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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Factors affecting sexuality in older Australian women: sexual interest, sexual arousal, relationships and sexual distress in older Australian women.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sexual behavior, sexual relationships, sexual satisfaction, sexual dysfunction and sexual distress in a population of older urban Australian women. METHOD: In 2004, 474 women participating in the Longitudinal Assessment of Ageing in Women (LAW) Study completed a series of questionnaires about sexuality. They included the Short Personal Experiences Questionnaire (SPEQ), Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), questions concerning past sexual abuse based on the Sex in Australia Study, and questions comparing present and past sexual interest and activity. RESULTS: The percentage of women with partners ranged from 83.3% in the 40 - 49-year age group to 46.4% women in the 70 - 79-year age group. The sexual ability of partners diminished markedly with age, with only 4.8% of the partners using medication to enable erections. Only 2.5% of women reported low relationship satisfaction. The incidence of sexual distress was also low, being reported by only 5.7% of women. Younger women and women with partners had higher levels of distress than older women. Indifference to sexual frequency rose from 26.7% in women aged 40 - 49 years to 72.3% in the 70 - 79-year age group. Past sexual abuse was recalled by 22.7% of women and 11.6% recalled multiple episodes of abuse. Women who recalled abuse had lower scores for satisfaction with sexual frequency. CONCLUSIONS: It appears from this study that there is a wide range of sexual experience amongst aging women, from never having had a sexual partner, to having solitary sex, to having a relationship with or without sex into the seventh decade. As women age, they experience a decrease in sexual activity, interest in sex, and distress about sex. This may be associated with the loss of intimate relationships as part of separation, divorce or bereavement. Decreased sexual activity with aging may be interpreted as a biological phenomenon (part of the aging process) or as sexual dysfunction, or it may be the result of adapting to changed circumstances.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The relationship of sexual daydreaming to sexual activity, sexual drive, and sexual attitudes for women across the life-span.

The association among sexual daydreaming and sexual attitudes and activity was examined in a cross-sectional life-span sample of women (N = 117, 26 to 78 years). Sexual daydreaming was measured using the Imaginal Processes Inventory (IPI) while sexual history measures of sexual activity, sexual drive, and sexual attitudes were derived from a comprehensive personal interview. A factor analysis and varimax rotation of the sexual history variables, age, and the Sexual Daydream Scale of the IPI revealed three primary factors representing dimensions of sexual activity and drive, attitudes toward sexual activity, and sexual satisfaction. Age was associated with less sexual daydreaming, less sexual drive, less sexual activity, and more negative sexual attitudes. Sexual daydreaming varied directly with sexual drive and sexual activity and with a positive sexual attitude.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The multiple dimensions of sexual behavior as risk factor for sexually transmitted disease: the sexually experienced are not necessarily sexually active.

Sexual behavior is a crucial risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but no national data exist to define a true population at risk. Instead, limited information describes sexual behavior in specific population groups (adolescents, women in their twenties) only in terms of a single dimension: sexual experience. To address the multiple dimensions of sexual behavior, we analyzed data collected from a nationally representative sample of reproductive age women in the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). We found 86% of women aged 15-44 to be sexually experienced. Teenagers are the least experienced (45% and 56% of whites and others, respectively) and the least sexually active of all reproductive women. While sexual experience increases with age, sexual activity shows a curvilinear age pattern: it increases up to age 35 and decreases slightly from age 35 to 44. Teenagers report the least consistent sexual activity (less than 25%) and the highest level of abstention (38% and 31% for whites and others, respectively) following sexual experience. These findings indicate sexual experience as a measure of sexual behavior should be further refined to provide a more accurate estimate of the population at risk for STD.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Sexual anxiety and female sexual arousal: a comparison of arousal during sexual anxiety stimuli and sexual pleasure stimuli.

Sexual arousal occurring during sexual anxiety stimuli was compared to sexual arousal occurring during sexual pleasure stimuli in 19 sexually functional women. Stimuli were individualized narratives based on descriptions given by each subject. Sexual arousal was measured by monitoring vaginal blood flow with a vaginal photoplethysmograph. Results showed significant increases in vaginal blood flow in response to both sexual anxiety and sexual pleasure. However, increases in the pleasure condition were significantly greater than those in the anxiety condition. Analysis of the blood flow across time showed a significant linear increasing trend in the pleasure condition and a lack of such a trend in the anxiety condition.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Sexual esteem, sexual depression, and sexual preoccupation in the exchange approach to sexuality.

A sample of 124 undergraduate students completed the Sexuality Scale and the Sexual Approach Questionnaire developed by Snell. The analysis indicated that those who scored high on the Exchange approach to sexuality (n = 43) scored lower on Sexual Esteem and higher on Sexual Depression and Sexual Preoccupation than those who scored low on Exchange (n = 43). Furthermore, men (n = 49) scored higher on preoccupation with sex than did women (n = 75).

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The association between religiosity, sexual fantasy, participation in sexual acts, sexual enjoyment, exposure, and reaction to sexual materials among black South Africans.

This study investigated the association of religiosity with sexual fantasies, participation, enjoyment, exposure, and reaction to sexual materials of 1,292 first-year university students. Participants who scored higher on the religiosity scale were more likely to report fantasies about heterosexual intercourse but less likely to have participated in heterosexual intercourse and less likely to report enjoyment of heterosexual or lesbian sexual intercourse or oral sex. Participants who were more religious were less likely to have been exposed to almost all types of sexual material and were more likely to disapprove of almost all types of sexual material.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

[On the phenomenology of juvenile sexual delinquency and on the phenomenology of juvenile sexual delinquents - child-neuropsychiatric aspects of prevention of deviating sexual behaviour. Juvenile sexual delinquency:introduction to the problems, phenomenology (author's transl)].

The prophylaxis and clearing-up rate of deviating sexual behaviour of adolescents could be favourably influenced, if doctors, teachers and judicial administrators had a better knowledge of the phenomenology of sexual delicts as well as sexual delinquents. 87 expert opinions on juvenile sexual delinquents were analysed under this aspect. In the majority of cases sexual delicts of adolescents reveal a far more extensive disturbance in their individual and social development.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

[On the phenomenology of juvenile sexual delinquency and on the phenomenology of juvenile sexual deliquents--child-neuropsychiatric aspects of prevention of deviating sexual behavior. Phenomenology of adolescent sexual delinquency from a social and medical point of view. Prevention of deviant sexual behaviour (author's transl)].

Among manifold causes and conditions there are two essential roots: unfavourable social background and cerebroorganic disturbances. Crime prevention must increasingly concentrate on infancy and youth. Emphasis is laid upon crime preventive possibilities of sex education and the importance of child neuropsychiatry within the framework of complex public measures to combat criminality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Sexual behavior and responsiveness to sexual stimuli following laboratory-induced sexual arousal.

Sexual excitement can be seen as an action disposition. In this study sexual arousal was expected to generate sexual action and to increase interest and responsiveness to sexual stimuli. In two experiments, male and female participants were exposed to a neutral or a sexual film. We measured genital and subjective responses to the film, and sexual behavior following the laboratory visit. In Experiment 2, film exposure was followed by a task in which participants rated the sexual arousability of neutral and sexual pictures. Rating time of the sexual pictures served as an index for sexual interest. Responsiveness to the sexual pictures was measured by modulation of spinal tendinous (T) reflexes. Sexual activity, but not sexual desire, was higher for participants in the sexual film condition than for participants in the neutral condition. Sexual interest and responsiveness to still pictures were not higher for participants in the sexual film condition than for those in the neutral film condition. In addition, men who saw the neutral film showed a greater responsiveness to still pictures than men who saw the sexual film. The results support the view of sexual arousal as an emotional state generating action tendencies and actual sexual behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Sexual compatibility and the sexual desire-motivation relation in females with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

Fifty-four female participants with hypoactive sexual desire disorder supplied daily reports of their sexual desire and motivation. The relation between desire and motivation remained statistically significant when controlling for sexual compatibility, sexual stress, sexual fantasy, and marital and sexual satisfaction. Findings suggest that (a) women higher in sexual compatibility experience greater sexual motivation regardless of their marital and sexual satisfaction, their sexual desire intensity, and depressive symptomatology; and (b) the relation between sexual compatibility and sexual desire is mediated by the propensity of those women high in sexual compatibility to have greater marital and sexual satisfaction. Within-subject analyses that controlled for autocorrelation and linear trends in the time series revealed that 40% of the women experienced significantly higher sexual motivation on greater sexual desire days. A discussion of these findings and evidence for the addition of sexual motivation as a distinct phase in the human sexual response cycle are explored.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Young women's sexual risk taking behaviour: re-visiting the influences of sexual self-efficacy and sexual self-esteem.

This study investigates the influences on young women's sexual risk taking of (a) attitudes such as sexual self-efficacy and sexual self-esteem and (b) personal and sexual characteristics, such as age, the age of first sexual experience, the number of sexual partners and reported overall amount of sex. Three hundred and thirty-one young women participated in this study. With respect to regular sexual relationships, the results show that risk taking behaviour is directly and positively associated with sexual self-esteem. The effect of sexual self-efficacy on risk taking in regular relationships, however, is indirect and positive, being mediated by the overall amount of sexual activity. In contrast, with respect to casual sexual relationships, risk taking behaviour is negatively associated with self-esteem and positively associated with sexual self-efficacy. In addition, sexual self-esteem influences casual risk taking indirectly and positively, the effect being mediated by the overall amount of sexual activity. The findings in relation to sexual self-esteem and sexual self-efficacy are contrary to the expectations that these variables would be negatively associated with sexual risk taking behaviours. The implications for safe sex education are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

The relationship between indicators of sexual compulsivity and high risk sexual practices among men and women receiving services from a sexually transmitted infection clinic.

Sexual compulsivity, defined by sexual preoccupation and lack of sexual impulse control, is related to high-risk sexual behaviors. However, little is known about the prevalence and predictors of sexual compulsivity in people at high risk for contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In the current study, patients receiving diagnostic and treatment services (85% African American) at an urban STI clinic completed measures of demographic characteristics, sexual compulsivity, substance use, and sexual behaviors. Measures were administered to 492 men and 193 women using confidential procedures and audio computer-assisted interviewing technology. Results showed that men and women receiving STI clinic services frequently endorsed multiple indicators of sexual compulsivity. In this mostly African American sample, individuals with scores above the 80th percentile on the sexual compulsivity scale (translating to over one standard deviation above the mean) had more sex partners, engaged in higher rates of sexual risk behaviors with casual or one-time sex partners, and were nearly four times as likely to have been recently diagnosed with multiple STIs than were individuals who scored below the 80th percentile. Although sexual compulsivity scores were associated with alcohol and other drug use, associations between sexual compulsivity and sexual risks were not accounted for by substance abuse. Findings suggest an urgent need for interventions to help men and women with sexual preoccupations and poor sexual impulse control to reduce their risks for sexually transmitted infections.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1997

Childhood sexual abuse, adolescent sexual behaviors and sexual revictimization.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to examine the extent to which exposure to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) was associated with increased rates of sexual risk taking behaviors and sexual revictimization during adolescence. METHOD: A birth cohort of 520 New Zealand born young women was studied at regular intervals from birth to the age of 18. At age 18 retrospective reports of CSA were obtained from sample members. Over the course of the 18 year study information was gathered on: (a) childhood, family, and related circumstances; and (b) the young women's history of sexual experiences from 14 to 18 years. RESULTS: Young women reporting CSA, and particularly severe CSA involving intercourse, had significantly higher rates of early onset consensual sexual activity, teenage pregnancy, multiple sexual partners, unprotected intercourse, sexually transmitted disease, and sexual assault after the age of 16. Logistic regression analyses suggested that the associations between CSA and sexual outcomes in adolescence arose by two routes. First, exposure to CSA was associated with a series of childhood and family factors including social disadvantage, family instability, impaired parent child relationships, and parental adjustment difficulties that were also associated with increased sexual vulnerability in adolescence. Second, there appeared to be a causal chain relationship between CSA and sexual experiences in which CSA was associated with early onset sexual activity which, in turn, led to heightened risks of other adverse outcomes in adolescence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that those exposed to CSA have greater sexual vulnerability during adolescence. This appears to arise because: (a) the childhood and family factors that are associated with CSA are also associated with increased sexual risks during adolescence; and (b) exposure to CSA may encourage early onset sexual activity which places those exposed to CSA at greater sexual risk over the period of adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Sexual esteem, sexual satisfaction, and sexual behavior among people with physical disability.

This study investigated the association between the severity and duration of physical disability and sexual esteem, sexual depression, sexual satisfaction, and the frequency of sexual behavior. A total of 1,196 participants completed the study. There were 748 participants (367 males, 381 females) who had a physical disability and 448 participants (171 males, 277 females) who were able-bodied. The age range of participants was 18-69 years, with a mean age of 36.39 years (SD = 10.41). The results demonstrated that people with more severe physical impairments experienced significantly lower levels of sexual esteem and sexual satisfaction and significantly higher levels of sexual depression than people who had mild impairments or who did not report having a physical impairment. The study also found that people with more severe physical disabilities engaged in mutual sexual activity significantly less frequently. Women with physical disabilities had significantly more positive feelings about their sexuality and significantly more frequent mutual sexual experiences than their male counterparts. For people with physical disabilities, the frequency of oral sex and nude cuddling were significant predictors of sexual satisfaction in men, while the frequency of deep kissing predicted sexual satisfaction in women. Furthermore, the viewing of erotica was significantly related to sexual dissatisfaction in men. Finally, it was found that people who had experienced their physical impairment for a longer period of time reported significantly more positive feelings about their sexuality. Implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions are made for future research.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Sexual revictimization: the role of sexual self-esteem and dysfunctional sexual behaviors.

Disproportionately high rates of sexual revictimization have been noted among former victims of child sexual abuse (CSA), yet researchers have yet to determine the source of this apparent vulnerability to reexperience sexual violence. This study explores this issue by examining sexual self-esteem, sexual concerns, and sexual behaviors among 402 university women. Compared to women without a history of CSA (n = 348), women with a history of CSA (n = 54) had lower sexual self-esteem, poorer sexual adjustment, and were 2 times more likely to have experienced sexual assault since the age of 14 years. Structural equation modeling indicated that the relationship between child abuse (i.e., CSA and child psychological maltreatment) and sexual revictimization was partially mediated by sexual self-esteem, sexual concerns, and high-risk sexual behaviors. This study emphasizes the need for further research on child maltreatment, revictimization, and women's sexual adjustment.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The assessment of sexual functions in women with male partners complaining of erectile dysfunction: does treatment of male sexual dysfunction improve female partner's sexual functions?

The aims of this prospective study were to compare sexual functioning between women with male partners who have erectile dysfunction (ED) and women without partners with ED and also to investigate the effect of the treatment of male ED on female partner's sexual function. The study included 87 women and their male partners. We divided the women into two groups: 38 women with male partners complaining of ED (ED group) and 49 women with male partners who have no ED (control group). Of the men with ED, 30 were treated with penile prosthesis implantation (n = 17) or oral sildenafil citrate (n = 13). We evaluated all the men with the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF; Rosen, Cappelleri, Smith, Lipsky, & Pena, 1999), physical examination, and color penile Doppler ultrasound. We evaluated female sexual function with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000) to assess sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. We compared female sexual function scores between the women of the male partners with and without ED and also compared before both groups and after the treatment of male partners in the ED group. Additionally, we compare the scores according to the type of treatment given to the male partners. Sexual arousal (p = 0.009), lubrication (p = 0.001), orgasm (p = 0.006), satisfaction (p = 0.000), pain (p = 0.039), and total score (p = 0.003) were highly significantly lower in the ED group than in the control group, although sexual desire did not differ between the two groups (p = 0.515). We investigated the effect of male ED on female sexual functions and found no statistically significant differences in the presence of organic type impotence, older age, and lower erection scores on the IIEF (p = 0.53, p = 0.15, and p = 0.1, respectively). After the treatment of male ED, we observed significant improvement in sexual arousal (p = 0.001), lubrication (p = 0.002), orgasm (p = 0.000), satisfaction (p = 0.000), and pain (p = 0.002) in the women. These findings suggest that female sexual function is affected by male erection status and may improve after the treatment of male sexual dysfunction.

Adult↗