Effects of Group Status and Victim Sex on Male Bystanders’ Responses to a Potential Party Rape

This study examined male bystanders’ responses to risk for party rape. Undergraduate men (N = 77) imagined attending a party (either alone or with 3 friends) where a sober man led an intoxicated potential victim (either a man or woman) into a bedroom. After random assignment to 1 of these 4 conditions, participants completed measures of behavioral inaction and barriers to action. Bystanders in groups were more inactive than lone bystanders. Compared to bystanders who saw a woman at risk, bystanders who saw a man at risk reported greater inaction and greater barriers to action, including risk uncertainty, lack of responsibility to help, and skills deficits. Results highlight social factors that inhibit male bystanders’ prosocial responses to high-risk situations.     

Disinhibition as a Mechanism in Sexual Victimization: A Prospective Study

Disinhibition was examined as a mechanism in revictimization using a prospective research design. Of the sample of 211 young adult women, 43.1% reported prior sexual victimization (birth to the time of our initial assessment) and 32.2% reported sexual assault during the 6-month follow-up. The findings suggest that disinhibition was a partial mediator. Prior sexual victimization was associated with increased disinhibition as well as increased future sexual assault. Greater disinhibition was associated with increased future sexual assault. Once disinhibition was accounted for, the original relationship between prior and future sexual assault was reduced. Disinhibition partially explained revictimization and these behaviors might serve as possible targets of change in sexual victimization prevention work.     

Use of Erectile Prostheses in Patients with Free Forearm Flap Phalloplasty

ABSTRACT

Today, the free radial forearm flap phalloplasty is the method of choice for most surgeons engaged in female to male sex reassignment surgery. However, one of the main disadvantages of this procedure is the patients' inability to have sexual intercourse, due to their missing ability to have an erection. In this paper, we present our experiences with more than 100 patients that we provided with erectile prostheses that were originally designed for the use in biological males suffering from erectile dysfunction. We will show that the complication rate in transsexual patients is not significantly higher than in biological males. We therefore recommend the use of erectile prostheses in transsexual patients as a safe, reliable and successful way of obtaining the ability to have sexual intercourse.     

Comparing the Predictive Accuracy of Case Linkage Methods in Serious Sexual Assaults

The empirical support for linkage analysis is steadily increasing, but the question remains as to what method of linking is the most effective. We compared a more theory‐based, dimensional behavioural approach with a rather pragmatic, multivariate behavioural approach with regard to their accuracy in linking serial sexual assaults in a UK sample of serial sexual assaults (n = 90) and one‐off sexual assaults (n = 129). Their respective linkage accuracy was assessed by (1) using seven dimensions derived by non‐parametric Mokken scale analysis (MSA) as predictors in discriminant function analysis (DFA) and (2) 46 crime scene characteristics simultaneously in a naive Bayesian classifier (NBC). The dimensional scales predicted 28.9% of the series correctly, whereas the NBC correctly identified 34.5% of the series. However, a subsequent inclusion of non‐serial offences in the target group decreased the amount of correct links in the dimensional approach (MSA–DFA: 8.9%; NBC: 32.2%). Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used as a more objective comparison of the two methods under both conditions, confirming that each achieved good accuracies (AUCs = .74–.89), but the NBC performed significantly better than the dimensional approach. The consequences for the practical implementation in behavioural case linkage are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Heterogeneity in Transgender: A Cluster Analysis of a Thai Sample

ABSTRACT

An analysis was performed of data from an Adjective Checklist (ACL) study of identity and gender-trait stereotype in Thai MtF transgenders (Winter and Udomsak, 2002a, 2002b). Contrary to previous analyses, the current analysis employed the participants (rather than the ACL traits) as the unit of analysis. For each participant a calculation was made of the extent to which traits endorsed for actual self were also those endorsed as stereotypically male (masculine) or stereotypically female (feminine) traits. In this way gender-in-self scores (indices of masculinity, femininity, and non-differentiation) in actual self-concept (MASC, FASC, and NASC respectively) were calculated. A similar matching procedure involving ideal self led to the calculation of indices for masculinity, femininity, and non-differentiation in ideal self-concept (MISC, FISC, and NISC respectively). A cluster analysis was then performed, using these six gender-in-self scores in order to identify any groups within our sample.

Participants clustered into three substantial groups, together accounting for 98% of the data. The largest (69.9% of the sample) endorsed stereotypically male and female as well as undifferentiated traits. It could therefore be described as an androgynous group. The next, accounting for 21.4% of the sample, endorsed overwhelmingly undifferentiated traits. It was accordingly labelled the undifferentiated group. The last, accounting for 6.6% of the sample, endorsed overwhelmingly female-stereotyped traits and. in view of the fact that they had constructed for themselves such a highly stereotypically female self-concept, was labelled the feminine group. All six gender-in-self scores played a part in distinguishing the groups from each other.

For all three groups discrepancies between actual and ideal self were found, suggesting personal growth goals that led away from female stereotype.

Traits endorsed for actual self were further examined for any sign of group differences in terms of scores for 14 underlying features, as well as loadings on four higher-order factors, as employed in the Winter and Udomsak (2002b) analysis. Traits endorsed for ideal self and for gender-trait stereotyping were examined in the same way and for the same purpose.

For actual self no significant group differences were found. In contrast, several differences were found for ideal self. Trails endorsed by the undifferentiated group stood out from the others by being higher on adult ego state, conscientiousness, and emotional stability, and lower on adapted child ego state. All this was reflected in stronger loadings on resourcefulness/dependability.

Numerous group differences were identified for gender-trait stereotyping. The feminine group (compared to the other two groups) considered stereotypically female traits to be (a) higher on strength, favourability, adult and free child ego states, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, openness, and psychological importance, and (b) lower on adapted child ego state. All this was reflected in a stereotypical view of the female as both more caring/harmonious (a stereotypically “female” factor), as well as more resourceful/dependable (usually a stereo-typically “male” factor) than how she was viewed by the other groups. The undifferentiated group's view of the female was at the other extreme, providing a mirror image effect.

In conclusion, three groups of MtF transgenders were identified, differing from each other in terms of the degree of gender stereotypy evident in their actual and ideal self-concepts. The three groups also differed in terms of the underlying elements of the traits that they had endorsed for ideal self, as well as for gender-trait stereotypes.     

Building Self-Efficacy Through Women-Centered Ropes Course Experiences

This paper describes our experiences as facilitators in adventure-based ropes course training. It summarizes experiences with different groups that raise rich and complex issues about the use of adventure-based learning for personal growth and professional development. These groups include women executives, women living in public housing who have formed a women's resource group, adolescent women in treatment, adolescents from currently diverse backgrounds, graduate students, and women who have been sexually abused. These groups reflect the diversity of female participants who have engaged in ropes course training. Although participants are diverse, deep commonalities exist in the kinds of issues they are addressing in ropes course programs. Positive changes in women's abilities to take risks, practice assertive leadership, solve problems effectively, and feel more competent in general, can result from participation in a ropes course experience. In this article, the reader will see how one fixed ropes course element can be used to create a variety of metaphors for diverse groups of participants.     

Prostitution and the Invisibility of Harm

Abstract

The harm of prostitution is socially invisible, and it is also invisible in the law, in public health, and in psychology. This article addresses origins of this invisibility, how words in current usage promote the invisibility of prostitution's harm, and how public health perspectives and psychological theory tend to ignore the harm done by men to women in prostitution. Literature which documents the overwhelming physical and psychological harm to those in prostitution is summarized here. The interconnectedness of racism, colonialism, and child sexual assault with prostitution is discussed.     

The Birth Mother

No abstract available for this article.