Sexual Risk Recognition Deficits: The Role of Prior Victimization and Emotion Dysregulation

Recent theoretical writings suggest that the ineffective regulation of negative emotional states may reduce the ability of women to detect and respond effectively to situational and interpersonal factors that increase risk for sexual assault. However, little empirical research has explored this hypothesis. In the present study, it was hypothesized that prior sexual victimization and negative mood state would each independently predict poor risk recognition and less effective defensive actions in response to an analogue sexual assault vignette. Further, these variables were expected to interact to produce particularly impaired risk responses. Finally, that the in vivo emotion regulation strategy of suppression and corresponding cognitive resource usage (operationalized as memory impairment for the vignette) were hypothesized to mediate these associations. Participants were 668 female undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to receive a negative or neutral film mood induction followed by an audiotaped dating interaction during which they were instructed to indicate when the man had “gone too far” and describe an adaptive response to the situation. Approximately 33.5% of the sample reported a single victimization and 10% reported revictimization. Hypotheses were largely unsupported as sexual victimization history, mood condition, and their interaction did not impact risk recognition or adaptive responding. However, in vivo emotional suppression and cognitive resource usage were shown to predict delayed risk recognition only. Findings suggest that contrary to hypotheses, negative mood (as induced here) may not relate to risk recognition and response impairments. However, it may be important for victimization prevention programs that focus on risk perception to address possible underlying issues with emotional suppression and limited cognitive resources to improve risk perception abilities. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Is Everyone Rated Equal? An Examination of Factors Related to Sexual Risk in Ethnically Diverse Male Adolescents Who Have Sexually Offended

As the juvenile justice system has evolved, there has been a need for clinicians to make judgments about risk posed by adolescents who have committed sexual offenses. There are inherent difficulties in attempting to assess risk for violence among adolescents due to the developmental changes taking place and the absence of well-validated instruments to guide risk prediction judgments. With minority groups increasing in numbers in the U.S., it is likely that professionals will encounter minority individuals when conducting risk assessments. Overall questions regarding race/ethnicity have been neglected and there are few if any published research that explores risk factors with minority juvenile sex offenders. The present study examined whether differences exist between Caucasian and racial/ethnic minority adolescent sexual offenders on four risk assessment measures (J-SORRAT-II, J-SOAP-II, SAVRY, and ERASOR). The sample of 207 male adolescent sexual offenders was drawn from treatment facilities in a Midwestern state. Overall results indicated that minority adolescent sex offenders had fewer risk factors endorsed than Caucasian youth across all risk assessment tools. Exploration of interactions between race and factors such as: family status, exposure to family violence, and family history of criminality upon the assessment tools risk ratings yielded non-significant findings. Limitations, suggestions for future directions, and clinical implications are discussed.

Patterns of Ecstasy Use and Associated Harm: Results of a Brazilian Online Survey

The aim of this study was to gather information about ecstasy users in Brazil, particularly on issues related to risks associated to the use of the drug, so as to offer a basis to prevention projects. A total of 1,140 Brazilian ecstasy users answered an online questionnaire from August 2004 to February 2005. Participants were predominantly young single heterosexual well-educated males from upper economical classes. A categorical regression with optimal scaling (CATREG) was performed to identify the risks associated with ecstasy use. ""Pills taken in life"" had a significant correlation with every investigated risk, particularly ecstasy dependence, unsafe sex, and polydrug use. ""Gender,"" ""sexual orientation,"" and ""socioeconomic class"" were not predictive of risk behavior. The Internet proved to be a useful tool for data collection. Given the recent increase in ecstasy availability in Brazil, a first prevention campaign directed toward the drug is urgent. At least in a preliminary Brazilian intervention, the campaign must be conducted at night leisure places, mainly frequented by youngsters from upper socioeconomic classes. The results do not call for information material with specific targets, such as gender or sexual orientation. The study`s limitations have been noted.

Family Health Strategy Professionals Facing Medical Social Needs: difficulties and coping strategies

Professionals of Family Health Strategy (FHS) work in communities where there are complex medical social problems. These contexts may lead them to psychological suffering, jeopardizing their care for the users, and creating yet another obstacle to the consolidation of FHS as the primary health care model in Brazil. The study investigated the difficulties and coping strategies reported by health professionals of the FHS teams when they face medical social needs of the communities where they work. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were carried out with 68 professionals of three primary care units in the city of Sao Paulo (Southeastern Brazil). Drug dealing and abuse, alcoholism, depression and domestic violence are the most relevant problems mentioned by the study group. Professionals reported lack of adequate training, work overload, poor working conditions with feelings of professional impotence and frustration. To overcome these difficulties, professionals reported collective strategies, particularly experience sharing during team meetings and matrix support groups. The results indicate that the difficulties may put the professionals in a vulnerable state, similar to the patients they care for. The promotion of specialized and long term support should be reinforced, as well as the interaction with the local network of services and communities leaders. That may help professionals to deal with occupational stress related to medical and social needs present in their routine work; in the end, it may as well contribute to the strengthening of FHS.

Is the Sexual Satisfaction of Postmenopausal Women Enhanced by Physical Exercise and Pelvic Floor Muscle Training?

Introduction. Physical exercise including pelvic floor muscle (PFM) training seems to improve the sexual function of women with urinary incontinence. This effect in postmenopausal women who are continent has not yet been determined. Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a 3-month physical exercise protocol (PEP) on the sexual function and mood of postmenopausal women. Methods. Thirty-two sedentary, continent, sexually active women who had undergone menopause no more than 5 years earlier and who had follicle stimulating hormone levels of at least 40 mIU/mL were enrolled into this longitudinal study. All women had the ability to contract their PFMs, as assessed by vaginal bimanual palpation. Muscle strength was graded according to the Oxford Modified Grading Scale (OMGS). A PEP was performed under the guidance of a physiotherapist (M. M. F.) twice weekly for 3 months and at home three times per week. All women completed the Sexual Quotient-Female Version (SQ-F) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) before and after the PEP. Main Outcome Measures. SQ-F to assess sexual function, HASDS to assess mood, and OMGS to grade pelvic floor muscle strength. Results. Thirty-two women (24 married women, eight women in consensual unions) completed the PEP. Following the PEP, there was a significant increase in OMGS score (2.59 +/- 1.24 vs. 3.40 +/- 1.32, P < 0.0001) and a significant decrease in the number of women suffering from anxiety (P < 0.01), but there was no effect on sexual function. Conclusion. Implementation of our PEP seemed to reduce anxiety and improve pelvic floor muscular strength in sedentary and continent postmenopausal women. However, our PEP did not improve sexual function. Uncontrolled variables, such as participation in a long-term relationship and menopause status, may have affected our results. We suggest that a randomized controlled trial be performed to confirm our results. Lara LAS, Montenegro ML, Franco MM, Abreu DCC, Rosa e Silva ACJS, Ferreira CHJ. Is the sexual satisfaction of postmenopausal women enhanced by physical exercise and pelvic floor muscle training? J Sex Med 2012; 9: 218-223.

Judiciary as the last resort to protect children and adolescents: intersectoral actions, investment in human resources, and structuring of services

This study aimed to identify the work developed by the Judiciary to prevent sexual violence against children and adolescents within the family. The approach to social representations in a cultural perspective was used. The field study consisted in the 1st and 2nd Court of Crimes against Children and Adolescents, at the State Supreme Court of Pernambuco, Brazil. Participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group with 17 subjects were the techniques for data collection, analyzed through the interpretation of meanings, allowing the identification of the category "The Judiciary as the ultimate level" and the following subcategories: "The public policies to prevent violence" and "The structure and dynamics of Courts". This study allows the visualization of the Judiciary's limitations with regard to the full protection and absolute priority, and that the work along with the victims demands investments in structure and human resources.

Maus-tratos contra a criança e o adolescente no Estado de São Paulo, 2009

OBJETIVO: Descrever o perfil das notificações em crianças e adolescentes no Estado de São Paulo em 2009 e analisar possíveis fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Foram analisadas 4.085 notificações em menores de 15 anos, registradas no Sistema de Vigilância de Violências e Acidentes (VIVA); um teste de regressão logística foi utilizado. RESULTADOS: O sexo feminino foi 61,4% do total. A faixa etária mais frequente entre as meninas foi a de 10 a 14 anos (38,8%) e entre os meninos foi < 5 anos (35,8%). A violência física representou 43,3% dos casos em meninos e a sexual 41,7% em meninas. Os principais autores das agressões foram os pais (43,8% do total) e conhecidos (29,4%). Agressores homens representaram 72,0%. A residência foi o local de ocorrência de 72,9% dos casos; violência de repetição foi referida em 51,4% das notificações. Diferenças encontradas entre os casos de violência física e sexual: a) violência física - maioria meninos (50,9%), pais como autores (48,4%) e mulheres como autoras (42,8%); b) violência sexual - maioria meninas (77,2%), conhecidos como autores (48,4%) e homens como autores (96,1%). Variáveis associadas à violência física: sexo masculino (OR: 2,22), idade 10-14 anos (OR: 1,68) e pais como autores (OR: 2,50). A violência sexual foi associada ao sexo feminino (OR: 2,84), idade 5-9 anos (OR: 1,66) e desconhecidos como autores (OR: 1,53). CONCLUSÃO: As políticas públicas deveriam garantir o direito de toda criança ter uma vida saudável e livre de violência. A análise das notificações é importante instrumento para estabelecer estratégias de prevenção.

Violência sexual intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes: entre a prevenção do crime e do dano

OBJETIVOS: compreender as representações sociais de membros do Poder Judiciário acerca da prevenção da violência sexual intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes. MÉTODOS: pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa que teve como campo de estudo as 1ª e 2ª Varas dos Crimes contra a Criança e o Adolescente, no Tribunal de Justiça de Pernambuco, com participação de 17 sujeitos (juiz, assessor, técnicos e analistas judiciários). Observação participante, entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupo focal compreenderam as técnicas para coleta de dados, que foram analisados por meio da interpretação dos sentidos. RESULTADOS: a categoria "cultura penal" emergiu dos discursos, bem como suas subcategorias: "prevenção do crime" e "prevenção do dano". CONCLUSÕES: as representações dos sujeitos revelam uma dicotomia, caracterizando o conflito entre a tradição do Poder Judiciário e o direito novo, que abrange os princípios da proteção integral e da prioridade absoluta às crianças e dos adolescentes. O conceito de prevenção da violência sexual intrafamiliar contra crianças e adolescentes deve ser ampliado para além da mera prevenção do crime. A abordagem do problema por meio da prevenção requer que se incorpore ao Poder Judiciário uma cultura penal que abarque os princípios da proteção integral e da prioridade absoluta.

Sexual health of ethnic minority MSM in Britain (MESH project): design and methods

Background Men who have sex with men (MSM) remain the group most at risk of acquiring HIV infection in Britain. HIV prevalence appears to vary widely between MSM from different ethnic minority groups in this country for reasons that are not fully understood. The aim of the MESH project was to examine in detail the sexual health of ethnic minority MSM living in Britain. Methods/Design The main objectives of the MESH project were to explore among ethnic minority MSM living in Britain: (i) sexual risk behaviour and HIV prevalence; (ii) their experience of stigma and discrimination; (iii) disclosure of sexuality; (iv) use of, and satisfaction with sexual health services; (v) the extent to which sexual health services (for treatment and prevention) are aware of the needs of ethnic minority MSM. The research was conducted between 2006 and 2008 in four national samples: (i) ethnic minority MSM living in Britain; (ii) a comparison group of white British MSM living in Britain; (iii) NHS sexual health clinic staff in 15 British towns and cities with significant ethnic minority communities and; (iv) sexual health promotion/HIV prevention service providers. We also recruited men from two "key migrant" groups living in Britain: MSM born in Central or Eastern Europe and MSM born in Central or South America. Internet-based quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. Ethnic minority MSM were recruited through advertisements on websites, in community venues, via informal networks and in sexual health clinics. White and "key migrant" MSM were recruited mostly through Gaydar, one of the most popular dating sites used by gay men in Britain. MSM who agreed to take part completed a questionnaire online. Ethnic minority MSM who completed the online questionnaire were asked if they would be willing to take part in an online qualitative interview using email. Service providers were identified through the British Association of Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) and the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) CHAPS partnerships. Staff who agreed to take part were asked to complete a questionnaire online. The online survey was completed by 1241 ethnic minority MSM, 416 men born in South and Central America or Central and Eastern Europe, and 13,717 white British MSM; 67 ethnic minority MSM took part in the online qualitative interview. In addition 364 people working in sexual health clinics and 124 health promotion workers from around Britain completed an online questionnaire. Discussion The findings from this study will improve our understanding of the sexual health and needs of ethnic minority MSM in Britain.

Oxotremorine Delays and Scopolamine Accelerates Sexual Exhaustion When Applied to the Preoptic Area in Male Hamsters

Acetylcholine (ACh) has not been tested for a role in the development of sexual exhaustion in males. However, male hamsters receiving infusions into the medial preoptic area (MPOA) of the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine (OXO) or antagonist scopolamine (SCO) show changes in the postejaculatory interval, one of the measures that changes most consistently as exhaustion approaches. In addition, central SCO treatments cause changes in the patterning of intromissions that resemble those signaling exhaustion. To extend these observations and more thoroughly test the dependence of sexual exhaustion on ACh, male hamsters received MPOA treatments of OXO, SCO or the combination of the two before mating to exhaustion. Relative to placebo, OXO infusions caused small but consistent increases in ejaculation frequency and long intromission latency, delaying the appearance of exhaustion. Scopolamine treatments did the reverse, dramatically accelerating the development of exhaustion. Consistent with and possibly responsible for these changes were effects on the quality of performance prior to exhaustion. These included differences in overall copulatory efficiency (e.g., ejaculations/intromission), which was increased by OXO and decreased by SCO. They also extended to several standard measures of copulatory behavior, including intromission frequency, ejaculation latency and the postejaculatory interval: Most of these were increased by SCO and decreased by OXO. Finally, whereas most or all effects of OXO were counteracted by SCO, most or all of the responses to SCO resisted change by added OXO. This asymmetry in the responses to combined treatment raises the possibility that the effects of these drugs on sexual exhaustion and other elements of male behavior are mediated by distinct muscarinic receptors. Copyright 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

"Security Here is Not Safe": Violence, Punishment, and Space in the Contemporary US Penitentiary

The US penitentiary at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, was retrofitted in 2008 to offer the country's first federal Special Management Unit (SMU) program of its kind. This model SMU is designed for federal inmates from around the country identified as the most intractably troublesome, and features double-celling of inmates in tiny spaces, in 23-hour or 24-hour a day lockdown, requiring them to pass through a two-year program of readjustment. These spatial tactics, and the philosophy of punishment underlying them, contrast with the modern reform ideals upon which the prison was designed and built in 1932. The SMU represents the latest punitive phase in American penology, one that neither simply eliminates men as in the premodern spectacle, nor creates the docile, rehabilitated bodies of the modern panopticon; rather, it is a late-modern structure that produces only fear, terror, violence, and death. This SMU represents the latest of the late-modern prisons, similar to other supermax facilities in the US but offering its own unique system of punishment as well. While the prison exists within the system of American law and jurisprudence, it also manifests features of Agamben's lawless, camp-like space that emerges during a state of exception, exempt from outside scrutiny with inmate treatment typically beyond the scope of the law

Transmission of Chlamydia trachomatis through sexual partnerships: a comparison between three individual-based models and empirical data

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) in many developed countries. The highest prevalence rates are found among young adults who have frequent partner change rates. Three published individual-based models have incorporated a detailed description of age-specific sexual behaviour in order to quantify the transmission of C. trachomatis in the population and to assess the impact of screening interventions. Owing to varying assumptions about sexual partnership formation and dissolution and the great uncertainty about critical parameters, such models show conflicting results about the impact of preventive interventions. Here, we perform a detailed evaluation of these models by comparing the partnership formation and dissolution dynamics with data from Natsal 2000, a population-based probability sample survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles in Britain. The data also allow us to describe the dispersion of C. trachomatis infections as a function of sexual behaviour, using the Gini coefficient. We suggest that the Gini coefficient is a useful measure for calibrating infectious disease models that include risk structure and highlight the need to estimate this measure for other STIs.

Hooking Up, Alcohol Consumption, and Sexual Assault: Differentially Risky Behaviors

Previous research has demonstrated a significant association between sexual assault and alcohol consumption and between unwanted sexual experiences and hooking up (Flack, Daubman, et. al., 2007). In the present study, we tested these relationships more directly by asking sexual assault victims to indicate the primary reason(s) that their assault took place and the type of hook-up, if any, in which they occurred. Participants were 373 female undergraduate students who completed an online survey that included measures of sexual assault, alcohol intoxication, and hooking up. The overall prevalence rate for any type of sexual assault was 44.24% (Koss et al., 2007). Specific prevalence rates for noninvasive contact, rape, and attempted rape were 39.68%, 22.25%, and 22.52%, respectively. Within all types of sexual assault, the most prevalent type of hook-up was with acquaintances, and the most common reason given across all seven types of assault was incapacitation due to intoxication. These findings replicate previous research on assault and alcohol consumption, and demonstrate for the first time direct relationshipsbetween assault victimization and hooking up. The results underscore the need to investigate further the construct of hooking up, especially as a context for sexual assault.

Casualty, Causality and Chivalry: the Myth of Chivalry and Racial Violence in Southern Literature

This honors thesis project uses history and literature to analyze the role of the myth of chivalry in mystifying racial violence and oppression in the American South. The central claim is that the myth of chivalry¿ and particularly the exaltation of the white woman¿ is a myth system used to justify racial violence, oppress white womanhood, and allow white patriarchy to maintain political, social and economic dominance. This project traces the role of literature, especially Sir Walter Scott¿s historical romance, in developing the foundational myths of a southern society based in violence, racial hierarchy and gender inequality. It then follows the role of white womanhood in this myth¿ the restrictions on miscegenation, the exaltation of pure white femininity, and the violent actions performed in the name of southern women. With this historical baseline established, this study then explores three works of historical fiction that attempt to subvert this mythology by critiquing and demystifying the myth of chivalry, while also offering counter-narratives to popularized history. These works are Charles Chesnutt¿s 1901 novel The Marrow of Tradition¬, which analyzes the 1898 Wilmington N.C. race riot, Gwendolyn Brooks¿ 1960 poem ¿A Bronzeville Mother Loiters in Mississippi. Meanwhile, a Mississippi Mother Burns Bacon¿ and Lewis Nordan¿s 1993 novel Wolf Whistle, two works about Emmett Till¿s tragic murder in 1955. This study, then, illuminates the intersection of literature and mythology, revealing how literature is useful for both creating and subverting myth¿and revealing how authors undertake this task.

Restructuring Justice: Moving Towards Gender-Responsive Programming and Alternatives to Incarceration for Non-Violent Female Offenders

The United States¿ Federal and State laws differentiate between acceptable (or, legal) and unacceptable (illegal) behavior by prescribing restrictive punishment to citizens and/or groups that violate these established rules. These regulations are written to treat every person equally and to fairly serve justice; furthermore, the sanctions placed on offenders seek to reform illegal behavior through limitations on freedoms and rehabilitative programs. Despite the effort to treat all offenders fairly regardless of social identity categories (e.g., sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, ability, and gender and sexual orientation) and to humanely eliminate illegal behavior, the American penal system perpetuates de facto discrimination against a multitude of peoples. Furthermore, soaring recidivism rates caused by unsuccessful re-entry of incarcerated offenders puts economic stress on Federal and State budgets. For these reasons, offenders, policy-makers, and law-abiding citizens should all have a vested interest in reforming the prison system. This thesis focuses on the failure of the United States corrections system to adequately address the gender-specific needs of non-violent female offenders. Several factors contribute to the gender-specific discrimination that women experience in the criminal justice system: 1) Trends in female criminality that skew women¿s crime towards drug-related crimes, prostitution, and property offenses; 2) Mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes that are disproportionate to the crime committed; 3) So-called ¿gender-neutral¿ educational, vocational, substance abuse, and mental health programming that intends to equally rehabilitate men and women, but in fact favors men; and 4) The isolating nature of prison structures that inhibits smooth re-entry into society. I argue that a shift in the placement and treatment of non-violent female offenders is necessary for effective rehabilitation and for reducing recidivism rates. The first component of this shift is the design and implementation of gender- responsive treatment (GRT) rather than gender-neutral approaches in rehabilitative programming. The second shift is the utilization of alternatives to incarceration, which provide both more humane treatment of offenders and smoother reintegration to society. Drawing on recent scholarship, information from prison advocacy organizations, and research with men in an alternative program, I provide a critical analysis of current policies and alternative programs, and suggest several proposals for future gender- responsive programs in prisons and in place of incarceration. I argue that the expansion of gender-responsive programming and alternatives to incarceration respond to the marginalization of female offenders, address concerns about the financial sustainability of the United States criminal justice system, and tackle high recidivism rates.