Cybersex: The Impact of a Contemporary Problem on the Practices of Marriage and Family Therapists

The number of people accessing the Internet for sexual purposes (cybersex) has increased dramatically over the last 10 years. However, little research has been conducted to determine how frequently clients present for treatment with cybersex‐related issues. One hundred sixty‐four clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy participated in the current study, which was conducted to identify the impacts of cybersex on MFTs’ practices. Most respondents report seeing clients with cybersex‐related issues, with client numbers increasing over the past 2 years. Although most respondents felt prepared to diagnose and treat adults with cybersex problems, half felt unprepared to diagnose and treat children. Lastly, most respondents reported that their required college courses were not helpful in preparing them to diagnose and treat cybersex‐related problems. The implications of study findings are discussed.     

Sex role perceptions and the abortion decision

This paper is concerned with the relationship between two aspects of self‐concept—perception of gender role and perceived competence—and the decision to have an abortion as a solution to a problem pregnancy. It was hypothesized that (1) there will be a positive relationship between the choice of abortion and perceived competence, and (2) there will be a negative relationship between the choice of abortion and the degree to which female role is perceived traditionally. The data came from a broader study conducted throughout Michigan during 1974–75. The study group consisted of 921 women who chose to have an abortion. A comparison group included 360 women with problem pregnancies who chose to keep their child. Data were obtained through an anonymous questionnaire which included the two relevant indices. The abortion group was found to be significantly higher in perceived competence than those who chose to keep the child, and the black abortion group was significantly less traditional than the black group which chose to keep the child. These relationships remained significant when age was controlled. Race did not affect subjects' degree of perceived competence, but blacks were more traditional than whites regardless of decision.     

Estimation of Several Intraclass Correlation Coefficients

An intraclass correlation coefficient observed in several populations is estimated. The basis is a variance-stabilizing transformation. It is shown that the intraclass correlation coefficient from any elliptical distribution should be transformed in the same way. Four estimators are compared. An estimator where the components in a vector consisting of the transformed intraclass correlation coefficients are estimated separately, an estimator based on a weighted average of these components, a pretest estimator where the equality of the components is tested and then the outcome of the test is used in the estimation procedure, and a James-Stein estimator which shrinks toward the mean.