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Contains fulltext : 158770.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Today, more than half of the world population is under the age of 25 years and one in four is under age 18. The urgency of expanding access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) notably for children and young people in Africa and Asia is greater than ever before. However, many challenges to the implementation and delivery of CSE in resource poor settings have been identified in the literature. CSE's effectiveness could be strongly improved if these challenges were better met. This paper aims to contribute to those much-needed improvements by sharing lessons learned from a decade of implementation of one particular CSE programme, The World Starts With Me, among various populations in 11 low income countries in Africa and Asia. The aims, content, reach and effectiveness of the programme are described. Next, the challenges for implementation and delivery at student, teacher, school and context level are discussed with reference to the wider knowledge base in this area. Finally, suggestions are provided for ways forward including the increased sensitivity of programmes for normative and practical barriers to sexual health, further advancement towards gender transformativity, a far-reaching expansion of comprehensive forms of teacher training and coaching, and a serious stepping-up of multilevel 'whole school' approaches. 16 p.

The Internet offers adolescents unique opportunities to actively shape their own sexual media environment. The aim of this study was to gain in-depth insight into Dutch adolescents’ motives, perceptions, and reflections toward Internet use for (a) finding information or advice related to romance and sexuality; (b) searching for and viewing pornographic or erotic material; and (c) romantic and sexual communication (i.e., cybersex/sexting). Data were collected through 12 Web-based focus groups (36 adolescents aged 16 to 19 years, 72.2% girls) and analyzed through three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. The themes that emerged from the focus-group discussions suggest that sex-related Internet use is a complex and ambivalent experience for adolescents. Sex-related Internet use seems an increasingly normalized and common phenomenon. Participants perceived the Internet as a useful source of sexual information, stimulation, inspiration, and communication. Yet they discussed a range of negative consequences and risks related to sex-related online behaviors, particularly concerning pornography’s potential to create unrealistic expectations about sex and sexual attractiveness. Participants generally believed they had the necessary skills to navigate through the online sexual landscape in a responsible way, although they believed other young people could be influenced inadvertently and adversely by sex-related online content.

In dit artikel worden de bevindingen van Project STARS Deelproject 3 beschreven, waarin de rol van Internet in de adolescente seksuele ontwikkeling is onderzocht. De verschillende empirische studies die zijn uitgevoerd hadden tot doel meer inzicht te bieden in (1) de prevalentie en ontwikkeling van verschillende seksgerelateerde online gedragingen tijdens de adolescentie; (2) hun longitudinale relaties met seksuele cognities, emoties en gedragingen; en (3) de manier waarop seksgerelateerd Internetgebruik is ingebed in persoonlijke en sociale contexten. De bevindingen suggereren dat de meeste seksgerelateerde online gedragingen minder wijdverbreid zijn onder adolescenten dan vaak wordt gedacht of gevreesd. Desalniettemin zijn de longitudinale en kwalitatieve gegevens in overeenstemming met de theoretische assumptie dat seksgerelateerde online gedragingen via verschillende processen van invloed zijn op seksuele ontwikkelingsprocessen. Daarnaast benadrukken de onderzoeksresultaten dat seksgerelateerd Internetgebruik niet plaatsvindt in een vacuüm, maar dat het is verweven met verschillende intra- en interpersoonlijke processen. Zo bleek dat seksgerelateerde online gedragingen overtuigingen van jongeren over gangbaar en geaccepteerd seksueel gedrag onder leeftijdsgenoten kunnen vormen, welke vervolgens eigen seksueel gedrag voorspellen. De verschillende studies lieten bovendien zien dat er vele vormen van congruentie bestaan tussen persoonlijke eigenschappen, interesses en sociale contexten van adolescenten enerzijds en seksgerelateerd Internetgebruik anderzijds. De bevindingen van dit deelproject dragen bij aan theorievorming en kennis omtrent de rol van het Internet in de adolescente seksuele ontwikkeling. Zij bevatten tevens relevante implicaties voor ouders, scholen en interventieontwikkelaars die ernaar streven een gezonde en positieve seksuele ontwikkeling te stimuleren.

In dit artikel worden de bevindingen van Project STARS Deelproject 3 beschreven, waarin de rol van Internet in de adolescente seksuele ontwikkeling is onderzocht. De verschillende empirische studies die zijn uitgevoerd hadden tot doel meer inzicht te bieden in (1) de prevalentie en ontwikkeling van verschillende seksgerelateerde online gedragingen tijdens de adolescentie; (2) hun longitudinale relaties met seksuele cognities, emoties en gedragingen; en (3) de manier waarop seksgerelateerd Internetgebruik is ingebed in persoonlijke en sociale contexten. De bevindingen suggereren dat de meeste seksgerelateerde online gedragingen minder wijdverbreid zijn onder adolescenten dan vaak wordt gedacht of gevreesd. Desalniettemin zijn de longitudinale en kwalitatieve gegevens in overeenstemming met de theoretische assumptie dat seksgerelateerde online gedragingen via verschillende processen van invloed zijn op seksuele ontwikkelingsprocessen. Daarnaast benadrukken de onderzoeksresultaten dat seksgerelateerd Internetgebruik niet plaatsvindt in een vacuüm, maar dat het is verweven met verschillende intra- en interpersoonlijke processen. Zo bleek dat seksgerelateerde online gedragingen overtuigingen van jongeren over gangbaar en geaccepteerd seksueel gedrag onder leeftijdsgenoten kunnen vormen, welke vervolgens eigen seksueel gedrag voorspellen. De verschillende studies lieten bovendien zien dat er vele vormen van congruentie bestaan tussen persoonlijke eigenschappen, interesses en sociale contexten van adolescenten enerzijds en seksgerelateerd Internetgebruik anderzijds. De bevindingen van dit deelproject dragen bij aan theorievorming en kennis omtrent de rol van het Internet in de adolescente seksuele ontwikkeling. Zij bevatten tevens relevante implicaties voor ouders, scholen en interventieontwikkelaars die ernaar streven een gezonde en positieve seksuele ontwikkeling te stimuleren.

Parent report and adolescent self-report data on lifetime sexual experience in adolescents with ASD were compared in 43 parent-adolescent dyads. Parents tended to underestimate the lifetime sexual experience of their sons, particularly solo sexual experiences such as masturbation and experience with orgasm. Parental underestimation and unawareness of adolescents’ sexual experience may influence communication and education about sex and sexuality in families. These findings have implications for the interpretation of earlier research, based on parent and caregiver reports, on sexuality in adolescents with ASD.

n dit artikel herleest de auteur enkele publicaties over (vrouwen en) pornografie die begin jaren tachtig van de vorige eeuw in het Tijdschrift voor Seksuologie en het Tijdschrift voor Vrouwenstudies verschenen. Beschouwd wordt hoe onderzoek en kennis in de loop van de jaren is verbeterd. Enkele cruciale inzichten over vrouwen en porno die sindsdien zijn ontwikkeld passeren de revue. Ook beperkingen van het huidige onderzoek worden besproken en leiden tot wensen voor toekomstig onderzoek. Daarnaast staat het porno-onderzoek voor de uitdaging grip te krijgen op een zich diversifiërende pornografische praktijk in een steeds sterker gemediatiseerde samenleving.

Sexual aggression is a serious threat to young people's sexual health in Europe, but establishing the exact scale of the problem has been hampered by a variety of conceptual and methodological problems. This article presents a framework for studying youth sexual aggression that addresses both prevalence and risk factors of victimisation and perpetration. It proposes a research tool to comprehensively assess the perpetration of, and victimisation by, sexual aggression that captures different coercive strategies, sexual acts, victim–perpetrator relations, and gender constellations. The instrument is rooted in a clear conceptual definition of sexual aggression and was pilot-tested in 10 countries of the European Union (EU). Furthermore, a list of good practice criteria is proposed to promote the quality and comparability of research on youth sexual aggression in Europe. A multilevel approach combining individual-level and country-level predictors of sexual aggression is outlined and illustrated with data from the pilot study in 10 countries.

n dit artikel herleest de auteur enkele publicaties over (vrouwen en) pornografie die begin jaren tachtig van de vorige eeuw in het Tijdschrift voor Seksuologie en het Tijdschrift voor Vrouwenstudies verschenen. Beschouwd wordt hoe onderzoek en kennis in de loop van de jaren is verbeterd. Enkele cruciale inzichten over vrouwen en porno die sindsdien zijn ontwikkeld passeren de revue. Ook beperkingen van het huidige onderzoek worden besproken en leiden tot wensen voor toekomstig onderzoek. Daarnaast staat het porno-onderzoek voor de uitdaging grip te krijgen op een zich diversifiërende pornografische praktijk in een steeds sterker gemediatiseerde samenleving.

Data are presented on young people's sexual victimisation and perpetration from 10 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain) using a shared measurement tool (N = 3480 participants, aged between 18 and 27 years). Between 19.7 and 52.2% of female and between 10.1 and 55.8% of male respondents reported having experienced at least one incident of sexual victimisation since the age of consent. In two countries, victimisation rates were significantly higher for men than for women. Between 5.5 and 48.7% of male and 2.6 and 14.8% of female participants reported having engaged in a least one act of sexual aggression perpetration, with higher rates for men than for women in all countries. Victimisation rates correlated negatively with sexual assertiveness and positively with alcohol use in sexual encounters. Perpetration rates correlated positively with attitudes condoning physical dating violence and with alcohol use in men, and negatively with sexual assertiveness in women. At the country level, lower gender equality in economic power and in the work domain was related to higher male perpetration rates. Lower gender equality in political power and higher sexual assertiveness in women relative to men were linked to higher male victimisation rates.

Today, more than half of the world population is under the age of 25 years and one in four is under age 18. The urgency of expanding access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) notably for children and young people in Africa and Asia is greater than ever before. However, many challenges to the implementation and delivery of CSE in resource poor settings have been identified in the literature. CSE’s effectiveness could be strongly improved if these challenges were better met. This paper aims to contribute to those much-needed improvements by sharing lessons learned from a decade of implementation of one particular CSE programme, The World Starts With Me, among various populations in 11 low income countries in Africa and Asia. The aims, content, reach and effectiveness of the programme are described. Next, the challenges for implementation and delivery at student, teacher, school and context level are discussed with reference to the wider knowledge base in this area. Finally, suggestions are provided for ways forward including the increased sensitivity of programmes for normative and practical barriers to sexual health, further advancement towards gender transformativity, a far-reaching expansion of comprehensive forms of teacher training and coaching, and a serious stepping-up of multilevel ‘whole school’ approaches. Full text HTML PDF

Aims To assess the associations between the presence of 12-month and remitted (lifetime minus 12-month) mood, anxiety and substance use disorders and sexual dissatisfaction in the general population of The Netherlands. Method A total of 6646 participants, aged 18-64, took part in a face-to-face survey using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Childhood trauma, somatic disorders and sexual dissatisfaction were also assessed in an additional questionnaire. Associations were assessed with multivariate regression analyses. Results In total, 29% reported some sexual dissatisfaction. Controlling for demography, somatic disorders and childhood trauma, significant associations with 12-month mood disorder (B = 0.31), substance use disorder (B = 0.23) and anxiety disorder (B = 0.16) were found. Specifically, relatively strong associations were found for alcohol dependence (B = 0.54), bipolar disorder (B = 0.45) and drug dependence (B = 0.44). The association between remitted disorders and sexual dissatisfaction showed significance for the category substance use disorder. Conclusions People with mood, anxiety and substance use disorders show elevated scores on sexual dissatisfaction, even when relevant confounders are controlled for. Sexual satisfaction appears to be reduced most by alcohol and drug dependence and bipolar disorder. Once remitted, substance use disorder shows a persisting association with present sexual dissatisfaction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This study investigated: (1) the prevalence and development of 2 receptive (sexually explicit Internet material [SEIM] use and sexual information seeking) and 2 interactive (cybersex and general social networking site [SNS] use) online behaviors in adolescence; (2) whether development of these behaviors predict adolescents’ body and sexual self-perceptions; and (3) whether parental strategies regarding adolescents’ Internet use reduce engagement in sex-related online behaviors. METHODS: Four-wave longitudinal data among 1132 seventh- to 10th-grade Dutch adolescents (mean age at wave 1: 13.95 years; 52.7% boys) were collected. Developmental trajectories of sex-related online behaviors were estimated by using latent growth curve modeling. Self-perception outcomes at wave 4 and parental strategies predicting online behaviors were investigated by adding regression paths to growth models. RESULTS: Boys occasionally and increasingly used SEIM. Patterns for girls’ SEIM use and boys’ and girls’ sexual information seeking and cybersex were consistently low. SNS use, however, was a common, daily activity for both. Higher initial levels and/or faster increases in sex-related online behaviors generally predicted less physical self-esteem (girls’ SNS use only), more body surveillance, and less satisfaction with sexual experience. Private Internet access and less parental rule setting regarding Internet use predicted greater engagement in sex-related online behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Although most sex-related online behaviors are not widespread among youth, adolescents who engage in such behaviors are at increased risk for developing negative body and sexual self-perceptions. Particular attention should be paid to adolescents’ SNS use because this behavior is most popular and may, through its interactive characteristics, elicit more critical self-evaluations. Prevention efforts should focus on parents’ role in reducing risky sex-related online behaviors.

BackgroundLittle is known about the associations between common mental disorders and sexual dissatisfaction in the general population.AimsTo assess the associations between the presence of 12-month and remitted (lifetime minus 12-month) mood, anxiety and substance use disorders and sexual dissatisfaction in the general population of The Netherlands.MethodA total of 6646 participants, aged 18–64, took part in a face-to-face survey using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Childhood trauma, somatic disorders and sexual dissatisfaction were also assessed in an additional questionnaire. Associations were assessed with multivariate regression analyses.ResultsIn total, 29% reported some sexual dissatisfaction. Controlling for demography, somatic disorders and childhood trauma, significant associations with 12-month mood disorder (B = 0.31), substance use disorder (B = 0.23) and anxiety disorder (B = 0.16) were found. Specifically, relatively strong associations were found for alcohol dependence (B = 0.54), bipolar disorder (B = 0.45) and drug dependence (B = 0.44). The association between remitted disorders and sexual dissatisfaction showed significance for the category substance use disorder.ConclusionsPeople with mood, anxiety and substance use disorders show elevated scores on sexual dissatisfaction, even when relevant confounders are controlled for. Sexual satisfaction appears to be reduced most by alcohol and drug dependence and bipolar disorder. Once remitted, substance use disorder shows a persisting association with present sexual dissatisfaction.

Aims To assess the associations between the presence of 12-month and remitted (lifetime minus 12-month) mood, anxiety and substance use disorders and sexual dissatisfaction in the general population of The Netherlands. Method A total of 6646 participants, aged 18-64, took part in a face-to-face survey using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0. Childhood trauma, somatic disorders and sexual dissatisfaction were also assessed in an additional questionnaire. Associations were assessed with multivariate regression analyses. Results In total, 29% reported some sexual dissatisfaction. Controlling for demography, somatic disorders and childhood trauma, significant associations with 12-month mood disorder (B = 0.31), substance use disorder (B = 0.23) and anxiety disorder (B = 0.16) were found. Specifically, relatively strong associations were found for alcohol dependence (B = 0.54), bipolar disorder (B = 0.45) and drug dependence (B = 0.44). The association between remitted disorders and sexual dissatisfaction showed significance for the category substance use disorder. Conclusions People with mood, anxiety and substance use disorders show elevated scores on sexual dissatisfaction, even when relevant confounders are controlled for. Sexual satisfaction appears to be reduced most by alcohol and drug dependence and bipolar disorder. Once remitted, substance use disorder shows a persisting association with present sexual dissatisfaction.

Systematic research on sexual development in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains scant, notwithstanding the often-suggested relation between ASD, atypical, and even sexually offensive behaviours. This study compared follow-up data related to lifetime sexual experience (LTSE) in a homogeneous group of adolescent boys with ASD (n = 30), aged 16–20, with a matched group of boys in the general population (n = 60). Most boys in the ASD and control groups reported masturbation and having experienced an orgasm. The proportion of boys with ASD that had no partnered sexual experience was larger than in the control group. This difference was mostly explained by significantly fewer boys with ASD, compared with controls, who reported experience with kissing and petting; no significant differences emerged relating to more intimate partnered sexual experiences. The results suggest the existence of a subgroup of boys who have not (yet) entered the arena of partnered sexual experiences—a finding in line with research in adult samples. There were no differences relating to sexual abuse or coercion. Exploration of the partnered experiences revealed a variety of types of partners, mostly of comparable age. Several boys with ASD had not anticipated their sexual debut. Although they felt ready for it, some boys reported regret afterward. The hypothesised sexual developmental trajectories are subject to further research, but the sexual experience in this sample and the assumed developmental differences indicate the need for early, attuned, and comprehensive sexuality-related education and communication.

Sexual aggression is a serious threat to young people's sexual health in Europe, but establishing the exact scale of the problem has been hampered by a variety of conceptual and methodological problems. This article presents a framework for studying youth sexual aggression that addresses both prevalence and risk factors of victimisation and perpetration. It proposes a research tool to comprehensively assess the perpetration of, and victimisation by, sexual aggression that captures different coercive strategies, sexual acts, victim–perpetrator relations, and gender constellations. The instrument is rooted in a clear conceptual definition of sexual aggression and was pilot-tested in 10 countries of the European Union (EU). Furthermore, a list of good practice criteria is proposed to promote the quality and comparability of research on youth sexual aggression in Europe. A multilevel approach combining individual-level and country-level predictors of sexual aggression is outlined and illustrated with data from the pilot study in 10 countries.

This vignette study examines the differences in Dutch people's attitudes towards sexual coercion perpetrated by a male against a female versus sexual coercion perpetrated by a female against a male. In total, 583 Dutch citizens (16–86 years, 59.7% female) evaluated a control scenario and three sexually coercive scenarios (verbal coercion, purposeful intoxication and force), in which the sex of perpetrator and victim was purposely varied. The variables studied include: (1) scenario acceptability, (2) victim responsibility, (3) perpetrator responsibility, (4) victim pleasure, (5) victim distress and (6) support for filing a police report. The results indicate that sexual coercion of men is taken less seriously than sexual coercion of women, especially among Dutch men. However, most differences between attitudes towards male and female victims were found only in the physical force scenario. The findings highlight the importance of educational programmes to raise awareness and reduce stereotypical views on male sexual victimisation.

This review examines associations between parenting styles and the psychosexual development of adolescents. Methods and results of empirical studies of associations between parental support, control, and knowledge and the sexual behavior and sexual health of adolescents are described and evaluated. The results show that, in general, higher scores on support, control and knowledge relate to less sexual experience, safer sexual practices and higher sexual competence. Despite the vast amount of literature on this subject, the majority of these studies focus on single dimensions of parenting and unidirectional parenting influences. This review generates hypotheses regarding interactions of different parenting styles and reciprocal associations between parents and their children. There is a need for more dynamic, dialectical studies of parenting and children’s sexual development.

Contains fulltext : 63029.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) 127 p.