What is Sexual Satisfaction? Thematic Analysis of Lay People's Definitions

Sexual satisfaction is an important indicator of sexual health and is strongly associated with relationship satisfaction. However, research exploring lay definitions of sexual satisfaction has been scarce. We present thematic analysis of written responses of 449 women and 311 men to the question “How would you define sexual satisfaction?” The participants were heterosexual individuals with a mean age of 36.05 years (SD = 8.34) involved in a committed exclusive relationship. In this exploratory study, two main themes were identified: personal sexual well-being and dyadic processes. The first theme focuses on the positive aspects of individual sexual experience, such as pleasure, positive feelings, arousal, sexual openness, and orgasm. The second theme emphasizes relational dimensions, such as mutuality, romance, expression of feelings, creativity, acting out desires, and frequency of sexual activity. Our results highlight that mutual pleasure is a crucial component of sexual satisfaction and that sexual satisfaction derives from positive sexual experiences and not from the absence of conflict or dysfunction. The findings support definitions and models of sexual satisfaction that focus on positive sexual outcomes and the use of measures that incorporate items linked to personal and dyadic sexual rewards for both men and women.     

Self‐Destructive Symptomatic Frames in Clinical Adolescents: Is the Same Different?

This study examines individual and family predictors of different self‐destructive patterns—only suicidal ideation, only nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI), or suicide attempts (that may also include both suicide ideation (SI) and NSSI)—in a sample of outpatient adolescents (N = 42; 86% females) with mean age of 16 years (SD = 1.86). Results indicated that there are differences in youngsters with self‐destructive behaviors in their perception of paternal rejection and maternal control, when compared with youngsters reporting only SI. Adolescents from the groups with self‐destructive behaviors differ only in age. Together, these data highlight the relevance of adopting an ecosystemic perspective, which includes both the patients and their families, regarding treatment and prevention of self‐destructive symptomatic frames.     

Hispanic Parental Experiences of Learning a Child Identifies as a Sexual Minority

Sexual minority youth (SMY) who do not feel loved and supported by their families face greater challenges and often experience various health disparities. The coming out process is often difficult for all SMY and their families. Although there is limited research on the impact of sexual orientation disclosure on families, there is even less that focuses exclusively on Hispanic families. This qualitative study explores the impact on a sample of Hispanic parents of having a child come out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. The results demonstrate that although coming out is often challenging for SMY and their families, these challenges may be exacerbated for Hispanics due to cultural factors that contribute to children living at home longer and negative reactions to being gay. Parental reactions, impacts of disclosure on the family, and the impact of cultural factors are discussed. This study helps illuminate how cultural factors influence the coming out experience of Hispanic parents. These findings are important for understanding the experiences of these families to provide culturally appropriate resources for families navigating the coming out process.     

Coming Out Experiences of Hispanic Sexual Minority Young Adults in South Florida

Sexual minority youth and young adults (SMYYA) have higher prevalence of mental and behavioral health problems potentially linked to experiences of discrimination, stigma, and rejection. Among Hispanics, the intersection of stressors related to being an ethnic and sexual minority may result in compounding adverse outcomes. Coming out may play an important role in experiencing discrimination, stigma, and rejection. However, limited research examines coming out among Hispanic SMYYA (HSMYYA). This qualitative study seeks to understand the coming-out experiences of HSMYYA living in South Florida. Twenty participants between 18 and 28 years old were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis generated codes, which were grouped into categories to generate themes. This study presents data highlighting reasons for disclosing and not disclosing sexual orientation and the perceived consequences of those decisions. Additionally, we discuss unique cultural elements that impact HSMYYA’s decisions to reveal sexual orientation.     

A Concept Analysis of Bear Identity

Members of the bear community, a gay male subculture, offer insight into the development and purveyance of a gay subculture. Using Walker and Avant’s concept analysis methodology, concept exploration and a subsequent concept analysis of the term bear identity, using existing literature, was conducted to obtain a better understanding of the meanings of the term bear identity. CINAHL, Psycinfo, Pubmed, Medline, LGBT Life, and ProQuest were employed to identify and examine the data surrounding the concept of bear identity. After conducting the literature review, an analysis of bear identity emerged that explores antecedents, attributes, and possible consequences related to bear identification. Lastly, implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.