Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1981. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-54).

Thesis (M.Sc.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-95). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11784

Adolescent pregnancy among students across South Africa is a growing concern. The high incidence of dropping out of school results in greatly diminished chances of success and independence for many. Sex education forms part of the life orientation curriculum, and it has been put in place by the Department of Education as a measure to reduce the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy. Parents of adolescents play a vital role in educating their children on sexual matters, secondary to that is community educations on sexual matters in aid of uplifting communities. The aim of the study was to explore the perception of how effective sex education could be a means of reducing pregnancies in the Blue Crane Route Municipality. To achieve this aim, three objectives and three research questions were articulated. The objectives were to explore the course content of life orientation provided to adolescents, to investigate by questioning adolescents concerning the importance of life orientation in their lives and to examine the factors responsible for the escalation of adolescent pregnancies in the municipality. The research questions were: How adequate was the course content of life orientation in helping adolescents in their sexual lives? How useful was life orientation to adolescent girls? What are the factors that increase the incidence of adolescent pregnancies in the municipality? Qualitative data was obtained through semi-structured interviews; focus group discussions were conducted with students, social workers and life orientation educators and observations made by them were recorded. Data was analysed thematically and was supported by relevant literature. The findings revealed that sex education is not effective in reducing pregnancies in the Blue Crane Route Municipality. The figures for adolescent pregnancy in schools have increased since 2007, when sex education was introduced as part of the life orientation curriculum. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Department of Education should re-evaluate the curriculum and appoint educators who are sufficiently trained in life orientation to make learners properly aware of the consequences of unwanted pregnancies.

Only in recent years have diagnostic and therapeutic advances lengthened the life expectancy for patients who have cystic fibrosis sufficiently to allow some of them to live into adulthood. Health care professionals have been focusing on survival issues and are only recently beginning to look at quality of life issues, such as sexuality, of these patients. The purpose of the study was to create a sexual profile of adults with cystic fibrosis which would describe their sexuality and sexual concerns. A questionnaire was developed and sent to all of the adult cystic fibrosis patients (19 years of age and older) in British Columbia (50 patients), all of whom attend the Shaughnessy Hospital Adult CF Clinic in Vancouver. The 62% response rate provided data for the sexual profile which indicated that 90% of the respondents were sexually active. Only a small number of subjects reported sexual difficulties in their relationships. Concerns about the impact of CF on their sexuality included: the effect of the potentially limited lifespan on their relationships, practical considerations such as fatigue and coughing during sexual activity, and poor body image. A major issue for CF males is that most of them are infertile due to CF. How and when men should be told about this issue was an important question for the CF Clinic staff. Responses indicated that men thought they should find out from either the physician in the pediatric CF clinic or the physician in the adult CF clinic. Furthermore, 100% of the men suggested that this issue be discussed with males before the age of 19 years. Limitations and recommendations of the research are discussed. A major recommendation is for physicians and other health care professionals in CF clinics to give patients the opportunity to discuss sexual issues. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Pregnancy is a maturational crisis which involves changes in the sexuality-related roles and functions of an expectant couple. The needs and concerns of such couples regarding sexuality are not readily communicated and are therefore potential contributors to marital stress. If nurse-prenatal teachers knew what the concerns of expectant couples were they could assist them through teaching and discussion to deal with their concerns. Therefore the purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire which would elicit the perceived needs of expectant couples regarding sexuality during pregnancy. The process of development consisted of three phases of data collection with volunteers recruited from urban classes for expectant parents. The first phase consisted of unstructured interviews. Structured interviews constituted the second phase and a self-administered questionnaire was used for the third phase. With the aid of interviewee responses and consultants' advice, the questions were developed and refined. It was determined that concerns and needs related to sexuality during pregnancy could be elicited by the questionnaire and the author demonstrated how this information could be used to direct content for prenatal instruction. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

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Considering the vast number of youth that participate in sexual behavior and start using illicit drugs at a young age, it is imperative to investigate the prevalence of media filled with both subliminal and blatant messages about drugs and sexuality. It is hypothesized that lyrical content of music and the content and imagery of music videos will contain conscious messages about drug and alcohol use, and sexual behaviors. Content analysis that used the frequency method determined the amount of sexual and drug messages within five songs from each artist. Additionally, it is postulated that participants who frequently listen to specific music genres, regularly watch music videos, and stay up-to-date on music artists will be more likely to engage in health compromising behaviors compared to participants who are not as involved with popular music. Applying the bio-ecological systems perspective, it is hypothesized that the negative influences of music (i.e., exosystem) can be minimized or heightened by microsystem (i.e., family, friends) influences as well as internal characteristics of participants (i.e., personality). A series of analyses of variance were conducted to determine if there was a relationship between exposure to lyrical content and drug and sexual behavior. Linear regression analysis was conducted to determine if public image of the artist was correlated to health compromising behavior. Overall results indicate that a relationship between music genre preferences - though the combination of lyrical content, the public image of artists, and the imagery in music videos - and illicit drug usage and sexual behavior.

The current study examines how risk factors such as psychopathology and risky sexual behavior may impact quality of life negatively and how protective factors such as perceived positive parenting, social support, and self-efficacy may impact quality of life positively. The sample consisted of 507 participants aged 18 to 29 years enrolled at a southeastern university. Results indicate that higher levels of risky sexual behavior were associated with higher levels of psychopathology; lower scores on all quality of life subscales; and lower levels of perceived positive parenting, social support, and selfefficacy. Higher scores on all quality of life subscales were associated with higher levels of perceived positive parenting, social support, and self-efficacy and lower levels of psychopathology. When all factors were examined in a regression, the effects of perceived positive parenting, social support, and self-efficacy on quality of life were greater than the effects of RSB and psychopathology.

No description available.