Exploring the personal and social context of female youth sex offenders

This study explored the personal and social context of young female sex offenders, probing their risk profiles for prospective treatment interventions. A convenience sample of eight young South African female sexual offenders participated in the study (black = 88%, Indian = 12%, age range = 14–20 years). They completed semi-structured interviews on their perceptions of the influences to commit a sexual offence. The data were thematically analysed. Emergent themes on factors associated with sexual offending included: peer influence, poor child monitoring, parental neglect, unproductive sexual health education, as well as insight into the participants’ maladaptive beliefs and distorted thinking.     

Sex and the Right to HIV/AIDS Education in Early Childhood

This study explored how early childhood teachers (n=5) and young children (n=174) (age range 7 to 8 years; males = 81; females = 93) in two primary schools constructed and interpreted the right to HIV/AIDS education. Data were captured using individual interviews with teachers and group interviews with young children. Analysis of the data showed that teachers viewed young children's right to health information positively but did not consider the right to sexual information. Teachers operated within discourses which upheld the image of the child as innocent requiring protection from sexual knowledge. Children's perceptions of their rights to knowledge of sex in HIV/AIDS education showed ambiguity. Some accepted the right to know whilst others felt that knowledge about HIV/AIDS was inconsistent with childhood innocence.     

Parent sex education beliefs in a rural South African setting

This study explored beliefs held by African community parents which are important in their children’s sexual health education. The informant parents (n = 30) were predominantly rural dwelling (female = 70%; black = 95%; rural = 80%; age range = 30 to 65 years old) from the Free State, South Africa. They reported on their child sex education beliefs; addressing appropriateness, resources, and content issues. Thematic analysis revealed that parents were more comfortable engaging in sex education with their older or young adult children rather than the younger children. Moreover, the parents considered sex education topics on sexual intercourse and instruments taboo subjects. Resourcing parents regarding sex education would require working around cultural barriers about the age appropriateness of sex education, as well as permissible content.     

情绪调节效应的发展:一个V型发展趋势

从青少年早期到成人早期,个体情绪调节等高级社会认知功能得到进一步完善,对情绪调节的需求也日趋增长。情绪调节的发展是青少年情绪社会化发展一个重要的任务,学会采用有效的调节策略对自身情绪进行调节是青少年社会性发展的一个重要表现。在众多关于青少年社会行为研究中,对负性情绪调节能力的探究最为成熟与深入。以往研究指出,儿童青少年对负性情绪的体验激活和调控失败都是导致其非适应性行为的原因,情绪调节方式的错误选择会与其外化行为问题和和内化行为问题有很大的关联。由于青少年适应性行为的习得是多种社会性发展指标的重叠和交叉作用的体现,我们无法完全理清其中的复杂交互作用,因此从情绪调节策略的使用效应发展入手探讨个体的适应是寻求问题解决的一个可行手段。 以往研究者认为,成熟且有效的情绪调节指的是,个体能够通过控制自身的激活和唤醒以达到情绪性、生理性和社交的适应,最后达成个人的目标。情绪调节的发展也可被看作是从被动式的、有他人参与的调节（例如,社会性参照）逐渐进步为主动的、有意识的根据外部线索进行的情绪调节（例如,根据指导语提示调整自己情绪状态）。 本研究旨在探究不同年龄被试（青少年早期、青少年晚期、成人早期）在按照不同指导语提示要求下增强调节和减弱调节调节效应量的年龄差异。选取上海市初中生被试35名（22男,13女;M = 14.06岁,SD = 0.42 岁, 年龄范围：13-15岁）、高中生被试37名（13男,24女;M=16.56岁, SD=0.56岁, 年龄范围：16-18岁）以及成人被试35名（9男,26女;M = 23.60岁,SD = 1.96岁, 年龄范围：20-29岁）,采用3（年龄：初中生、高中生、成人,被试间变量）? 3（情绪刺激：正性、中性、负性,被试内变量）? 3（调节策略：增强调节、减弱调节、不调节,被试内变量）混合实验设计,使用情绪反应性—调节图片任务（Reactivity and Regulation-Image Task,REAR-I Task）对不同年龄被试情绪调节策略使用的效应量进行考察（Carthy, Horesh, Apter, Edge, & Gross, 2010）。 研究发现,从总体趋势来说,情绪调节策略的效应发展呈V型发展趋势。当不同年龄被试按照指导语要求对其情绪体验进行主动调节时,成人被试的调节效应是最大的,初中生次之,而高中生的调节效应则最低。情绪调节的V型发展趋势与以往研究中关于情绪调节态度以及自我发展的趋势相一致。另外,与增强调节策略的使用相比,减弱调节策略效应的发展是最大的。这可能与中国背景下减弱调节的适应价值有关。     

Transitional object use,attachment, and help‐seeking behaviour in Taiwanese adolescents

Transitional object use is psychologically beneficial for young children, but research has suggested that maintaining transitional object use into middle childhood may be associated with negative behaviour. Little is known about the continuation of transitional object use into adolescence, and few studies have been conducted with non‐Western populations. To examine differences in attachment and attitudes to help seeking in adolescents who did and did not use a transitional object, 723 adolescents from Taiwan (M age = 14 years) were asked about their current and past use of transitional objects. Measures of attachment were obtained using the Revised Adult Attachment Scale, and attitude toward help was measured using the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale. In total, 37% of the sample continued transitional object use in adolescence. Current use of a transitional object differentiated the sample on the measures of attachment and help seeking. Transitional object users were less likely to have secure attachments and less likely to express positive attitudes toward seeking help. Transitional object use is prevalent in Taiwanese adolescents, and we suggest that continued use of a transitional object acts as an indicator of potential withdrawal from support offered in schools.     

Between the sheets: Investigating young adults' communication during sexual activity

The present study investigated young adults' self‐reported communication during sexual activity and its link to sexual and relational outcomes. The associations between two forms of communication during sexual activity (i.e., positive relational disclosures and erotic talk) and orgasm and relationship satisfaction were explored. Additionally, the study tested whether orgasm mediated the association between communication during sexual activity and relationship satisfaction. Three‐hundred and nineteen young adults (237 women, 82 men) ranging in age from 18–32 years (M = 19) completed a survey within 2 hours of a recent sexual episode addressing their communication during sexual activity. Results revealed that positive relational disclosures, but not erotic talk, predicted the likelihood of orgasm, controlling for participants' biological sex. More specifically, individuals who disclosed more positive feelings during sexual activity were more likely to orgasm. Additionally, the more individuals disclosed positive thoughts and feelings for their partners during sexual activity or the more they engaged in mutualistic erotic talk that included intimacy and bonding, the higher their reported relationship satisfaction after sexual activity. The implications of these findings for research on sexual satisfaction, relational health, and the post sex disclosures model are discussed.     

Making Sense of Heterosexuality: An Exploratory Study of Young Heterosexual Identities in Turkey

On the basis of the understanding that the shaping, experience, and meaning of sexual identities is informed by the social context, an exploratory study of sexual identities was done with a college sample in urban Turkey. Participants included 225 students taking an introductory psychology course at a private urban university in İstanbul (66.5% women, 33.5% men, age range: 18–30 years, M=20.1, SD=1.7, 98% heterosexual identified). A questionnaire was used to investigate how young people explain the development of their sexual identity and how it affects their lives. An overwhelming majority identified their sexual identity, feelings, and experiences as always having been the same and were quite confident that their sexual identity would remain the same into the future. Participants saw their heterosexuality as mostly having to do with ‘outside forces’ including general references to the role of society, culture, and social expectations and norms, family structure and socialization, peer relations, and modeling. Most perceived their sexual identity to have a positive effect on their lives. Results suggest some evidence of interest in and openness to considering issues of sexual identity among these young people, and are discussed in the context of previous research on heterosexual identity development, sociocultural factors, and with reference to the historical meanings of sexual identities and practices in Turkey.     

The Sexual Self-Perceptions of Young Women Experiencing Abuse in Dating Relationships

Though information about one's sexuality may be inferred from sexual interactions themselves, a sexual sense of self may also be derived from the quality of the intimate relationship more generally. In this study, we examined the sexual self-perceptions of young women in dating relationships (N=108) as a function of whether these relationships were characterized by abuse. Negative sexual self-perceptions were found to be more evident among women who were experiencing physical/psychological abuse or sexual coercion in their current relationships than among women who were not, even after controlling for self-esteem and depressive symptoms. However, positive sexual self-perceptions were unaffected by abuse, and hence may provide young women a basis for establishing healthier relationships in future.     

Young People,Sexuality, and HIV Prevention Within Christian Faith Communities in South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Faith communities exert a powerful influence on the life of their members, and studies are needed about how they may be able to influence young people’s attitudes regarding sexuality and HIV prevention. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire from young people (811), aged 15–24 years, affiliated to the Roman Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church and the Assemblies of God. The majority of participants perceived themselves at risk of HIV infection (53 %). Premarital sexual abstinence was the most frequently (88 %) reported prevention message, followed by faithfulness (23 %), HIV testing (18 %) and condom use (17 %). Furthermore, religious affiliation was associated with education on sexuality and HIV in youth groups, with better information given to members of the Lutheran and Catholic churches. Faith communities need to strengthen their capacity to educate young people in a more holistic way about sexuality and HIV prevention.     

Discrepant Self-Views and Young Women's Sexual and Emotional Adjustment

Young women in the United States receive conflicting messages about being sexually moral versus sexually desirable. Drawing from self-discrepancy theory, we hypothesized that women's internalization of messages about morality and desirability influence their ought and ideal self-guides for sexuality, respectively. Further, we expected that women who viewed their actual selves as significantly less positive/more negative than their self-guides would endorse greater sexual and emotional problems. In Study 1, never-married undergraduate women (N = 242) completed measures of sexual self-views, ought self-guides, and sexual adjustment. In Study 2, another sample (N = 170) also completed measures of ideal self-guides, depression, and anxiety. Participants were predominantly Caucasian and from upper middle-class backgrounds. Both negative actual:ought and actual:ideal discrepancies were associated with poorer sexual adjustment. Negative actual:ought discrepancies were associated with anxiety but not depression, whereas negative actual:ideal discrepancies were associated with both anxiety and depression. Self-discrepancy theory is a useful framework for understanding how self-standards for sexual morality versus desirability are associated with young women's emotional and sexual adjustment.     

Age as a modifier of sexually aggressive attitudes in men

Male attitudes and behaviours related to imagined sexual aggression were investigated in 99 Finnish men (mean age 24.3 years). Structural equation modelling suggested that imagined sexual aggression was directly predicted by hostile masculine ideologies and past antisocial acts, and indirectly by subject age (hostile masculinity decreased with age). For more detailed analyses of age effects on attitudes, the subjects were split into an older and a younger group. A small group of incarcerated rapists (n = 8; mean age 33.4 years) was included for comparative purposes; these were similar in age to the older group (n = 34; mean age 31.5 years) and were given the same attitude items. The younger men and the rapists expressed significantly more hostility toward women and acceptance of rape myths, and had a higher likelihood of committing rape than older men. Although younger men accepted interpersonal violence and sexual dominance, their attitudes were not necessarily reflected in past sexually aggressive behaviours, as they were in the rapists who differed from the younger men mainly in terms of their past antisocial activities.     

Mostly heterosexual as a distinct sexual orientation group: A systematic review of the empirical evidence

We reviewed empirical evidence regarding whether mostly heterosexual exists as a sexual orientation distinct from two adjacent groups on a sexual continuum—exclusively heterosexual and substantially bisexual. We addressed the question: Do mostly heterosexuals show a unique profile of sexual and romantic characteristics that distinguishes them as a separate sexual orientation group? We found sufficient data in four areas to support an affirmative answer. Individuals who acknowledged a mostly heterosexual orientation were distinct from adjacent sexual orientation groups in having a small degree of same-sex sexual and/or romantic attraction and, occasionally, same-sex behavior; constituted a substantial prevalence in the population; were relatively stable in their orientation over time; and reported that this sexual identity was subjectively meaningful to them. Findings suggested that self-identification as mostly heterosexual or an acknowledgment of slight same-sex sexuality increases during the teenage years, peaks around the early twenties (somewhat sooner for men than women), and remains relatively high during young adulthood. Limited evidence suggested that prevalence is lower among older participants. These findings have implications for our conceptualization of sexual orientation as a continuum, the nature of sex differences in sexuality, developmental changes in sexuality, biologically based assessments of sexual orientation, and an etiological theory of mostly heterosexuality.     

Family Experiences and Self-Criticism in College Students: Testing a Model of Family Stress,Past Unfairness,and Self-Esteem

Marriage and Family Therapists and other mental health professionals are often unaware of the sexual activity of preadolescent girls. The reason for this is the lack of research reporting on the sexual behavior of these young people. Also, in many cases the family may attend therapy for an unrelated issue and the sexual activity goes unnoticed. The present paper is an exploration into the lives of pre-teenagers' (ages 8–13) sex lives as they reported them in Internet chat rooms. Research on the content of chat rooms on the Internet is practically non-existent regarding this age group. Based on reports from over 1,300 pre-teen girls over a five-year time period, the results indicate that for some young girls, their young lives are filled with sexual behavior of one sort or another. They appear to be well versed in sexual terms and behaviors. In some cases the girls are forced into sexuality by a relative; in other cases, they appear to engage freely in sex with their boyfriends; in yet other cases they are forced by an older male. The girls overwhelmingly report that their parents are unaware of their sexual chatting on the Internet, even though it occurred regularly throughout the day. These girls are at risk. They are at risk for pregnancy and for sexual transmitted diseases, including HIV, not to mention the concomitant psychological effects. The data also indicate that the girls do not think about the consequences of their sexual behavior. Birth control and condom use appear not to be issues of concern for these young girls. Given the increased accessibility and use of the Internet by young people and the ability to create private spaces, blogs, and soon which are often sexual in nature, it is important for marriage and family therapists to understand the level of sexualization of some of these young girls in order to better address their needs and the needs of their families.     

Low Prospects and High Risk: Structural Determinants of Health Associated with Sexual Risk Among Young African American Women Residing in Resource-Poor Communities in the South

African American women at increased risk of HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) may engage in risky sex as a coping mechanism for depressed economic conditions. This study examines the association between high-risk sexual behavior and structural determinants of sexual health among a sample of young African American women. 237 young African American women (16–19 years old) from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in North Carolina were enrolled into a randomized trial testing the efficacy of an adapted HIV/STI prevention intervention. Logistic regression analyses predicted the likelihood that young women reporting lack of food at home, homelessness and low future prospects would also report sexual risk behaviors. Young women reporting a lack of food at home (22 %), homelessness (27 %), and low perceived education/employment prospects (19 %) had between 2.2 and 4.7 times the odds as those not reporting these risk factors of reporting multiple sex partners, risky sex partners including older men and partners involved in gangs, substance use prior to sex, and exchange sex. Self-reported structural determinants of sexual health were associated with myriad sexual risk behaviors. Diminished economic conditions among these young women may lead to sexual risk due to hopelessness, the need for survival or other factors.     

A Listening Guide Analysis of Lesbian and Bisexual Young Women of Color’s Experiences of Sexual Objectification

In the present study, I utilize objectification theory and compulsory heterosexuality as theoretical lenses to investigate lesbian and bisexual young Women of Color’s sexual objectification experiences. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Black and Latina 16–19 year-old young women who identified as lesbian or bisexual. Using the Listening Guide method of narrative analysis, two voices pertaining to young women’s objectification experiences were identified: a Voice of Surveillance and a Voice of Self-Surveillance. Findings suggest that young women experienced sexual objectification as rooted in their gender, sexuality, and racial identities. Experiences were further shaped by the contexts in which objectification occurred: participants voiced distinct struggles navigating (a) sexual harassment and violence in relationships with peers and romantic partners, (b) sexual harassment and discipline in school, and (c) street harassment and violence from men. Findings highlight the importance of understanding sexual objectification experiences as they are informed by gender, sexuality, and race, as well as the ways that young women actively cope with and resist objectification. Psychologists, activists, and mental health professionals are encouraged to consider how sexual objectification is rooted in multiple forms of oppression, its implications for young women’s identity, desire, and well-being, and how young women can be supported as they struggle against it.     

Bullying in Five European Countries: Evidence for Bringing Gendered Phenomena Under the Umbrella of ‘Sexual Bullying’ in Research and Practice

Sexual bullying refers to bullying or harassment that is sexualised, related to sexuality, and/or related to gender expression (Duncan, 1999). Research on sexual bullying is disparate and still developing as a field. This study extends on this research through a mixed-methods analysis of the different forms of sexual bullying and the relationships between them across five European nations. Participants were 253 young people (aged 13–18) from Bulgaria, England, Italy, Latvia and Slovenia. As part of focus groups on sexual bullying, participants individually and anonymously completed a Sexual Bullying Questionnaire (SBQ), comprising closed- and open-ended questions about their experiences of victimisation and bullying their peers. Factor analysis identified five forms of sexual bullying victimisation and two forms of sexual bullying towards peers. The quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that bullying or harassment that is sexualised, related to sexuality, and/or related to gender expression are associated with each other. Further, sexual bullying was found to be common to all five European countries indicating that it is a cross-national issue. The associations between sexualised, sexuality and gender expression bullying or harassment support the use of the term sexual bullying to unite these forms of peer victimisation in research and practice. Further, all countries studied require initiatives to address sexual bullying, and the gender and sexual norms that may contribute to it, with tailoring to the country context.

     

Psychological Well-Being of Sexual Minority Young Adults in Iceland: Assessing Differences by Sexual Attraction and Gender

The literature on sexual minority adolescents and young adults has highlighted a poor mental status among those groups compared to their heterosexual peers. Sexual minorities are also more likely to experience stress factors such as bullying and physical violence. However, sexual minority young adults have not been studied much in Iceland, a Nordic country renowned for a high degree of sexual equality. Given what the literature has shown to date, a noteworthy question is whether patterns of mental well-being of sexual minority adolescents and young adults in Iceland are comparable to other countries. The aim of the present study was to provide an assessment of mental well-being in sexual minority young adults in Iceland. We used population data to examine a selection of mental well-being indicators in 16–20 year-olds, both-sex-attracted and same-sex-attracted participants, and compared them to other-sex-attracted peers. Findings indicated that sexual minority young adults exhibited significantly greater levels of depressed mood, anger, and perceived stress than other-sex-attracted young adults. However, when stratified by gender and sexual attraction pattern, the analyses revealed that both-sex-attracted young women scored significantly higher on all indicators than any other group. We conclude that studies in this area should strive to distinguish between same-sex and both-sex attraction as well as to stratify analyses by gender. The well-being of both-sex-attracted young women is a compelling topic for future research.     

Drawing boundaries: From individual to common region – the development of spatial region attribution in children

The study investigated at what age children draw boundaries around pairs of objects that share either similarity or proximity. In two studies (N=132 and N=252) using a Wertheimer array, a clear age trend between 4 and 8 years showed that while young children were more likely to code objects into individual regions, older children were more likely to attribute common regions to pairs of dots. Unsystematic coding occurred as a transitional pattern until age 6, but except for the youngest group, at all ages a proportion of children drew boundaries of common region around arbitrary numbers of stimuli. Future research might show whether constructing exact, stimulus‐matched boundaries of common region is a performance predictor in other cognitive domains, such as visual memory.