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The psychosocial sequelae of a second-trimester termination of pregnancy for fetal abnormality.

A retrospective study to investigate the psychosocial sequelae of a second-trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP) for fetal abnormality (FA) is described. After appropriate consent was obtained, 84 women and 68 spouses were visited 2 years after the event and asked to complete an extensive questionnaire. Most couples reported a state of emotional turmoil after the TOP. There were differences in the way couples coped with this confusion of feelings. After 2 years about 20 per cent of the women still complained of regular bouts of crying, sadness, and irritability. Husbands reported increased listlessness, loss of concentration, and irritability for up to 12 months after the TOP. In the same period, there was increased marital disharmony in which 12 per cent of the couples separated for a while and one couple obtained a divorce. These problems could be attributed to a lack of synchrony in the grieving process. Confusing and conflicting feelings led to social isolation and lack of communication. Difficulties in coming to terms with the fetal loss were not found to be linked to the type of fetal abnormality or religious beliefs but were related to parental immaturity, inability to communicate needs, a deep-rooted lack of self-esteem before the pregnancy, lack of supporting relationships, and secondary infertility. Suggestions for improved management are given.

Abortion, Therapeutic↗

Partnership after induced abortion: a prospective controlled study.

To study the social and psychological consequences of induced abortion on the relationship between the pregnant woman and her partner, 92 patients seeking a socially indicated abortion, who had a stable partner at the time of abortion, were interviewed. Standardized psychological measures were used to assess their partnerships before abortion and on follow-up 1 year later. A control group of 92 patients (matched for age, marital status, duration of partnership, number of children, and educational background), drawn from a larger sample of women using safe contraceptive methods, completed the same psychological measures. Prior to abortion, partnerships in the study group showed considerably more conflicts and were less harmonious than in the control group. One year after the abortion, the number of separations in the study group was not significantly higher than in the control group, nor were there any remaining qualitative differences in the partnerships of either group. When separations occurred, they had been more frequently initiated by women in the study group than in the control group.

Abortion, Induced↗

An evaluation of therapeutic programs for the treatment of secondary inorgasmia in women.

This paper is concerned with a review and evaluation of programs for the treatment of secondary inorgasmia in women. Treatments address a wide range of factors. They include medical and psychiatric disorders, lack of sexual knowledge and communication between partners, marital disharmony, sexual anxiety, and performance anxiety. These treatment approaches are evaluated, along with the effectiveness of Masters and Johnson's therapy, and the many variants of this approach. The use of erotic fantasy in the treatment of this condition is also discussed. Conclusions are limited by the nature of research in this area. It is essentially clinical in form. Often it fails to define the characteristics of the conditions that are required to assess contributing factors, treatment strategies, and pre- and posttreatment measures.

Female↗

Post-vasectomy erectile dysfunction.

We investigated two groups of men with regard to vasectomy acceptance, and subsequent erectile dysfunction. Group I was a group of 45 men chosen at random from 254 vasectomized patients. Group II was a group of 18 men who, out of 180 patients treated for erectile dysfunction, attributed their dysfunction to previous vasectomy. We analysed the social background, motivation for vasectomy and postoperative changes of sexual life or behaviour of the partners. The partnership constellation, particularly the role of a predominant female partner seems to be an important feature for vasectomy acceptance. Low acceptance might cause erectile dysfunction.

Adult↗

The relationship of partner support to outcomes for teenage mothers and their children: a review.

This article reviews the literature on the relationship of partner support to outcomes for teenage mothers and their children. It discusses the changing alliance over time between men who father their babies and the young mothers and their children. This report considers both adults and adolescents who father children with adolescent women. The discussion focuses on the relationship between partner support and three outcomes for the mothers: educational outcomes, economic outcomes, and psychological well-being. The general association between partner support and the children's development is also examined. In addition, partner support is viewed within the context of the teenager's family system, providing a framework for assessing key features of support for teenage mothers. The article outlines suggestions for future research.

Adolescent↗

Skills training for pregnancy and AIDS prevention in Anglo and Latino youth.

PURPOSE: This study tested social skills training (SST), didactic training (DT), and no training (NT) on adolescents' social skills for resisting peer pressure to engage in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and pregnancy risk behavior. METHODS: A total of 307 Latino and Anglo youth ages 13-18 years were assigned at random to receive 18 h of SST, 18 h of DT, or NT. RESULTS: Significantly (p < 0.05) greater increases in assertiveness followed SST compared to DT or NT for three trained skills: condom negotiation, asking a friend about their sex/drug history, and discussing a friend's risk of AIDS. Untrained negotiation skills (e.g., purchasing a condom) did not increase significantly. SST did not result in increased assertiveness for refusal skills. DT increased knowledge of AIDS significantly more than SST; both DT and SST increased knowledge significantly more than NT. CONCLUSIONS: Social skills training can increase assertiveness for certain negotiation skills that may decrease risk of AIDS for Latino, Anglo, and male and female adolescents. Both DT and SST can increase knowledge of AIDS prevention. Differences between experimental groups were supported by differences between trained and untrained skills within the SST condition, adding to discriminant validity.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Marriage structure and contraception in Niger.

Analysis of the 1992 Niger Demographic and Health Survey showed that although roughly two-thirds of both polygamous and monogamous women approve of birth control, polygamous wives are less likely than monogamous wives to discuss family size or birth control with their husband or to plan on using birth control. The study suggests that characteristics of polygamous couples have caused polygamous women to be more resistant to birth control use than monogamous women. The polygamous women tended to be married to older men who had not gone to primary school and who desired more children than monogamous husbands. The influence of marital structure is not significantly associated with intention to use birth control when the husband's age and the wife's ideal number of children were controlled for in the multivariate logistic regression model suggesting that background social factors may be more influential. In fact, educational level and age at first marriage were significantly associated with attitudes towards birth control and also with marital structure.

Adolescent↗

Partner influences and gender-related factors associated with noncondom use among young adult African American women.

We examined the partner influences and gender-related correlates of noncondom use among African American women. The prevalence of noncondom use was 45.3%. Women whose sexual partners were noncondom users were four times more likely to believe that asking their partner to use a condom implied he was unfaithful, three times as likely to have a partner who resisted using condoms, three times more likely to receive AFDC, twice as likely to be sexually nonassertive, three times more likely to believe that it was not difficult to find an "eligible" African American man, and three times as likely to have had one sexual partner. HIV prevention tailored towards African American women should address these partner influences and gender-related factors.

Adult↗

Factors influencing condom use among African American women: implications for risk reduction interventions.

Examined factors associated with condom use in a community-based sample of 423 sexually active African American women. Measures were selected to reflect the components in prevailing models of health behavior. Condom users were higher on AIDS health priority, prevention attitudes, stage of change, behavioral intentions, reported more frequent and comfortable sexual communication with partners, perceived greater partner and peer approval for condom use, and reported that peers also used condoms. Women in exclusive relationships evidenced earlier stage of change, lower intentions to use condoms, fewer peers who engaged in preventive behaviors, perceived themselves to have lower risk, and had lower rates of condom use, higher education, and family income. Women in fluid relationships were at particularly high risk, with lower rates of condom use relative to women not in a relationship and greater sexual risk for HIV. Implications for HIV-risk reduction interventions with African American women are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS) for women: development and validation.

Four studies were conducted to develop and validate the Sexual Assertiveness Scale (SAS), a measure of sexual assertiveness in women that consists of factors measuring initiation, refusal, and pregnancy-sexually transmitted disease prevention assertiveness. A total of 1,613 women from both university and community populations were studied. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that the 3 factors remained stable across samples of university and community women. A structural model was tested in 2 samples, indicating that sexual experience, anticipated negative partner response, and self-efficacy are consistent predictors of sexual assertiveness. Sexual assertiveness was found to be somewhat related to relationship satisfaction, power, and length. The community sample was retested after 6 months and 1 year to establish test-retest reliability. The SAS provides a reliable instrument for assessing and understanding women's sexual assertiveness.

Adult↗

HIV-related sexual behaviors of college students.

A follow-up study explored the prevalence of behavioral risk factors for HIV infection in a population of college students. Two hundred forty-three single students ranging in age from 17 to 24 years who identified themselves as heterosexual completed questionnaires related to planned and unplanned sexual intercourse and such other factors as alcohol and nonprescription drug use that might increase the risk of HIV infection. Forty-seven percent of the men and 57% of the women stated that they had had sexual intercourse from 1 to 5 times primarily because they were intoxicated, a phenomenon that increased with age until only 19% of those over 21 had never had sex because of intoxication. Seventeen percent of the sexually active men and 21% of the women said that they had used condoms. Nineteen percent of the men and 33% of the women acknowledged consenting to sexual intercourse because they felt awkward in refusing. The dangerous interaction between alcohol use and high-risk sexual activities suggested that college HIV prevention efforts should make the connection between the two risk factors explicit.

Adolescent↗

Identifying the social contexts of effective sex refusal.

A factorial survey was conducted to identify social situations that inhibit or promote college students' sex-refusal skills. Respondents evaluated five different situations in which sexual intercourse might occur and ranked each according to how certain the respondent would be to refuse to have sexual intercourse in that context. Regression analysis of the survey data showed that knowing the other person well, being with one's boyfriend or girlfriend, having condoms available, wanting to have sex, and both persons' wanting to have sex reduced the probability of refusal. On the other hand, having no condoms and the presence of drugs in the situation increased the probability the individual would refuse to have sex. In addition, men, individuals with previous sexual experience, and drinkers displayed diminished ability to refuse sex. However, the lack of condoms, when combined with these three respondent characteristics, acted to increase the ability to refuse sex.

Adult↗

An experiential program to reduce AIDS risk among female sex partners of injection-drug users.

This article describes the development and implementation of an acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) intervention program for female sex partners of male injection-drug users. Four psychoeducational workshops were designed to motivate personal risk reduction, provide participants with necessary cognitive and behavioral skills, and enhance participants' perceived ability to enact positive changes in their lives. The development of the workshop modules was guided by traditional theories of health behavior change and social learning. Also included in the intervention are referral and advocacy services, personal risk reduction counseling, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody testing. Preliminary results indicate that the program has made a significant impact on the AIDS risk of participants--91 percent of women who completed the program reported that they had made positive changes in their lives to reduce their risk of HIV infection.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Sexual negotiation in the AIDS era: negotiated safety revisited.

OBJECTIVE: To test the safety of the 'negotiated safety' strategy-the strategy of dispensing with condoms within HIV-seronegative concordant regular sexual relationships under certain conditions. METHOD: Data from recently recruited cohort of homosexually active men (Sydney Men and Sexual Health cohort, n = 1037) are used to revisit negotiated safety. The men were surveyed using a structured questionnaire and questions addressing their sexual relationships and practice their own and their regular partner's serostatus, agreements entered into by the men concerning sexual practice within and outside their regular relationship, and contextual and demographic variables. RESULTS: The findings indicate that a significant number of men used negotiated safety as an HIV prevention strategy. In the 6 months prior to interview, of the 181 men in seroconcordant HIV-negative regular relationships, 62% had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse within their relationship, and 91% (165 men) had not engaged in unprotected anal intercourse outside their relationship. Of these 165 men, 82% had negotiated agreements about sex outside their relationship. The safety of negotiation was dependent not only on seroconcordance but also on the presence of an agreement; 82% of the men who had not engaged in unprotected anal intercourse outside their regular relationship had entered into an agreement with their partner, whereas only 56% of those who had engaged in unprotected anal intercourse had an agreement. The safety of negotiation was also related to the nature of the safety agreement reached between the men and on the acceptability of condoms. Agreements between HIV-negative seroconcordant regular partners prohibiting anal intercourse with casual partners or any form of sex with a casual partner were typically complied with, and men who had such negotiated agreements were at low risk of HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS: The adoption of the strategy of negotiated safety among men in HIV-seronegative regular relationships may help such men sustain the safety of their sexual practice.

Adolescent↗

Improving quality of sexually transmitted disease case management in rural South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: To measure quality of sexually transmitted disease (STD) syndromic case management and aspects of health-seeking behaviour at baseline in an intervention trial. SETTING: Ten rural primary care clinics, Hlabisa district, South Africa. DESIGN: Simulated patients (fieldworkers trained to present with STD syndromes) made a total of 44 clinic visits; 49 STD patients were interviewed when exiting clinics; facilities were assessed for availability of necessary equipment and drugs; 10 focus group discussions were held with staff; and STD syndrome surveillance was performed in all 10 clinics. RESULTS: A total of 9% of simulated patients were correctly managed (given correct drugs, plus condoms and partner notification cards), recommended drug treatment was given in only 41% of visits, and appropriate counselling was given in 48% of visits. Among patients leaving the clinic, although 39% waited over an hour to be seen and only 37% were consulted in private, all reported staff attitudes as satisfactory or good. Only six clinics had syndromic management protocols available, three reported intermittent drug shortages, and seven lacked partner notification cards. Focus group discussions revealed good staff knowledge about STD, but showed lack of training in syndromic management and low morale. Surveillance data showed that while 75% of those presenting for care did so within 1 week of symptom onset, 27% had been treated for an STD in the preceding 3 months, and only 6% of those treated were contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of STD case management was poor despite good staff knowledge and availability of most essential resources. An intervention comprising staff training and STD syndrome packets has been designed to improve quality of case management.

Case Management↗

Reasons for not using condoms of clients at urban sexually transmitted diseases clinics.

BACKGROUND AND GOAL: Greater understanding of the factors related to inconsistent condom use is essential in the development of strategies to promote condom use among clients who access public, inner-city sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics. Therefore, this study aimed to explore reasons for not using condoms among 260 predominantly African American heterosexual male and female clients presenting for care at two inner-city STD clinics. STUDY DESIGN: Clients selected for this descriptive analysis reported having had at least one unprotected episode of sexual intercourse in the last 10 episodes. In face-to-face interviews, clients provided information about sexual activity, sexual partners, and condom use in the previous 30 days. In addition, they were asked to indicate the main reason for not using condoms when having unprotected sex. RESULTS: Content analysis showed six major categories of reasons for not using condoms: reasons related to partner relationships, reasons related to sexual sensation, reasons related to situational constraint, reasons related to condoms themselves, reasons related to pregnancy, and reasons related to types of sexual activity. Most frequent explanations given for not using condoms included partner trust (19.6%), the feel of condoms (11.9%), and lack of condom availability (11.5%). Clients also reported barriers to condom use that included beliefs about condom sensation and partner relationships. CONCLUSIONS: These results show the continued barriers that exist with respect to condom use in at-risk populations and emphasize the need to tailor meaningful interventions in order to promote condom use among persons who, for differing reasons, choose not to use them.

Adult↗

Disclosure of HIV status to sexual partners: predictors and temporal patterns.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Failure to disclose human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to sexual partners interferes with risk reduction. GOAL OF THIS STUDY: The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with disclosure and failure to disclose HIV infection to sexual partners and to describe condom use with nondisclosure. STUDY DESIGN: A longitudinal survey study of HIV seropositive persons recruited at a public STD clinic. RESULTS: Approximately 76% of the study population (n = 147) reported disclosing their HIV status to their last sex partner at baseline. Predictors of disclosure included consistent condom use and being in a monogamous relationship. Twenty-two percent of those who disclosed at baseline reported nondisclosure during follow-up. Approximately 23% reported not using a condom with a person to whom their status was not disclosed. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that ongoing partner notification may be necessary to increase disclosure of HIV status to sex partners over time.

Adult↗