Do cyclic changes in women's face preferences target cues to long-term health?

A shift to prefer more masculine male faces when conception risk is high may be an adaptation for finding mates with good disease resistance. We investigated whether preferences for other facial cues to long-term health also increase when conception is likely. We examined preferences for the faces of men with good health histories and for facial averageness and symmetry, two putative indicators of health during development. Preferences were tested at two points in the menstrual cycle that differed maximally in conception risk. No cyclic changes in preferences were found. We consider implications for the sexual selection of variation in preferences across the menstrual cycle.

Explaining the gender differences inperceptions of child sexual abuse

The aim of the thesis was to understand how gender, empathy and myth endorsement impact on jurors' perceptions of child sexual abuse victims.

Emotionality in same-sex attracted men’s sexual scripting: four expatriate men in Burma tell their stories

 This thesis uses an autoethnographic approach to investigate how the construction of sexual scripts and sexual interactions of same-sex attracted men are influenced by the interaction and the intersection of sexual identity, desire, gender, emotional scripts and emotional geography; and points to implications for sexual counselling and education.

Improving the evidential quality of child witness statements about sexual abuse

 Child sexual abuse cases are often not prosecuted because of poor evidential quality of the visually recorded investigative interview. This thesis examined prosecutors’ perceptions of interviews and took a constructive approach to determine how the evidential quality and usefulness of interviews could be improved.

Evaluation of Victoria Police SOCIT-MDC reforms for sexual assault investigation

 This thesis evaluated the impact of sexual offence reforms implemented by Victoria Police. The findings of this thesis demonstrated that the reforms reduced victim-blaming attitudes of police, improved investigators’ understanding of sexual offending, increased perceptions of case authorisation, and demonstrated faster police investigation times after the reform.

Consent: male interpretations of sexual interactions

 This research examined men’s perceptions of sexual consent. Study 1 showed that consent varied according to factors such as the relationship status of a woman. Study 2 found that sex worker clients have a clear understanding of what consent entails within the client-sex worker interaction.

The associations among adult attachment, relationship functioning, and sexual functioning

 This thesis examined the associations among adult attachment and multiple aspects of relationship functioning and sexual functioning for a range of partnerships. It was found that anxious and avoidant attachment were associated with more negative relationship experiences (e.g., lower satisfaction, lower intimacy, and higher levels of sexual dysfunction).

Who's cheating? Agreements about sexual exclusivity and subsequent concurrent partnering in Australian heterosexual couples

Background Concurrent relationships are a driver of generalised epidemics of sexually transmissible infections (STIs). In Australia, explicit negotiation of agreements about sex outside regular relationships has been recommended in health promotion for gay men but not for heterosexuals.

How the prevalence rates of male sexual dysfunction vary using different criteria

Objectives: This study examined the prevalence of male sexual dysfunction (MSD) and how different criteria alter prevalence rates. Methods: Five hundred seventy-three Australian men completed an online survey. Results: Of these men, 42.2% were sexually functional and 57.8% reported 1 or more sexual dysfunctions. No matter which criteria were used, the most prevalent MSD was erectile dysfunction, followed by premature ejaculation, hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and delayed ejaculation. Frequencies varied according to different definitions and measures used to diagnose MSD. More than half of the men with MSD experienced only 1 sexual dysfunction. Conclusions: These results demonstrate the high prevalence of MSD and the relatively low level of comorbidity of MSDs. © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Out & online; effectiveness of a tailored online multi-symptom mental health and wellbeing program for same-sex attracted young adults: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Same-sex attracted young adults have been found to experience higher rates of mental health problems and greater difficulties in accessing specialist mental health care services compared to their heterosexual peers. Internet-based mental health interventions have the potential to be more engaging and accessible to young adults compared to those delivered face-to-face. However, they are rarely inclusive of lesbian women and gay men. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an online mental health and wellbeing program, Out & Online (http://www.outandonline.org.au), in comparison to a wait-list control group, for reducing anxiety and depressive symptoms in same-sex attracted young adults aged between 18 and 25 years.

Sexual orientation and psychological distress: the role of minority stress

 The thesis found that that personal homonegativity/binegativity and discrimination are important when considering risk for depression and anxiety in gay men, lesbian women, bisexual men and bisexual women. The thesis also highlights the important role intrapersonal resilience can have in partially protecting sexual minority groups against these stressors.

‘I felt like I was watching porn’: the reality of preparing pre-service teachers to teach about sexual pleasure

Overwhelmingly, school-based sexuality education programmes focus on the prevention of infection, pregnancy and abuse, with little if any attention given to positive views of sexuality and rarely the inclusion of sex positive issues such as pleasure, intimacy and desire. This paper explores the experience of teaching about pleasure to pre-service health and physical education teachers as part of compulsory studies in a unit on sexuality education designed to prepare them to teach sexuality education in secondary schools. Drawing on the aims, theoretical framework, content and pedagogical structure of the unit, and data collected from 42, third-year pre-service teachers (PST) in Australia via surveys and student assessment, the paper provides some practical examples of what teaching about pleasure might look like in practice. It argues that with adequate preparation, a framework to celebrate sex and sexuality, a gender lens to examine normative discourses, and the opportunity for reflection, PST can develop the confidence, skill and willingness to include pedagogies of pleasure in their school-based work.

Child sexual abuse research: challenges of case tracking through administrative databases

Child sexual abuse has a serious impact on victims, their families and the broader community. As such, there is a critical need for sound research evidence to inform specialist responses. Increasingly, researchers are utilising administrative databases to track outcomes of individual cases across health, justice and other government agencies. There are unique advantages to this approach, including the ability to access a rich source of information at a population-wide level. However, the potential limitations of utilising administrative databases have not been fully explored. Because these databases were created originally for administrative rather than research purposes, there are significant problems with using this data at face value for research projects. We draw on our collective research experience in child sexual abuse to highlight common problems that have emerged when applying administrative databases to research questions. Some of the problems discussed include identification of relevant cases, ensuring reliability and dealing with missing data. Our article concludes with recommendations for researchers and policy-makers to enhance data quality.

Resistance and reconstruction: older women talk about childhood sexual abuse

 This research explores personal stories of 16 Australian women aged 57 years and older who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. It privileges their views and examines how they managed the impact during their lives. The project contributes to professional knowledge by developing anti-ageist practices for social work and human services.

Self-perceived sexual attractiveness: differences and contributing factors across gender and sexual orientation

This thesis explored factors associated with feeling sexually attractive among men and women across different sexual orientations. A combination of physical and non-physical traits were found to predict positive self-ratings of sexual attractiveness, and feeling sexy was found to positively contribute to various aspects of an individual’s sexuality.