Relationship between hypoactive sexual desire disorder and aging

Objective: Explore the association between Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) and aging. The American Foundation of Urologic Disease and the American Psychiatric Association stipulate that HSDD is only diagnosed when both low sexual desire and sexually related personal distress are present.
Design : Community-based, cross-sectional study.
Setting : Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy) and the USA.
Patient(s) Women aged 20-70 in sexual relationships participating in the Women’s International Study of Health and Sexuality (n=1998 Europe, n=1591 USA).
Intervention(s) : No interventions were administered.
Main Outcome Measures : Self-administered questionnaire that included two validated instruments: Profile of Female Sexual Function© measured sexual desire; Personal Distress Scale© measured sexual distress. Women with low desire and distress were considered to have HSDD.
Results : The proportion of European women with low desire increased from 11% amongst women aged 20-29 years to 53% amongst women aged 60-70 years. The proportion of American women with low desire displayed a trend towards an increase with age. In the 20-29 year age group 65% of European women and 67% of American women with low sexual desire were distressed by it. This decreased to 22% and 37%, respectively, in the 60-70 year age group. In Europe and the USA the prevalence of HSDD in the population did not change significantly with age (6-13% in Europe, 12-19% in the USA).
Conclusions: The proportion of women with low desire increased with age while the proportion of women distressed about their low desire decreased with age. Consequently, the prevalence of HSDD remained essentially constant with age. This may explain why no association between HSDD and age is often reported in the literature.

Risk assessment with female sex offenders : can women meet the criteria of community protection laws?

Although females represent a small proportion of the sex offender population, they occasionally appear before the courts under the current generation of laws intended to protect the public from high-risk sex offenders. In this context, practitioners are called upon to provide assessment of the risk these women pose for sexual re-offending. The primary issues addressed in this paper are related to the validity of conducting such risk assessments and providing professional opinions as to the risk of further sexual offences that may be committed by female offenders. The approach taken is to summarize briefly the available professional literature regarding female sex offenders, and then to present the findings of the relatively few empirical studies that address sexual recidivism in females. The final section examines the positions taken in the published works of various international experts regarding risk assessment with females, followed by conclusions and recommendations in light of the standards typically prescribed by community protection laws.

A human rights-based practice framework for sexual offenders

Human rights create a protective zone around people and allow them the opportunity to further their own valued personal projects without interference from others. In our view, the emphasis on community rights and protection may, paradoxically, reduce the effectiveness of sex offender rehabilitation by ignoring or failing to ensure that offenders' core human interests are met. In this paper we consider how rights-based values and ideas can be integrated into therapeutic work with sex offenders in a way that safeguards the interests of offenders and the community. To this end we develop a rights-based normative framework (the Offender Practice Framework: OPF) that is orientated around the three strands of justice and accountability, offender needs and risk, and the utilization of empirically supported interventions and strength-based approaches. We examine the utility of this framework for the different phases of sex offender practice.

An exploratory qualitative study of the self-reported impact of female-perpetrated childhood sexual abuse

The limited findings on the impact of female-perpetrated sexual abuse of children are often contradictory, particularly in relation to males. In this exploratory qualitative study, a sample of nine men and five women who reported that they had been sexually abused by women in their childhood were recruited from the general community. They completed a questionnaire that asked them to describe various aspects of their abuse experiences and the perceived consequences. For both men and women, the abuse was associated with negative outcomes across a range of functional areas in both childhood and adulthood. Many impacts were similar to those reported by victims of male-perpetrated sexual abuse. It is argued that the consequences of female-perpetrated child sexual abuse are serious, and further research is required to bring these issues to the awareness of both the public and professionals working in the field of child protection and counseling.

Assessment of community reintegration planning for sex offenders

Poor planning for reintegrating child molesters from prison to the community is a likely risk factor for sexual recidivism. The quality of reintegration planning was retrospectively measured for groups of recidivist (n = 30) and nonrecidivist (n = 30) child molesters who were individually matched on static risk level and time since release. Recidivists had significantly poorer reintegration planning scores than nonrecidivists, consistent with a previous study by the authors. Data from both studies were combined (total N = 141), and survival analyses showed that poor reintegration planning predicted an increased rate of recidivism. Accommodation, employment, and social support planning combined to predict recidivism, with predictive validity comparable to static risk models (area under the curve = .71). Summing these items yielded a scale of reintegration planning quality that differentiated well between recidivists and nonrecidivists and may have practical utility for risk assessment as an adjunct to static models.

Building capacity in sexuality education : The Northern Bay College experience : Report of the first phase of the sexuality education and community support (SECS) project

The Sexuality Education and Community Support (SECS) project aims to introduce a P-12 approach to sexuality education at Northern Bay P-12 College (NBC) through a collaborative partnership process between the schools within the College and local, regional, and state health and education agencies and has set out to change current sexual health education practice in the College and assist other schools in the region to do the same. The Project’s goal is a ‘sustainable, responsive, whole school, regionally consistent, best practice sexuality education’. During this first or establishment phase of the SECS project strategies have been implemented to begin the process of building capacity in sexuality education at NBC. These strategies are aimed at developing a sustainable approach during the next three and a half years.

The Supervision of Known Sex Offenders in the Community: Monitoring Progress and Providing Feedback

Case management is the process by which most known sex offenders who live in the community are currently supervised. However, by itself, case management has been shown to have only a modest impact on rates of re-offending, and it is only when case work and/or treatment sessions are introduced, that the benefits become apparent. This paper considers how routinely collecting and feeding back standardized data about client progress towards supervisory goals can be integrated into the offender supervision and case management process. Based on methods that have been shown to be associated with enhanced outcomes in mental health, it is suggested that the implementation of feedback approaches have the potential to both enhance the case management process and improve the effectiveness of those policies which require it.

Youth justice: challenges in responding to young people convicted of sexual offences

The clinical and criminological literature on adolescents who have committed sexual offences indicates that a pathologisation of young people and a labelling or overly punitive response is likely to be more harmful than rehabilitative. Accordingly, therapeutic counselling and diversionary schemes are seen as preferable to custodial terms in most instances. For adolescents convicted of sex offences, clinicians identify the benefits of comprehensive therapeutic care which involves family and is sensitive to the young person's context and culture. The benefits of this approach are documented and, although data are limited, indications are that recidivism is reduced where adolescents are provided with specialised counselling to encourage positive and non-abusive behaviours. Yet each jurisdiction experiences difficulties in ensuring the provision of equitable and comprehensive therapeutic services, particularly to regionally or remotely located youth. This paper draws on data from a national study of the services to children and adolescents with sexualised or sexual offending behaviours. With attention to the difficulty in providing services to regionally or remotely located adolescents, this paper identifies challenges around lengthy remand terms, the provision of pre-offence diversionary programs, and the provision of specialised services for young people serving community orders. For example, jurisdictions with the largest geographic service areas face enormous difficulties in providing specialised supervision for community-based orders. At present there are several jurisdictions where regionally and remotely located adolescents may serve the duration of a youth justice order without receiving sepcialised counselling to assist them in modifying their behaviours. The paper identifies the risks where specialised counselling cannot be provided, but also identifies specific initiatives designed to fill these gaps in service provision to youth justice clients. 

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.

Evaluation of a collaborative operation to improve child sexual abuse reporting in Western Australian indigenous communities

This study presents an evaluation of Operation RESET, a community engagement intervention designed to help remote Indigenous communities and human service agencies to uncover, respond to, and prevent child sexual abuse. The primary aim of this evaluation was to determine whether the intervention was associated with increased reporting. Data were obtained for six Western Australian regions between 2007 and 2012. Number of reports and arrests significantly increased in the intervention areas during the intervention compared with the pre-intervention time period but not in the control areas. Arrest rates significantly increased during the intervention and increased further following the intervention. There were no changes in arrest rates in regions that did not participate in the operation. This evidence suggests that the reforms led to a marked improvement in some key outcomes for Indigenous victims of child sexual abuse and supports the adoption of this collaborative approach by other jurisdictions.

Predição da precocidade sexual na pré e puberdade, através de escores visuais de conformação, precocidade e musculosidade em fêmeas da raça Nelore

Pós-graduação em Medicina Veterinária - FMVZ

Representações sociais de jovens-alunos de uma escola ribeirinha sobre exploração sexual juvenil nas balsas do Marajó e as implicações nas suas escolarizações

Este estudo teve como contexto uma escola ribeirinha no município de Breves, situado na Ilha do Marajó, no Estado do Pará. Objetivo mestre: Analisar as representações sociais de jovens-alunos do ensino fundamental da Escola Municipal de Ensino Fundamental São Francisco, da Comunidade São Francisco, no município de Breves sobre exploração sexual nas balsas do Marajó e as implicações nas suas vidas escolares. Objetivos condutores: Identificar o perfil dos alunos-jovens; Verificar as imagens e os significados destes alunos-jovens sobre a exploração sexual juvenil; Destacar as objetivações e as ancoragens como elementos que compõem as Representações Sociais de alunos-jovens e alunas-jovens sobre a exploração sexual juvenil; Relacionar as Representações Sociais de alunos e alunas jovens sobre a exploração sexual juvenil nas balsas do Marajó e as implicações nas suas vidas escolares. Participaram deste estudo 16 jovens, na faixa etária entre 14 e 20 anos, matriculados entre a 4ª e 6ª série do ensino fundamental. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa-descritiva. O referencial teórico foi a Teoria das Representações Sociais – TRS, com base em Moscovici (2010) e Nascimento (2002). A análise de dados se deu a partir dos referenciais metodológicos de Franco (2008) e Nascimento e Moraes (2010); As Representações Sociais dos jovens-alunos sobre a exploração sexual juvenil nas balsas do Marajó constituíram-se no Rio de possibilidades, cuja imagem se apresenta pelo encantamento, e Rio que traga, imagem representada pelo desencantamento. Além destas RS, destacaram-se significações cuja imagem foi o sentimento de culpa, que se destaca como significado de ser julgado pela comunidade, ter a atribuição de balseira, medo de sofrer ameaças e pelo sentimento de ausência do poder público. A partir destas significações, ressaltamos enquanto ponto de ancoragem o silêncio. Este sentimento que não se pode ouvir brada de sentidos, ora pelo medo de sofrer alguma espécie de julgamento social ora pelo sentimento de esvaziamento que esta condição da exploração sexual se materializa em suas vivências. As implicações escolares constituídas a partir das Representações Sociais de jovens-alunos sobre a exploração sexual juvenil foram: fragilização na formação escolar e no processo psicossocial de desenvolvimento juvenil; falta de aprendizagem; desatenção nos conteúdos e atividades escolares; desinteresse pela escolarização (Abandono escolar e Repetência escolar). Estes elementos e as análises teóricas articuladas a partir dessas Representações Sociais nos apontam como conclusão que a exploração sexual nos rios e furos da paisagem amazônica ainda é pouco visível, uma vez que as ações do poder público ainda não dão o lugar para este fenômeno no sentido de seu combate e enfrentamento. Entendemos, portanto, que deve haver uma ação educativa que possibilite o enfrentamento da exploração sexual juvenil.

A participação das escolas de ensino fundamental de Breves-PA no enfrentamento da exploração sexual de crianças e adolescentes

A presente pesquisa elegeu como objeto de análise a participação das escolas públicas de ensino fundamental localizadas na cidade de Breves-PA na rede de enfrentamento da exploração sexual de crianças e adolescentes. Neste sentido, propôs-se como problema a seguinte questão central: no período de 2005 a 2010, como aconteceu a participação das escolas públicas de ensino fundamental localizadas na cidade de Breves-PA na rede de enfrentamento da exploração sexual de crianças e adolescentes? A pesquisa objetivou analisar as ações realizadas pelas escolas públicas localizadas na cidade de Breves-PA que estão voltadas ao enfrentamento da exploração sexual de crianças e adolescentes a partir das propostas de enfrentamento apresentadas para a instituição escolar pela política pública, discutindo categorias fundamentais como currículo e formação de professores. A metodologia utilizada consistiu nas pesquisas bibliográfica e empírica, através do uso de entrevistas semiestruturadas devido ser o instrumento que permite o acesso a gestores escolares, coordenadores pedagógicos e professores para o conhecimento de suas ações e interações no que tange à temática do enfrentamento da exploração sexual. De um universo de dezoito escolas de ensino fundamental localizadas na cidade, foram escolhidas duas, uma escola de 1º ao 5º ano e outra do 6º ao 9º ano, por apresentarem no período de 2006 a 2010 ações pedagógicas estratégicas que envolveram alunos em diferentes faixas etárias (dos 06 aos 14 anos aproximadamente), bem como toda a comunidade escolar na prevenção da exploração sexual. A seleção dos entrevistados ocorreu mediante o contato com os sujeitos das escolas, a qual focalizou aqueles informantes com participação direta nos projetos de intervenção. Por isso, selecionou-se 02 (dois) gestores das escolas, 02 (dois) coordenadores pedagógicos e 06 professores. A análise do material obtido nas entrevistas foi feita mediante o instrumental teórico-metodológico possibilitado pela análise de conteúdo, tendo como pano de fundo o arcabouço analítico proposto pelo materialismo histórico-dialético. O referencial teórico utilizado para análise segue as pesquisas realizadas por Azambuja (2004), Brino e Willians (2003 e 2009), Brino (2006), Faleiros (2004), Fraga et al (2008), Franzoni (2006), Leal (2004), Libório (2005, 2006 e 2009), Rocha (2010), Sanderson (2005), Santos (2007), Silva (2007), Viodres Inoue & Ristum (2008) e outros pesquisadores que tratam de currículo, formação de professores e do enfrentamento da exploração sexual de crianças e adolescentes em redes de proteção, com destaque à atuação da instituição escolar. Os resultados da pesquisa demonstram a participação das escolas de ensino fundamental no enfrentamento da violência sexual (abuso), sem interferir significativamente nas situações de exploração sexual. Os casos de abuso, quando identificados ou relatados pelas crianças, são comunicados ao Conselho Tutelar. Para as suspeitas de exploração sexual não é feita a notificação a esse Conselho, mas tão somente em algumas situações conversa-se com a família, que geralmente nega a existência das mesmas e se omite dos processos de resolução. Os currículos das escolas contemplam as temáticas do abuso e exploração sexual de forma disciplinar, através de planos de curso e de aula, bem como de forma interdisciplinar, através de projetos de ensino-aprendizagem. Estes projetos são realizados durante um período do ano, mas as escolas pesquisadas buscam imprimir um caráter de realização permanente. Por fim, a formação de professores para o enfrentamento da exploração sexual não tem chegado a todos os/as educadores/as, muito menos ao contexto escolar, englobando efetivamente uma parcela bem pequena destes, privilegiando mais diretores e coordenadores pedagógicos.

Species composition and abundance of the benthic community of Axiidea

ABSTRACT: The thalassinideans (Axiidea and Gebiidea) encompasses approximately 615 species with reclusive habits, generally confined to extensive galleries burrowed into the sand or mud and, more rarely, in openings in reefs or the cavities of sessile animals such as sponges and coral. These species use the galleries for shelter, feeding and breeding, except during the pelagic larval stage. They inhabit estuaries, bays, lagoons, beaches, seas and both tropical and temperate oceanic areas throughout the world, distributed predominantly in the intertidal zone (mid-littoral and infralittoral zones). The aim of the present study was to assess the species composition and abundance of thalassinideans, comparing two micro-habitats (consolidated and non-consolidated substrates), and determine whether there is a correlation between abundance of the organisms and time of the year, collection sites or salinity. Twelve monthly samplings were carried out between August 2006 and July 2007 over consolidated and non-consolidated bottoms of the upper and lower portions of the mid-littoral zones, with three sub-samplings, totaling 48 monthly samples and 576 in all. A total of 651 individuals were collected – 114 Lepidophthalmus siriboia Felder & Rodrigues, 1993 and 537 Upogebia vasquezi Ngoc-Ho, 1989. There was correlation between the abundance of both species and salinity, but U. vasquezi was more abundant in the rainy season. Lepidophthalmus siriboia appears to prefer non-consolidated substrates, whereas U. vasquezi prefers consolidated substrates. The recruitment period for the callianassid L. siriboia appears to occur in just two periods of the year and is more intense in the dry season, whereas U. vasquezi is more frequent throughout the year. The smallest and largest sizes (carapace length – CL) recorded for L. siriboia were smaller than those recorded for the species in northeastern region of Brazil. CL values for ovigerous females suggest that U. vasquezi reaches sexual maturity at a smaller size than L. siriboia.