Patricia Barthalow Koch

Feeling frumpy: the relationships between body image and sexual response changes in midlife women.

This study investigated the relationships between self‐rated attractiveness and self‐reported sexual response changes (over the past decade) and current sexual satisfaction in 307 heterosexual, midlife women. Results indicated that regardless of the womans specific age, she was more likely to consider herself more attractive when she was 10 years younger, and her self‐perceived attractiveness did not significantly differ based on her menopausal status. The more a woman perceived herself as less attractive than before, the more likely she was to report a decline in sexual desire or frequency of sexual activity. The more she perceived herself as attractive, the more likely she was to experience an increase in sexual desire, orgasm, enjoyment, or frequency of sexual activity. There were no significant statistical relationships between a womans perception of her own attractiveness as she aged and her current sexual satisfaction.

The job climate for women in traditionally male blue-collar occupations

Rapid growth has been observed in recent years in the number of women entering traditionally male blue-collar occupations, yet researchers have paid little attention to this pioneering group. The present study undertook a comparison of the job conditions of two groups of nontraditional women workers, tradeswomen (N=71), and transit workers (N=151); a third group, school secretaries (N=389), was studied as a comparison group of traditionally female workers. Results from a 16-page mail questionnaire revealed that women in traditionally male occupations encountered significantly more adverse working conditions than did their traditional counterparts, and, in addition, reported significantly less satisfaction and more stress at work. Tradeswomen were the most likely to experience sexual harassment and sex discrimination, and black tradeswomen to experience race discrimination. The degree of job satisfaction expressed by the secretaries was unexpected, since most evidence suggests that clerical workers lack autonomy, and encounter boredom and routinization on the job. These findings are discussed in terms of gender segregation and the need to focus future research efforts on specific occupational groups in order to make appropriate policy recommendations as well as to provide help for women in these jobs.

Women's sexual desire: A feminist critique

This article offers a critical feminist analysis of the biomédical conceptualization of womens sexual desire. The five major features of the biomedical model of female sexual desire examined and critiqued are (a) use of the male model as the standard, (b) use of a linear model of sexual response, (c) biological reductionism, (d) depoliticalization, and (e) medicalization of variation. A “New View,” an alternative to the biomédical model, is offered for reconceptualizing womens sexual problems. This analysis concludes with recommendations for feminist‐based biopsychosocial research.

MIDLIFE WOMEN'S ATTRIBUTIONS FOR THEIR SEXUAL RESPONSE CHANGES

This study focused on the sexual response changes of 280 mostly White, married, highly educated midlife women and on the attributions they made for these changes. In a U.S. sample of women participating in the Midlife Womens Health Survey (MWHS), women whose sexual response had changed in the past year (40%) reported more decrements than increases in sexual response. When asked how they accounted for these changes, women referred most often to the physical and emotional changes of menopause and to life circumstances, and less often to their relationships with their partners. The attributions showed a distinct pattern: Most of the decrements were explained by physical events related to menopause, whereas most of the increases were explained by life circumstances. These findings are discussed in terms of a need for studying womens sexuality from a biopsychosocial perspective.This study focused on the sexual response changes of 280 mostly White, married, highly educated midlife women and on the attributions they made for these changes. In a U.S. sample of women participating in the Midlife Womens Health Survey (MWHS), women whose sexual response had changed in the past year (40%) reported more decrements than increases in sexual response. When asked how they accounted for these changes, women referred most often to the physical and emotional changes of menopause and to life circumstances, and less often to their relationships with their partners. The attributions showed a distinct pattern: Most of the decrements were explained by physical events related to menopause, whereas most of the increases were explained by life circumstances. These findings are discussed in terms of a need for studying womens sexuality from a biopsychosocial perspective.

The Relationship of First Intercourse to Later Sexual Functioning Concerns of Adolescents

First intercourse is often viewed as a pivotal behavior. The present study was designed to examine the relationship of factors from the first inter course experience to later sexual functioning concerns of adolescents. The sample was composed of college-aged women (N = 412) and men (N = 261) who completed a comprehensive, self-report questionnaire. Chi-square analysis indicated that trends in adolescent sexual behavior identified in the 1960s and 1970s were continuing, if not accelerating, in the 1980s. Gender convergence was found for many aspects of first coitus. An increase in reported sexual functioning concerns of young people was also found. Analysis of covariance indicated that factors representing the affective dimensions of first intercourse (i.e., relation ship with partner, major reason for engaging in coitus, and evaluation of experience) were significantly related to more sexual functioning con cerns than the structural factor of age at first coitus.

Diabetes and female sexuality: A review of the literature

How little is known about the effects of diabetes on female sexuality is described in this article. In the past, female sexuality and diabetes were discussed only in relation to reproduction. The more recent classical studies that do address sexual functioning, however, are inadequate to describe the effects of diabetes, for these studies are couched in misinformation and misunderstanding of female sexuality with much of the information being extrapolated from data collected from male subjects. Finally, suggestions for future research are made that would integrate current theory on female sexuality and the effects of diabetes.

Research comparing the dyadic adjustment and sexual functioning concerns of diabetic and nondiabetic women

The dyadic relationship and sexual functioning concerns of a group of diabetic women and a matched control group of nondiabetic women were compared. There was no statistically significant difference in overall dyadic adjustment between the two groups. Both diabetic and nondiabetic women were moderately well adjusted. However, diabetic women were significantly more concerned than nondiabetic women in the following six specific sexual functioning areas: (a) frequency of feeling sexual repulsion, (b) frequency of difficulty with vaginal lubrication, (c) frequency of difficulty reaching orgasm, (d) impact of genital discomfort, (e) frequency of performance anxiety, and (f) impact of performance anxiety. Therefore, health care professionals need to use the suggested holistic approaches in helping diabetic women overcome these sexual functioning concerns. Finally, the relationship between level of sexual functioning concerns and overall dyadic adjustment was not statistically significant for either group. This ...

Mixing Sex and Alcohol in College: Female-Male HIV Risk Model

College students seem to be at particular risk for HIV infection due to the normative pattern of sexual activity with multiple partners combined with high frequency and levels of alcohol consumption and inconsistent condom use. This study examined the relationships among communication about HIV with the last sexual partner and alcohol and condom use among female and male college students. Factors which might predict drinking were also explored. Three hundred and fifty heterosexually oriented undergraduate students completed the College Health and Academics Survey, providing information on their last sexual encounter. A direct relationship was not found between the amount of alcohol consumed and likelihood of using a condom. However, significant relationships were found between communicating with partner and condom use (for females and males), and alcohol consumption and communications (for males only). Different HIV risk models focusing on predictors of alcohol use were found for females and males. Implic...

Attitudes Related to Sexual Concerns: Gender and Orientation Comparisons

One hundred and seventy-five heterosexual and homosexual college students of both genders completed the Attitudes Related to Sexual Concerns Scale (ASCS). The ASCS is an instrument designed to measure attitudes regarding: sexual self-understanding, body image, gender-role behavior in sexual relationships, commitment, communication with a sexual partner, masturbation, sexual guilt, and performance anxiety. The results indicated that sexual orientation had a significantly greater impact on these attitudes than did gender. Overall, heterosexual students reported more negative attitudes than did gay/lesbian students, particularly in the areas of sexual self-understanding, communication with a sexual partner, commitment issues, and overall sexual and masturbation guilt. Therefore, sexual orientation should be studied in future evaluations of attitudes and sexual concerns, along with gender, age, and other factors.

Is My Period Normal? How College-Aged Women Determine the Normality or Abnormality of Their Menstrual Cycles

ABSTRACT The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to explore young adult womens conceptualizations of their menstruation experiences using a feminist approach. Grounded theory was used to understand how 15 college-aged women (ages 18–22 years, 86% white) evaluate their menstrual patterns as “normal” or “abnormal.” Data analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed four themes that the women used to judge the pattern of their menstruation (i.e., interval, duration, discomfort, and volume) as normal: (1) Pattern resembled learned norms, (2) consistent pattern discordant from learned norms, (3) predictably variable pattern, and (4) absence of problems. Two distinct themes informed their decisions to consider a menstrual pattern as abnormal: (1) Unpredictable variability, and (2) extreme experiences. The core variable emerging from data analysis, establishing a personal norm, illuminated the two major sources that women relied on in trying to interpret their menstrual patterns: the limited and often inaccurate information that they had been taught and their own menstrual experiences. Implications include the need to improve education about menstrual variability throughout the life cycle and about the diversity of womens normal menstrual patterns and experiences.