Motivational factors in nonincarcerated sexually aggressive men.

Research on convicted rapists has demonstrated the importance of several key motivational factors in male sexual aggression. In particular, anger at women and the need to dominate or control them have been repeatedly implicated. Although anger and power have also been shown to be important in understanding college men who report sexually aggressive behavior, there has been little research on what underlies these motives. This research combined questions assessing these underlying motivational factors, as well as questions dealing with underlying sexual motivation and disinhibition, with a slightly modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss & Oros, 1982). In Study 1, subjects were 184 male undergraduates. Factor analysis of the questions composing the four scales yielded four slightly modified scales. Scales measuring underlying anger, underlying power, and disinhibition significantly differentiated sexually aggressive from nonaggressive men but did not distinguish between men who were coercive, manipulative, or nonaggressive. In a replication on a smaller sample (n?=?70), underlying anger, underlying power, and disinhibition again differentiated sexually aggressive from nonaggressive men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of sexual arousal in sexually aggressive behavior: A meta-analysis.

Meta-analyses were performed on 9 studies of 434 Ss' penile responsivity to rape stimuli. The mean effect size for raw score data suggested that most sexual aggressors against women exhibit slightly more rape arousal than control or comparison Ss, whereas the mean effect size for rape index (rape arousal:consenting sexual arousal) data suggested a moderate between-groups difference. Rape index effect sizes in individual studies, however, were heterogeneous. The rape index appears sensitive to differences between sexually aggressive men and those who are not but is not sensitive to differences between men who sexually aggress against women vs other types of sexual aggressors. Also discussed are the needs for standardization and methodological and statistical improvements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Response of large and small vessels to alpha and beta adrenoceptor stimulation in heart failure: effect of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition

Understanding sexual fantasies is important to the scientific study of human sexuality. A sexual fantasy refers to a private or covert experience in which the imagination of desirable sexual activity with a partner is sexually arousing to the individual. Prior sexual experiences of an individual appear to increase the incidence of sexual fantasies, as well as the variety of sexual themes in a fantasy, which permit a greater elaboration of the fantasy theme when compared to less sexually experienced individuals. The present study was an investigation of the factors or sexual themes that emerge in a college male population, as well as a comparison of college men with human samples obtained in other studies: a sample of men and women and a sample of sexually variant men. In this study, 116 male students, all of whom identified themselves as heterosexual, completed the Wilson Sex Fantasy Questionnaire (WSFQ). Results indicated that the present sample had significantly more exploratory, intimate, impersonal, and total sexual fantasies than sexual fantasies reported by female respondents in another study using the WSFQ and significantly more intimate, impersonal, and total sexual fantasizing when compared with a male sample in another study. The men in this study also evidenced less deviant areas of sexual fantasizing when compared with a group of sexually variant men in another study. A principal components analysis extracted four factors, which accounted for 45% of the total variance. The four sexual fantasy topic areas for the most part replicated prior findings by Wilson (1988) but are also more heterogeneous, indicating that male college students engage in a variety of sexual fantasies but seem to favor more intimate, less deviant or exploratory sexual themes that are in line with nonclinical samples and different from several clinical samples of sexually variant men.     

Examining Masculinity Norms, Problem Drinking, and Athletic Involvement as Predictors of Sexual Aggression in College Men.

Male sexual aggression toward women is a serious social problem, particularly on college campuses. In this study, college men's sexually aggressive behavior and rape myth acceptance were examined using conformity to 11 masculine norms and 2 variables previously linked to sexual aggression: problem drinking and athletic involvement. Results indicated that men who use alcohol problematically and conform to specific masculine norms (i.e., having power over women, being a playboy, disdaining gay men, being dominant, being violent, and taking risks) tended to endorse rape myths and report sexually aggressive behavior. Additionally, men who reported higher levels of problematic alcohol use and risk taking were more likely to report sexually aggressive behavior without endorsing rape myths. Implications and recommendations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intimacy and quality of life among sexually dysfunctional men and women

This study evaluated the associations between intimacy, quality of life, and sexual dysfunction in men and women. Participants were 145 sexually functional (43 men, 102 women) adults drawn from the general population and 198 sexually dysfunctional (114 men, 84 women) adults who came to a university sexual behavior clinic. All respondents were currently involved in a heterosexual relationship. Respondents completed a series of questionnaires to evaluate the level of intimacy in their relationships, their quality of life, and their level of sexual dysfunction. All aspects of intimacy were lower among sexually dysfunctional men than among sexually functional men for all subgroups of dysfunctionality (premature ejaculation, erectile failure, and lack of sexual desire). Levels of intimacy were less likely to discriminate between functional and dysfunctional women, with functional women only obtaining higher intimacy scores than each of the dysfunctional groups of women (inorgasmia, lack of arousal, lack of sexual desire) for social intimacy and recreational intimacy and, to a lesser extent, for sexual intimacy. Objective levels of quality of life as well as the satisfaction and importance of the quality of life domains were more likely to be lower when sexually dysfunctional women were compared with their functional counterparts than when sexually dysfunctional men were compared with their functional counterparts. The implications of these findings for an understanding of factors that contribute to sexual dysfunction, and the treatment of these disorders, is discussed.     

Sexually aggressive men's perceptions of women's communications: Testing three explanations.

Tested 3 explanations of findings that sexually aggressive men perceive women's communications differently than less aggressive men. The 1st suggests that aggressors are incompetent in decoding women's negative emotions. The 2nd posits that they fail to make subtle distinctions between women's friendliness and seductiveness and between assertiveness and hostility. The 3rd explanation contends that sexual aggressors use a suspicious schema and therefore discount the veridicality of women's communications. These explanations were tested using videotaped scenarios in which a woman's responses to a man's advances were systematically varied. The data were most supportive of the suspicious schema explanation. These findings are integrated with other research on the characteristics of sexual aggressors and on the perceptions of aggressive children and of maritally violent men. Implications for interventions are also discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Are women always less aggressive than men? A review of the experimental literature.

Reviews the experimental literature on adult female and male aggression. Commonly held hypotheses that men are almost always more physically aggressive than women and that women display more indirect or displaced aggression were not supported. Evidence of the type of sex differences that sex role stereotypes would predict seemed to appear only in self-report measures of general hostility or aggressiveness. Factors that are related to observed sex differences include sex of the instigator and/or victim of aggression, empathy with the victim, guilt, and aggression anxiety. When aggression is perceived as justified or prosocial and when these other factors are controlled, women may act as aggressively as men. Some evidence suggests that men and women react differentially to external aggressive cues and provocation. What may be anger-provoking for men may be anxiety-provoking for women. The hypothesis that sex differences in aggression are biologically determined was not examined. The present discussion should be viewed as an attempt to lay the groundwork for an understanding of the phenotypic expression of whatever genetic differences may exist. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarianism and sexual aggression.

In Study 1, 198 men completed the Right Wing Authoritarianism, Sex Role Ideology, Hostility Towards Women, Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence, Adversarial Sexual Beliefs, and Rape Myth Acceptance scales, as well as measures of past sexually aggressive behavior and likelihood of future sexual aggression. As predicted, authoritarianism and sex role ideology were as closely related to self-reported past and potential future sexually aggressive behavior as were the specifically sexual and aggression-related predictors. Among 134 men in Study 2, authoritarianism and sex guilt positively correlated with each other and with self-reported past sexual aggression. In both studies, the relationship of authoritarianism and sexual aggression was larger in community than in university samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women who have sex with other women: HIV seroprevalence in New York State counseling and testing programs

This report provides HIV seroprevalence data for women who are sexually active with women (WSW) choosing to access services in four of New York State's counseling and testing programs from January 1993 to June 1994. During that period, these programs tested 27,370 women. When questioned about sexual activity since 1978, 3.7% of these women reported sexual activity exclusively with women, 5.3% reported sexual activity with both women and men and 90.1% reported sexual activity exclusively with men. HIV seroprevalence in women sexually active exclusively with women in this sample was calculated at 3.0%, at 4.8% in women sexually active with both women and men and at 2.9% in women sexually active exclusively with men. According to the self-reported data in this study, injecting drug use is, by far, the predominant risk factor for seropositive WSW. Significant HIV-related public health/preventative implications for WSW and their service providers are suggested by this data, including the need for prevention education targeted to WSW who are IDUs, the need to provide culturally sensitive education to WSW detailing safer sexual behaviors both with women and with men as well as the need for evaluation of all risk factors when providing risk reduction education to WSW.     

Management and treatment of febrile seizures

This article explores the relationship between sociopsychological factors, sexual activity, and sexual satisfaction in a sample of 1,216 elderly people (mean age = 77.3). Almost 30% had participated in sexual activity in the past month and 67% were satisfied with current level of sexual activity. Men are more likely to be sexually active, but less apt than women to be satisfied with their level of sexual activity. Regarding predictors of sexual activity, for men the strongest predictors were being younger and having more education. For women, the strongest predictor by far was being married. For both men and women the strongest predictors for satisfaction were being sexually active and having positive mental health scores. In summary, the main variables predicting sexual activity were being married, having more education, being younger, being male, and having good social networks. The main predictors for satisfaction with sexual activity were, in addition to being sexually active, being female, having good mental health, and better functional status.     

Predicting substance abuse among youth with, or at high risk for, HIV.

This article describes data from 4,111 males and 4,085 females participating in 10 HIV/AIDS service demonstration projects. The sample was diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, HIV status, and risk for HIV transmission. Logistic regression was used to determine the attributes that best predict substance abuse. Males who were younger, HIV positive; homeless; involved in the criminal justice system; had a sexually transmitted disease (STD); engaged in survival sex; and participated in risky sex with men, women, and drug injectors were most likely to have a substance abuse history. For females, the same predictors were significant, with the exception of having an STD. Odds ratios as high as 6 to 1 were associated with the predictors. Information about sexual and other risk factors also was highly predictive of substance abuse issues among youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intimate justice: confronting issues of accountability, respect, and freedom in treatment for abuse and violence

Comparisons of nationally representative survey data of the population ages 18-54 years in 1971 (N = 2252) and 1992 (N = 1718) from Finland show that sexual satisfaction has greatly increased particularly among women. Some predictors of sexual satisfaction of men and women are examined on the basis of the 1992 survey data on people ages 18-74 years (N = 2250). Correlations between social background factors, sexual ideas and assertiveness, optional relationships, sexual practices, organism, and satisfaction with sexual intercourse were calculated. To control the simultaneous effect of the variables explaining satisfaction, path analyses were conducted. Results show that young age, a sexually unreserved and a nonreligious childhood home, early start of sexual life, high education, sexual assertiveness, considering sexuality important in life, reciprocal feeling of love, use of sex materials, frequent intercourse, many-sided (versatile) sexual techniques, and frequent orgasm correlate with finding sexual intercourse pleasurable. There were some gender differences in the connections between the independent factors and satisfaction with coitus. The importance of sexuality in life, love, and the use of sexual materials were connected directly to physical sexual satisfaction among men but only indirectly among women. For women, but not for men, young age and early start of sexual life correlated with enjoyment of intercourse. The greater sexual dissatisfaction of women compared to men, which still prevails, may be due to their late start of sexual life, conservative sexual attitudes, unimportance of sexuality in life, lack of sexual assertiveness, and use of restricted sexual techniques. The emancipation of women may change these ideas and practices of women. This might lessen the gender gap in physical sexual satisfaction.     

Cancer occurrence in the elderly: agreement between three major data sources

OBJECTIVE: To identify the individual, dyad, and family variables that influence young women's perceptions of risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). DESIGN: Cross-sectional telephone survey using forced-choice questioning. Data were analyzed using first-order correlations and logistic regression. SETTING: Participants were recruited from a mid-Atlantic study of young adults and from volunteers at a mid-Atlantic university and surrounding community. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of 93 sexually active, unmarried, heterosexual women, ages 17-26 years. The majority of the study sample was white. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Respondents were asked to estimate their own level of risk for STDs, including HIV, using the responses no, low, moderate, and high risk. Responses were later recoded into no risk versus some risk. RESULTS: Communication with parents about sexual risk decreased the odds that women would see themselves as being at no risk. Consistent condom use, relationship satisfaction, and perceiving the partner as no risk increased the odds that women would believe they were at no risk. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses can incorporate these and other study findings into the design of sexual risk reduction programs. Programs that enhance parent-teen communication about sexual risks and assist young women to examine their perceptions of their partners may be more effective than programs that provide information only.     

Sexual compulsivity, state affect, and sexual risk behavior in a daily diary study of gay and bisexual men.

Researchers have identified a strong link between sexual compulsivity (SC) and risky sexual behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM). Meanwhile, affect/mood has also been connected with negative sexual health outcomes (sexually transmitted infection/human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] transmission, sexual risk, sex under the influence of drugs/alcohol). Given that SC is characterized by marked distress around one's own sexual behavior, affect may play a central role in SC and HIV risk behavior. Data were taken from the Pillow Talk Project, a pilot study conducted in 2008–2009 with 50 highly sexually active MSM (9 or more male sex partners, ≤ 90 days), of which half displayed SC symptoms and half did not. Forty-seven men completed a daily diary online for 30 days (n = 1,060 diary days), reporting on their sexual behavior and concurrent affect: positive activation, negative activation, anxious arousal, and sexual activation. We conducted HLM analyses using daily affect (Level 1, within subjects) and SC and HIV status (Level 2, between subjects) to predict sexual behavior outcomes. Increased negative activation (characterized by fear, sadness, anger, and disgust) was associated with reduced sexual risk behavior, but less so among sexually compulsive MSM. Sexual activation was associated with increased sexual risk taking, but less so among sexually compulsive MSM. Anxious arousal was associated with increased sexual behavior, but not necessarily sexual risk taking. Findings indicate that affect plays key roles in sexual behavior and sexual risk taking; however, the association between affect and behavior may be different for sexually compulsive and non-sexually compulsive MSM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Strategic self-promotion and competitor derogation: Sex and context effects on the perceived effectiveness of mate attraction tactics.

In this article, 7 evolutionary hypotheses about the context-specific nature of mate attraction effectiveness were empirically tested and supported. In the context of short-term mating, for example, men have faced the adaptive problem of finding sexually accessible women. As a result, men express a preference for sexually availability in short-term mates. In Studies 1 and 2, separate groups of undergraduate participants judged sexual availability tactics as most effective when used by women seeking short-term mates, confirming the hypothesized link between the judged effectiveness of mate attraction tactics used by one sex and the expressed mate preferences of the other. Showing resource potential was judged most effective for men seeking a long-term mate, whereas giving resources immediately was judged most effective for men seeking short-term mates, confirming the hypothesized importance of temporal context in mate attraction effectiveness. Discussion focuses on the context-specificity of human mating psychology and on linking evolutionary and traditional approaches to romantic attraction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in Young People's Sexual Behavior and Attitudes, 1943-1999: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis.

A cross-temporal meta-analysis of 530 studies (N = 269,649) showed that young people's sexual attitudes and behavior changed substantially between 1943 and 1999, with the largest shifts occurring among girls and young women. Both young men and women became more sexually active over time, as measured by age at first intercourse (decreasing from 19 to 15 years among young women) and percentage sexually active (increasing from 13% to 47% among young women). Attitudes toward premarital intercourse became more lenient, with approval increasing from 12% to 73% among young women and from 40% to 79% among young men. Feelings of sexual guilt decreased. The correlation between attitudes and behaviors was stronger among young women. These data support theories positing that culture has a larger effect on women's sexuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrogenic cation transport across leech caecal epithelium

This paper is based on the analyses of data collected in the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS). The TDHS national sample was obtained by using 1988 population census list of enumeration areas. Information about sexual behaviour and condom use was obtained from sexually active women (N = 4620) and men (N = 1440) reporting sexual activity during the period of four weeks preceding the survey. Univariate and multivariate (using logistic regression model) analyses were done to identify predictors of condom use and highrisk sexual behaviour. About 6% of women and 31% of men reported to have more than one sexual partner during the study period. Compared to respondents married once and in monogamous union, the tendency to have multiple partners was increased among never married women [OR 10.9, 95% CI (7.1-16.9)] and men [2.6 (1 7-3.9)], formerly married women [11.5 (7.3-17.9)], and among men in monogamous marriage reporting more than one marriage [12.4 (8.3-18.4)]. Occupation, residence, ever use of contraceptives, and AIDS knowledge were not associated with history of multiple sexual partners. Only 134 (9.3%) men and 173 (3.7%) women reported to have used condoms during the study period. After adjusting for other predictors of condom use, respondents reporting multiple sexual partners were more likely to have used condom among both women [3.4 (2.2-5.4)] and men [3.3 (2.3-6.0)]. Condom use was common in urban areas than rural areas and among unmarried respondents. These results show that high-risk sexual behaviour is common among men. Condom use was very low indicating that efforts to promote condom use has been less successful in Tanzania. More efforts are needed to promote safer sexual practices and condom use in Tanzania.     

Gender differences in factors associated with hypoactive sexual desire

Several factors have been identified as playing an etiological role in hypoactive sexual desire. It has been assumed that these factors appear equally among men and women, however, there is little empirical validation for this. An investigation of 69 men and women was undertaken to explore whether certain medical, psychological, sexual, and/or interpersonal factors were more likely to present in men versus women. Significant differences were found with regard to age, psychological distress, relationship satisfaction, level of stress, and the duration of another sexual dysfunction. Implications for a refined understanding of hypoactive sexual desire and for treatment are discussed.     

Perceived proposer personality characteristics and gender differences in acceptance of casual sex offers.

In a highly influential paper, Clark and Hatfield (1989) demonstrated that, whereas men were quite likely to accept a casual sexual offer from a confederate research assistant, women never did so. The current research provides a more in-depth explanation of gender differences in acceptance of casual sex offers via 4 (quasi-) experiments. First, using a person-perception paradigm, I assessed people's impressions of women and men who proposed a casual sexual encounter in the same manner that confederates in Clark and Hatfield did. Women and men agreed that female proposers were more intelligent, successful, and sexually skilled than men who made the same proposals. Second, I demonstrated that the large gender differences from the original Clark and Hatfield study could be eliminated by asking participants to imagine proposals from (attractive and unattractive) famous individuals, friends, and same-gender individuals. Next, I assessed factors associated with likelihood of agreeing to the casual sex proposal. The extent to which women and men believed that the proposer would be sexually skilled predicted how likely they would be to engage in casual sex with this individual. Finally, I examined these factors in the context of actual encounters from the participants' previous experiences, and the results were replicated in this context. Overall findings suggest that the large gender differences Clark and Hatfield observed in acceptance of the casual sex offer may have more to do with perceived personality characteristics of the female versus male proposers than with gender differences among Clark and Hatfield's participants and that sexual pleasure figures largely in women's and men's decision making about casual sex. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)