Sexual Behaviour

Nic Gabhainn, S., Godeau, E., Baban, A. & Boyce, W. (2009). How well protected are sexually active 15 year olds? Cross-national patterns in condom and contraceptive pill use. International Journal of Public Health, 54, s209-215.

by Saoirse Nic Gabhainn

Godeau, E., Nic Gabhainn, S., Vignes, C., Ross, J., Boyce, W. & Todd, J. (2008). Contraceptive use by 15 year old students at their last sexual intercourse – results from 25 countries. Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 162, 66-72.

by Saoirse Nic Gabhainn

Mate choice in spanish homosexuals: A study based on personal advertise-ments

by Lorenzo Braschi

APHIA II

by Hassan EYMOY

Factors that shape young people's sexual behaviour: a systematic review

by Cicely Marston

with Eleanor King

BACKGROUND: Since nearly half of new HIV infections worldwide occur among young people aged 15-24 years, changing... more BACKGROUND: Since nearly half of new HIV infections worldwide occur among young people aged 15-24 years, changing sexual behaviour in this group will be crucial in tackling the pandemic. Qualitative research is starting to reveal how social and cultural forces shape young people's sexual behaviour and can help explain why information campaigns and condom distribution programmes alone are often not enough to change it. We undertook a systematic review to identify key themes emerging from such research, to help inform policymakers developing sexual health programmes, and guide future research. METHODS: We reviewed 268 qualitative studies of young people's sexual behaviour published between 1990 and 2004. We developed a method of comparative thematic analysis in which we coded each document according to themes they contained. We then identified relations between codes, grouping them accordingly into broader overall themes. Documents were classified as either primary or secondary depending on their quality and whether they contained empirical data. From the 5452 reports identified, we selected 246 journal articles and 22 books for analysis. FINDINGS: Seven key themes emerged: young people assess potential sexual partners as "clean" or "unclean"; sexual partners have an important influence on behaviour in general; condoms are stigmatising and associated with lack of trust; gender stereotypes are crucial in determining social expectations and, in turn, behaviour; there are penalties and rewards for sex from society; reputations and social displays of sexual activity or inactivity are important; and social expectations hamper communication about sex. The themes do not seem to be exclusive to any particular country or cultural background, and all themes were present, in varying degrees, in all countries assessed. INTERPRETATION: This study summarises key qualitative findings that help in understanding young people's sexual behaviour and why they might have unsafe sex; policymakers must take these into account when designing HIV programmes. Considerable overlap exists between current studies, which indicates the need to broaden the scope of future work.

Normative sexuality development: A decade in review

by Deborah Tolman

Asserts that "normative sexuality development" has now been established as an arena of empirical study and proposes that all research agendas on adolescent sexuality incorporate both benefits and risks rather than one or the other to provide a full understanding of sexuality development (distinct from and encompassing "sexual development") in adolescence

The Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds: Integrating testosterone and peptide responses for classifying social behavioral contexts.

by Sari van Anders

Hormones, and hormone responses to social contexts, are the proximate mechanisms of evolutionary pathways to pair... more Hormones, and hormone responses to social contexts, are the proximate mechanisms of evolutionary pathways to pair bonds and other social bonds. Testosterone (T) is implicated in tradeoffs relevant to pair bonding, and oxytocin (OT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) are positively tied to social bonding in a variety of species. Here, we present the Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds (S/P Theory), which integrates T and peptides to provide a model, set of predictions, and classification system for social behavioral contexts related to social bonds. The S/P Theory also resolves several paradoxes apparent in the literature on social bonds and hormones: the Offspring Defense Paradox, Aggression Paradox, and Intimacy Paradox. In the S/P Theory, we partition aggression into antagonistic and protective aggression, which both increase T but exert distinct effects on AVP and thus social bonds. Similarly, we partition intimacy into sexual and nurturant intimacy, both of which increase OT and facilitate social bonds, but exert distinct effects on T. We describe the utility of the S/P Theory for classifying 'tricky' behavioral contexts on the basis of their hormonal responses using partner cuddling, a behavior which is assumed to be nurturant but increases T, as a test case of the S/P Theory. The S/P Theory provides a comparative basis for conceptualizing and testing evolved hormonal pathways to pair bonds with attention to species, context, and gender/sex specificities and convergences.

Sexy thoughts: Effects of sexual cognitions on testosterone, cortisol, and arousal in women.

by Sari van Anders

Co-Authored with Katherine L. Goldey. In Press in Hormones and Behavior (as of Feb 2011).

Previous research suggests that sexual stimuli increase testosterone (T) in women and shows inconsistent effects of... more Previous research suggests that sexual stimuli increase testosterone (T) in women and shows inconsistent effects of sexual arousal on cortisol (C), but effects of cognitive aspects of arousal, rather than behaviors or sensory stimuli, are unclear. The present study examined whether sexual thoughts affect T or C and whether hormonal contraceptive (HC) use moderated this effect, given mixed findings of HC use confounding hormone responses. Participants (79 women) provided a baseline saliva sample for radioimmunoassay. We created the Imagined Social Situation Exercise (ISSE) to test effects of imagining social interactions on hormones, and participants were assigned to the experimental (sexual) or one of three control (positive, neutral, stressful) conditions. Participants provided a second saliva sample 15min post-activity. Results indicated that for women not using HCs, the sexual condition increased T compared to the stressful or positive conditions. In contrast, HC using women in the sexual condition had decreased T relative to the stressful condition and similar T to the positive condition. The effect was specific to T, as sexual thoughts did not change C. For participants in the sexual condition, higher baseline T predicted larger increases in sexual arousal but smaller increases in T, likely due to ceiling effects on T. Our results suggest that sexual thoughts change T but not C, baseline T levels and HC use may contribute to variation in the T response to sexual thoughts, and cognitive aspects of sexual arousal affect physiology.

The nature of conditioned sexual behavior in female Japanese quail

by German Gutierrez

Gutiérrez, G. (1998). Doctoral Dissertation. The University of Texas at Austin. Austin, TX, USA.

Proceptive sexual behavior in Japanese quail.

by German Gutierrez

Gutiérrez, G. (2000).  International Journal of Psychology, 35, 141.

Magnitude Effects of Sexual Reinforcement in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica).

by German Gutierrez

Baquero, A., Puerta, A. & Gutiérrez, G. (2009).  International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 22, 110-123.

The Steroid/Peptide Theory of Social Bonds: Integrating testosterone and peptide responses for classifying social behavioral contexts

by Katherine Goldey

Transactional Sex Amongst AIDS-Orphaned and AIDS-Affected Adolescents Predicted by Abuse

by Franziska Meinck

Cluver, L., Orkin, M., Boyes, M, Gardner, F., Meinck, F.
JAIDS (2011), Vol. 58(3), pp. 336-343

Objectives: Little is known about impacts of familial AIDS on
abuse and sexual health outcomes amongst... more Objectives: Little is known about impacts of familial AIDS on
abuse and sexual health outcomes amongst adolescents. Objectives were to determine whether familial AIDS is: (1) associated with severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; (2) associated with transactional sexual exploitation; and (3) explore whether relationships between familial AIDS and transactional sex are mediated byextreme poverty and abuse.

Design: Adolescent self-report study in poor South African
communities.

Methods: A 2009 follow-up of a 2005 study achieved 71% retention (n = 723). The 2009 sample included AIDS-orphaned (n = 236), otherorphaned (n = 231), and nonorphaned (n = 220) adolescents, whose primary caregivers were AIDS sick (n = 109), other sick (n = 147), and healthy (n = 220). Abuse and transactional sex were measured using widely used and validated self-report measures.

Results: AIDS orphanhood and parental AIDS sickness predicted
emotional and physical abuse and transactional sexual exploitation. Orphanhood or parental sickness by non-AIDS causes, and having healthy caregivers, did not predict any abuse outcomes. Adolescents“dually” affected by AIDS orphanhood and sickness showed a 3-fold likelihood of severe emotional and physical abuse and, amongst girls, a 6-fold likelihood of transactional sexual exploitation, compared with those in healthy families. Heightened risk of transactional sex amongst adolescents in AIDS-affected families was mediated by
extreme poverty and abuse exposure. In combination, the effects of familial AIDS, food insecurity, and exposure to abuse raised prevalence of transactional sex amongst girls from 1% to 57%.

Conclusions: Adolescents from AIDS-affected families are highly
vulnerable to severe physical and emotional abuse and transactional sex. This has implications for policy and programming in child protection and HIV prevention services.
“dually” affected by AIDS orphanhood and sickness showed a 3-fold likelihood of severe emotional and physical abuse and, amongst girls, a 6-fold likelihood of transactional sexual exploitation, compared with those in healthy families. Heightened risk of transactional sex amongst adolescents in AIDS-affected families was mediated by extreme poverty and abuse exposure. In combination, the effects of familial AIDS, food insecurity, and exposure to abuse raised prevalence of transactional sex amongst girls from 1% to 57%.

Unresolved questions concerning human papillomavirus infection and transmission: a modelling perspective

by Edward Waters

Sex in the Digital Age: Media Ecology and Megan's Law

by Brett Lunceford

Lunceford, Brett. "Sex in the Digital Age: Media Ecology and Megan's Law." Explorations in Media Ecology, 9, no. 4 (2010): 239-44.

This essay considers adolescent sexting from a media ecology standpoint, suggesting that in addition to the... more This essay considers adolescent sexting from a media ecology standpoint, suggesting that in addition to the technologizing of sexuality one must also begin to consider the sexualizing of technological systems.

Genetic and environmental effects on same-sex sexual behavior: A population study of twins in Sweden

by Qazi Rahman

Male mammals respond to a risk of sperm competition conveyed by odours of conspecific males

by Javier delBarco-Trillo

1. delBarco-Trillo J, Ferkin MH. 2004. Male mammals respond to a risk of sperm competition conveyed by odours of conspecific males. Nature. 431:446-449.

Sperm competition occurs when a female copulates with two or more males and the sperm of those males compete within... more Sperm competition occurs when a female copulates with two or more males and the sperm of those males compete within the female's reproductive tract to fertilize her eggs. The frequent occurrence of sperm competition has forced males of many species to develop different strategies to overcome the sperm of competing males. A prevalent strategy is for males to increase their sperm investment (total number of sperm allocated by a male to a particular female) after detecting a risk of sperm competition. It has been shown that the proportion of sperm that one male contributes to the sperm pool of a female is correlated with the proportion of offspring sired by that male. Therefore, by increasing his sperm investment a male may bias a potential sperm competition in his favour. Here we show that male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, increase their sperm investment when they mate in the presence of another male's odours. Such an increase in sperm investment does not occur by augmenting the frequency of ejaculations, but by increasing the amount of sperm in a similar number of ejaculations.

The duration of sociosexual behaviors in male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, varies before, during, and after copulation

by Javier delBarco-Trillo

23. Vaughn AA, Ferkin DA, delBarco-Trillo J, Ferkin MH. 2011. The duration of sociosexual behaviors in male meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, varies before, during, and after copulation. Current Zoology. 57: 43-49.

The behaviors that surround copulation are characterized as sociosexual behaviors. These behaviors displayed by males... more The behaviors that surround copulation are characterized as sociosexual behaviors. These behaviors displayed by males that are directed at females may include allogrooming, wrestling, chasing, approach, and time spent together. The data supported the hypothesis that the duration of sociosexual behaviors differs during the pre-copulatory, peri-copulatory, and post-copulatory phases of the mating bout in meadow voles. Voles spent more time approaching conspecifics during the pre- and peri-copulatory phases than during the post-copulatory phase. Voles spent more time allogrooming, wrestling, and chasing during the pre-copulatory phase than during the peri- and post-copulatory phases. Voles spent similar amounts of time together during the pre-, peri-, and post-copulatory phases. The data suggest that sociosexual behaviors displayed by males may be involved in setting the pace and temporal components of the mating bout. During the pre-copulatory phase particular behaviors by male voles may attract females, during the peri-copulatory phase some of these behaviors may stimulate or motivate the female to mate, and during the post-copulatory phase certain behaviors may prepare the male to mate again

Female meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, experience a reduction in copulatory behavior during postpartum estrus

by Javier delBarco-Trillo

8. delBarco-Trillo J, Ferkin MH. 2007. Female meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, experience a reduction in copulatory behavior during postpartum estrus. Ethology. 113:466-473.

In many small mammalian species, females undergo postpartum estrus (PPE), mate, and become pregnant soon after... more In many small mammalian species, females undergo postpartum estrus (PPE), mate, and become pregnant soon after delivering a litter. Mating during PPE implies a trade-off between attending to the new litter and leaving that litter to mate. We tested the hypothesis that copulatory behavior is faster when a female mates during PPE than when it mates outside of PPE, during male-induced estrus (MIE), a time when it is not lactating. We compared several variables of copulatory behavior in female meadow vole mating during both PPE and MIE. Females in PPE received significantly fewer intromissions, with shorter intervals between intromissions. Each ejaculatory series was also shorter for females in PPE. As a consequence, the total amount of time devoted to copulation was much shorter for females in PPE than for those in MIE. These data support the hypothesis that female meadow voles are able to reduce their copulatory behavior during PPE.

The Walk of Shame: A Normative Description

by Brett Lunceford

Lunceford, Brett. “‘The Walk of Shame: A Normative Description.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics, 65, no. 4 (2008): 319-29.