Body Image,Body Satisfaction,and Unsafe Anal Intercourse Among Men Who Have Sex With Men

Using survey results from the 1998 Twin Cities Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Festival (N = 535), we explored associations between body image and unsafe anal intercourse (UAI) among men who have sex with men (MSM), and evaluated whether body satisfaction mediated this association. MSM who reported underweight body image had lower odds than those who reported average weight of UAI (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.13, 0.85); body satisfaction was not found to mediate this association. 13.3% of men who reported overweight/obese body image had engaged in UAI compared with 21.6% of those who reported average weight and 8.2% of those who reported underweight (p < .05). Compared with MSM in exclusive relationships, MSM in non exclusive relationships had increased odds of UAI (AOR = 5.78; 95% CI = 2.96, 11.29) as did men who were not partnered (AOR = 3.20; 95% CI = 1.72, 5.93). These findings highlight the importance of including body image in sexual behavior models of MSM to better understand body image's role in influencing sexual risk and sexually transmitted infections (STI)/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission.     

Gender attitudes,sexual violence,and HIV/AIDS risks among men and women in Cape Town,South Africa

This study examined gender attitudes and sexual violence‐supportive beliefs (rape myths) in a sample of South African men and women at risk for HIV transmission. Over 40% of women and 16% of men had been sexually assaulted, and more than one in five men openly admitted to having perpetrated sexual assault. Traditional attitudes toward women's social and gender roles, as well as rape myths, were endorsed by a significant minority of both men and women. Multivariate analyses showed that for men, sexual assault history and rape myth acceptance, along with alcohol and other drug use history, were significantly related to cumulative risks for HIV infection. In contrast, although we found that women were at substantial risk for sexually transmitted infection (STI), including HIV, women's risks were only related to lower levels of education and alcohol use history. We speculate that women's risks for STI/HIV are the product of partner characteristics and male‐dominated relationships, suggesting the critical importance of intervening with men to reduce women's risks for sexual assault and STI/HIV.     

Comment on Cross,Fine, Jones,and Walsh (2012): We Are Now on the Same Page

Role conflict has been an issue in the intervention of child abuse cases since the beginning of the alliance drawn between the legal and mental health professions. In child abuse cases, clearly defined roles will prevent an attack on the process, thereby providing successful interventions to protect children. The child advocacy center concept is one of the best ways to meld the two professional functions into a cohesive approach to those interventions.     

From man to men to missing links

Has racial thinking always existed? Have human populations always organized and delineated difference through racial categories? This paper argues that race and racism are the products of nineteenth century European thought wherein radically new conceptions of time permitted new ways of articulating and classifying difference. It was possible for race to become the organizing principle around which to delineate human variation at that moment when the singularity of human time was shattered into multiple temporalities. It is when man's origin comes to be pluralized (the origins of men) that the modern category of race is born and the modern prejudice of racism finds expression.     

Disparities in Gender Preference and Fertility: Southeast Asia and Latin America in a Comparative Perspective

Population Research and Policy Review - A preference for sons and a sex selection against females are widespread in vast regions of the world, including a great number of Asian and East European...     

Minimum Φ-divergence estimator in logistic regression models

A general class of minimum distance estimators for logistic regression models based on the ϕ-divergence measures is introduced: The minimum ϕ-divergence estimator, which is seen to be a generalization of the maximum likelihood estimator. Its asymptotic properties are studied as well as its behaviour in small samples throught a simulation study. This work was supported partially by Grant DGI (BMF2003-00892).     

Order-restricted Dose-related Trend Phi-divergence Tests for Generalized Linear Models

In this paper a new family of test statistics is presented for testing the independence between the binary response Y and an ordered categorical explanatory variable X (doses) against the alternative hypothesis of an increase dose-response relationship between a response variable Y and X (doses). The properties of these test statistics are studied. This new family of test statistics is based on the family of φ-divergence measures and contains as a particular case the likelihood ratio test. We pay special attention to the family of test statistics associated with the power divergence family. A simulation study is included in order to analyze the behavior of the power divergence family of test statistics.     

The Economic Reward for Studying Economics

Undergraduate advisors in economics departments suggest that the study of economics is good preparation for a variety of careers, including economics, consulting, analysis, and administration, and they argue that economics is a solid prelaw or pre-MBA major. In this article we provide some empirical evidence about each of these contentions. We find that among college graduates who do not earn advanced degrees, economics majors generally earn more than similar individuals with other majors. We show also that among individuals who pursue graduate degree programs in business and law, economics majors earn more than undergraduate majors in most other academic disciplines.     

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive homeless men: Behavioral and social characteristics

Homeless persons living in U.S. innercities are at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but few studies have examined the continued risk behaviors of HIV infected homeless men. We investigated the sexual behavior of 32 homeless men who had tested HIV seropositive. Twenty-five percent of HIV positive men reported a history of injection drug use, 34% had sex with men, over 40% had participated in commercial sex, and 59% had been treated for a non-HIV sexually transmitted disease. HIV seropositive men also reported recent sexual behavior, with 62% having sex in the previous month and 50% currently sexually active. Condom use was inconsistent among seropositive men; 44% of vaginal and 50% of anal intercourse occasions in the preceding three months did not involve condoms, and 28% of HIV seropositive men did not use a condom during their most recent sexual encounter. Substance use was frequently associated with unprotected sexual behavior among HIV seropositive men. Finally, measures of life satisfaction showed that HIV seropositive men were most satisfied with their relationships, mental health, and spiritual well being. These data suggest a need for intensive behavioral interventions tailored for homeless HIV infected men and we recommend that existing substance use treatment and holistic care be incorporated into behavioral interventions for HIV infected men.     

Increasing the Accuracy of EpiPen Administration With a Brief Behavioral Skills Training Package in a School for Autism

Behavioral staff at a school for children with autism investigated the effects of a brief behavioral skills training procedure to promote the appropriate administration of the EpiPen in an emergency situation by school staff. A 10-item task analysis was created outlining the steps required to use the EpiPen effectively and safely and was validated by the school’s registered nurse. Following a pretest in which members of both groups completed a minimal number of steps, the experimental group was trained via instructions, modeling, praise, feedback, and role playing to correctly use the EpiPen whereas the control group received no such training. Posttest scores indicated that the brief intervention was an effective means of teaching appropriate administration of the EpiPen with school staff.