: We surveyed U.S. college students’ (n?=?707) sexual consent communication. Results: We identified contexts when explicit verbal consent cues are less likely—when the person is a woman, when the sexual relationship is casual, and when the sexual behavior is not vaginal-penile intercourse. Conclusions: If sexual consent is contextual, that means communicating consent should not ever be taken for granted.     

Does Sexual Orientation Have an Impact on Nonverbal Behavior in Interpersonal Communication?

This study explores the impact of sexual orientation on the nonverbal behavior of individuals in dyadic communication situations. It is hypothesized that the patterns of nonverbal behavior displayed in dyads with and without an individual with an open homosexual orientation are different from those in dyads with heterosexual participants only. An observational study was conducted with a total of 24 participants, 12 with a heterosexual orientation and 12 with a homosexual orientation (6 males and 6 females in each group). Participants were videotaped during a 20-min conversation which took place in dyads that were composed of individuals of the same biological sex with either the same sexual orientation (homosexual or heterosexual) or differing sexual orientations. Results show that in dyads which include a homosexual person nonverbal behavior is different from that displayed in dyads consisting of heterosexual participants only in terms of self-touch, body posture, body orientation, and gaze. Results are interpreted in terms of stereotyping and presentation rules.     

Body Size and Sexual Behavior in a Community-Based Sample of Women

ABSTRACT. Women's body size is closely related to their social and sexual experiences. Clinical research has found that women's lifetime sexual behaviors may vary based on body mass index (BMI). Objectives: This study examined the relationship between BMI and recent solo and partnered sexual repertoire in a community-based, non-clinical sample of women. Methods: Two hundred thirty-eight sexually active women completed an online survey measuring age, sexual relationship status, BMI, gender of sexual partners, and engagement in sexual behaviors in the previous 4 weeks. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether BMI predicted engagement in behaviors after controlling for age and sexual relationship variables. Results: Participant age ranged from 18 to 56 years (M = 30.4, SD = 7.8). Participants were predominantly in exclusive sexual relationships (62.9%, n = 146) with men (82.8%, n = 197). Mean BMI for the sample was 29.33 (SD = 9.28). Participation in self-masturbation, masturbating a partner, performing oral sex on a partner, receiving oral sex from a partner, and penile–vaginal intercourse were not predicted by BMI after controlling for age and partner variables. Conclusions: BMI did not impact sexual repertoire during the previous 4 weeks, with the exception of an increased odds ratio for penile–anal intercourse (OR = 1.06; 95% CI [1.02, 1.10]). Researchers and practitioners working with women should not assume limitations on women's sexual repertoires because of larger body size.     

Supervision and Treatment of Juveniles with Sexual Behavior Problems

Responses to a survey, distributed at the 2005 Conference for Sex Offender Management, were studied to identify treatment theories, client behavior expectations, and level of interagency collaboration relied upon to produce positive outcomes for Juveniles with Sexual Behavior Problems (JSBP). Analysis of 112 responses to the 31-item survey identified three potential subscales (Integration of Theory, Readiness for Program Release, and Collaboration) and indicated support for an integrative approach to treatment. Clinicians were more likely than probation, institutional officers and caseworkers to use cognitive-behavioral approaches to enhance positive outcomes. Results are discussed regarding three controversial issues related to JSBP supervision and treatment: use of polygraphs with juvenile sex offenders, referrals to 12-Step Sexual Addiction programs, and victim/offender reunification.     

Externalizing Behavior Among Adopted Boys with Preadoptive Histories of Child Sexual Abuse

This study examined the severity of externalizing symptomology among adopted boys with preadoptive histories of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect/abandonment, or no abuse. The study was based on data collected across a three-year period from parents who adopted children from Florida's child welfare system. The sample consisted of 1,136 adopted boys aged 6 to 18 years. In repeated cross-sectional multivariate analyses, the results revealed that adopted boys with preadoptive child sexual abuse were prone to significantly higher levels and clinically severe externalizing symptomotology as compared to adopted boys without such histories. The findings highlight the need for postadoption services and empirically validated interventions for families adopting boys with preadoptive child sexual abuse.     

Area-based partnerships in rural Poland: The post-accession experience

The paper examines the characteristics of area-based partnerships in rural Poland. It is based on the study of partnerships created after the accession to the European Union in 2004. Partnership structures have been rapidly adopted in rural Poland due to opportunities provided by the LEADER+ Pilot Programme. However, the research showed that partnerships are frequently subject to elite domination by local authorities and hence fail to fully engage a range of community and private sector actors. Funding rules for LEADER, most notably the condition that money will only be paid on the completion of projects, has been particularly significant in perpetuating the domination of partnerships by organisations with existing access to financial and human capital. Hence funding arrangements can undermine the ability of Polish partnerships to operate in ways which harness the endogenous capacities of local communities. To date power differentials between notional ‘partners’ have been experienced to a greater extent than in advanced liberal democracies. The research found that overt domination of partnership structures by state agencies limited the possibilities for community led development initiative in rural Poland.     

Sexual Behavior in Dutch and Belgian Children as Observed by Their Mothers

Abstract

Mothers' observations (N = 670) of child sexual behavior have been collected using an adapted version of the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory as developed by Friedrich et al. (1991). The ages of the boys (N = 351) and girls (N = 319) observed range from 0 to 11 years. The results show that there is a lot of variance in the frequency with which specific sexual behaviors are observed. The occurrence of specific behaviors varies with age. While some behaviors are observed more frequently as the child gets older, others are observed less frequently. Boys and girls only differ in a few behaviors. The finding that the behavioral items form an internally consistent scale suggests that there is a general tendency to show sexually related behaviors, which is more or less strongly present in children, which might be a precursor of differential levels of sexual desires in adults.     

Focused Foster Care for Children with Serious Sexual Behavior Problems

Properly implemented, foster family care may represent a uniquely appropriate placement/treatment alternative for young children with pronounced or dangerous sexual behavior problems. A few programs have reported preliminary but promising results with such children in fostering environments specifically designed to address their special problems. This study details the salient components of one such program that has proven successful over the past six years with most of thirty youthful clients referred to it facing few alternative placement options. Rankings by program staff and program parents of the relative importance of ten program components to client success are reported, and updates on previously published outcomes with the first six clients to enter the program are offered. Subjective but important “lessons learned” by staff and parents about working with this difficult population in the fostering environment are also discussed.

Sexual assessment and the epidemiology of AIDS

Research on the transmission dynamics of AIDS necessitates an extraordinarily rigorous sexual science. Thus, the purpose of the present paper is to isolate sexual parameters which are crucial to the epidemiology of AIDS. Several representative mathematical models of the proliferation of HIV are described. From these models, three consistent sexual parameters emerge (sexual orientation, anal intercourse, and selection of sexual partners). Consequently, each parameter is examined for the feasibility of assessment and the reliability of existing data. However, as the present review suggests, the relevant data on sexual parameters are either marginal or nonexistent. Therefore, alternatives are described, and the broader implications of measurement error on epidemiological predictions is developed.     

Predictors of Sexual Behavior Among Early and Middle Adolescents Affected by Maternal HIV

ABSTRACT. We describe the extent to which men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) tell their female sex partners that they have male sex partners and the association between disclosure of male partners and condom use with female partners. Data were from U.S. Internet-using MSMW recruited from a social networking Web site. Of 666 MSMW, 70% told their last female partner that they had male sex partners. MSMW who disclosed having male sex partners were equally likely to have used a condom during their last vaginal intercourse with a female partner (42%) as were men who did not disclose (47%). Because disclosure was not associated with condom use and condom use was low, it is important to continue efforts to promote consistent condom use, especially among females, regardless of the reported sexual orientation of their partners.