Predicting risky sexual behavior

Comprehensive survey can help health workers identify potentially risky behavior

2013-05-16

(Press-News.org) Washington, DC (May 13, 2013) – A recent study by a team of researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas found that risky sexual behavior can be predicted by cultural, socioeconomic and individual mores in conjunction with how one views themselves.

Katherine Hertlein of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas will present her team's findings at the 63rd annual International Communication Association conference in London. Hertlein and colleagues surveyed over 800 participants and evaluated elements of the likelihood of one's engagement in high-risk sexual behavior. Approximately 120 variables were designed to give information on each area of focus – socio/demographic, active sanctions, cultural, relational and individual factors. The data supports the contention that the sexual script, or how groups are "supposed" at act regarding sex, has a significant impact on the likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behavior. The cultural factor, which included gender stereotyping, sexual fantasy, sexual conservatism and pornography usage, proved the most reliable on predicting high-risk sexual behavior.

Individuals who engage in high-risk sexual behavior (HRSB) expose themselves to multiple risks, including those that are social, emotional, and physical in nature. Such risks can include effects to interpersonal relationships, self-esteem and overall well-being and health. With such important effects of engagement, it is imperative that a variety of healthcare providers understand an individual's decision-making process as a way to prevent unnecessary and adverse health, social, and behavioral consequences.

Researchers have limited themselves to testing how specific elements in isolation impact decision-making rather than examining the combined influence of multiple variables on the decision making process. This is problematic because variables such as substance use, relationship exclusivity, moral development, religiosity, and sensation-seeking have been found, in some cases, to mediate the sexual decision-making process. No study to date has included all of these variables in one coherent model. This study was the first of its kind to include a cluster of variables identified in the literature that was included in testing a model of sexual decision-making in cases of high-risk sexual behavior.

"This research can provide information that will inform health educators, public health nurses, HIV/AIDS programs and other community resources as to the motivations and contributing factors inherent in decision-making around engagement in risky sexual practices," said Hertlein. "Further, research findings may contribute to improved outreach, education, preventive efforts, and treatments to help control the spread of sexually transmitted infections."

### "Testing a Model Predicting Risky Sexual Behavior," by Katherine Hertlein,Tara Emmers-Sommer, and Alexis Kennedy; To be presented at the 63rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, London, England, June 17-21. Contact: To schedule an interview with the author or a copy of the research, please contact John Paul Gutierrez, jpgutierrez@icahdq.org.

About ICA The International Communication Association is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. With more than 4,300 members in 80 countries, ICA includes 26 divisions and interest groups and publishes the Communication Yearbook and five major, peer-reviewed journals: Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Human Communication Research, Communication, Culture & Critique, and the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. For more information, visit http://www.icahdq.org.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Fishing for memories

2013-05-16

In our interaction with our environment we constantly refer to past experiences stored as memories to guide behavioral decisions. But how memories are formed, stored and then retrieved to assist decision-making remains a mystery. By observing whole-brain activity in live zebrafish, researchers from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have visualized for the first time how information stored as long-term memory in the cerebral cortex is processed to guide behavioral choices. The study, published today in the journal Neuron was carried out by Dr. Tazu Aoki and Dr. Hitoshi ...

Stem-cell-based strategy boosts immune system in mice

2013-05-16

Raising hopes for cell-based therapies, UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory. The researchers showed that, in mice, the tissue can be used to foster the development of white blood cells the body needs to mount healthy immune responses and to prevent harmful autoimmune reactions. The scientists who developed the thymus cells — which caused the proliferation and maturation of functioning immune cells when transplanted — said the achievement marks a significant step toward potential ...

South Africa's new radio telescope reveals giant outbursts from binary star system

2013-05-16

An international team of astronomers have reported the first scientific results from the Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7) in South Africa, the pathfinder radio telescope for the $3 billion global Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. The results appear in the latest issue of the prestigious international astronomical journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS). Using the seven-dish KAT-7 telescope and the 26 m radio telescope at the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), astronomers have observed a neutron star system known as Circinus ...

Vicious cycle: Obesity sustained by changes in brain biochemistry

2013-05-16

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With obesity reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the world, scientists have only begun to understand why it is such a persistent condition. A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry adds substantially to the story by reporting the discovery of a molecular chain of events in the brains of obese rats that undermined their ability to suppress appetite and to increase calorie burning. It's a vicious cycle, involving a breakdown in how brain cells process key proteins, that allows obesity to beget further obesity. But in a finding ...

Who's your daddy?

2013-05-16

Depending on the species, males have different strategies. They may try to ensure paternity by increased surveillance and fighting off the competition, or by having more frequent sex with their long-term partners. Others react by physically punishing unfaithful females or by reducing parental care once the – potentially unrelated – offspring has arrived. Herbert Hoi and colleagues of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, together with scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, carried out experiments with reed warblers to see how a situation of ...

Actor Johnny Depp immortalized in ancient fossil find

2013-05-16

A scientist has discovered an ancient extinct creature with 'scissor hand-like' claws in fossil records and has named it in honour of his favourite movie star. The 505 million year old fossil called Kooteninchela deppi (pronounced Koo-ten-ee-che-la depp-eye), which is a distant ancestor of lobsters and scorpions, was named after the actor Johnny Depp for his starring role as Edward Scissorhands - a movie about an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Kooteninchela deppi is helping researchers to piece together more information ...

Carbon in a twirl: The science behind a self-assembled nano-carbon helix

2013-05-16

This news release is available in German. Nanomaterials exhibit unique properties that can only unfold when the structures of the material are very small – that is, at the nanoscale. In order to exploit these special properties such as, for example, specific quantum effects it is very important to produce predefined nanostructures in a controlled way and interpret the formation of their shape. Scientists try to understand how to initiate and control the growth of nanomaterials and are exploring different ways to design and build up nanostructures with fine control ...

Work-related stress linked to increased blood fat levels

2013-05-16

Spanish researchers have studied how job stress affects cardiovascular health. The results, published in the 'Scandinavian Journal of Public Health', link this situation to dyslipidemia, a disorder that alters the levels of lipids and lipoproteins in the blood. Experts have been saying for years that emotional stress is linked to the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease as a result of unhealthy habits such as smoking, an unsuitable diet or leading a sedentary lifestyle, among other factors. Now, a study conducted by the Sociedad de Prevención de Ibermutuamur, in ...

Study brings greater understanding of tumor growth mechanism

2013-05-16

A study led by researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has for the first time revealed how the loss of a particular tumour suppressing protein leads to the abnormal growth of tumours of the brain and nervous system. The study is published in Brain: A Journal of Neurology. Tumour suppressors exist in cells to prevent abnormal cell division in our bodies. The loss of a tumour suppressor called Merlin leads to tumours in many cell types within our nervous systems. There are two copies of a tumour suppressor, one on each chromosome ...

3-D modeling technology offers groundbreaking solution for engineers

2013-05-16

Software developed at the University of Sheffield has the potential to enable engineers to make 'real world' safety assessments of structures and foundations with unprecedented ease. Developed in the Department of Civil & Structural Engineering, the software can directly identify three-dimensional collapse mechanisms and provide information about margin of safety, vitally important to engineers. A method of directly identifying two-dimensional collapse mechanisms was first developed in the Department in 2007, and commercialised through the spinout company LimitState ...

Predicting risky sexual behavior

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: