Arielle R. Deutsch

Sexual Self-Concept: Testing a Hypothetical Model for Men and Women

One theoretical concept receiving modest attention in contemporary sex research is the sexual self-concept (SSC). However, a lack of cohesion within this research has culminated in a collection of SSC models which overlap one another but which are not exactly the same. Therefore, a unified conceptual model of SSC needs to be established. In addition, little research has examined potential differences between genders in SSC, as most SSC research has focused on women. Using Buzwell and Rosenthals 1996 sexual selves model as a theoretical basis, a six-factor higher-order latent SSC model was tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Lower-order factors for this model included multidimensional sexual self-esteem and sexual self-efficacy factors, as well as unidimensional arousal, anxiety, exploration, and commitment factors. A five-factor latent model (after removing the commitment and the resistance sexual self-efficacy factors) was the best-fitting model. This model was then tested for measurement and structural invariance between genders. Results indicated that while the measurement of SSC was similar between men and women, structural invariance did not hold, as men had a significantly higher latent SSC score compared to women. These findings have important implications for sexual self-concept research, as well as contributing to better understanding of human sexuality.

Test of a Potential Causal Influence of Earlier Age of Gambling Initiation on Gambling Involvement and Disorder: A Multilevel Discordant Twin Design

The premise that an association between an earlier age of gambling initiation and the later development of disordered gambling is causal has not yet been empirically examined. The current study used a multilevel discordant twin design to examine the nature of this association. Participants were 3,546 same-sex twins (mean age = 37.7 years) from the Australian Twin Registry who completed a telephone interview that included an extensive assessment of gambling and related behaviors. Multilevel models were employed to estimate individual (within-twin-pair comparison) and family level (between-twin-pair comparison) effects, as well as the cross-level interaction between these effects. Family-level effects (genetic or environmental factors shared by family members) of age of gambling initiation robustly predicted later adult gambling frequency and disorder; the evidence for individual-level effects (unique factors not shared by family members, including a potentially causal effect of earlier age of gambling onset) was less robust. The results of this study suggest that the relation between earlier age of gambling initiation and later gambling involvement and disorder is primarily noncausal; efforts to delay the onset of gambling among young people may not necessarily reduce the number who later go on to develop gambling-related problems.

Substance Use and Sexual Intercourse Onsets in Adolescence: A Genetically Informative Discordant Twin Design

PURPOSE Using a genetically informed, discordant twin analysis, the objective of this study was to examine whether earlier onset of drinking and smoking behaviors predicted early sexual intercourse onset. METHODS Over 3,400 adult same-sex twins from the Australian Twin Registry completed a structured interview that included retrospective reports on onsets of smoking, drinking, intoxication, and sexual intercourse and conduct disorder symptoms. A two-level frailty model estimated within-twin-pair and between-twin-pair comparisons. Onsets of smoking, drinking, drunkenness, and conduct disorder symptoms were estimated as sexual intercourse onset predictors. RESULTS After controlling for conduct disorder, smoking and drinking onset did not predict sexual intercourse onset for either within-twin-pair or between-twin-pair comparisons. Drunkenness onset had a significant effect on sexual intercourse onset, such that twins who first experienced alcohol intoxication at a younger age than their co-twins were also more likely to have sex earlier than their co-twins. CONCLUSIONS Relationships between substance use and sexual intercourse onsets may be due mostly to shared underlying factors; there was only a small relation between intoxication onset and sexual intercourse onset, and no direct relation between smoking and drinking onset and sexual intercourse onset.

A Noncausal Relation Between Casual Sex in Adolescence and Early Adult Depression and Suicidal Ideation: A Longitudinal Discordant Twin Study

Research on relations between casual sex and mental health is inconclusive; while some studies indicate casual sex may lead to more negative mental health (e.g., depression), other studies report no such relationship. Using a genetically informed approach, this study examined whether earlier casual sex (i.e., ever engaging in casual sex and number of casual sex partners) in adolescence has a causal influence on later mental health in young adulthood (i.e., depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation), as well as the reverse relationship (adolescent negative mental health on young adult casual sex) by exploiting the quasi-experimental nature of discordant-twin models. Multilevel models that measured within-twin and between-twin pair effects of adolescent casual sex were estimated, using 714 twins (357 twin pairs) from the sibling subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Results indicated that there was no causal relationship between casual sex in adolescence and higher levels of depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation in young adulthood, and these effects did not differ by gender. There were also no causal relations between adolescent depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation and casual sexual experience in young adulthood. Implications for ways to increase scientific rigor by using different methods (e.g., genetically informed analyses) are discussed.

US Latino adolescents’ use of mass media and mediated communication in romantic relationships*

Abstract The present study uses uncertainty reduction theory to analyze how Latino adolescents perceive that mass media influence their conceptions of romantic relationships. In addition, we explore how these adolescents use social media in their romantic relationships. Data are from five focus groups with 44 Latino adolescents (M = 16.39 years old; 59% female) in the US Midwest. Findings indicate that Latino adolescents believe media portray unrealistic ideals of romantic relationships, yet these teens also see the portrayals as ideals to which they should aspire. When it comes to social media, the youth perceived one-to-one mediated communication (e.g. Skype) as beneficial to their romantic relationships, but evaluated one-to-many mediated communication (e.g. Facebook, Instagram) as largely negative. Our findings identify three sources of evidence in the latter context that create relational uncertainty: (1) visual, (2) partner communication, and (3) third-party communication.

Developmental Change in Adolescent Delinquency: Modeling Time-Varying Effects of a Preventative Intervention and GABRA2 Halpotype Linked to Alcohol Use

Better integrating human developmental factors in genomic research is part of a set of next steps for testing gene-by-environment interaction hypotheses. This study adds to this work by extending prior research using time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) to evaluate the longitudinal associations between the PROSPER preventive intervention delivery system, a GABRA2 haplotype linked to alcohol use, and their interaction on adolescent delinquency. Logistic and Poisson analyses on eight waves of data spanning ages 11 to 19 (60% female, 90% Caucasian) showed the intervention reduced delinquency from ages 13 to 16. Moreover, interaction analysis revealed that the effect of the multicomponent intervention was significantly greater for T-allele carriers of the GABRA2 SNP rs279845, but only during the 13 to 16 age period. The results are discussed in terms of adolescent delinquency normativeness, implications for preventive intervention research, and the utility of incorporating development in GxE research.

When Evidence and Values Collide: Preventing Sexually Transmitted Infections

In the following pages, we will lay the groundwork for, and then recount, an advocacy effort focused on adolescent reproductive health, one that specifically addressed state school board policy around the delivery of school-based services to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STI). We begin with some background regarding STI among adolescents, along with a summary of what is known about effective prevention models. As we turn to the advocacy case study we will switch to the first-person narrative form, as the first author undertook this effort, and the story is more readily told in this manner.