Browsing by Subject "Sex (Psychology)"
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Item An evaluation and comparison of a sexual enhancement and a communication training program for their effects on sexual and marital satisfaction(Texas Tech University, 1986-12) Cooper, Alvin LNot availableItem An exploration of the effects of breast cancer on survivors' and partners' female body image and sexuality(Texas Tech University, 2003-12) Bryan, Laura AnnBreast cancer strikes thousands of women in the United States every year, and previous research has shown that it has an impact on sexuality and female body image. This phenomenological study explored the experience of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare from the point of view of both members of a couple, the survivor and her partner. Six heterosexual couples agreed to be interviewed regarding their experience of breast cancer and their perceptions of its effect on their relationship. Several significant categories emerged from the data, which were analyzed intergender. Survivors' categories included a description of the discovery of her breast cancer and how others reacted, her experience of the medical treatment, the strength-based coping strategies she used, the support she received from others, her relationship with her partner, and her quality of life after breast cancer. Partners' categories included his previous experience with illness, his experience of breast cancer as an observer, and his quality of life after the breast cancer. The data revealed that the partner played a significant role in the survivor's positive outcome, especially her positive view of her sexuality and body image. The final chapter includes a discussion about the theoretical, clinical, and research implications, as well as possible directions for future research.Item Attitudes toward love and intimacy in women with eating disorder characteristics(Texas Tech University, 1991-08) Raciti, MariaEating disorder literature has supported the idea that women with eating disorder characteristics have difficulty in intimate relationships. Literature has also noted that an eating disorder may be complicated by a concurrent affective disorder, substance abuse problem, or weight problem. Within the context of an intimate relationship, such a combination is likely to threaten the quality of interpersonal attitudes and behavior. The current study explored theories proposing relationship difficulties in women with eating disorder characteristics, in a sample of 208 young women. Results indicated that eating disorder characteristics were most consistently positively related to a possessive, dependent, and game-playing approach to love, and most consistently negatively related to a passionate or companionate approach to love. Also, eating disorder characteristics were found to be positively correlated with open, casual, and instrumental attitudes toward sexuality. Negative correlations were found between eating disorder characteristics and sexual self-esteem. Eating disorder characteristics were also found to be highly correlated with depression. Many of the relationships between eating disorder characteristics and interpersonal variables were reduced when the effects of depression were controlled. Other interesting findings included positive correlations between eating disorder characteristics and reported degree of substance use, and between eating disorder characteristics and problematic weight history. Also, negative correlations were found between eating disorder characteristics and sexual selfesteem.Item Factors influencing judgments of child sexual abuse(Texas Tech University, 1989-08) Murphy, Philip Edward,Although exact prevalence rates for child sexual abuse are yet to be established, it has become apparent that the vast majority of the perpetrators are male. As a possible explanation for this phenomenon, Finkelhor (1982) and Russell (1984a) have suggested that traditional culturally defined masculine role identity may play a large part in the commitment of this crime. The literature on rape provides indirect support for this contention with findings of a significant proportion of undergraduate males (35% to 60%) who reported a propensity to use force or rape if given certain hypothetical circumstances (e.g., Malamuth, 1981; Briere & Malamuth, 1983; Smeaton & Byrne, 1987). A constellation of attitudes that have been described as "macho" or "hypermasculine" have been associated with this propensity to rape. In the present study, college students between the ages of 18 to 2 5 years, who reported never having been a parent, responded to four vignettes of child sexual abuse in which the victim variables of age (9- or 16-year-old) and amount of physical resistance (none or some) to a male perpetrator were systematically varied. Five areas were judged: 1) definition of child sexual abuse, 2) amount of h^rm to the victim, 3) relative responsibility of the victim and perpetrator 4) perpetrator masculinity, and 5) victim femininity. Responses to these areas were analyzed for associations with attitudes of traditional masculinity via the Bern Sex Role Inventory, Sex Role Stereotyping Scale, Adversarial Sexual Beliefs Scale, Acceptance of Interpersonal Violence Scale, and Sexual Conservatism Scale. Results suggested that responses to vignettes of child sexual abuse appear to be affected primarily by characteristics of the vignette rather than by personality characteristics of the respondent. Unlike the perspective held by the legal and mental health professions wherein the child is seen as unable to give informed consent concerning sexual encounters with adults, the participants in the present study considered potential consent by the child when rating vignettes, regardless of the portrayed victim's age.Item Gender differences and perceived gender differences in love and sexual attitudes(Texas Tech University, 1993-08) Bettor, Laura LLiterature in the area of love and sexual attitudes supports the idea that different sexual standards for men and women that are held by either partner in the relationship, or by significant others, including society, may be influential in regard to the fate of the relationship. Historically, a double standard has been held concerning premarital sex for men and women, and it is evident that aspects of the double standard are embedded in gender roles. Throughout the history of the double standard, sex has been a goal for men, and women have been expected to set sexual limits if they want commitment from men. The current study examined the impact of gender differences and perceived gender differences on close relationships. Partners were studied in interaction in two types of vignettes. In one vignette, a sexual interaction had taken place in the context of a casual relationship, and in the other, a sexual interaction had taken place in a serious, romantic relationship. The sample of 148 male and 148 female subjects were asked to complete a series of questionnaires as they believed the persons in the vignettes would answer them. The questionnaires addressed love attitudes, sexual attitudes, self-esteem, sexual guilt, attitudes toward women, trait descriptors, and acceptance of a dating or marital relationship with the stimulus person for the self, a brother, or a sister. Subjects were also asked to answer a subjective measure concerning their own views on love and sex. No subject evaluated both a male and female stimulus person, and no subject evaluated a stimulus person in both relationship conditions. Results indicated that the effect of the emotional context in which the sexual interaction took place was much stronger than the effect of the gender of the stimulus person or the gender of the subject. Differing most across conditions were love attitudes, personal relevance of the stimulus person, and some sexual attitudes. Interestingly, stimulus person gender, emotional context, and subject gender had little impact on sexual guilt, and no impact on self-esteem. There were several additional interesting findings. Female raters perceived the male stimulus person to be less romantic and more game-playing than did male raters. Also, male raters perceived that the male stimulus person felt more guilt than did the female stimulus person. Overall, male subjects seemed more accepting of casual sex and were less judgmental of the people involved. Considering the subjects' subjective views on love and sex, it is evident that some gender-specific standards are still intact, and that men and women still follow certain sexual scripts. Several female subjects tended to see the male stimulus person in the serious context as a perfect mate, and males assumed that the female stimulus person in the serious context had made the male wait for sex. Both male and female respondents assumed that in the casual context, the male stimulus person was using the female. Male respondents seemed to view this as a common situation, while female respondents evidenced anger toward males. Given the changing rates of marital patterns in today's society, as well as the current political and social struggles between genders, further and more precise research in the area of gender differences in love and sex attitudes appears warranted. Once there is a better understanding of gender differences, perhaps existing sexual standards will be better understood, differences between men and women may be valued, and other changes in the social and political realms will result.Item Gender, relationship power, and coping with romantic jealousy(Texas Tech University, 1991-12) Dodge, Anthony RA spirited research interest in romantic jealousy within the past decade has not shown one gender to be more jealous than the other; however, important observations have been made concerning differences in vulnerability to jealousy threats and in the ways that men and women manage jealousy. Some researchers have noted that these differences are not attributable to gender, per se, but to sex role and power inequities in relationships. This study investigated the proposal that differences in men's and women's management of jealousy might be associated with the distribution of power in romantic relationships. Following a preliminary study, 244 female and 156 male students at two Texas universities completed a questionnaire that included items for further development of the Relationship Power Scale and self-report measures of affect responses and coping strategies used in a recent jealousy experience involving their partners. Internal reliability was shown for the resultant measure of relationship power, but validation data suggested that the construct may have had different implications for males and females. Factor analyses of jealousy affect produced a two factor solution representing anger and anxiety. Similarly, factor analyses of jealousy coping yielded four direct/bilateral and five indirect/unilateral scales. There was no difference in males' and females' scores on relationship power. The findings also failed to show that either gender or relationship power were related to anger or the engagement of direct/bilateral strategies such as seeking retribution, aggressing toward the partner or rival, or even asserting oneself. Coercion related to power only for males, but unexpectedly, greater power was inversely related to coercion. Consistent with the research hypotheses, participants with less relationship power experienced greater anxiety, but this association was stronger for males. As predicted, males reported greater use of withdrawal; however, females in equitable relationships were least likely to withdraw or avoid the partner when jealous. Except those in equitable relationships, females compared themselves to rivals more than males, and, unexpectedly, males engaged in greater self-blame and displacement. Positive reframing was utilized most by equitable status males. Although inferences pertaining to anger and direct/bilateral coping strategies are not possible, the findings suggested that high power status males and females in equitable relationships were troubled least by jealousy. Surprisingly, low and high power females appeared to manage jealousy in a similar fashion. The inclusion of additional variables in regression analyses suggested that, in addition to power, qualitative aspects of the relationship may be important predictors of females' jealousy, whereas males' jealousy may also relate to sex attitudes and degree of security concerning their partner's sexual fidelity.Item The role of tactile sensitivity in female sexual dysfunction(2003) Frohlich, Penelope F.; Meston, Cindy M.Convergent evidence suggests tactile sensitivity may be associated with sexual dysfunction in women. Both tactile sensation and female sexual functioning are affected by variations in estrogen levels, sympathetic nervous system activation, and vascular functioning. In addition, antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction (with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as fluoxetine) may be mediated by changes in tactile sensation. Serotonin is active in several peripheral mechanisms likely to affect sexual functioning such as vasoconstriction and dilation, smooth muscle contraction, and innervation of the genitals. Two studies were conducted to examine these hypotheses. In Study 1, tactile sensitivity was examined on the index finger and lower lip in women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD; n = 15), Female Orgasm Disorder (FOD; n = 17), and normally functioning women (n = 17). Finger and lip threshold were significantly associated with FSAD versus control women, and finger threshold with severity of FSAD. Finger and lip threshold were not significantly associated with FOD versus control women, or severity of FOD. In Study 2, tactile sensitivity was examined at baseline (pre-medication), week 1, week 4, and week 8, in clinically depressed women, 12 of whom received fluoxetine treatment and 13 of whom did not. Fluoxetine treatment resulted in decreased orgasm functioning, but not sexual desire or arousal functioning. Analyses indicated that fluoxetine-induced sexual changes were not mediated by tactile sensation. Consistent with previous findings, an independent association was found between sexual arousal functioning and finger sensation. Novel to this study, an independent association was found between sexual desire and finger sensation. Findings from the two studies suggest that tactile sensation may serve as a physiological assessment tool for FSAD. Future studies will need to examine whether tactile sensation measurements differentiate between subtypes of FSAD, and other types of sexual disorders, such as Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder. Future studies will also need to examine the association between sexual functioning and other aspects of tactile sensation, such as vibrotactile, temperature, and pain sensation, and nerve conduction velocity, on both genital and non-genital regions of the body.Item The sexual responses of women with a history of child sexual abuse(2007) Rellini, Alessandra, 1975-; Meston, Cindy M.Theoretical and epidemiological studies indicate that women with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA) experience more sexual problems during adulthood compared to non-abused women. Despite the abundance of research conducted on prevalence and incidence of sexual difficulties associated with a history of CSA, very little is known on the psychophysiological sexual response of CSA survivors. A study was conducted to examine whether women with and without a history of CSA differed in their physiological and subjective sexual responses when exposed to erotic videos. A second study was conducted to explore potential predictors of the physiological and subjective sexual responses of women with a history of CSA. Overall, the physiological sexual arousal of CSA survivors was not significantly weaker than the response of women with no history of CSA. However, when controlling for levels of sexual distress and sexual function those CSA survivors with higher levels of sexual distress showed lower physiological sexual arousal compared to CSA survivors with less sexual distress. In agreement with prior studies, for women with no history of CSA the relationship between levels of distress and physiological sexual arousal was not significant. Similarly, levels of subjective sexual arousal reported in the laboratory were associated with sexual distress in CSA survivors but not in women with no history of CSA. Women who reported more re-experiencing symptoms and more negative affect before the erotic video showed a significantly lower increase in subjective sexual arousal in the presence of an increase in physiological sexual arousal. Cortisol levels measured before and after exposure to the erotic video indicated that higher dissociation experienced during the sexual interaction with a partner is associated with a cortisol secretion during exposure to sexual stimuli. This finding suggests a potentially learned stress response to erotic stimuli which may negatively affect the physiological sexual arousal for a subgroup of CSA survivors. Findings from the two studies suggest that the psychophysiological assessment of the sexual response of CSA survivors captures some important aspects of the sexual difficulties experienced by these women. A number of potential predictors of the physiological and the subjective sexual responses of CSA survivors were identified. Future studies will need to examine whether interventions that target these predictors can help CSA survivors to increase their physiological and subjective sexual arousal to sexual cues and whether this provides some relief to their sexual distress.Item The influence of sexuality education and supervision, clinical experience, perceived sex knowledge, and comfort with sexual content on therapists addressing sexuality issues with clients(Texas Tech University, 2002-05) Hays, Kelli WennerThe purpose of this investigation was to examine if marriage and family therapists are initiating sexuality related discussions with their clients. Five variables were hypothesized to either directly or indirectly influence the dependent variable: therapist sexuality education, therapist clinical experience with sexuality issues, experience addressing sexuality issues in supervision, therapist sex knowledge and therapist level of comfort with sexuality issues. The theoretical literature has focused on sexuality education, clinical experience and supervision experience as important in moderating therapists' sex knowledge and comfort with sexuality issues. Previous research also indicates therapists' sex knowledge as an influential factor on therapists' comfort with sexual issues. However, virtually no empirical research has been previously conducted to test these variables. Additionally, there has been no previous empirical research that directly addresses the influencing factors of therapists' willingness to address sexuality issues with clients. A national random sample of 175 clinical members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) completed a 48-item questionnaire. Participants answered questions that assessed their past, current, and perceived experience and knowledge with sexuality issues. The findings suggest that therapists' perceived sex knowledge is a better predictor of their likelihood to engage in sexuality discussions than their actual sex knowledge. Therapists' comfort with sexual content and sexuality education, both had significant effects on the dependent variable. Implications for these findings are discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.Item The relationship between attitudes toward love, attitudes toward sex, and contraceptive behavior(Texas Tech University, 1989-08) Adler, Nancy LRecent research has indicated that there is currently a problem with unintended pregnancies in the United S t a t e s. In 1982, Forrest (1987) found that 54% of the pregnancies that occurred ware unplanned. Henshaw (1987) reported that approximately 30% of the pregnancies in 1983 were aborted. Although a large percentage of the abortions were performed on teenagers (27%), the majority involved woman in the 18-to-24 age range. The purpose of the present study was to explore the variables that appeared to be related to contraceptive use. It was an attempt to ascertain variables that need to be addressed during contraceptive counseling and sex education programs. Reiss, Banwart, and Foreman (1975) and Rains (1971) have developed theories to explain woman's contraceptive behavior. Although they approach the problem differently, both theories agree on the importance of self-esteem and sexual self-esteem (a woman's feelings about her sexual self and her sexual behavior) on contraceptive behavior. These theories also indicate that attitudes toward love and attitudes toward sex may affect contraceptive behavior. Other scholars (Cacioppo, Patty, Kao, & Rodriquez, 1986; Handrick & Handrick, 1987b) have highlighted other variables that may impact on contraceptive behavior (specifically, need for cognition and sensation seeking). The present study used undergraduate introductory psychology students from Texas Tech University to test hypotheses based on the research and theories mentioned above. Sexually active men and woman were used to test these hypotheses, despite the fact that previous research has mainly focused on woman. Results of the present study found statistical support for the proposed relationships between self-esteem and contraceptive behavior, and between dyadic commitment (as measured by various love and sex attitudes) and reliable contraceptive use. Support for sexual self esteem was mixed. There was no support for the hypotheses proposing relationships between contraceptive behavior and either the Sensation Seeking Scale or the Need for Cognition Scale. These results indicate that during contraceptive counseling and sex education programs, exploring relationship variables and fostering self-esteem may help to improve reliable contraceptive use.Item Therapists' personal sexual values and their values for clients: implications for practice and training(Texas Tech University, 2000-05) Patterson, Michele MThe role of values in psychology has been debated extensively and has evolved greatly over the history of psychotherapy. Empirical literature has addressed the issue of values in psychotherapy and found values to permeate the therapeutic process (e.g.. Beutier, 1979; Jensen & Bergin, 1988: Kelly, 1995). Research has also shown that therapists' values influence the effectiveness of therapy as well as influence, and often change, clients' personal values (e.g., Arizmendi et al., 1985: Beutier et al., 1983; Kelly, 1990; Kelly & Strupp, 1992). More recently the area of religious values has received closer investigation, and discrepancies between the values of therapists and clients have been found (e.g., Bergin, 1980, 1991). Bergin (1980) theorized that there is likely a significant discrepancy between the values of therapists and clients, which is not limited to the area of religion. One of the main areas addressed in therapy, an area for which most therapists likely have specific values regarding their own personal practices and the practices of their clients, is the area of sexuality. This study described therapists' personal values about sexuality and their values for their clients. Specific areas of sexuality assessed included: premarital sex, casual sex, extramarital sex. open marriages, sexual orientation, sex in adolescence, and sex in later adulthood (e.g., age 70 or older). Training therapists' received was also assessed. Results suggest that therapists espouse fairly liberal sexual values, and therapists who differ demographically sometimes differ in their values. Results also suggest that therapists feel comfortable working with a variety of sexual issues in therapy. Adequate training in sexual issues, however, was found to be lacking.Item Toward a dialogical view of sexuality and subjectivity in psychoanalysis(2001-08) McCarroll, Jennifer Colleene; Richardson, Frank C.Item What is sexy ?: correlates from a study of recent magazine advertisements(Texas Tech University, 1999-12) Goodrich, SuanneSexual appeals in advertisements are quite common. Sexually appealing ads contain some form of nudity or suggestive content, and as such they have the potential to offend large numbers of individuals. Despite this fact, advertisers apparently believe that sex appeals are a very effective way to communicate with consumers and ultimately generate sales. The limited research that has been done on this issue is equivocal. The results of studies may be mixed in part due to definitional problems as to what, exactly, is a sexy ad. Past studies have involved intuitive definitions of sex, but in fact, researchers do not know what makes an ad sexy (Courtney & Whipple, 1983). Therefore, the present study examined several elements of advertisements in order to determine which of them related to perceived ad sexiness. These elements included suggestive wording, model attractiveness, model pose, sexual imagery, nudity, model clothing, and overall liking of the ad. It was found that the attractiveness of the models in the ad, model clothing, and model body language were the most strongly related to perceived ad sexiness. Also, sexiness was strongly related to ad liking, which indicates that as ads become sexier, they also tend to be better liked. Nudity, surprisingly, was not strongly correlated with ad sexiness. Factor analyses were conducted to discover if these ad elements formed one or more underlying factors that could be used in future research. The analyses showed that there are two factors underlying the eight items. The first factor was generally composed of ad liking, perceived ad sexiness, model attractiveness, and model clothing. The remaining four variables loaded onto Factor 2. The two factors were highly correlated. Analyses of variance were conducted on each of the variables mentioned above to examine the effects of the sex of the participant and the type of model (male model, female model, or couple) on ad response. Results showed a tendency for opposite sex effects in which women rated ads with male models higher on these variables (e.g., ad liking, ad sexiness) than men did. Likewise, men rated ads with female models higher on four of the eight variables than women did. Ads depicting couples, however, were rated highly by both men and women.