Male and Female Recipients of Unwanted Sexual Contact in a College Student Sample: Prevalence Rates,Alcohol Use,and Depression Symptoms

It is typically assumed that acquaintance rapeand other forms of unwanted sexual contact involve malesas perpetrators and females as victims. The currentstudyinvestigated prevalence rates of experiencing as well as instigating sexual coercion, force,and other types of unwanted sexual contact for both menand women in a college Greek system. 165 men and 131women (82% Caucasian) completed 2 gender neutral measures of unwanted sexual contact, as well asassessments of alcohol use, alcohol related negativeconsequences, and depressive symptoms. Results indicatedmen were as likely to report being the recipients of sexual coercion as were women in thissample, although women were more likely to be thevictims of physical force. In addition, both men andwomen in this sample who had been the recipientsofunwanted sexual contactreported heavier alcoholconsumption and related negative consequences than didtheir peers who had nothad these experiences. Men whohad been the recipients of unwanted sexual contactreported more symptoms of depression than other men inthis sample, but there were no differences in depressionsymptoms for women who did or did not report theseexperiences.     

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms,Aggression, and Substance Use Coping among Young Adults

This study examined how the symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were related to substance use and self-reported aggression in a college sample. There were 358 participants (ages 18–24) who completed surveys to assess PTSD symptoms, substance use as coping, and aggression. Hierarchical regressions tested for the effects of PTSD symptoms (total symptoms as well as cluster symptoms) on self-reported aggression, along with the main and interaction effects of substance use coping on these relationships. The hyperarousal cluster of PTSD was the only group of symptoms significantly related to aggression. There was an interaction between avoidance symptoms and substance use coping on aggression such that under conditions of high substance use coping, aggression increased regardless of avoidance symptoms; however, the relationship between avoidance and aggression was stronger under conditions of low substance use coping, with greater aggression as avoidance symptoms and low substance use coping increased.     

Examining the Relationship of Substance Use and Sexual Orientation

In this article we examine the effects of self-reported sexual orientation on substance abuse. Using data on a random sample of 6,713 individuals in Washington State, this study examines causes and correlates of substance use by sexual minorities, an at-risk and treatment underserved population. Logistic regression results indicate homosexual orientation is a significant positive predictor of past year marijuana use, past year hard drug use, past year binge drinking, and lifetime alcohol addiction. Bisexual orientation is a significant predictor of past year marijuana use, past year hard drug use, and past year binge drinking. Potential causal mechanisms for these elevated patterns of substance use are discussed.     

Nettersexuality: The Impact of Internet Pornography on Gay Male Sexual Expression and Identity

The Internet, as an integral part of global culture, has become a location offering a smorgasbord of pornographic images and films depicting multiple and fluid ways of being sexual. For males who identify as gay and/or queer, the Internet offers opportunities to explore same-sex sexualities in ways that have heretofore been challenging; thus, constructions of sexual identity can be interrogated, (re)examined, and (re)imagined. New explorations of sexualities may be the result of interface with Internet pornography, which opens spaces for not yet experienced ways of being sexual. Using qualitative methodology, this project engages the voices of three males who identify as gay and/or queer and focuses on how the Internet, particularly pornography on the Internet, impacts their sexual experiences and their sexual identities. Indeed, we argue here that the Internet does impact sexuality, and these men help to raise questions about what is possible with regard to sexuality and sexual identity.     

Test Anxiety,Coping Strategies,and Perceived Health in a Group of High School Students: A Turkish Sample

A group of high school juniors and a group of high school seniors in Izmir, Turkey completed measures of test anxiety, coping skills, and perceived health status both before and after a major exam period. Students with high test anxiety used less effective coping mechanisms and tended to have poorer perceptions of their health. Prior to the exams, juniors displayed higher test anxiety and used less effective coping mechanisms than seniors. After the exam periods, improvements were seen for both age groups on perceived health, but scores of younger students remained significantly higher than scores of seniors on one of the key measures of test anxiety. Results of the study lend support to those of previous studies done in other cultural contexts, and findings have implications for the development of interventions designed to help students cope with stress.     

Gay Stereotypes: The Use of Sexual Orientation as a Cue for Gender-Related Attributes

This study investigated whether gay men and lesbians are assumed to have attributes stereotypically associated with the other gender. Participants were 110 male and female undergraduates from a private, Midwestern, U.S. university. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions (i.e., gay male, lesbian, heterosexual female, heterosexual male) and rated their given target on possession of traditionally masculine and feminine occupational interests, activities, and traits. Results revealed that, despite some changes in the status of gay men and lesbians in society, stereotypes regarding sexual orientation were similar to those seen in studies conducted 20 years ago. Specifically, gay males were viewed as less masculine/more feminine than heterosexual males, and lesbians were viewed as more masculine/less feminine than heterosexual females.     

Religious Coping and Substance Use: The Moderating Role of Sex

The objectives of this study were to ascertain whether positive and negative religious coping are associated with substance use and to determine whether sex moderates this association. This study utilized a cross-sectional design and examined 349 undergraduate students (103 males and 246 females) at a midsize southeastern university. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Brief RCOPE, and the Drinking and Drug Habits Questionnaire. Results revealed a positive association between negative religious coping and substance use only for males. While positive religious coping was significantly negatively associated with substance use, sex did not moderate this association. These results suggest that males may be especially vulnerable to engaging in substance use when utilizing negative religious coping. It may be important for university counseling centers to be cognizant of the types of religious coping used by students, as well as sex differences regarding the association between negative religious coping and substance use.     

Substance Use,Related Problem Behaviors and Adult Attachment in a Sample of High Risk Older Adolescent Women

We tested a hypothesis about the usefulness of attachment theory in aiding our understanding of substance use and related problem behaviors among a high-risk group of women. The data were from an ongoing longitudinal study of pregnant and parenting adolescents, and were collected via interview at 5.5 and 6 years postpartum (n = 232). At enrollment, the respondents were an average age of 16. Using regressing analysis (OLS and logistic), differences in attachment security were found to be related to substance use and related problem behaviors and attachment differences in behavior were found to be partially mediated by psychological distress.     

Differential Determinants of Young Adult Substance Use and High‐Risk Sexual Behavior1

This investigation evaluated how personality traits, self‐efficacy, and outcome expectancies differentially relate to young adult substance use and high‐risk sex. Experiments I (N= 481) and 2 (N= 73) report the development of a new questionnaire to assess self‐efficacy for substance use and sexual behavior. Experiment 3 (N= 375) tested self‐efficacy, outcome expectancies, and trait measures of social conformity and sensation seeking as correlates of substance use and high‐risk sex. Using structural equation modeling, cross‐sectional analyses revealed that positive outcome expectancies had the largest association with substance use, whereas self‐efficacy had the largest association with sexual behavior. Further, personality traits were related to substance use and sexual behavior indirectly through outcome expectancies, with social conformity also having a direct effect on behavior. When examined longitudinally, past alcohol and drug use served as the final pathway by which expectancies and personality impacted substance use, whereas past behavior, self‐efficacy, and social conformity all contributed to high‐risk sex. Results support the utility of different models for explaining, and possibly preventing, young adult substance use and high‐risk sex.     

Religious/Spiritual Well-Being,Coping Styles,and Personality Dimensions in People With Substance Use Disorders

Religiosity and spirituality have been found to be negatively associated with a range of addictions. It has been suggested that religious/spiritual well-being might play an important role in the development, course, and recovery from addictive disorders. A sample of addiction in-patients (N = 389) was assessed using the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) and compared with a matched group of nonaddicted community controls (N = 389). RSWB was found to be substantially lower in people with substance use disorders compared to the normal sample. Discriminate functional analysis showed that Experiences of Sense and Meaning, General Religiosity, and Forgiveness were the dimensions of RSWB that strongly distinguished the groups. Within the group of people with substance use disorders, RSWB was strongly positively associated with the personality dimensions of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness as well as Sense of Coherence and positive Coping styles. The study suggests that therapeutic intervention programs focusing on building a positive and meaningful personal framework, akin to that of a religious/spiritual orientation, may contribute to positive outcomes in addiction treatment.     

Levels of Social Support and Coping Strategies in Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

The study examined the effects of levels of social support and types of coping strategies on the psychological adjustment of adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Five hundred students from two universities in the Limpopo Province of South Africa participated in this study (males =115, females = 383). Mixed methods were used for the collection and data analysis. Higher the level of social support received correlated with superior psychological adjustment. The specific types of coping styles adopted did not affect psychological adjustment in the survivors.     

Impulsivity and Alcohol Use Coping Motives in a Trauma-Exposed Sample: The Mediating Role of Distress Tolerance

The present investigation examined the mediating role of distress tolerance in the association between impulsivity and alcohol use coping motives among trauma-exposed individuals. Participants were 86 adults (64.3% women; M(age) = 23.4, SD = 9.3) who met the DSM-IV-TR posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criterion A for at least one traumatic life event and endorsed alcohol use in the past month. Distress tolerance at least partially mediated the association between impulsivity and alcohol use coping motives, after controlling for the variance explained by PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use problems. Clinical implications and future directions related to this line of inquiry are presented and discussed.     

Straight Allies: Supportive Attitudes Toward Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals in a College Sample

Little research has focused on the development of positive attitudes toward the LGB community amongst heterosexuals in the USA, despite evidence demonstrating increasing levels of acceptance for sexual orientation minorities. A convenience sample of 50 female and 18 male heterosexual Midwestern university students with positive attitudes toward LGB people participated in semi-structured interviews that addressed research questions about the formation of their attitudes. Results found three key features in attitude formation: (1) early normalizing experiences in childhood, (2) meeting LGB peers in high school or college as important to the development of their attitudes, and (3) experiences of empathy based on an LGB peer’s struggles and successes, or resistance to hatred expressed by those with negative attitudes.     

Coping with Intimate Partner Violence: Battered Women's Use and Perceived Helpfulness of Emotion-Focused Coping Strategies

This study investigated intimate partner violence (IPV) victims' emotion-focused coping efforts, as well as their retrospective ratings of the perceived helpfulness of these efforts, in the context of a longitudinal study of battered women's experiences over time. Four hundred and six primarily African American, low-income battered women who had experienced IPV within the previous 12 months were interviewed. Patterns of coping use and perceived helpfulness were explored. The correlation between prevalence of use of emotion-focused coping strategies and perceived helpfulness of these strategies was examined, and results showed that the strategies used by more battered women were less helpful in dealing with feelings about abuse. Implications for clinical interventions with battered women are discussed.     

The Role of Male Sexual Partners in HIV Infection Among Male-to-Female Transgendered Individuals

SUMMARY

Male-to-female transgendered persons (MtF) in San Francisco have very high HIV prevalence and incidence. To explore possible sources for these high rates of HIV infection, a rapid needs assessment was conducted using two methods: (1) an interviewer-administered, mostly closed-ended survey with the male partners of MtF persons, and (2) focus groups with MtF persons. Five main themes were evident from the findings: (1) male partners of MtF persons are of all ages, races, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds; (2) high-risk sex occurs between MtF persons and their male sexual partners, despite a high level of concern about HIV among both the male and MtF study participants; (3) drug use appears to play a role in unsafe sex between MtF and their male partners; (4) male partners of MtF persons may represent a possible bridge for HIV transmission among different populations, given that they reported sex with male and female partners, as well as transgendered partners; and (5) men engaging in receptive anal sex with MtF partners probably occurs more frequently than reported by the male participants, given the comments of MtF study participants. The results indicate a need for creative, community-based HIV prevention strategies that target the male partners of MtF transgendered persons.     

Sexual Relationships in Psychology Training: A Brief Comment on Ethical Guidelines and Coping Strategies

Research has suggested that sexual relationships between psychology educators and their students often have adverse consequences. Therefore, ethical guidelines setting limits on such relationships are proposed. Coping strategies are offered for students who experience sexual harassment from educators. The task of the administrator in handling complaints of harassment is also discussed.     

Aggression Toward Gay Men as Gender Role Enforcement: Effects of Male Role Norms, Sexual Prejudice, and Masculine Gender Role Stress

ABSTRACT This study examined sexual prejudice and masculine gender role stress as mediators of the relations between male gender norms and anger and aggression toward gay men. Participants were 150 self-identified heterosexual men who completed measures of adherence to male gender role norms, sexual prejudice, masculine gender role stress, and state anger. Participants then viewed a video depicting intimate relationship behavior between 2 gay men, reported state anger a second time, and competed in a laboratory aggression task against either a heterosexual or a gay male. Results indicated that adherence to the antifemininity norm exerted an indirect effect, primarily through sexual prejudice, on increases in anger. Adherence to the status and antifemininity norms exerted indirect effects, also through sexual prejudice, on physical aggression toward the gay, but not the heterosexual, male. Findings provide the first multivariate evidence for determinants of aggression toward gay men motivated by gender role enforcement.     

Inner Representations,Coping, and Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology in a Community Sample of Trauma Survivors

To assess whether coping styles mediated the relation between inner representations and posttraumatic stress symptomatology, a community sample of self-defined trauma survivors (N = 95) completed the World Assumptions Scale, Ways of Coping Checklist—Revised, and Trauma Symptom Inventory. Regression analyses indicted that individuals with more positive inner representations reported experiencing less symptomatology and tended to use more active and less passive coping strategies. Furthermore, the relation between inner representations and the extent of symptomatology was mediated through the use of passive coping strategies, although the latter 2 variables were likely reciprocally related. The implications of these findings for the well-being of trauma survivors were discussed.