Experience of Forced Sex and Subsequent Sexual,Drug, and Mental Health Outcomes: African American and Hispanic Women in the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT. Objectives: This cross-sectional study examined African American and Hispanic women's (N = 1,509) self-reports of unwanted forced sex and its association with behavioral and mental health outcomes after the event. Methods: Twenty percent of the women had experienced forced sex (1st occurrence at age 15 years or younger for 10%, 1st occurrence at older than 15 years of age for 10%). Results: Regardless of when forced sex 1st occurred, women were more likely to have engaged in unprotected vaginal and anal sex, to have had multiple unprotected sex partners, to have sexually transmitted infections, to have reported binge drinking and illicit drug use, and to exhibit distress and have received mental health counseling. Conclusions: Forced sex may have wide-ranging behavioral and mental health consequences years later.     

Economic evaluation of brief sex counseling for sexually dysfunctional adolescents

Objectives: In a randomized controlled trial brief sex counselling (BSC), intensive sexual healthcare (ISH) and no treatment (NT) for adolescents with a sexual dysfunction were compared. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of BSC versus ISH and NT from a societal perspective. Methods: Costs, sexual functioning and quality of life were measured during 6 months. Primary outcome measures were measured with the Female Sexual Functional Index, the International Index of Erectile Function and the utilities reflecting Quality of Life based on the SF-36. Uncertainty was dealt with by using bootstrap replications and sensitivity analyses. Results: Results show that the societal costs were the highest for ISH followed by NT and BSC. The difference in costs between ISH compared to NT and BSC was significant. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences in sexual functioning or quality of life. With respect to the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility, BSC can be considered to be a suitable treatment for adolescents with a sexual dysfunction. Conclusions: Due to the lack of a significant difference in clinical effect, it can be concluded that BSC is the cheapest treatment option when implementing the intention-to-treat, besides a no treatment option, for adolescents with a sexual dysfunction.     

Contraceptive Attitudes and Sexual Self-Esteem Among Young Adults: Communication and Quality of Relationships with Mothers

ABSTRACT. Objectives: This study investigated relations between quality of relationships with mothers and communication with mothers about sex with contraceptive attitudes and sexual self-esteem among emerging adults. Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 176, M_age = 22 years 65% women) completed self-report measures of relationships with mothers, communication about sex, and sexual self-esteem. Results: Results indicated positive relations between quality of relationships with mothers and open, positive sex communication, for men and women, sexually and not sexually active; and between relationship quality with mothers, sex communication with mothers, and sexual self-esteem of women. Conclusions: Warm, supportive relationships with mothers in emerging adulthood include open, comfortable communications about sexuality, which were linked to features of sexual well-being of young adults.     

性意识觉醒后的悲剧困境——论《狐》中玛奇形象的反讽意蕴

劳伦斯在小说《狐》中,塑造了一个性意识觉醒的雌丈夫形象——玛奇。在男性魅力的感召下,摆脱了女同性恋性质的畸形人际关系的玛奇,尚未来得及细细品尝正常的异性爱带来的欢悦,就陷入了更大的生存困境——受制于父权社会,被迫成为失语症患者。这富有反讽意蕴的形象,反观出女性从叛逆到回归的悲剧性生存状态以及女性抗争的两难困境。     

福建省婴幼儿性别比失调的状况与对策

80年代后期 ,福建省婴幼儿性别比开始出现失调。由于种种原因 ,这一情况在当时并未引起足够重视。随着时间的推移 ,婴幼儿性别比失调情况仍在继续 ,其中选择性人流已上升为第一位原因。选择性人流对人口性别比平衡的冲击必将影响未来人口自身的再生产 ,而且对社会的和谐与安定也会产生极大的危害 ,对此决不可掉以轻心     

Predicting Ambivalence: When Same-Sex Sex is Only “Sometimes Wrong”

ABSTRACT

Despite Americans’ growing acceptance of LGBTQ people and their sexual behaviors over the past 40 years, approximately 10% of the population consistently expresses conflicted feelings, reporting that same-sex sex is only sometimes wrong. This research employs a theory of socially structured ambivalence to examine how individuals with ambivalence toward the morality of same-sex sex differ from those with strong moral stances. Using multinomial regression analysis of General Social Survey data, we find that socio-structural conflicts—e.g. simultaneous membership in institutions with conflicting normative messages—are predictive of ambivalent attitudes, and the presence of these structured conflicts appears to have a cumulative effect. These findings provide evidence of the predictive power of socially structured conflicts in producing ambivalent attitudes and expand the existing literature on ambivalence and attitudes about same-sex relations. We propose that scholars conceptualize ambivalence as a distinctly socio-structural and relational construct that may help to signal fertile ground for social change.     

Family Trauma and Dysfunction in Sexually Abused Female Adolescent Psychiatric and Control Groups

Differences in family trauma, stressors, and dysfunction among psychiatric inpatients grouped by sexual abuse self-reports were investigated. Group membership was determined by self-report of adolescents during a structured interview using a modification of the Traumatic Antecedents Scale (TAS). Family trauma/dysfunction was determined from a composite score derived from the TAS. The results indicated a significant difference for family trauma/dysfunction, with sexually abused adolescents reporting more family trauma/dysfunction than psychiatric controls. Also, those abused extrafamilally reported significantly more family trauma and dysfunction than psychiatric controls, while those abused intrafamilially did not report significant differences. Group differences in the endorsement of certain traumas stressors also were investigated. These findings indicated that among psychiatric inpatients, family dysfunction and trauma are present in those extrafamilially abused. Moreover, the extrafamilially abused were significantly different from controls, while incestuously abused were not significantly different. These results are discussed in the context of separation and abuse vulnerability.     

Sexuality and the city: exploring the experience of minority sexual identity through storytelling

This article explores the discursive construction of sexual identity through organizational storytelling, in the London office of a global investment bank, InvestCo. Work on the identity of sexual minorities in work organizations is rare, and even more so in the context of an institution such as a bank. Minority sexual identities have largely been ignored by the organizational studies and diversity literatures, but organizations and the researchers who study them, are starting to turn their attention to this previously silenced population. A major difficulty for researchers in this area, and one which has been well researched and documented in other areas of identity construction, is how to access and research this area. This article puts forward the idea that storytelling is an effective way of exploring this still sensitive topic. The results of the research are presented according to different ways in which minority sexual identity is constructed in organizations. This includes a discussion of social identities, displayed and hidden identities, changing identities, accepted and castigated identities and finally congruent and incongruent identities. The article also identifies themes which emerge from the stories about the stories themselves; themes of hidden identities, mistakes, victimhood and resistance. Although of relevance to those interested in the experience of sexual minorities in organizations, the storytelling discursive approach opens up the subject's experiences to a wider audience interested in diversity, discourse theory, ethnography and organizational life in general. The level of access is unusual and the double level story telling research approach could be of use in other areas.     

Identity,Training, and Expertise Among Sexual Health Professionals

ABSTRACT

The current study explores identity, training, and reported areas of expertise among sexual health professionals. Members of sexual health organizations (n = 500) completed an Internet survey. Personal interest in sexuality best predicted a priori planning to enter the field. Few individuals reported advanced training in sexual health, but those who did reported more mentorship, training satisfaction, and current work hours focused on sexual health. Participants reported more work in sex therapy than in sex education or research. Female and male sexual dysfunction received more professional attention at the expense of specialized topics. To nurture sexual health as a field, more training opportunities, more sex research, more sex education, and more attention to marginalized topics are needed.     

Empirical Validations of a Multidimensional Model for Assessing Sexual Orientation

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to validate Chung and Katayama's (1996) multidimensional model for assessing sexual orientation. Participants included five independent samples: (1) 32 Asian American gay men; (2) 201 lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons; (3) 149 lesbian and bisexual women; (4) 103 lesbian and bisexual women; and (5) 207 lesbian and bisexual women. Respondents completed a demographic questionnaire and items assessing sexual identity and sexual orientation. Results supported the validity of the multidimensional model. Across all samples, affective and physical attractions were moderately to highly correlated, whereas attractions to men and women were relatively independent. Practical and research implications are discussed.