Nonsexual Behaviors Research Articles

Reliability of Retrospective Self-Reports of Sexual and Nonsexual Health Behaviors Among Women

The accuracy of self-reports regarding sexual health behavior has been questioned. To investigate whether sexual health behaviors are uniquely difficult to report, we asked 185 college women to answer behavioral frequency questions about sexual and nonsexual health behaviors for an 8-week interval. Women either took part in a face-to-face interview or completed a self-administered questionnaire. One week later, the women returned and responded to the same questions in the same mode of assessment conditions. The test-retest intraclass correlations showed that all health behaviors, sexual and nonsexual, were reported reliably. There was a trend for lower-frequency reports to yield more-stable estimates of behavioral frequency. These findings converge with other methodological investigations to indicate that socially sensitive health behaviors are not more difficult to assess reliably.

Aspectos genéticos e sociais da sexualidade em pessoas com síndrome de Down

As representações que pais e educadores fazem da sexualidade de pessoas com a síndrome de Down (SD) referem, muitas vezes, a atitudes agressivas ou, então, condutas assexuadas, exclusivamente fundamentadas na afetividade. Este trabalho faz uma análise da literatura referente à sexualidade e à reprodução em portadores dessa síndrome e avalia as possibilidades de recorrência do distúrbio a partir da segregação cromossômica em portadores de diferentes tipos de trissomia 21. Diversas publicações mostram a existência de diferentes níveis de maturidade e de adaptação social na SD que, associados a fatores como excesso de cuidados parentais, falta de amigos e preconceito social, constituem barreiras para a vivência plena da sexualidade. Os relatos de procriação em portadores da síndrome de Down revelam progênie normal ou com a síndrome, com maior prevalência de filhos normais. A análise de segregação cromossômica mostra probabilidade de 50% para conceptos com trissomia 21 e de 25% de filhos normais em casais com SD, caso os mesmos sejam férteis. O percentual restante corresponde a conceptos certamente inviáveis, com tetrassomia 21. Quando apenas um dos parceiros é portador da SD, a probabilidade de filhos normais ou com a síndrome passa para 50%. Nos casos de SD com trissomia por rearranjo estrutural como nas translocações 14/21 ou 21/21, a probabilidade de filhos normais é também de 50%. Portadores de mosaicismo podem apresentar riscos inferiores a esse percentual a depender da freqüência de células trissômicas no tecido gonadal. O direito à sexualidade e, por outro lado, o alto risco genético de recorrência da síndrome evidenciam não apenas a necessidade de se discutir a questão, como também a importância do apoio emocional e da educação sexual para a pessoa com SD.

Castration, dopamine and food choice: a cost/benefit test in male hamsters

Testosterone is essential for copulation, and contributes to sexual motivation. In addition, castrated males are fatter and less active, suggesting that androgens may play a role in non-sexual behaviors, including food-related responses. To test this hypothesis, male hamsters were trained with a cost/benefit test, which compares operant responding for more-preferred food versus ad libitum consumption of lab chow. Males were tested before and after castration. The effect of the dopamine antagonist, haloperidol, on instrumental responses in intact and castrated males was also determined. Food-deprived hamsters responded vigorously for 45 mg Bio-Serv pellets in daily 30-min tests (665 presses, 6.0±0.9 g). When lab chow was available, males continued to respond for pellets (3.6±0.6 g) over chow ad libitum (1.2±0.3 g). Dopamine is central to this response because haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg i.p.) reversed food intake (pellets: 0.5±0.1 g; chow 2.0±0.5 g). Castration had no effect on operant responding for pellets alone (6.6±0.7 g). When chow was present, castrates consumed an even greater proportion of their total food intake as pellets [6.0±0.4 g pellets (92%), 1.6±0.5 g chow (8%), vs. 75 and 25%, respectively, for intact males]. This is contrary to our original hypothesis. In addition, castration did not change the effects of haloperidol on food intake: (0.4±0.1 g pellets; 1.6±0.5 g chow). These results support previous findings in rats that dopamine affects response allocation in a cost/benefit test. However, they do not support the hypothesis that testosterone modifies the allocation of food-related responses.

Reproductive health risk and protective factors among youth in Lusaka, Zambia.

To: (a) identify risk and protective factors for behaviors that expose Zambian youth to risk of HIV infection and, (b) assess whether research findings from the United States concerning protective factors in "high-risk" environments might apply to other settings. A community-based sample of 2328 youth ages 10-24 years residing in Lusaka, Zambia was interviewed. Multivariate statistical methods were used to isolate risk and protective factors for selected sexual and contraceptive behaviors. Seven categories of factors were considered: sociodemographic factors, sexual-reproductive health knowledge and perceptions, nonsexual risk behaviors, peer influence, connections with parents and social institutions, and communication with sexual partners. A sizeable number of factors were associated with each outcome. Only two factors, school attendance and knowledge of AIDS, were associated with both lower levels of sexual activity and consistent use of condoms, and only engaging in higher-risk social activities with close friends was a risk factor for both. The effects of the other factors considered varied by outcome and gender. As in prior research, strong influences of peers were observed, but connections with parents and social institutions unexpectedly did not emerge as protective. Because of the number and diverse nature of factors influencing adolescent behaviors, it is unlikely that a single intervention will be found to immediately change sexual risk-taking behaviors in Zambia.

Factors associated with testing for hepatitis C in an internet-recruited sample of men who have sex with men.

Nearly 4 million individuals in the United States (1.8%) have been infected with hepatitis C virus, yet few are aware of their infection. To identify correlates associated with hepatitis C virus testing among a sample of men who have sex with men. Internet communications were used for solicitation and collection of data, using a 31-question survey. When the study was restricted to men who have sex with men in the United States (n = 381), 95% of the respondents (n = 361) reported at least one risk factor for hepatitis C virus transmission, 39% of these respondents (n = 140) reported having been tested for hepatitis C virus. Testing was associated with a history of nonsexual risk behavior, increased knowledge of the hepatitis C virus, and healthcare provider communication. A significant proportion of at-risk respondents had not been tested. Interventions are needed to increase hepatitis C virus knowledge in the community of men who have sex with men, and to encourage providers to communicate about hepatitis to the men in this group who screen as high risk on the basis of their risk behaviors.

A Test of Factors Mediating the Relationship Between Unwanted Sexual Activity During Childhood and Risky Sexual Practices Among Women Enrolled in the NIMH Multisite HIV Prevention Trial

SUMMARY This study examined both the direct and indirect associations between unwanted sexual activity during childhood and HIV-related sexual practices of adult women. The sample consisted of 3,346 women recruited from sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics and health service organizations. The findings demonstrated that participants who reported unwanted sexual activity as a child (USC) were more likely than women who did not report such experience to indicate that they had problems with alcohol, used drugs, received money or drugs in exchange for sex, had unwanted sex, and used mental health services. The women reporting USC also noted a greater number of unprotected sex acts, a greater number of partners, and a greater proportion of sex acts accompanied by drugs or alcohol in the past 90 days. Mediated analyses showed that drug use, exchange of sex for money/drugs, unwanted sex, and to a lesser extent, problems with alcohol mediated the relationship between USC and unprotected sex acts, number of partners, and sex under the influence of drugs and alcohol. These findings suggest that participation in non-sexual risky behaviors among women who report USC may be a bridge to participation in sexual behaviors that increase their risk of HIV infection.

Demographic and behavioural profile of adults infected with chlamydia: a case-control study

Objectives: To determine which demographic and behavioural parameters are independently associated with chlamydial infection in adults. Methods: Subjects were recruited prospectively from male and female attendees at a large clinic...

Correlates of hepatitis B vaccination in a high-risk population: an internet sample

PURPOSE: We sought to identify factors associated with hepatitis B virus vaccination, including knowledge and attitudes about hepatitis vaccination, and sexual and nonsexual risk behaviors among at-risk homosexual and bisexual men. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Internet electronic communications were used to collect data from homosexual and bisexual men from the United States, using a 31-item online questionnaire accessible for 1 month. RESULTS: The mean (± SD) age of the 336 respondents was 38 ± 11 years. Nearly 42% (142) reported at least one dose of vaccine; the remainder were completely unvaccinated. About 21% (n = 71) reported having no information about hepatitis. Approximately 72% (242) of respondents reported never using condoms during oral intercourse, and 26% (n = 87) reported using condoms during less than half of their episodes of anal intercourse. In multivariate analysis, variables associated with vaccination were younger age (odds ratio [OR] 0.7 per 10-year increase in age; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59 to 0.84, P = 0.002), high level of knowledge about the vaccine (OR 1.4; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.83, P = 0.007), communication with a health-care provider about hepatitis (OR 1.98; 95% CI 1.31 to 2.98, P = 0.006), and professional training that included hepatitis education (OR 2.77; 95% CI 1.7 to 4.5, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings underscore the need for health care providers to emphasize vaccine efficacy and safety, and to encourage high-risk patients to receive vaccination, particularly among men at high risk based on sexual and drug use behaviors.

The diagnostic utility of sexual behavior problems in diagnosing sexual abuse in a forensic child abuse evaluation clinic

Objective: This study examined the utility of sexual behavior problems as a diagnostic indicator of sexual abuse. The hypothesis was that sexual behavior problems are multiply determined and consequently are variably related to sexual abuse in a clinical sample. Method: A sample of 247 children evaluated for sexual abuse at a multidisciplinary forensic child abuse evaluation clinic were included. Results from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI) were analyzed and compared to the results of a structured abuse assessment performed independent of these scores. Results: The forensic team assessment found evidence of sexual abuse in 25% of cases, and no evidence in 61%. Children in this sample exhibited an elevated level of both sexual and nonsexual behavior problems. However, considerable variability was noted in sexual behavior problem scores. Thus, in this study a high score or a low score had no relationship to the diagnosis of sexual abuse. Indeed, nonsexually abused children were just as likely to have high CSBI scores as sexually abused children. Conclusions: This study found no significant relationship between a diagnosis of sexual abuse and the presence or absence of sexual behavior problems in a sample of children referred for sexual abuse evaluation. The finding suggests that community professionals should use caution in relying on sexual behavior problems as a diagnostic indicator of abuse.

Levels of HIV Risk Behaviors Are Significantly Elevated among Women Who Have Ever Had Sex with Women

This paper summarizes a case-control study that examined data from a sexually transmitted infections clinic in Sydney Australia concerning the levels of HIV risk behaviors among women who have ever had sex with women. The study revealed that the prevalence of both sexual and nonsexual behaviors that increase the risk of HIV is significantly higher among women who have had sex with women.

Religious Observance and Sex Therapy With an Orthodox Jewish Couple

Orthodox Judaism has specific halachot or laws which define sexual practices that are acceptable. These conditions can provide obstacles to traditional forms of sex therapy, especially when the therapist asks the couple to perform homework exercises. Knowledge of applicable Jewish law is essential for therapists working with this population. A couple was referred for the wife's hypoactive sexual desire and dyspareunia. Her husband developed a premature ejaculation problem in response to his wife's reduced libido. Successful treatment required the therapist to establish credibility regarding sexual matters and create comfort in the couple with his acceptance of Jewish law regulating their sexual behavior. Strategic prescriptions for nonsexual intimacy behaviors were given along with sensate focus exercises, resulting in rapid improvement of the presenting problems.

Early Sexual Initiation

Objective. To elucidate which components of peer norms influence the process of sexual initiation for young adolescents. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. Fourteen elementary and middle schools in an urban public school district. Participants. The 1389 sixth-grade students who completed the questionnaire at the beginning (time 1) and at the end (time 2) of the school year comprise the study sample. Mean age at time 1 was 11.7 years. Results. Of students entering the sixth grade, 30% (n = 416) reported having already initiated sexual intercourse, 5% (n = 74) reported initiating sexual intercourse during the sixth-grade school year (initiated group), and 63% (n = 873) reported not having initiated sexual intercourse by the end of the sixth-grade school year (never group). Demographic comparisons revealed that students in the initiated group were significantly more likely than students in the never group to be older (11.9 years vs 11.6 years), male (58% vs 37%), African-American (70% vs 51%), attending a poorer school (87% vs 85%), and living in an area with a high proportion of single-parent families (45% vs 41%). Self-reports and reports of peers9 participation in nonsexual risk behaviors were more common for students in the initiated group. Students in the initiated group were more likely than students in the never group to perceive: 1) a high prevalence of sexual initiation among peers; 2) social gains associated with early sexual intercourse; and 3) younger age of peers9 sexual initiation. Students in the never group were more likely to believe that sexually-experienced 12-year-old boys would be negatively stigmatized compared with students in the initiated group. Three predictive models were developed to test the relationship between peer norms and the process of initiation. These models demonstrate that the strongest predictor of sexual initiation in sixth grade is having high intention to do so at the beginning of sixth grade. The strongest predictor of high intention is belief that most friends have already had sexual intercourse. Perceptions of social gain and stigma for sexually-experienced 12-year-old boys act independently of intention to decrease risk of early sexual initiation. Conclusion. Early sexual intercourse is not an unplanned experience for many teens. Decisions about initiation are strongly bound to social context with peers playing an important role in creating a sense of normative behavior. Specific components of peer norms impact the process of sexual initiation in both positive and negative ways. Interventions aimed at delaying the onset of sexual initiation need to focus on cohort norms as well as on an individual9s perceptions and behaviors.

Exploring associations in developmental trends of adolescent substance use and risky sexual behavior in a high-risk population.

This study examined associations between the development of adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use and risky sexual behavior, over time, using latent growth modeling methodology. Gender differences in the development and relationships between use of substances and risky sexual behavior were also examined. Participants were 257 adolescents (mean age = 15.96 years) assessed at three time points over an 18-month period. The intercepts of marijuana with cigarettes and alcohol, and all three substances with risky sexual behavior were significantly related. Development of the three substances showed similar patterns and development of cigarette use covaried with development of risky sexual behavior. There were no significant differences for boys and girls in these relationships. Results are discussed in relation to the need for greater understanding of nonsexual and sex-related problem behaviors and for analyses examining development and change in these behaviors during adolescence.

Early sexual initiation: the role of peer norms.

To elucidate which components of peer norms influence the process of sexual initiation for young adolescents. Design. Prospective cohort study. Setting. Fourteen elementary and middle schools in an urban public school district. Participants. The 1389 sixth-grade students who completed the questionnaire at the beginning (time 1) and at the end (time 2) of the school year comprise the study sample. Mean age at time 1 was 11.7 years. Of students entering the sixth grade, 30% (n = 416) reported having already initiated sexual intercourse, 5% (n = 74) reported initiating sexual intercourse during the sixth-grade school year (initiated group), and 63% (n = 873) reported not having initiated sexual intercourse by the end of the sixth-grade school year (never group). Demographic comparisons revealed that students in the initiated group were significantly more likely than students in the never group to be older (11.9 years vs 11.6 years), male (58% vs 37%), African-American (70% vs 51%), attending a poorer school (87% vs 85%), and living in an area with a high proportion of single-parent families (45% vs 41%). Self-reports and reports of peers' participation in nonsexual risk behaviors were more common for students in the initiated group. Students in the initiated group were more likely than students in the never group to perceive: 1) a high prevalence of sexual initiation among peers; 2) social gains associated with early sexual intercourse; and 3) younger age of peers' sexual initiation. Students in the never group were more likely to believe that sexually-experienced 12-year-old boys would be negatively stigmatized compared with students in the initiated group. Three predictive models were developed to test the relationship between peer norms and the process of initiation. These models demonstrate that the strongest predictor of sexual initiation in sixth grade is having high intention to do so at the beginning of sixth grade. The strongest predictor of high intention is belief that most friends have already had sexual intercourse. Perceptions of social gain and stigma for sexually-experienced 12-year-old boys act independently of intention to decrease risk of early sexual initiation. Early sexual intercourse is not an unplanned experience for many teens. Decisions about initiation are strongly bound to social context with peers playing an important role in creating a sense of normative behavior. Specific components of peer norms impact the process of sexual initiation in both positive and negative ways. Interventions aimed at delaying the onset of sexual initiation need to focus on cohort norms as well as on an individual's perceptions and behaviors.

An unusual paraphilia: Case report of oral partialism

An enquiry into the reasons for non-compliance with antibiotic medication revealed an unusual sexual fixation in a young black man with borderline intellectual disability. His behaviour involved high-frequency masturbation accompanied by sexual fantasies of actions relating to innocent, non-sexual oral behaviour witnessed in unknown females. Concurrent with the masturbatory fantasies, the man would ingest bacteria from open sores in his body. The case history is described.

The Use of Condoms with Other Contraceptive Methods Among Young Men and Women

In a nationally representative sample of sexually experienced youths aged 14-22, 37% of young women and 52% of young men said the condom was the primary method used to prevent pregnancy at last intercourse; an additional 8% and 7%, respectively, said they used a condom at last intercourse; much of this represents dual use [corrected]. Condom use at last intercourse was reported by 25% of young men whose partner was using the pill. Significant independent predictors of condom use with the pill among men included younger age, black race, engaging in fewer nonsexual risk behaviors and having received instruction about HIV in school. Among young women, 21% of those relying on the pill reported also using a condom at last intercourse. For women, independent predictors of dual use included younger age, black race, older age at first sex, fewer nonsexual risk behaviors, having no partners in the previous three months and having talked to parents or other adult relatives about HIV.

Aromatase cytochrome P450 and 5 alpha-reductase in the amygdala and cortex of perinatal rats.

The major androgen metabolizing enzymes, aromatase cytochrome P450 and 5 alpha-reductase play critical role(s) in the development of sexually dimorphic brain structures, the modulation of neuroendocrine function(s) and the regulation of sexual and non-sexual behaviors. Using established assays, we detected 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase enzymatic activities in amygdala and frontal cortical tissue from male and female rats during the perinatal interval (from gestational day (GD) 19 to postnatal day (PND) 6). The present findings indicate that 5 alpha-reductase and aromatase rates in the cortex display different enzyme profiles, while in the amygdala tissue site a similar pattern is seen for both enzymes during perinatal development. In general, there was a lack of sex differences in the enzymatic rates. The importance these enzyme systems play in generating androgen (and progesterone) steroid metabolites which influence neural development and function are discussed.

Predicting the criminal antecedents of a stranger rapist from his offence behaviour

Approximately 85% of stranger rapists have criminal records, which usually contain a mixture of crime types. This study was designed to ascertain if inferences about such records could be made from aspects of offence behaviour, as described by the rape victims, focusing on both non-sexual behaviours and traits more obviously associated with previous criminality. The statistical technique used was logistic regression. The results demonstrated that it was very possible to obtain indications of a rapist's criminal antecedents from his offence behaviour. The three most promising models were those that predicted whether or not the offender had convictions for burglary, whether or not he had convictions for violent offences, and whether the offence was an apparent 'one-off' occurrence rather than the work of an experienced rapist.

The sexual practices of adolescent virgins: genital sexual activities of high school students who have never had vaginal intercourse.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether high school-aged virgins engage in sexual practices that can transmit sexually transmitted diseases, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Data were collected from an anonymous self-administered survey of 2026 urban students in 9th through 12th grades. Forty-seven percent of adolescents were virgins (42% of male adolescents and 53% of female adolescents). Of those who were virgins, 29% and 31% reported that, during the prior year, they had engaged in heterosexual masturbation of a partner and masturbation by a partner, respectively. The corresponding rates for heterosexual fellatio with ejaculation, cunnilingus, and anal intercourse were 9%, 10%, and 1%. Homosexual sexual activities were rare. Condom use for fellatio was also rare. Level of risk of virgins' sexual activities was associated with illicit substance use and other non-sexual risk behaviors, even after demographic variables had been controlled. Few high school-aged virgins engaged in anal intercourse, but many engaged in other genital sexual activities. Some of these activities can transmit disease, and all can indicate a need for counseling about sexual decision making, risk, and prevention.

A British sample of sexually abusive adolescents: abuser and abuse characteristics

This paper describes some of the background characteristics and sexually abusive behaviour of 100 British sexually abusive male adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years. A retrospective file review and clinical assessment provided relevant information on all subjects who had a documented history of sexual assault or abuse against others. Subjects came from a variety of sources including residential child care centres, secure facilities and an adolescent psychiatry outpatient clinic. Demographic characteristics and abuser characteristics are described, including the family environment, history of involvement with health and social services, school adjustment and performance, history of non‐sexual antisocial behaviour, and also the adolescents’ own prior experiences of physical and sexual abuse. Abuse and victim characteristics are also described, including duration of abusive behaviour, types of sexually abusive behaviour exhibited, sex offence convictions, method of overcoming victim resistance, location where abuse took place, sex and age of victims, and abuser—victim relationship. These abuser and abuse characteristics were found to be consistent with those described in the North American literature. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the aetiology, management and treatment of sexually abusive behaviour in British adolescents.