Negative affect and emotions such as anger and anxiety, are risk factors related to sexual offending (Howells, Day, & Wright, 2004; Serran & Marshall, 2006). Consequently, most sexual offender treatment programs teach offenders how to cope with situations that produce negative emotionality (Pithers et al., 1989; Marshall, Marshall, Serran, 2006). A review of mindfulness meditation, a positive therapeutic approach, has demonstrated utility in improving emotional management skills (Baer, 2003), however meditation has yet to be considered as a treatment for sexual offenders. The present study is a pilot attempt at exploring the feasibility of using meditation in working with sexual offenders. Results show that participants were receptive to meditation, thought it may be beneficial, and were able to concentrate and relax during an experiential session. The potential benefits of mindfulness for improving emotional management in sexual offenders will be discussed and directions for future research will be explored.

Reproductive success in the male rat depends on the ability to recognize appropriate sexual cues, motivation to respond to those cues, and coordination of the necessary motor sequences required to optimize sexual performance and an ejaculatory response. Early maternal environment is important in the normal development of copulatory behavior. Manipulation of this early social stimulation results in alterations in male sexual behavior and in the functioning of mediating endocrine and neurotransmitter systems. The present series of studies were designed to explore the effects of early life maternal deprivation and replacement maternal licking-like stimulation on the development of male rat sexual behavior and the neurophysiological mechanisms which mediate sexual performance with specific attention to the dopamine (DA) and androgen systems. Long-Evans male rats were reared with or without their mothers through the use of the artificial rearing (AR) paradigm. Half of the AR rats were provided with licking-like stimulation, consisting of periodic stroking with a paintbrush. In study 1, AR and maternally-reared (MR) rats were tested in adulthood for sexual behavior. Neuronal activation in response to copulation was assessed using an antibody against the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos in brain regions that sub-serve sexual behavior. Study 2 explored whether sexual behavioral deficits observed in AR males can be reversed by later sexual experience. In this study, animals were sacrificed following a ninth copulatory trial and Fos immunoreactivity, androgen and estrogen-α receptors were assessed. In study 3, the effects of early maternal deprivation on partner preference in both males that are differentially reared, and, female preference towards these males were investigated. This explored if any behavioral deficits observed in AR males could be attributed to differences in their attractivity to females. Study 4 investigated the effects of early maternal deprivation on androgen sensitivity in adult males. Copulatory response to a receptive female was examined post-castration in AR and MR males and again following testosterone replacement. In study 5, levels of extracellular DA were investigated in the nucleus accumbens, an area critical in motivation, prior to and during copulation in sexually experienced AR and MR males using Microdialysis.

Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2010-06-29 22:05:58.284 / The growing global awareness of sexual violence as a weapon of war has been accompanied by the strategic and pervasive inclusion of womens personal stories of war rape. This representational strategy of Western media, academia and humanitarian policies was critically examined in order to understand how war raped women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are discursively situated as Other. Drawing on the theoretical concepts of abjection and objection, the study did not question the truth of womens experience but rather examined whether the pervasive inclusion of war rape stories constituted a true feminine subjectivity. A foucaldian notion of discourse provided a method to expose meaning and dominant discourses, which render certain identities and stories of war rape more visible than others. The purpose of this study was to critically engage with dominant Western discourses of war rape and provide a more complex understanding of how diverse power structures, identities and representational practices impact the struggle of Congolese women to end rape and open self-determined pathways of empowerment. A qualitative method of critical discourse analysis was used to examine the textual and visual processes of representation. Samples of text were taken from three main areas: media coverage (print, television, web based, magazines, and films), feminist academic literature (journals, reports and books), and humanitarian policies (UN mission reports, security council resolution, mandates and reports). The results revealed that war rape victims, the DRC and acts of rape were all positioned as Other and as a media spectacle that was further consumed by Western audiences. It was also found that certain war rape identities and social factors remained invisible, including the Wests complacency in the DRC conflict. Ultimately, the study finds a tension between discourse as a tool of liberation and a tool of power and control. This thesis recommends that anti rape activists must examine their own dominance over war rape victims and consider new strategiesbeyond the simple act of storytellingthat will position rape victims as the subjects (not objects) of their own struggle to end war rape. / Master

Faculty of Criminology, Justice and Policy Studies

The literature on sexual crimes against children has shown different factors contributing to consequences for the victims. Yet, less has been investigated on consequences of sexual abuse mediated by the Internet. The aim of the present study was to examine consequences of Internet-initiated sexual abuse on female victims’ mental health. Analyses of self-rating questionnaires were conducted to examine the victims’ mental health status at the time before, during and after the abuse, during the disclosure, police interrogations, trials and today (six years after trials). Results showed that their mental health today was overall good and how they felt during the disclosure contributed most on how they felt today. Victims that got some support compared to victims that did not after the abuse had better mental health today. The findings provide better understanding of the consequences of Internet-initiated sexual abuse which might help building up more effective treatment programs for victims of such crimes.

To date, only two studies have examined the accuracy of people’s perceptions of their romantic partners’ sexual satisfaction. These have yielded inconsistent results, with one study suggesting that men tend to overestimate their partners’ sexual satisfaction while women do not, and the other suggesting that women tend to overestimate their partners’ sexual satisfaction while men do not. Both studies have significant methodological limitations that make it difficult to interpret their findings. The first purpose of the current study was to investigate how similar people’s perceptions of their partners’ sexual satisfaction were to the levels of sexual satisfaction their partners reported, using an improved research methodology that addressed the limitations of past research. The second purpose of the current study was to better understand the factors that predict bias in perceptions of partner sexual satisfaction, using an integrative model that included both interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. Participants were 84 heterosexual couples who were married or cohabiting. They completed measures of sexual satisfaction (their own and their partners’), relationship satisfaction, quality of communication about sexual issues within their relationships, and also completed a task designed to assess emotion recognition abilities. We found that partner perceptions of sexual satisfaction were strongly correlated with self-reported sexual satisfaction for both males and females. We also found that males’ perceptions of their female partners’ sexual satisfaction were significantly biased, such that they underestimated their partners’ levels of sexual satisfaction. Females neither over nor underestimated their partners’ sexual satisfaction. Additionally, we found that better quality of sexual communication predicted decreased bias, while there was a trend toward better emotion recognition abilities predicting decreased bias. Further, quality of sexual communication and emotion recognition abilities interacted such that when the quality of sexual communication was good, there was no association between emotion recognition abilities and bias, but when the quality of sexual communication was poor, better emotion recognition abilities were associated with less bias. Implications of these findings are discussed.

This study investigated the working representations of self, others and relationships in seven women who have been sexually abused as children. A qualitative approach was employed. Representations of self, others and relationships were defined as the theories of self, others and relationships that the women used to process information in the world. They included assumptions, beliefs, attributions, behavior and affect. The women who participated experienced sexual abuse as children (i.e., 3 to 16 years of age) by important male figures (i.e., family friend, father-figure, uncle). Participants were currently in or had recently received therapy for issues involving their experiences of child sexual abuse. The study consisted of two meetings. In the first meeting, the participants were interviewed regarding: (a) their representations of self, others and relationships; (b) the impact of child sexual abuse on their representations; (c) their understanding of any changes that may have occurred in their representations since the time of the abuse; and (d) the influence that therapy and other important experiences may have had on the way they perceived the impact of child sexual abuse on their representations. In the second meeting, the participants were given the opportunity to respond to the researcher's reconstructions of their thoughts and descriptions given in the first meeting. Information about the details of the abuse, such as number of perpetrators, severity of abuse, and duration of abuse; and life circumstance information, such as level of education and marital status, was obtained through a questionnaire filled out by the participant and/or her therapist. A thematic content analysis was employed to abstract themes regarding the women's understanding of the impact of the sexual abuse on their working representations. A narrative was constructed for each woman outlining the specific effects and a summary of the dominant themes found across women was written. The dominant themes found across women regarding their representations of self included: (a) low self-worth; (b) lack of knowledge of self; (c) confusion about female identity; (d) distorted body image; (e) disrupted sexuality; (f) biased perceptions of the world. The dominant themes found across women regarding their representations of others and relationships included: (a) disrupted relationships with men; (b) revictimization; (c) disrupted relationships with women; (d) distorted and generalized representations of others. Despite the common themes found across women, unique underlying dynamics of the effects of child sexual abuse were apparent for all of the women. The results offer a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of child sexual abuse. Implications for further research and clinical application are discussed.

The majority of research investigations into the meaning and implications of the lesbian label within the sport context have primarily focused on coaches, athletes, and physical education teachers. Generally overlooked, however, has been the area of college and university health and kinesiology academia (i.e., sport-related curricula). The purpose of this study was to extend this line of inquiry to this setting within the context of sport. By doing so, investigating the lesbian label, as well as seeking to identify its presence, impact, and potential consequences as they relate to health and kinesiology department members, may contribute to the understanding of why a lesbian stigma persists within the multifaceted context of sport. Further, an additional purpose of this inquiry was to identify whether the use of identity management strategies, and their potential negative consequences, were used in relation to the lesbian label. The lesbian label was investigated through the voices of health and kinesiology department academicians. Through their words it was communicated that not only was the lesbian label and an associated stigma present within their respective departments, but the meaning of lesbianism within sport-related curricula was somewhat reminiscent of the meaning in other sport contexts. Thus, to some extent, the lesbian stigma can be extrapolated from sport to sport-related curricula. While complex, the meaning of lesbianism was intertwined with gender norms, religious beliefs, politics, personal beliefs, interpersonal relationships, societal assumptions, perceptions of powerlessness, and a necessity for self-protection. This was predominantly the case related to a female faculty members’ possession of certain physical characteristics, her physical presentation and attire, relationship status, and proximity to departmental physical activity courses that are regarded as more masculine (e.g., weight training, racquetball, basketball, etc.), in particular. Finally, whether merely acknowledged as being present or advocating for change with regard to perceptions of inequality and injustice, cognitive and emotional resources were allocated to this issue in a variety of ways. Implications of this exploration and its findings are presented and further inquiry encouraged.

The current study examined the psychological consequences of trait and state self objectification. This study had three main objectives: to examine the relation between trait self objectification and various eating pathologies; to examine the degree of state self objectification (induced by three different conditions) and the impact of condition on affect and sense of self; and finally, to examine the effect of condition on interactions with the opposite sex. The pilot study was used to select thin, thin sexually objectifying and average/plus size non-sexually objectifying images. Using a quasi-experimental research design with an elaborate cover story, the main study exposed one hundred seventy women to one of three conditions (thin non sexually objectifying, thin sexually objectifying or plus size non-sexually objectifying images) and measured negative affect and body image. Following viewing images, participants interacted with a male confederate for five minutes and their reported comfort level and flirting with the confederate were assessed. Results indicated that trait self objectification was associated with disordered eating symptomatology. However, the manipulation check revealed that the experimental condition did not produce varying degrees of sexual objectification. Nonetheless, results indicate an effect of condition on body dissatisfaction, in which individuals who viewed thin images reported more body dissatisfaction than participants in the above average/plus size group. In regards to the social interaction, individuals in the non-sexually objectified group reported more flirting than individuals in the sexually objectified group. Implications for clinical work and future research are discussed.

Often, a sexually abused child’s disclosure is the only evidence of the abuse. However, most victims do not disclose until adulthood, if ever. This study explores situational correlates of child sexual abuse disclosure. An archival data set comprised of 1120 cases of child sexual abuse was analyzed. Questions asked include whether or not any variable differentiates between the type of disclosure a child makes, the identity of the recipient of the disclosure, whether or not a child will recant, and if a child does recant, in what timeframe this occurs. Variables included victim characteristics (gender, ethnicity, age, family income) and abuse characteristics (relationship to the perpetrator, nature of the abuse, threat involved, frequency of abuse, and duration of abuse.) T-tests, chi-square analyses, and log linear modeling were used in the analysis of the data. Although statistical limitations were an issue, age and threat were found to be influential in the disclosure process.