Heather Cecil

Is it “Sex”?: College students' interpretations of sexual behavior terminology

Little is known regarding how respondents interpret terms that are commonly used in sexual behavior surveys. The present study assessed the impact of four factors on respondents’ judgments of whether the hypothetical actors “Jim” and “Susie “ would consider a particular behavior that they had engaged in to be “sex.” The four factors were respondents gender, actors gender, type of act (vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse), and who achieved orgasm (neither, Jim only, Susie only, or both). Two hundred twenty‐three undergraduates (22.2 ± 2.2 years; 65% female) were asked to read 16 scenarios featuring Jim and Susie and to judge whether each actor would consider the described behavior to be sex. Results indicated that vaginal and anal intercourse were considered sex under most circumstances. Whether oral intercourse was labeled as sex depended on the gender and viewpoint of the actor, and whether orgasm occurred. Findings suggest that items in sexual behavior surveys need to be clearly delineated to avoid subjective interpretations by respondents.

Self-efficacy as a predictor of adult adjustment to sickle cell disease: one-year outcomes.

Objective The present study prospectively investigated the role of self-efficacy in predicting disease symptomatology and health services utilization for adult patients with sickle cell disease. Methods These data are derived from a 12-month prospective cohort study of African American adults with sickle cell disease. Disease-specific perceptions of coping self-efficacy and indices of disease severity, health care utilization, and psychosocial adjustment were assessed by use of standardized questionnaires administered by trained clinicians. Results Perceptions of self-efficacy for coping with sickle cell disease were moderately stable across the 12-month study period. At baseline (N = 147), significant inverse relationships, measured with Pearson correlations, were noted between self-efficacy and the following variables: physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, pain severity, and number of physician visits over the preceding 12 months (p < .01). Similar relationships with self-efficacy were noted at the 1-year follow-up (N = 104) period for measures of physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and pain severity (p < .01). In multiple-regression models, baseline self-efficacy scores predicted changes over the 1-year study period in physical and psychological sickle cell disease symptomatology. Moreover, changes in self-efficacy from baseline to 1-year follow-up were significantly and independently related to changes in physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and pain ratings from baseline to 1-year follow-up. Conclusions Self-efficacy beliefs among African American adults with sickle cell disease are inversely related to reported disease symptomatology, and these relationships persist across time. Future investigations should examine the mechanisms through which relationships between self-efficacy and adjustment to sickle cell disease are effected, as well as the feasibility and effectiveness of enhancing self-efficacy beliefs as a means of improving adjustment to sickle cell disease.

The pleasures of sex: An empirical investigation

This study examined associations between the pleasurability of various sexual activities and behavioural experience with these activities. Participants were 145 female and 78 male undergraduates. Participants rated the pleasurability of various sexual activities (vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, receiving oral sex, performing oral sex, masturbation by a partner, and self-masturbation) and answered questions about their experience with these sexual activities. Vaginal intercourse, receiving oral sex, and being masturbated by a partner received the highest,pleasure ratings. For behaviours other than vaginal intercourse and receiving oral sex, pleasure ratings were significantly higher among respondents who had engaged in the activity. Pleasure ratings for several different sexual behaviours were intercorrelated. Participants who scored high on a pleasure index were more sexually experienced, engaged in more frequent sexual activity, and reported having more sex partners. Results are interpreted within the context of an evolutionary theory which suggests that pleasure motivates sexual behaviour.

Psychological functioning and family discord among African-American adolescent females with and without a history of childhood sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVES The aim was to examine the rate of childhood sexual abuse along with the factors (age of abuse onset, type of perpetrator, and duration of the abuse), as well as the relationship of these factors to psychological functioning among females with a history of childhood abuse. Second, to determine whether levels of psychological functioning and family discord differ among females with and without a history of childhood sexual abuse. METHOD A cross-sectional design was used. Two hundred and forty-nine adolescent females were recruited from a community-based health program. Two trained female interviewers administered an anonymous survey that assessed childhood sexual abuse, psychological functioning, and family environment. RESULTS Fifty-seven (22.9%) of those surveyed reported childhood sexual abuse, of which 44.3% were intrafamilial and 55.7% were interfamilial. Age at onset ranged from 3 years to 17 years; 62.5% reported that the sexual abuse occurred 1 to 4 times; 27.9% reported a duration ranging from 1 year to 13 years; and 9.6% reported a duration of 1 month to 7 months. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a greater duration predicted higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem among females with a history of sexual abuse. Females with a history of childhood sexual abuse scored significantly lower on measures of self-esteem and mastery, and significantly higher on measures of physical and emotional abuse. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that adolescent females with a history of childhood sexual abuse suffer an array of negative sequelae that include psychological and family distress.

Self-Care in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease

This article summarizes the psychometric evaluation of the Chronic Illness Assessment Interview for Sickle Cell Disease (CIAI-SCD), an instrument based on a model of self-care for adult patients with chronic medical conditions. The CIAI-SCD was administered to 104 adults with sickle cell disease. A factor analysis identified three factors that reflected the psychological constructs of Personal Satisfaction and Perceived Control (Factor 1), Feeling Concerned and Worried (Factor 2), and Feeling Supported (Factor 3). Preliminary evidence for the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, content validity, and construct validity of the CIAI-SCD was obtained. After further refinement and validation, the CIAI-SCD may be a useful tool for assessing factors related to self-care skills among adults with sickle cell disease.

Hispanic adults beliefs attitudes and intentions regarding the female condom.

The present study used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1985) augmented by AIDS knowledge to investigate factors influencing intentions of Hispanic adults to use the female condom. A total of 146 persons (75 women and 71 men; mean age, 27 years) recruited from community-based organizations completed an anonymous survey regarding intentions to use the female condom with their main sex partner. The TPB model had greater predictive utility for womens, than for mens, female condom use intentions. For men, attitudes and norms did not predict female condom use intentions, but greater AIDS knowledge was related to lower intentions to use the female condom, above and beyond the TPB constructs. Perceived behavioral control, operationalized as self-efficacy, significantly increased the predictive utility of the TPB model for womens female condom use intentions but not for mens. Behavior change strategies to increase female condom use are discussed in light of these findings.

Perceived benefits and barriers associated with the female condom among African-American adults

This study examined perceived benefits and barriers associated with intentions to use the female condom among a sample of 143 African-American adults in Milwaukee, USA. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire. Aesthetics and contraceptive efficacy predicted womens intentions to use the female condom with a main sex partner. For men, intentions to use the device with a main partner were predicted by beliefs that the female condom is affordable, would prevent STDs, that their partner would not be angry about female condom use, and knowing how to use the device. Interventions to promote this device need to be tailored differently for men and women.