Robin M. Mathy

Online Sexual Problems: Assessment and Predictive Variables

In this study of online sexual activity (OSA), a small subgroup (6.48%) of males self-identified as having online sexual problems (OSP) as a result of their online sexual behavior. There were only minor demographic differences between the OSP and the non-OSP groups. However there were a number of items that did differentiate these two groups (hours online, reasons for engaging in OSA, etc.) and these were elucidated. The research finds that most people who engage in OSA do not show evidence of problems as a result of their usage, yet at the same time there are a significant minority who do indeed report averse consequences. It is hoped that having a better understanding of the differences between these two groups will help clinicians and researchers interested in identifying variables for assessment, treatment, and prevention of OSP.

Transgender Identity and Suicidality in a Nonclinical Sample

Abstract This study examined the relation between sexual orientation and suicidality among 73 transgender respondents, who were compared to heterosexual females (n = 1,083) and males (n = 1,077), psychosocially matched females (n = 73) and males (n = 73), and homosexual females (n = 256) and males (n = 356). Significantly more (p < .05)transgender respondents reported suicide ideation and attempts than any group except homosexual females. Sexual orientation did not differentiate transgender ideators or attempters from non-ideators or non-attempters. Attempters were more likely than non-attempters to report psychotherapy and psychiatric medications currently and previously as well as difficulties with both alcohol and drugs (attempters and ideators) or alcohol only (attempters). Implications for gender studies as well as research regarding suicide and sexual orientation are discussed.

Methodological Rigor with Internet Samples: New Ways to Reach Underrepresented Populations

We present several rigorous methods for sampling difficult-to-reach and empirically underrepresented populations via the Internet. The methodologys representativeness was tested by comparing the demographics of a small sample of 82 lesbian and bisexual females with a much larger Gallup Organization sample of the general population (n > 1,000) obtained via random digit dialing. Compared to the latter poll, the rigorous sampling designs developed for the Internet were found to be significantly more robust and equally representative of the U.S. general population. The Gallup Organization reached a sample more representative of the age distribution of the United States. The Internet sample reached a sample more representative of the population, with less education, lower incomes, and a broad spectrum of ethnic diversity. The samples were equally effective in representing the distribution of the population with rural and urban residence.

Overcoming Methodological Concerns in the Investigation of Online Sexual Activities

Online Sexual Activity (OSA) is an important and growing phenomenon. Prior research in this area has been criticized on methodological grounds. This study examines the reliability of Internet research regarding online sexual activities by comparing a selected random sample to a convenience sample. Participation in the selected random sample was limited to every 1,000th visitor to the MSNBC website in June 2000. Participation in the convenience sample was available to anyone with access to the Internet during the same time period. Most differences between these samples indicated that, relative to a selected random sample, a significantly greater proportion of Internet users in the convenience sample had a heavier involvement with OSA, including online sexual difficulties. We discuss the methodological and clinical implications of this finding.

Child and familial pathways to academic achievement and behavioral adjustment: A prospective six-year study of children with and without ADHD

This longitudinal study examined familial and child predictors of academic achievement and behavioral adjustment. Participants included 115 children with ADHD and 59 normative comparisons. Data analyses spanned three assessment waves from elementary-through secondary-school grades. We evaluated the degree to which child and familial factors present during middle school mediated relationships between childhood ADHD, subsequent academic achievement, and behavioral adjustment during high school. We found that emotional and behavioral well-being of ADHD children during middle school mediated relations between childhood ADHD and adverse academic and behavioral outcomes during high school. In addition, familial factors in middle school years predicted the behavioral adjustment of children in both the ADHD and non-ADHD groups. Academic achievement during high school was strongly associated with previous achievement levels. Our results provide support for tailoring preventive interventions to the unique needs of children with ADHD and their parents at various stages of adolescent development.

The duration and frequency of Internet use in a nonclinical sample: Suicidality, behavioral problems, and treatment histories.

Prior research noted paradoxical effects of Internet usage, with increased communication but decreased social engagement. A 3-year follow-up revealed that the negative effects had dissipated. The authors examined the relations between duration (months online) and frequency (hours per week) of Internet usage and 5 mental health domains (current and prior mental health treatment, suicidal intent, and past and present behavioral difficulties). Statistically significant differences in frequency and duration were associated with the main effects of mutually exclusive mental health domains. Hierarchical logistic regressions revealed that duration mediated the adverse effects of frequency in some domains. Age of participants significantly increased the goodness of fit in predicting adverse outcomes of frequency and duration of Internet usage.

Public Health Consequences of the Defense of Marriage Act for Lesbian and Bisexual Women: Suicidality, Behavioral Difficulties, and Psychiatric Treatment

In this article, we examine the associations between women’s relationship status and sexual orientation in relation to suicidality (ideations and attempts), selfperceived excessive use or difficulties controlling the use of alcohol, drugs, and sex, and self-reported psychotherapy and psychiatric medications (past and present). On the basis of our analysis of these factors, we argue that the US Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the ban on same-sex marriage may have adverse health consequences for lesbians and bisexual women. Marriage is a well-known protective factor against suicidality and concomitant psychopathology (Smith et al., 1988), and DOMA deprives lesbians and bisexual women of its security. Homosexuality is no longer officially regarded as a psychopathology. Homosexuality per se was removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973, and ego-dystonic homosexuality was eliminated in 1987. More recently, homosexuality was deleted from the International Classification of Diseases in 1992. However, recent studies (Gilman et al., 2001; Mays and Cochran, 2001) have noted higher risks of stress-related disorders, such as depression and anxiety, among nonheterosexuals than in the general population. Because homosexuality is not regarded as a psychopathology, the cause for the higher rates of stress-related disorders among gay men, lesbians, and bisexual women relative to heterosexuals may be related to sociological rather than psychological differences between the two groups. We focus on marriage because it is legally proscribed in many countries and married individuals in every age and sex group have the lowest suicide rates (Smith et al., 1988). Psychopathology is a risk factor for suicide (Desjarlais, Eisenberg, Good and Kleinman, 1995), and social theorists (Durkheim, 1966) have noted that marriage is a protective factor against suicide. There is also a clear relation between sexual orientation and suicidality (McDaniel et al., 2001).

The Impact of Religiosity on Lesbian and Bisexual Women's Psychosexual Development: Child Maltreatment, Suicide Attempts, and Self-Disclosure

SUMMARY We tested competing hypotheses about the impact of rural-urban gradients on sexual minorities with a public Internet chat room sample (n = 82) and a community-owned coffee house sample (n = 92). We found associations between rural-urban gradient and reports of paternal maltreatment as a child as well as self-disclosure of sexual orientation to a family member. In the coffee house sample, rural-urban gradient mediated the mean age at which participants self-disclosed their sexual orientation to another person, close friend, family member, and parent, though it was associated in the Internet sample only with disclosure of sexual orientation to a family member. Rural-urban gradient was not associated with suicidal intent or victimization.

Targeted Prevention of Antisocial Behavior in Children

The onset of aggression and conduct problems during the early childhood years paves the way for the development of a pattern of serious antisocial behavior, including violence, substance abuse, and criminal offending during adolescence and young adulthood (Hinshaw & Lee, 2003). This developmental progression, however, is not inevitable. Indeed, the relative balance between risk and protective factors experienced along this pathway appears to determine whether these aggressive children ultimately experience deviant or healthy outcomes (Tolan, Guerra, & Kendall, 1995). Risk factors for antisocial behavior emerge across multiple levels. Child risk factors typically pertain to individual characteristics such as difficult temperament, deficient emotional regulation, learning delays, and deficiencies or distortions in social information processing. Parental risk factors include depression, substance abuse, negative attributions, and unrealistic expectations. Familial risk factors center on economic hardship, social isolation, and marital discord. These factors become manifest in coercive