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PubMed2008

Sex ratio of older siblings in heterosexual and homosexual, right-handed and non-right-handed men.

This study investigated why older brothers, which increase the odds of homosexuality in later-born males who are right-handed, have no effect or the opposite effect on later-born males who are non-right-handed. The specific question was whether the different results for the non-right-handed men have to do with the heterosexual non-right-handers or the homosexual non-right-handers. The human sex ratio at birth (106 males per 100 females) was used as a gold standard for determining which groups differ from the general population and in which direction. All usable data from previous studies were combined to obtain the largest possible sample (N = 8,201). The observed ratio of older brothers to older sisters was 105 for the heterosexual right-handers, 128 for the homosexual right-handers, 127 for the heterosexual non-right-handers, and 96 for the homosexual non-right-handers. The ratios for the homosexual right-handers and the heterosexual non-right-handers differed significantly from the expected value. These results suggest that both heterosexual and homosexual non-right-handers contribute to the older brothers x handedness x sexual orientation interaction.

Birth Order↗
PubMed2007

Women's hedonic ratings of body odor of heterosexual and homosexual men.

Men's body odor influences women's mate choice and individual variation among traits affects hedonic perceptions of this odor (e.g., immune system characteristics). Previous research by Sergeant (2002) indicated that one such characteristic is sexual orientation: body odor from homosexual men was perceived by heterosexual women as more hedonically pleasing than that of heterosexual men. The current study re-examined the influence of men's sexual orientation on women's perceptions of body odor. Homosexual (n=10) and heterosexual (n=9) men produced samples of body odor using T-shirts under equivalent environmental conditions. Heterosexual women (n=35) rated these samples, and a set of unused T-shirts, using a series of hedonic scales. Women rated the body odor of homosexual men as being comparatively more pleasant, sexier, and more preferable than that of heterosexual men but not significantly different from the unused T-shirts. This finding was consistent with contemporary research demonstrating that an individual's sexual orientation significantly impacts their olfactory function, both in terms of body odor production and olfactory perceptions of certain compounds.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

A comparison of heterosexual and homosexual long-term sexual relationships.

This is a study of a nonrandom sample of 94 women who are in long-term sexual relationships. The women were divided into groups of heterosexual and homosexual women who reported childhood sexual abuse, and heterosexual and homosexual women who reported no history of childhood sexual abuse. The groups were rated according to their levels of sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction. Results indicate that women who have not been abused are more satisfied with their relationships than women who have been abused. Heterosexual and homosexual women who have a history of childhood sexual abuse are less satisfied with their sexual relationships than women without histories of abuse. However, homosexual women who have been abused rated their relationship satisfaction higher than heterosexual women who have been abused. By showing that one cannot draw conclusions about homosexual women based on research on heterosexual women, this study encourages further research to enable nurses to refine their care planning.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Gender-related traits of heterosexual and homosexual men and women.

Two studies investigated the relation between sexual orientation and gender-related traits. Analyzing data from an Internet survey, Study 1 found that gay men and lesbians differed from same-sex heterosexuals most strongly on gender diagnosticity (GD) measures, which assess male- versus female-typicality of occupational preferences (effect sizes were 1.14 for men and 0.53 for women) and least strongly on instrumentality (I) and expressiveness (E). Study 2 found that GD measures showed large differences between 289 gay and 200 heterosexual men (d = 0.95) and between 296 lesbian and 435 heterosexual women (d = 1.32), whereas I and E showed much smaller differences. In Study 2 homosexual-heterosexual diagnosticity measures, computed from men's and women's occupational preferences, correlated very strongly with GD measures (r = 0.88 for men and 0.89 for women), indicating that occupational preference items that distinguished men from women also tended to distinguish heterosexual from homosexual individuals. LISREL 8 analyses showed that self-ascribed masculinity-femininity did not mediate the strong relation between sexual orientation and GD for men or for women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Performance differences between adult heterosexual and homosexual men on the Digit-Symbol Substitution subtest of the WAIS-R.

Previous evidence suggests that sexual orientation influences performance on a number of cognitive functions known to be sexually dimorphic. This investigation examined the performance of 240 right-handed subjects (60 heterosexual men, 60 homosexual men, 60 heterosexual women and 60 homosexual women) on one of the most commonly used neuropsychological tests to show normative sex differences, the Digit-Symbol Substitution test of the WAIS-R. Analysis of scaled Digit-Symbol scores revealed that heterosexual women and homosexual men outperformed heterosexual men. The magnitude of these differences were modest by standard criteria. No differences were found between heterosexual and homosexual women. The findings implicate within-sex variation in one test that relies on intact executive function.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Are we meeting the psychological needs of heterosexual men with HIV disease? A retrospective case controlled study of referrals to a psychological medicine unit in London, UK.

This study set out to ascertain what proportion of HIV-positive heterosexual men cared for at a central London teaching hospital HIV medical unit, were referred to the Psychological Medicine Unit, and to compare those HIV-positive male heterosexual patients with age and sex matched HIV-positive gay male controls. Hospital and Psychological Medicine Unit databases were interrogated to identify relevant patients seen during the period between February 1992 and December 2002. Furthermore, 50 heterosexual patients, who had been referred to the Psychological Medicine Unit, were matched for age and date of referral, with one gay male HIV-positive control patient. Demographic and illness data was gathered for the subjects and controls. Data was collected on 50 subjects in each group. The main findings of the study were: (1) that heterosexual men with HIV are almost three times less likely to be referred for specialist mental health care than HIV-positive gay men; (2) that heterosexual men with HIV disease, who were referred to the Psychological Medicine Unit, were less likely to be from a white ethnic background compared to gay men; (3) were less likely to be given a diagnosis of a depressive illness; but (4) were more likely to have a substance misuse diagnosis. Gay male patients who are HIV-positive are more likely to experience difficulties with sexual dysfunction, and receive a formal psychiatric diagnosis. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed1998

Reproductive behavior in HIV-discordant heterosexual couples: implications for counseling.

The development of effective behavioral interventions is critical to controlling the HIV epidemic. Although heterosexual transmission accounts for a growing proportion of new infections in the United States, little is known about factors that influence sexual behavior in HIV-discordant heterosexual couples. The objective of this study was to examine the reproductive behaviors of HIV-discordant heterosexual couples. Data were obtained on 71 discordant couples enrolled in a study of HIV heterosexual transmission. Results showed that women in such couples have pregnancy rates similar to those of women of reproductive age in the general population. One seroconversion occurred as a result of pregnancy attempt. These results suggest the need for educational efforts directed at HIV-discordant heterosexual couples.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Characteristics of individuals with male-to-male and heterosexually acquired infectious syphilis during an outbreak in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Eliminating syphilis is important not only to prevent the sequelae of infection but also to control the spread of HIV. Current prevention and control efforts in Canada have been ineffective in eliminating this disease. GOAL: The goal of the study was to determine the characteristics of individuals with infectious syphilis due to male-to-male and heterosexual contact, diagnosed during an outbreak in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. STUDY DESIGN: This was a prospective study of individuals with infectious syphilis diagnosed at the STD clinic in Calgary between January 2000 and April 2002. RESULTS: The outbreak reported here (September 2000 to April 2002) involves 32 cases of infectious syphilis, corresponding to rates of 0.9/100,000 population during 2000 and 1.8/100,000 population during 2001. Between September 2000 and June 2001, the cases diagnosed were among men who have sex with men (MSM); between May 2001 and April 2002, they were due to locally acquired infections among heterosexuals, including one case of congenital syphilis. Compared to the heterosexuals, MSM tended to be older, be coinfected with HIV, and report excessive alcohol use (versus injection drug use) and had infectious syphilis diagnosed earlier. MSM used the Internet and bars or bathhouses to initiate sexual contact, whereas heterosexually acquired infections were largely among sex workers and their clients. Contact tracing was more successful among the heterosexuals than among MSM. The public health staff at the STD clinic initiated a series of multifaceted interventions in response to the outbreak. These interventions were moderately successful, as measured by the increased numbers of individuals seeking counseling and testing services at the clinic. CONCLUSION: The results highlight key differences in the risk factor-specific characteristics of the outbreak that should be taken into account when designing prevention and control strategies.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Sexual risk factors among self-identified lesbians, bisexual women, and heterosexual women accessing primary care settings.

OBJECTIVES: There is scant data on the sexual behaviors of women of diverse sexual orientations in a low-risk population. GOALS: The goals of this study were to sample women of all sexual orientations in primary care settings and to evaluate sexual behaviors and risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). STUDY: A total of 1,304 women (self-identified as 49% heterosexual, 11% bisexual, and 40% lesbian) were surveyed by anonymous questionnaire at 33 healthcare sites. RESULTS: Among women who recently had sex with men (N = 600), 51% reported ever using condoms. Heterosexual women were at highest risk for acquiring HIV as a result of lack of condom use (P <0.001), particularly in higher-risk situations. Bisexual women reported substance use with sex at a higher rate than lesbians or heterosexual women (P <0.001). Lesbians had higher rates of sex with bisexual men (P <0.001) and injection drug users (P <0.02), but also a higher rate of condom use (P <0.001) compared with bisexual or heterosexual women. CONCLUSION: Women of all sexual orientations, and particularly heterosexual women, engaged in behaviors that put them at risk for HIV and STD.

Bisexuality↗
PubMed2006

The late diagnosis and consequent short-term mortality of HIV-infected heterosexuals (England and Wales, 2000-2004).

OBJECTIVES: To describe the proportion of HIV-infected heterosexual individuals diagnosed late and estimate how much mortality could have been prevented by earlier diagnosis. DESIGN: A population-based study using surveillance reports from England and Wales. METHODS: Calculation of proportions diagnosed late (CD4 cell count < 200 cells/mul) and short-term mortality (death within a year of diagnosis). RESULTS: A total of 16 375 heterosexual individuals were diagnosed with HIV (2000-2004): 10 503 with CD4 cell counts available at that time; 42% (4425) were diagnosed late. Late diagnosis increased with age (P < 0.01). One fifth of women diagnosed antenatally were diagnosed late compared with 42% of other women and 49% of men; 70% of all heterosexuals diagnosed were black Africans, born and infected in Africa. Of those, at least 40% were recent arrivals to the UK, and twice as many were diagnosed late as black-African heterosexuals infected in the UK. Short-term mortality was 3.2% (491/15 523); 6.1% among those diagnosed late and 0.7% among others (P < 0.01). Short-term mortality was lower among black-African compared with white heterosexuals (3.1 versus 4.5%; P < 0.01) because of diagnosis at a younger age. Earlier diagnosis would have reduced short-term mortality by 56% (249 fewer deaths) and all mortality by 32% between 2000 and 2004. CONCLUSION: Groups at high risk of late diagnosis should be targeted for health promotion activities, opportunistic screening, and removal of any barriers to testing. HIV testing in a variety of settings would reduce missed diagnoses and costs. New patient checks in primary care may provide the earliest opportunity to diagnose HIV infection among recent arrivals to the UK.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Heterosexual assumptions in verbal and non-verbal communication in nursing.

AIM: This paper reports a study of what lesbian women and gay men had to say, as patients and as partners, about their experiences of nursing in hospital care, and what they regarded as important to communicate about homosexuality and nursing. BACKGROUND: The social life of heterosexual cultures is based on the assumption that all people are heterosexual, thereby making homosexuality socially invisible. Nurses may assume that all patients and significant others are heterosexual, and these heteronormative assumptions may lead to poor communication that affects nursing quality by leading nurses to ask the wrong questions and make incorrect judgements. METHOD: A qualitative interview study was carried out in the spring of 2004. Seventeen women and 10 men ranging in age from 23 to 65 years from different parts of Sweden participated. They described 46 experiences as patients and 31 as partners. FINDINGS: Heteronormativity was communicated in waiting rooms, in patient documents and when registering for admission, and nursing staff sometimes showed perplexity when an informant deviated from this heteronormative assumption. Informants had often met nursing staff who showed fear of behaving incorrectly, which could lead to a sense of insecurity, thereby impeding further communication. As partners of gay patients, informants felt that they had to deal with heterosexual assumptions more than they did when they were patients, and the consequences were feelings of not being accepted as a 'true' relative, of exclusion and neglect. Almost all participants offered recommendations about how nursing staff could facilitate communication. CONCLUSION: Heterosexual norms communicated unconsciously by nursing staff contribute to ambivalent attitudes and feelings of insecurity that prevent communication and easily lead to misconceptions. Educational and management interventions, as well as increased communication, could make gay people more visible and thereby encourage openness and awareness by hospital staff of the norms that they communicate through their language and behaviour.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Seroprevalence of hepatitis A immunity in male genitourinary medicine clinic attenders: a case control study of heterosexual and homosexual men.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the seroprevalence of hepatitis A in homosexual and heterosexual men to determine their susceptibility to infection and provide guidance for a policy on vaccination. METHODS: A case-control study design was utilised to compare the risk factors associated with hepatitis A in homosexual and heterosexual men attending a city centre genitourinary medicine clinic. Demographic and sexual behavioural characteristics were included in univariate and multivariate models. RESULTS: The overall seropositivity rate was 29% with no significant difference between homosexual and heterosexual men. Ethnicity and age were strongly associated with hepatitis A seropositivity in both homosexuals and heterosexuals. A history of sex in a sauna in homosexual men, and being born outside the United Kingdom for heterosexual men, was associated with hepatitis A seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted hepatitis A screening and vaccination of homosexual men attending UK genitourinary medicine clinics is not supported by the results of this study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Heterosexual men and women who seek sex through the Internet.

Heterosexual women (n = 330), heterosexual men (n = 319) and gay men (n = 331) attending a London HIV-testing clinic in 2002-03 completed a confidential self-administered questionnaire concerning their sexual behaviour and use of the Internet for seeking sexual partners (response rate 70%). One-in-twenty (5%) heterosexual women and one-in-ten (10%) heterosexual men had used the Internet to look for sexual partners in the previous 12 months compared with nearly half (43%) the gay men (P<0.001). Rates of high-risk sexual behaviour with a casual partner were elevated among those who used the Internet to look for sex (compared with those who did not). However, people who looked for sex through the Internet were just as likely to meet their high-risk casual partners offline as online. Our findings suggest that high-risk heterosexual women and men are selectively using the Internet to look for sex rather than the Internet per se leading to riskier sexual behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Heteronegativism? The attitudes of gay men and lesbians toward heterosexuals.

Although many studies have been conducted on homophobia, little information exists about the attitudes of homosexuals toward heterosexuals. In order to compare the attitudes of both groups, a well-known homophobia questionnaire (Hudson & Ricketts, 1980) was reworded to assess the attitudes of homosexuals toward heterosexuals, forming a "heterophobia" questionnaire. The less clinical term "heteronegativism" is introduced here to refer to the range of negative feelings that gay individuals could possess regarding heterosexuals. Sixty homosexual students were matched with 60 heterosexual psychology students on sex, age, race, and education. Each group was given its respective "phobia" questionnaire. Hypotheses that homosexual participants would report less phobia and more negative experience than heterosexuals and that gay women would report more phobia than gay men were supported. Hypotheses that level of abuse in closeted homosexuals would be positively correlated with phobia scores and that being "out of the closet" would be negatively correlated with phobia scores were not supported.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Mistakes that heterosexual people make when trying to appear non-prejudiced: the view from LGB people.

In two studies, lesbians, gay men and bisexuals were queried concerning mistakes that well-meaning heterosexual people have made when interacting with them. In qualitative, open-ended research, we determined that the most common mistakes concerned heterosexuals' pointing out that they know someone who is gay, emphasizing their lack of prejudice, and relying on stereotypes about gays. Following up with a quantitative, close-ended questionnaire, we determined that the mistakes respondents experienced most often involved heterosexuals (a) relying on stereotypes and (b) ignoring gay issues; the most annoying mistakes were heterosexuals (a) using subtle prejudicial language and (b) not owning up to their discomfort with gay issues. We used two theoretical perspectives, shared reality theory and the contact hypothesis, to analyze the quantitative responses. Implications for intergroup relationships between heterosexual people and gay people are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Heterosexually active men's beliefs about methods for preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

CONTEXT: Most research on heterosexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) has focused on women. However, heterosexual transmission of STDs cannot be prevented without a better understanding of men's, as well as women's, sexual beliefs and behaviors. METHODS: Heterosexually active men's beliefs about four methods of STD prevention--abstinence, mutual monogamy, use of male condoms and use of female condoms--were elicited through open-ended interviews. A survey based on these responses was administered to a random sample of 486 heterosexually active men, and scores were calculated to examine their beliefs about each behavior. Additional analyses explored how these beliefs were related to men's characteristics and to their actual behavior. RESULTS: The men held both positive and negative beliefs about the outcomes of using each method and thought that their partners, close friends, health care providers, family members and, to some extent, friends at church had opinions about whether they should use each method. Multiple regression analyses showed that the men's beliefs were related to their marital status and, to some extent, their race or ethnicity and education. Beliefs about the outcomes of practicing abstinence, practicing mutual monogamy and using male condoms with steady partners were significantly related to these behaviors; beliefs about whether they had support for practicing monogamy or using male condoms with steady partners were significant predictors of doing so. CONCLUSIONS: Encouraging safer-sex practices among heterosexually active men will require addressing their beliefs and perceived norms about alternative methods of preventing STDs.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Characteristics of persons with heterosexually acquired HIV infection, United States 1999-2004.

OBJECTIVES: In the United States a growing proportion of cases of heterosexually acquired HIV infections occur in women and in persons of color. We analyzed the association between race/ethnicity, whether diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS were made concurrently, and the survival after diagnosis of heterosexually acquired AIDS. METHODS: We used data from 29 states that report confidential name-based HIV/AIDS cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to calculate estimated annual percentage change in the number of actual diagnoses and analyzed the association between race/ethnicity and concurrent diagnoses of HIV and AIDS. We adjusted for reporting delays and absence of information about HIV risk factors. RESULTS: During 1999 to 2004, diagnoses of heterosexually acquired HIV were made for 52 569 persons in 29 states; 33 554 (64%) were women. Among men and women, 38 470 (73%) were non-Hispanic Black; 7761 (15%), non-Hispanic White; and 5383 (10%), Hispanic. The number of persons with heterosexually acquired HIV significantly increased: 6.1% among Hispanic men (95% confidence interval=2.7, 9.7) and 4.5% among Hispanic women (95% confidence interval=1.8, 7.3). The number significantly decreased (-2.9%) among non-Hispanic Black men. Concurrent HIV and AIDS diagnoses were slightly more common for non-Hispanic Whites (23%) and Hispanics (23%) than for non-Hispanic Blacks (20%). CONCLUSIONS: To decrease the incidence of heterosexually acquired HIV infections, prevention and education programs should target all persons at risk, especially women, non-Hispanic Blacks, and Hispanics.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2001

[Characteristics of heterosexually acquired AIDS in Japan. An inter-country comparison using AIDS Surveillance data].

OBJECTIVES: To identify epidemiological characteristics of heterosexually acquired AIDS in Japan, with emphasis on potential influence on future trends. METHODS: National AIDS Surveillance data in Japan were compared with those in the UK and US, where detailed information is available from well-established surveillance procedures. Data on AIDS cases diagnosed until the end of 1996, particularly those acquired heterosexually, were analyzed by year of diagnosis, gender and age group. RESULTS: The number of heterosexually acquired AIDS cases in Japan has continued to increase, while those in the UK and US leveled out or decreased recently. The increase during a two-year period after reaching a certain number of cases per year was found to be 2.3-fold in Japanese, 2.4-fold in UK whites and 5-fold in US whites. The male to female ratio (M/F) for heterosexually acquired AIDS was 6.3 among Japanese, while the ratio was 1.1 and 0.5 in the UK and US, respectively. The age distribution at AIDS diagnosis demonstrated a peak from 35 to 54 years of age among Japanese males, as compared to 30 to 34 among males in the UK and the US. No significant difference was apparent in the age distribution among females in the three countries. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively small number of AIDS cases in Japan is attributable to the late introduction of HIV and the limited chance of heterosexual transmission from homosexual/bisexual men and injecting drug users. In addition, transmission has probably most often occurred between middle-aged Japanese males and non-Japanese females. As there is a growing risk of HIV infection among Japanese females and young Japanese males, new prevention strategies targeting these groups are urgently required.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗