Women Who Research Articles

Risky Sexual Behaviours and Knowledge on Contraceptive Use and Family Planning Among Women Who Use Drugs (WWUDs) in Malaysia

Women who use drugs (WWUDs) face elevated risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) and unsafe sexual behaviours. This prevalence study, involving 200 WWUDs in a mandated drug rehabilitation program, examined risky sexual behaviours, family planning knowledge among IPV victims, and barriers to contraceptives or condoms use. The majority were Malays (86%, n = 171/200), averaging 32.3 years of age (SD = 8.61). Over half had experienced IPV in their lifetime (53%, n = 105/200). IPV victims had higher odds of unwanted pregnancies, prior abortions, concurrent drug use with partners, drug use before sex, and cohabitation with male partners who used drugs. Sixty percent were uninformed of female condoms, and most disliked using male condoms due to performance concerns. Despite better family planning knowledge among IPV victims, WWUDs had limited awareness of contraceptive use. Interventions should prioritize empowering and educating WWUDs, particularly IPV victims, on IPV prevention and the risks associated with unsafe sexual behaviour during rehabilitation.

Imagining Alternatives: Exploring Postcolonial Paradigms and Resistance in Indian Science Fiction Narratives

The proposed research aims to establish science fiction as a critical framework that can challenge preconceived notions of Western science fiction and provide alternative possibilities of existence. The study involves reading various SF narratives from different ages, including Sultana’s Dream (1905), Calcutta Chromosome (1995), Escape (2008), The Island of Lost Girls (2015), and The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet and Other Stories (2008). The goal is to show how this subgenre reflects a postcolonial society's struggle to establish a foothold in the new world order. These works present a vision of national consciousness that is influenced by the Western canon but is proud of its traditions.

Sexual Grooming Behavior and Processes of Women Who Commit Sexual Offenses Against Children.

Individuals who sexually offend often engage in manipulative and coercive behavior to begin, conceal, and continue the sexual abuse of children over time, referred to as grooming behavior. The large majority of research regarding grooming behavior derives exclusively from male sex offending samples, which is problematic because male and female sex offenders vary widely in their offending patterns, motivations, and behaviors. For the present study, we examined the nature of sexual grooming and processes exhibited by a sample of 50 women convicted of sexual offenses against a child. We were guided by Craven et al. model of sexual grooming, which focuses on self, environmental, and child grooming. To date, this is the only proposed model of sexual grooming that includes self-grooming as a step in the grooming process. Data included narrative interviews with women who were arrested, convicted, and assessed for risk and community notification purposes between 2014 and 2019. We also examined interviews with victims, witnesses, and other guardians. The findings from the current study indicated that women who sexually offend utilize a variety of self, environmental, and child grooming behaviors. Self-grooming was an intricate, complex, and layered process that continued throughout the duration of the offense. Details provided by the women in our sample suggested that environmental and child grooming occurred simultaneously rather than two distinct steps. A better understanding of grooming behaviors can assist in the detection of grooming behavior, development of appropriate responses to child victims, and inform future legislation and its implementation. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Impact of Changes in Criminal-Legal Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the HIV Risk Behaviors of Women Who Use Drugs: A Multi-Methods Qualitative Protocol (Preprint)

Impact of Changes in Criminal-Legal Practices during the COVID-19 Pandemic on the HIV Risk Behaviors of Women Who Use Drugs: A Multi-Methods Qualitative Protocol (Preprint)

Shelter from the Tyrant: The Women Who Saved Moses in the Qur'an and in Nuṣrat Amīn's Commentary

Abstract: In the Qur'an, as in the Bible, the young Moses is born in perilous circumstances, and with a promise of greatness that can only be fulfilled if he survives; and in both scriptural accounts, his life is repeatedly saved through the heroic efforts of the women around him: his mother, his sister, and the wife of Pharaoh, who adopts him. The article begins with an examination of the qur'anic account of Moses's early life and the women whose interventions ensure his survival and considers the way in which certain narrative details found in the qur'anic account, as well as the Qur'an's unique narrative style, serve to highlight the perspicacity, courage, and independent agency of these women. The second part of the article explores the exegetical treatment of this qur'anic narrative by the twentieth-century female Muslim exegete Nuṣrat Amīn (1895–1983), a conservative religious scholar who outwardly reached an unusually high level of religious authority for her time, but who also wrote about her own rich inner life of spiritual and mystical experience, and who devoted much of her life to building a network of institutions for women's religious education. Amīn's exegetical treatment of the qur'anic Mosaic account reads the narrative from the perspective a woman who, like the women around Moses, has experienced both motherhood and maternal loss, successfully navigated a patriarchal world through her own intelligence and determination, and appreciated the value of women working together to support one another toward religious ends.

The Women Who Made Early Disneyland: Artists, Entertainers, and Guest Relations by Cindy Mediavilla and Kelsey Knox (review)

The Women Who Made Early Disneyland: Artists, Entertainers, and Guest Relations by Cindy Mediavilla and Kelsey Knox (review)

Hong Sangsoo’s The Woman Who Ran: Finding Pleasure, Kinship, and Solidarity in CCTV

Hong Sangsoo’s The Woman Who Ran: Finding Pleasure, Kinship, and Solidarity in CCTV

Visibility through Distributive and Corrective Justice: A Reading of Munshi Premchand’s “The Woman Who Sold Grass” and M.M. Vinodini’s “The Parable of the Lost Daughter”

This essay takes a look at Munshi Premchand’s short story “The Woman Who Sold Grass” (“Ghaaswali”, 1929) that represents the harassment of a Dalit woman grass cutter that is not reported to the police so that no corrective justice is offered although the woman herself criticizes the caste-based assessment of her identity. The harasser, the upper-caste landlord Chain Singh, offers a form of reparation that resembles distributive justice for a Dalit family after observing the Dalit woman being verbally harassed by working-class “lower-caste” coachmen. M.M. Vinodini’s short story “The Parable of the Lost Daughter” (translation first published in 2013) is also examined for its representation of upward mobility and distributive justice for a young Dalit Christian woman who belongs to a working-class family and becomes a research scholar but decides to conform to Brahmanical practices on her way to empowerment and to erase her Dalit Christian identity. This seems to imply that distributive justice in India perhaps encourages compliance with upper-caste practices and fortifies the patriarchal category of caste itself. Her abuse by the father and brother-in-law of her close friend encourages her “return” to the patriarchal category of caste. The essay concludes by referring to Dr Ambedkar’s speech “We Too Are Human” that argues for the extermination of the Hindu caste hierarchy. The essay concludes that the visibility of Dalit and “lower-caste” communities, especially women, and their literature and cultural forms has to be amplified through the visible operation of corrective and distributive justice against all attempts to obliterate them.

Trunk Muscle Function and Core Stability in Women Who Had Muscle-Sparing Pedicled Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap Breast Reconstruction.

The long-term effects of the unilateral muscle-sparing pedicled transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAMmsp) flap procedure on trunk muscle performances and core stability were investigated in women with breast cancer. Forty women (mean age = 42.6years) who had received breast reconstruction with the unilateral TRAMmsp flap procedure no less than 6months earlier (mean = 10.3 [standard deviation, SD = 4.9] months) (TRAM group) participated, and 30 women who were healthy and matched for age (mean age = 41.2years) served as controls (control group). Their abdominal and back muscle strength was assessed using the curl-up and prone extension tests, respectively, and their static abdominal muscle endurance and back extensor endurance were assessed using the sit-up endurance test in the crook-lying position and the Biering-Sørensen test, respectively. Core stability strength was assessed using a 4-level limb-lowering test (abdominal muscle test), and core stability endurance was assessed while lying supine with both flexed legs 1 inch off the mat while keeping the pelvis in a neutral position with a pressure biofeedback unit. Compared with the control group, trunk muscles of the TRAM group were weaker, showing less endurance, as were their core stability strength and endurance. Static trunk muscle endurances and trunk flexion strength were associated with core stability in both groups. Women exhibit trunk flexor and extensor weakness along with poor endurance and impaired core stability even after an average of 10months from receiving the TRAMmsp flap procedure. Immobilization after surgery, with possible systemic inflammatory effects from surgery and chemotherapy, might have further contributed to the generalized weakness subsequent to the partial harvesting of the rectus abdominis. Women after breast reconstruction with the TRAMmsp flap procedure show long-lasting deficits of strength and endurance in abdominal muscles, back extensors, and core stability. Proactive measures including early detection and evaluation of impairments as well as timely intervention targeting these clients are important to minimize the dysfunction and support their return to community participation.

Women Who Experience More Affectionate Touch Report Better Body Satisfaction and Relationship Outcomes

ABSTRACT Affectionate touch (e.g. hugging, handholding) is an essential component of many intimate relationships and is a primary contributor to overall relationship satisfaction as well as sexual satisfaction. Affectionate touch is understood to be a form of non-verbal communication in which the giver is expressing positive feelings toward the receiver. Here, we propose that affectionate touch also positively impacts receivers’ body satisfaction, because affectionate touch is a positive message communicated toward the receiver’s body. In a cross-sectional sample of romantically partnered women (N = 1,156), we assessed the association between affectionate touch frequency and body satisfaction. We also investigated whether affectionate touch is associated with relationship/sexual satisfaction in part because touch helps to improve women’s evaluations of their own bodies. Our results showed that body satisfaction was a significant, partial mediator and a valid path through which affectionate touch shapes relationship quality. Receiving affectionate touch could bolster relationship satisfaction and self-perceptions among women. Given the prevalence of body dissatisfaction amongst women, these results suggest that the underexplored associations between affectionate touch and body satisfaction may have significant impacts on a wide array of future empirical and applied research trajectories.

Resistance Training-Induced Gains in Muscle Strength and Power Mediate the Improvement in Walking Speed in Middle-Aged Women Who Are Breast Cancer Survivors.

Santagnello, SB, Martins, FM, de Oliveira Junior, GN, de Sousa, JdeFR, Nomelini, RS, Murta, EFC, and Orsatti, FL. Resistance training-induced gains in muscle strength and power mediate the improvement in walking speed in middle-aged women who are breast cancer survivors. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): 773-782, 2024-(a) Ascertain whether lower muscle mass, strength (1 repetition maximum [1RM]), and power (Pmax) in middle-aged women who are breast cancer survivors (BCS), when compared with women of a similar age never diagnosed with cancer (WNC), are related with lower walking speed (WS). (b) Ascertain whether changes in WS are associated with changes in muscle mass, 1RM, and (or) Pmax after resistance training (RT) in middle-aged BCS. A cross-section study was performed. Twenty WNC and 21 BCS were evaluated for lean mass of legs (LLM), 1RM (knee extension), muscle quality index (MQI = 1RM/LLM), Pmax (maximum muscle power-knee extension), and fast WS (10 and 400-meters). Randomized clinical trial was performed. The BCS were randomly divided into the control group ( n = 9) and the RT group ( n = 11). Breast cancer survivors exhibited lower 1RM (24.2%, p ˂ 0.001), Pmax (30.6%, p ˂ 0.001), MQI (22.2%, p = 0.001), and WS (10-m = 17.0%, p ˂ 0.001 and 400-m = 10.5%, p = 0.002) than WNC. Resistance training increased 1RM (31.6%, p = 0.001), MP (29.0%, p = 0.012), MQI (28.5%, p = 0.008), and WS (10-m = 9.4%, p = 0.009 and 400-m = 6.2%, p = 0.006) in BCS. The changes in WS were positively associated with 1RM (10-m = 68%, p = 0.001 and 400-m = 37%, p = 0.036) and Pmax (10-m = 56%, p = 0.005 and 400-m = 40%, p = 0.027) and MQI (10-m = 63%, p = 0.043 and 400-m = 37%, p = 0.035). Resistance training-induced gains in muscle strength and power mediate the improvement in WS in middle-aged BCS. Resistance training is an effective strategy to improve WS in middle-aged BCS.

Is It Safe for Me to Get It? Factors Influencing COVID-19 Vaccination Decision-Making among Postpartum Women Who Are Black and Hispanic in Deep South.

COVID-19 vaccination is vital for ending the pandemic, yet safety concerns persist among pregnant and postpartum women, especially those who are Black and Hispanic. This study aims to explore factors that influence postpartum women's vaccination decision-making during pregnancy and postpartum through women's lived experiences and maternal care providers' (MCPs) observations. From January to August 2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews with postpartum women who are Black and Hispanic and with MCPs. Participants were recruited from obstetric and pediatric clinics in South Carolina and had given birth in 2021. Thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. The study involved 19 Black and 20 Hispanic women, along with 9 MCPs, and revealed both barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccination. The factors that influence pregnant and postpartum women's decision about COVID-19 vaccine uptake included: 1) awareness of health threats associated with COVID-19 vaccines, 2) vaccine availability and accessibility, 3) vaccine-related knowledge and exposure to misinformation, 4) concerns regarding pre-existing health conditions and potential side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, 5) emotional factors associated with vaccination decision-making processes, 6) concerns about the well-being of infants, 7) cultural perspectives, and 8) encouragement by trusted supporters. The findings suggest that reliable information, social support, and trusted MCPs' advice can motivate COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant and postpartum women who are Black and Hispanic. However, barriers such as misinformation, mistrust in the health care system, and fears of potential side effects impede vaccination uptake. Future interventions should address these barriers, consider health disparities, involve trusted MCPs, and initiate conversations about vaccines to promote vaccination among these populations.

Geographic Differences in Preconception Health Indicators Among Ohio Women Who Delivered Live Births, 2019-2021.

To determine whether geographic differences in preconception health indicators exist among Ohio women with live births, we analyzed 9 indicators from the 2019-2021 Ohio Pregnancy Assessment Survey (N = 14,377) by county type. Appalachian women reported lower rates of folic acid intake and higher rates of depression than women in other counties. Appalachian and rural non-Appalachian women most often reported cigarette use. Suburban women reported lower rates of diabetes, hypertension, and unwanted pregnancy than women in other counties. Preconception health differences by residence location suggest a need to customize prevention efforts by region to improve health outcomes, particularly in regions with persistent health disparities.

The Role of Body Images with Social Anxiety in Women Who have Experienced Catcalling

Social anxiety is a phenomenon that many women experienced, especially those who have experienced verbal sexual harassment or catcalling. Lately, catcalling is become more familiar in mass media. Women who have been catcalled became more anxious, worried, and uncomfortable when interacting with others, worried about unsavoury comments because they perceive their body would invite the opposite sex’s attention. This research aims to understand the role of body image on the social anxiety of women who have been catcalled before. This research is conducted quantitatively, and the total subjects were 94 women, selected using accidental sampling method. Two scales were utilised to collect data from subjects; Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A) and Multidimensional Body Self Questionnaire-Appearance Scale (MBSRQ-AS). The result revealed that body image influences social anxiety in women who have been experiencing catcalling (F = 5.498 dengan P = 0.021 [P < 0.05]), whereas the contribution of body image to social anxiety is 5.6%. Positive thinking about body image could reduce the anxiety of negative evaluations from others.
 Keywords: body image, catcalling, social anxiety, women

T Cell Responses in Pregnant Women Who Received mRNA-Based Vaccination to Prevent COVID-19 Revealed Unknown Exposure to the Natural Infection and Numerous SARS-CoV-2-Specific CD4- CD8- Double Negative T Cells and Regulatory T Cells.

We studied T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 in 19 pregnant subjects at different gestational weeks who received three doses of mRNA-based vaccination to prevent COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 peptide pools were used for T-cell recognition studies: peptides were 15 amino acids long and had previously been defined in COVID-19-convalescent subjects. T-cell activation was evaluated with the AIM assay. Most subjects showed coordinated, spike-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses and the development of T cell memory. Non-spike-specific T cells in subjects who were not aware of previous COVID-19 infection suggested a prior undetected, asymptomatic infection. CD4- CD8- double negative (DN) T cells were numerous, of which a percentage was specific for SARS-CoV-2 spike peptides. Regulatory T cells (Treg), both spike- and non-spike-specific, were also greatly expanded. Two Treg populations were defined: a population differentiated from naïve T cells, and pTreg, reverting from pro-inflammatory T cells. The Treg cells expressed CCR6, suggesting homing to the endometrium and vaginal epithelial cells. The pregnant women responded to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Asymptomatic COVID-19 was revealed by the T cell response to the non-spike peptides. The numerous DN T cells and Treg pointed our attention to new aspects of the adaptive immune response in vaccine recipients.

Prospective Cohort Study Examining the Association between Vaginal Washing and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection in Women Who Engage in Sex Work in Mombasa, Kenya

Prospective Cohort Study Examining the Association between Vaginal Washing and Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infection in Women Who Engage in Sex Work in Mombasa, Kenya

Guest Editorial

Women have played a pivotal role in the development of modern Scottish society, but as the BBC Series, Women Who Changed Modern Scotland illustrated, they have not always been recognised, acknowledged nor celebrated for their achievements. Much like the series itself, this Special Edition seeks to expand on the issues and successes, exploring new themes while revisiting others. Above all else, as we mark International Women's Day 2024, we celebrate all of those whose shoulders we stand upon while also sounding the alarm as Scotland stands at the crossroads of progress. We have come such a long way, but there is so much further to go.

Paternal Postpartum Depression and Associated Factors Among Partners of Women Who Gave Birth in Seka Town, Southwest Ethiopia.

Despite epidemiologic studies demonstrating the increased incidence of paternal postpartum depression, their emotional health is overlooked throughout their partner's pregnancy and postpartum period as postpartum depression has been traditionally construed as a disease of women. Traditional masculinity norms also result in a lack of recognition and barriers to the treatment of depression in men. This study is aimed to determine the prevalence and factors of paternal postpartum depression among fathers whose wives gave birth. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 7 to 17, 2023. The 288 sample size was estimated using a single population proportion formula and selected by random sampling technique. The data were exported from Kobo Toolbox and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Candidate variables were identified in bivariate at p < .25 for the multivariate analysis. A p < .05 and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) were used to determine the significance. A total of 280 partners participated making a 97.22% response rate. Paternal postpartum depression was 19.6%(95% confidence interval [CI] = [15.4%, 24.3%]). It was significantly associated with history of depression (AOR = 4.4, 95% CI = [1.7, 10.9]), unplanned pregnancy (AOR = 4.7, 95% CI = [1.9, 11.3]), alcohol consumption (AOR: 3.0, 95% CI = [1.3, 7.4]), infant sleeping problem (AOR: 3.0, 95% CI = [1.1, 8.9]), and mode of delivery (AOR: 3.0, 95% CI = [1.3, 7.6]). This study concluded that paternal postpartum depression was high. The researchers recommended the inclusion of men's mental health services like screening into women's postnatal health care.

Impact of physical activity on postural stability in pregnant and postpartum women

PurposeRegular physical activity is recommended by the WHO for women in the perinatal period as one of the basic factors determining the physiological course of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. The study aimed to identify the relationship between regular physical training of pregnant women, carried out in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and postural stability during the perinatal period.Methods58 women in the first trimester of pregnancy took part in the study and were divided into two groups according to their own choice. The exercise group participated in physical training three times a week during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The non-exercise group did not engage in additional physical activity. All subjects underwent three postural stability tests using a stabilograph.ResultsIn assessing posture stability parameters, significant differences were found only in body coordination in the active group of women. The exercise group showed statistically significantly lower values of the stabilogram parameters (better postural stability) obtained postpartum compared to those taken during pregnancy. There were no significant differences between the results taken during pregnancy. In the group of non-exercising women, no significant differences were observed between the second measurement during pregnancy and the measurement made postpartum.ConclusionsIt has been shown that physical activity has a significant impact on improving the coordination of women during pregnancy and postpartum. Women participating in regular physical training were characterised by smaller stabilogram deflections and better postural control compared to the control group.

Inverse Association between Exercising Blood Pressure Response and Left Ventricular Chamber Size and Mass in Women Who Habitually Resistance Train

Exercise is a major modifiable lifestyle factor that leads to temporarily increased systolic blood pressure (SBP), which is thought to influence left ventricular mass normalized to body surface area (LVM/BSA). This relationship has never been studied in women who habitually perform resistance exercise. Purpose: To determine if a direct correlation exists between the SBP response to resistance exercise (change from rest; eSBP) and LVM/BSA in young healthy women who habitually resistance train. Methods: Leg extension resistance exercise was performed while continuously monitoring blood pressure using finger plethysmography. LVM was estimated using echocardiography. Data are shown as mean ± SD. Results: Thirty-one women participated (age 23 ± 3 years, height 164 ± 7 cm, body mass 63.7 ± 10.3 kg). Resting SBP (110 ± 8 mmHg, r = 0.355, p = 0.049) was shown to be directly correlated to LVM/BSA (72.0 ± 28.4 g/m2). Conversely, eSBP (30.8 ± 14.6 ∆mmHg, r = −0.437, p = 0.014) was inversely related to LVM/BSA. eSBP was not correlated to interventricular septum width (0.88 ± 0.12 cm, r = −0.137, p = 0.463) or posterior wall thickness (0.91 ± 0.15 cm, r = −0.084, p = 0.654). eSBP was inversely related to left ventricle internal diameter during diastole (LVIDd) (4.25 ± 0.33 cm, r = −0.411, p = 0.021). Conclusion: Counter to the hypothesis, these data suggest an inverse association between eSBP during resistance exercise and LVM/BSA in healthy young women who resistance train. This relationship is due to a smaller LVIDd with greater eSBP.