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Problem: Risky sexual behaviors are common among college undergraduate students, and previous experience of interpersonal potentially traumatic events further increase the risk to engage in these behaviors. Little is known about how physical activity level and organized sports participation moderate the relationship between interpersonal potentially traumatic events and risky sexual behaviors. Methods: Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between interpersonal potentially traumatic events, physical activity, and risky sexual behaviors among undergraduate students. Results: Organized sports participation exacerbated the association between interpersonal potentially traumatic events and risky sexual behaviors for males but attenuated the association for females. However, no moderating effect was found for physical activity level. Conclusions: Organized sports participation served as a significant moderator on the association between interpersonal potentially traumatic events and risky sexual behaviors that warrants further investigation., Introduction Risky sexual behaviors include a variety of unsafe practices such as using alcohol prior to engaging in sexual activities, having multiple sexual partners, engaging in casual hookups, and not [...]

In this study, predicted outcome value theory (Sunnafrank, 1988, 1990) was applied to sexual interactions to identify the specific types of communication people use to develop predicted outcome values for [...]

Introduction: Safer conception strategies minimize HIV risk during condomless sex to become pregnant. Gaps remain in understanding the acceptability, feasibility and choices HIV-serodiscordant couples make when multiple safer conception options are available. Methods: We conducted a pilot study of a comprehensive safer conception package for HIV-serodiscordant couples with immediate fertility desires in Kenya from March 2016 to April 2018. The intervention package included antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-positive partners, oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative partners, daily fertility and sexual behaviour tracking via short message service (SMS) surveys, counselling on self-insemination, and referrals for voluntary medical male circumcision and fertility care. Couples attended monthly visits until pregnancy with HIV testing for negative partners at each visit. We estimated the number of expected HIV seroconversions using a counterfactual cohort simulated from gender-matched couples in the placebo arm of a previous PrEP clinical trial. We used bootstrap methods to compare expected and observed seroconversions. Results: Of the 74 enrolled couples, 54% were HIV-negative female/HIV-positive male couples. The 6 and 12-month cumulative pregnancy rates were 45.3% and 61.9% respectively. In the month preceding pregnancy, 80.9% of HIV-positive partners were virally suppressed, 81.4% of HIV-negative partners were highly adherent to PrEP, and SMS surveys indicated potential timing of condomless sex to peak fertility (median of sex acts = 10, interquartile range (IQR) 7 to 12; median condomless sex acts = 3.5, IQR 1 to 7). Most (95.7%) pregnancies were protected by [greater than or equal to]2 strategies: 57.4% were protected by high PrEP and ART adherence, male circumcision with or without timed condomless sex; 10 (21.3%) were protected by viral suppression in the HIV-positive partner and male circumcision with or without timed condomless sex; 8 (17.0%) were protected by high PrEP adherence and male circumcision with or without timed condomless sex. We observed 0 HIV seroconversions (95% CI 0.0 to 6.0 per 100 person years), indicating a 100% reduction in HIV risk (p = 0.04). Conclusions: The use of multiple safer conception strategies, primarily PrEP, ART, male circumcision and/or tracking fertility, was acceptable and feasible for African HIV-serodiscordant couples and significantly reduced HIV transmission risk. It is important to increase the availability of and counselling about safer conception services in regions with HIV epidemics involving heterosexual transmission and high fertility. Keywords: HIV-serodiscordant couples; safer conception; pregnancy; PrEP; ART; fertility, 1 | INTRODUCTION Attempting pregnancy is a reproductive right and a critical goal for many couples [1,2]. For heterosexual couples with one partner living with HIV, pregnancy attempts are often [...]

Risky sexual behavior (RSB) is common among undergraduate students in the United States and previous studies indicate an increased likelihood of engaging in RSB while under the influence of alcohol. Alcohol use is highly prevalent among college students, especially those students involved in sororities. The present study aims to examine the frequency of RSB in a sample of 330 sorority and non-sorority students at a Southeastern university using validated measures of RSB and RSB related to alcohol use. Results indicated no significant differences between sorority members and non-sorority members on measures of RSB. Implications for prevention and intervention strategies for college women are discussed., Risky sexual behavior (RSB) are defined as engaging in sexual activity without contraceptives or having multiple sexual partners. These behaviors are quite common among the United States undergraduate student population [...]

More and more young people are in long-distance relationships (LDRs). However, little is known about perceived or reported outcomes of LDRs compared to geographically close relationships (GCRs). This investigation compared [...]

Introduction: There are significant knowledge gaps concerning complex forms of mobility emergent in sub-Saharan Africa, their relationship to sexual behaviours, HIV transmission, and how sex modifies these associations. This study, within an ongoing test-and-treat trial (SEARCH, NCT01864603), sought to measure effects of diverse metrics of mobility on behaviours, with attention to gender. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected in 2016 from 1919 adults in 12 communities in Kenya and Uganda, to examine mobility (labour/non-labour-related travel), migration (changes of residence over geopolitical boundaries) and their associations with sexual behaviours (concurrent/higher risk partnerships), by region and sex. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models, stratified by sex and adjusted for clustering by community, were fitted to examine associations of mobility with higher-risk behaviours, in past 2 years/past 6 months, controlling for key covariates. Results: The population was 45.8% male and 52.4% female, with mean age 38.7 (median 37, IQR: 17); 11.2% had migrated in the past 2 years. Migration varied by region (14.4% in Kenya, 11.5% in southwestern and 1.7% in eastern and Uganda) and sex (13.6% of men and 9.2% of women). Ten per cent reported labour-related travel and 45.9% non-labour-related travel in past 6 months--and varied by region and sex: labour-related mobility was more common in men (18.5%) than women (2.9%); non-labour-related mobility was more common in women (57.1%) than men (32.6%). In 2015 to 2016, 24.6% of men and 6.6% of women had concurrent sexual partnerships; in past 6 months, 21.6% of men and 5.4% of women had concurrent partnerships. Concurrency in 2015 to 2016 was more strongly associated with migration in women [aRR = 2.0, 95% CI(1.1 to 3.7)] than men [aRR = 1.5, 95% CI(1.0 to 2.2)]. Concurrency in past 6 months was more strongly associated with labour-related mobility in women [aRR = 2.9, 95% CI(1.0 to 8.0)] than men [aRR = 1.8, 95% CI(1.2 to 2.5)], but with non-labour-related mobility in men [aRR = 2.2, 95% CI(1.5 to 3.4)]. Conclusions: In rural eastern Africa, both longer-distance/permanent, and localized/shorter-term forms of mobility are associated with higher-risk behaviours, and are highly gendered: the HIV risks associated with mobility are more pronounced for women. Gender-specific interventions among mobile populations are needed to combat HIV in the region. Keywords: HIV; universal test and treat; population dynamics; geographic mobility; sexual behaviour; sub-Saharan Africa, 1 | INTRODUCTION Despite substantial progress in HIV treatment and prevention in sub-Saharan Africa, highly mobile populations are proving challenging to engage in these gains. The significance of mobility in [...]

To gain further insight into psychosexual functioning, including behaviors, intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects, in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), comprehensive, multi-informant measures are needed. This study describes (1) the development of a new measure of psychosexual functioning in both parent- and self-reports (Teen Transition Inventory; TTI) covering all three domains of psychosexual functioning (i.e. psychosexual socialization, psychosexual selfhood, and sexual/intimate behavior). And (2) the initial testing of this instrument, comparing adolescents with ASD (n = 79 parent-report; n = 58 self-report) to Typically Developing (TD) adolescents (n = 131 parent-report; n = 91 self-report) while taking into account gender as a covariate. Results from both informants indicate more difficulties regarding psychosexual socialization and psychosexual selfhood in the ASD group. With regard to sexual/intimate behavior, only parents reported significantly more problems in adolescents with ASD., Author(s): Linda P. Dekker [sup.1] [sup.2] , Esther J. M. van der Vegt [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jan van der Ende [sup.1] , Nouchka Tick [sup.1] [sup.2] , Anneke Louwerse [sup.1] [...]

This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the history of genetic and evolutionary theories of same-sex sexual behavior using Imre Lakatos' methodology of scientific research programs (MSRP). Although distinct, those two programs are complementary. Whereas the genetic program maintains that homosexuality is genetically inherited, the evolutionary program attempts to explain how such a gene, which apparently reduces the reproductive fitness of its homozygous carrier, is maintained in the population. This appraisal reveals that the two research programs have not been empirically progressive in the Lakatosian sense. I argue that this situation has arisen precisely because of inappropriate over-commitment to the respective hard cores of the two research programs. As adherence to such cores is essential for success in research programs, according to Lakatos, I argue that Lakatos' account of science may be descriptively adequate but is normatively inadequate. I provide grounds for generalizing this case as follows: the MSRP may successfully capture the logic of axiomised sciences, such as physics, but applies poorly to most sciences, including biological and social sciences, which do not lend themselves to axiomatic organization., Author(s): Karori Mbugua[sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Introduction This paper is an attempt to reconstruct the [...]

Author(s): Cody Cichowitz 1,2,*, Leonard Rubenstein 1, Chris Beyrer 1 Summary points It has been reported that, in at least nine countries, forced anal examinations are used to investigate or [...]