Virtual and physical venues as contexts for HIV risk among rural men who have sex with men.

Rural men who have sex with men (MSM) have few identifiable venues in which to congregate and meet potential sex partners. The Internet provides a venue for rural MSM to meet, and this is potentially troubling because studies of urban MSM suggest that HIV risk is higher for men who date online. The goals of this study were to identify venues where rural MSM meet their sexual partners and to examine their association with high-risk sexual practices. Six hundred sixty-three predominantly single, gay, Caucasian MSM completed an online survey of their sexual activities. Results showed that the Internet and bars were the most popular venues for meeting sex partners. Highest rates of risk behaviors were associated with Internet dating and venues in which immediate sexual encounters typically occur, suggesting that prevention in rural areas should target multiple-risk environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexually aggressive and nonaggressive men: Sexual arousal and judgments in response to acquaintance rape and consensual analogues.

Self-identified sexually aggressive (SA) and nonaggressive (NA) college men listened to audiotape analogues of consensual sexual intercourse and acquaintance rape. Phallometric and decision-latency methodology was used to examine sexual arousal and decisions to stop sexual advances in each scenario. Both groups showed increases in penile response to the consensual scenario. Consistent with the inhibition model of sexual aggression, the SA group showed greater sexual arousal and failed to inhibit responding when force was introduced in the rape, whereas the NA group exhibited less arousal and greater inhibition to force. The SA group allowed the rape to continue significantly longer than the NA group. These effects were greatly magnified in SA men who endorsed high calloused sexual beliefs, implying that a cognitive set that justifies sexual aggression and lacks victim empathy may disinhibit sexual arousal and potentiate coercive decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of conflict between adults on the emotions and aggression of young children.

Examined the influence of others' emotions on the emotions and aggression of 48 male and 42 female 2-yr-old children by exposing dyads of familiar peers during play to a sequence of experimental manipulations of background emotions of warmth and anger created by 2 actors. An additional 20 Ss who were not exposed to an angry interaction served as controls. Ss readily distinguished between the prosocial and angry interactions of the unfamiliar adults. Typically, they responded to the angry verbal exchange with some form of distress. Exposure to angry adult interactions was associated also with subsequent increases in aggression between peers. A 2nd exposure of 47 of the Ss to the enactment of anger a month later resulted in still higher levels of distress and aggression. Ss' response patterns were suggestive of processes mediated by emotional reactivity rather than a behavioral modeling influence. Boys showed more aggression than girls following the simulation of anger, whereas girls showed more distress than boys during the simulation. There was some evidence for stability and continuity in individual patterns of response. The theoretical and practical implications of such pronounced sensitivity to others' conflicts and interpersonal problems in young children are considered. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The sexual harassment of uppity women.

In 3 studies, the author tested 2 competing views of sexual harassment: (a) It is motivated primarily by sexual desire and, therefore, is directed at women who meet feminine ideals, and (b) it is motivated primarily by a desire to punish gender-role deviants and, therefore, is directed at women who violate feminine ideals. Study 1 included male and female college students (N = 175) and showed that women with relatively masculine personalities (e.g., assertive, dominant, and independent) experienced the most sexual harassment. Study 2 (N = 134) showed that this effect was not because women with relatively masculine personalities were more likely than others to negatively evaluate potentially harassing scenarios. Study 3 included male and female employees at 5 organizations (N = 238) and showed that women in male-dominated organizations were harassed more than women in female-dominated organizations, and that women in male-dominated organizations who had relatively masculine personalities were sexually harassed the most. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The link between alcohol use and aggression toward sexual minorities: An event-based analysis.

The current study used an event-based assessment approach to examine the day-to-day relationship between heterosexual men's alcohol consumption and perpetration of aggression toward sexual minorities. Participants were 199 heterosexual drinking men between the ages of 18–30 who completed (1) separate timeline followback interviews to assess alcohol use and aggression toward sexual minorities during the past year, and (2) written self-report measures of risk factors for aggression toward sexual minorities. Results indicated that aggression toward sexual minorities was twice as likely on a day when drinking was reported than on nondrinking days, with over 80% of alcohol-related aggressive acts perpetrated within the group context. Patterns of alcohol use (i.e., number of drinking days, mean drinks per drinking day, number of heavy drinking days) were not associated with perpetration after controlling for demographic variables and pertinent risk factors. Results suggest that it is the acute effects of alcohol, and not men's patterns of alcohol consumption, that facilitate aggression toward sexual minorities. More importantly, these data are the first to support an event-based link between alcohol use and aggression toward sexual minorities (or any minority group), and provide the impetus for future research to examine risk factors and mechanisms for intoxicated aggression toward sexual minorities and other stigmatized groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual relationships, sexual behavior, and HIV infection: HIV-seropositive gay and bisexual men seeking prevention services.

The authors evaluated sexual practices, sexually tempting situations, and risk avoidance coping strategies among HIV-seropositive men who have sex with men and who were seeking HIV prevention services. HIV-seropositive men who practiced unprotected anal intercourse in the previous 4 weeks reported stronger temptations to engage in high-risk sex than men who were sexually safe. Being in a positive mood and being with desirable partners were particularly tempting risk situations for seropositive men, who also possessed less coping capacity to deal with risky situations than safer men. Prevention interventions must address the needs of men infected with HIV and must remove barriers to enrolling in prevention programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship characteristics and sexual risk-taking in young men who have sex with men.

Objective: Young men who have sex with men (MSM), particularly young men of color, are experiencing the largest increase in HIV incidence of any risk group in the United States Epidemiological research suggests that the majority of transmissions among MSM are occurring in the context of primary partnerships, but little research has been done on the processes within these dyads that increase HIV risk behaviors. The aim of this study was to use longitudinal partnership-level data to explore the effects of partner and relationship characteristics on the frequency of unprotected sex within young MSM relationships. Method: One hundred twenty-two young MSM (age 16–20 at baseline) were assessed at three time-points six months apart, with 91% retention at the 12-month follow-up wave. Over 80% were racial/ethnic minorities. At each wave, participants reported on characteristics of the relationships and partners for up to three sexual partners. Hierarchical linear modeling was used for analyses. Results: The largest effect was for considering the relationship to be serious, which was associated with nearly an eightfold increase in the rate of unprotected sex. Other factors that increased risk behaviors included older partners, drug use prior to sex, physical violence, forced sex, and partnership lasting more than six months. Partners met online were not associated with significantly more sexual risk. Conclusions: These data provide insight into the relationship processes that should be addressed in prevention programs targeted at young MSM. Relationships may serve as a promising unit for HIV prevention interventions, although more formative research will be required to address potential logistical obstacles to implementing such interventions. The partner-by-partner analytic approach (i.e., evaluating situational variables associated with several partners for a given participant) holds promise for future HIV behavioral research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of HIV-related thought suppression on risk behavior: Cognitive escape in men who have sex with men.

This study investigated the relationship between suppressing thoughts about HIV risk and several outcomes related to HIV risk, including sexual risk behavior and HIV prevention service use, in men who have sex with men (MSM). Synthesizing the ironic processing theory (D. M. Wegner, 1994) with a cognitive escape paradigm (D. J. McKiman, D. G. Ostrow, & B. Hope, 1996), it was hypothesized that thought suppression might increase risk by leading MSM to "escape" from sexual safety norms and engage in risky sex behaviors and, via a paradoxical process, increase future use of community prevention services. Results from a sample of MSM (N = 709) indicated that thought suppression was positively related to concurrent sexual risk behavior and to future use of prevention services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual HIV risk behaviour among men who have sex with both men and women

The aim of this study was to describe the sexual behaviour of men who had sex with both men and women in the preceding five years (behaviourally bisexual men), specifically to examine their needs in relation to HIV prevention. Anonymous telephone interviews were carried out with respondents recruited though advertisements in UK newspapers and magazines with (sexual) 'personal' or 'contact' sections. Data are reported from 745 respondents. Respondents report relatively high and approximately equal numbers of male and female sexual partners in the year preceding interview. There is a clear patterning of sexual activity by type of partner (regular or casual). A high proportion report anal intercourse with female and male partners. A third disclose their homosexual practices to regular female partners. Although self-reported HIV seroprevalence is low (less than 1%), the levels of unprotected sex with multiple sexual partners indicate substantial potential for transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. While low seroprevalence suggests that there is little overlap with existing core groups of HIV infection, the study provides information to judge the priority of targeting HIV prevention initiatives and suggests ways in which initiatives could be undertaken.     

Stress exposure and affective modulation of aggressive behavior in men and women.

To study differences in the effects of stress exposure and affective responding on aggression in men and women, the authors examined the effects of an acute stressor (air blast) on subsequent aggressive behavior, measured as the intensity of shocks men and women delivered to a putative employee. The authors measured participants' affective responding using the startle reflex. Results showed that although men and women did not differ in their startle responses to the actual stressor, high stress led to contrasting patterns of subsequent aggressive behavior. Women under high stress responded with less aggression than women under low stress, whereas men exposed to high stress exhibited increases in aggression relative to those under low stress. Affective responding during the stressor differentially modulated aggression in men and women: Startle responses predicted increasing levels of aggression in men and less aggression in women. These findings suggest that although men and women show similar basic affective processing in response to stressors, the behavioral profiles associated with stress differ in men and women. These findings have implications for understanding gender differences in the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood Sexual Abuse, Relationship Satisfaction, and Sexual Risk Taking in a Community Sample of Women.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been proposed to influence both women's adult sexual risk behaviors and the quality of their intimate relationships. Among a household sample of women (n = 732), good fit was obtained for a model in which CSA predicted Wave 1 male partner sexual risk and aggression characteristics, resulting in lower relationship satisfaction, and ultimately in higher numbers of Wave 2 sexual partners. The model was generally replicated among women who entered new relationships at Waves 2 and 3. Partner sexual risk characteristics also were associated with women's risk of sexually transmitted infection from current partner. Elevated sexual risk behaviors among CSA survivors reflect difficulty in establishing stable and safe relationships and may be reduced by interventions aimed at improving intimate relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reality Monitoring in Adults Reporting Repressed, Recovered, or Continuous Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

People who report either repressed or recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may have deficits in reality monitoring--the process whereby one discriminates memories of percepts from memories of images. Using signal detection methods, the authors found that adults reporting either repressed or recovered memories of CSA were less able to discriminate between words they had seen from words they had imagined seeing than were adults reporting either never having forgotten their CSA or adults reporting no history of CSA. Relative deficits in the ability to discriminate percepts from images (i.e., low d') were apparent on only some tests. The groups did not differ in their criterion--response bias--for affirming having seen versus imagined stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood sexual abuse and sexual risk behavior among men and women attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a wide range of negative outcomes. The authors investigated the relation between CSA and sexual risk behavior in 827 patients recruited from a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic. Overall, CSA was reported by 53% of women and 49% of men and was associated with greater sexual risk behavior, including more sexual partners, unprotected sex, and sex trading. Alcohol use for men and drug use for women mediated the relation between CSA and the number of sexual partners in the past 3 months; intimate partner violence mediated the relation between CSA and the number of episodes of unprotected sex in the past 3 months for women. These results document the prevalence of CSA among patients seeking care for an STD and can be used to tailor sexual risk reduction programs for individuals who were sexually abused. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child maltreatment history among newlywed couples: A longitudinal study of marital outcomes and mediating pathways.

Participants included 202 newlywed couples who reported retrospectively about child maltreatment experiences (sexual abuse, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect) and whose marital functioning was assessed 3 times over a 2-year period. Decreased marital satisfaction at T1 was predicted by childhood physical abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect for husbands; only neglect predicted lower satisfaction for wives. Increased maltreatment of various types was also related to T1 difficulties with marital trust and partner aggression. Dyadic growth curve analyses showed that the marital difficulties reported at T1 tended to remain over the course of the study. Further, in several instances, maltreatment exerted an increasingly detrimental influence on marital functioning over time, particularly for husbands. Examination of possible mediators between maltreatment and reductions in marital satisfaction revealed pathways through decreased sexual activity, increased psychological aggression, and increased trauma symptoms reported by husbands. These findings suggest that clinicians should consider how an adult’s history of child maltreatment may contribute to current marital dysfunction. The authors also identify possible targets for intervention when working with this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An event-based analysis of aggression women experience in bars.

The environmental and social circumstances in bars are likely to contribute to an individual's risk for becoming a victim. The present study was designed to assess differences that exist in these circumstances between times when aggression does and does not occur in bars. Participants were a subsample of 46 women who had previously participated in a larger survey of female bar drinkers. Using daily logs and biweekly interviews over 12 weeks, the author assessed the drinking patterns and aggressive experiences of these women. At times when aggression occurred women spent less time in the bar, consumed more alcohol, and reported feeling more intoxicated. Differences were found between sexual and nonsexual incidents and among the women on the basis of the type of aggression they had experienced. Women who experienced both sexual and nonsexual aggression reported using other drugs in addition to alcohol when drinking in bars. These findings and their implications for prevention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of aggression toward sexual minorities in a community sample.

Objective: Sexual prejudice and masculine gender role stress were examined as mediators of the associations between adherence to different male gender norms and aggression toward sexual minorities. This study also sought to extend past research to a community sample and use multiple methods to assess aggression. Method: Participants were 199 heterosexual men between the ages of 18 and 30 who were recruited from a large southeastern U.S. city. Participants completed measures of adherence to male gender role norms, sexual prejudice, masculine gender role stress, and aggression toward sexual minorities. Results: Associations between adherence to the status and antifemininity norms and aggression toward sexual minorities were mediated by sexual prejudice but not masculine gender role stress. The portion of unique association between adherence to the antifemininity norm and aggression toward sexual minorities was about three times larger than the portion mediated by sexual prejudice and masculine gender role stress. Conclusion: Findings provide the first multivariate evidence from a community-based sample for determinants of aggression toward sexual minorities motivated by gender role enforcement. These data support intervention programming and preventative intervention studies aimed at reducing sexual prejudice and facilitating less stereotypic attitudes about the male gender role, particularly surrounding the antifemininity norm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cost-effectiveness of HIV-prevention skills training for men who have sex with men

OBJECTIVE: A previous study empirically compared the effects of two HIV-prevention interventions for men who have sex with men: (i) a safer sex lecture, and (ii) the same lecture coupled with a 1.5 h skills-training group session. The skills-training intervention led to a significant increase in condom use at 12-month follow-up, compared with the lecture-only condition. The current study retrospectively assesses the incremental cost-effectiveness of skills training to determine whether it is worth the extra cost to add this component to an HIV-prevention intervention that would otherwise consist of a safer sex lecture only. DESIGN: Standard techniques of incremental cost-utility analysis were employed. METHODS: A societal perspective and a 5% discount rate were used. Cost categories assessed included: staff salary, fringe benefits, quality assurance, session materials, client transportation, client time valuation, and costs shared with other programs. A Bernoulli-process model of HIV transmission was used to estimate the number of HIV infections averted by the skills-training intervention component. For each infection averted, the discounted medical costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) saved were estimated. One- and multi-way sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of base-case results to changes in modeling assumptions. RESULTS: Under base-case assumptions, the incremental cost of the skills training was less than $13,000 (or about $40 per person). The discounted medical costs averted by incrementally preventing HIV infections were over $170,000; more than 21 discounted QALY were saved. The cost per QALY saved was negative, indicating cost-savings. These results are robust to changes in most modeling assumptions. However, the model is moderately sensitive to changes in the per-contact risk of HIV transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Under most reasonable assumptions, the incremental costs of the skills training were outweighed by the medical costs saved. Thus, not only is skills training effective in reducing risky behavior, it is also cost-saving.     

"A multivariate model for predicting rape and physical injury outcomes during sexual assaults": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by S. E. Ullman and R. A. Knight (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1991, Vol 59[5], 724–731). On page 730, column 2, line 9, the authors erroneously indicated that nonforceful verbal resistance was a dangerous strategy because it "increased the probability of physical injury and was ineffective at avoiding sexual abuse.' The correct interpretation is that nonforceful verbal resistance was a dangerous strategy because it "increased the probability of sexual abuse and was ineffective at avoiding physical injury.' (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1992-05865-001.) The relation of situational factors, offender aggression, and victim resistance to women's sexual abuse and physical injury during sexual assaults was analyzed using police reports and court testimonies of 274 women who either avoided rape or were raped. Hierarchical multiple regression showed that after situational factors were partialed out, (a) women's screaming/yelling was related to less severe sexual abuse, and (b) offender physical aggression was related to increased physical injury… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual aggression and sociocultural risk.

Comments on the article by G. C. Hall and C. Barongan (see record 1997-02239-001) concerning sociocultural risk and protective factors in the prevention of sexual aggression. The current author contends that it is unfortunate that Hall and Barongan chose the problem of sexual aggression to make their case for a multicultural focus in education and research. Though Hall and Barongan presented some relevant information on the relationship between gender socialization and sexual aggression, they presented a less than compelling argument for their case on the relationship between cultural socialization and sexual aggression. It is noted that their errors generally fall into 2 categories: interpreting the null hypothesis and misrepresentations and inconsistencies in their interpretation of potentially relevant information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing multiple-minority identities: African American men who have sex with men at predominately white universities.

This study examined how African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) manage their multiple-minority identities, including being both racial and sexual minorities at predominately White educational institutions (PWI). Using a phenomenological paradigm, AAMSM college students participated in semistructured interviews. Results suggest that AAMSM at PWIs view race, gender, and religious beliefs as of primary importance, and sexual orientation and social class as less salient aspects of their identities. Further, AAMSM attending PWIs reported experiencing both discrimination and stereotyping based on their race and sexual orientation, and their appraised risk of rejection and acceptance influenced their perception of identity options. AAMSM’s construction of their identity influenced their interpersonal associations with the African American, gay, African American and gay, and campus communities at large. Implications for future research and higher education administrators and mental health professionals are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)