Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-209).

Thesis (M.A.)--Rowan University, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

This thesis investigates the relationship between identity, behaviour and desire to examine the nature of research among homosexually active men. The hypothesis is that samples of such men necessarily reflect the definitions of sexuality and homosexuality, and their interpretation, by both the researchers themselves and their research subjects, meaning that the research process itself is marked by the subjectivity of the field of sexuality. The relationship between the observer and the observed is intrinsic to research into homosexual subjectivity and the samples obtained, therefore, represent particular kinds of sexual subjects in a particular social and sexual cultural milieu. Research in this field has given pre-eminence to behaviour over identity and desire, and, as such, has usually failed to account for these differences in sexual subjectivities. To investigate this problem, I have reviewed the relevant literature both on subjectivity and on methodological approaches to research among homosexual men, and I have appraised my own ideological and personal relationships with the subject matter. I have examined the nature of the samples of homosexual men I have obtained during my work as a researcher within the Sydney gay community and reanalysed these with regard to the particular problematic I have identified. These investigations and analyses have shown that there are numerous differences within and between the various samples of homosexual men obtained, indicating that methodological frameworks can determine the nature of the samples obtained. These differences in samples also appear to reflect differences in the ways of enacting homosexual desire among the men in the studies. However, they also parallel differences in the definitions and understandings of the target population by the researchers themselves. These differences reflect differences in definition and understanding both of homosexuality and of the population of gay men, but they also represent differing patterns in the ways of being and living ?gay?, differences in sexual subjectivity. ?Gayness? and homosexuality, as concepts in research, are both the subjective basis on which the research endeavour itself is based, as well as its representational outcome.

Since Kinsey and his colleagues (Kinsey, Pomeroy, Martin, & Gebhard, 1948; 1953) first began to empirically examine human sexual behavior researchers have found that heterosexual men tend to report having had more sexual partners than heterosexual women. The purpose of the present study was to explore this phenomena using a within subject design. Participants were 124 undergraduate women who completed a packet of surveys on sensitive topics, such as sexuality, and body image, in two conditions: Anonymity Threat Condition: Participants were led to believe that the principle investigator would come in a view their responses while completing the surveys and Bogus Pipeline: Participants were led to believe that they were `hooked-up' to a lie detector. Results found within as well as between subject effects for measures of social desirability and one sexual attitude measure. However, these results did not generalize to the body image measures or sexual behavior questions. / Department of Psychological Science

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2002. / Also available online.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Health Social Sciences))--Mahidol University, 2006. / LICL has E-Thesis 0012 ; please contact computer services.

This thesis is about influences on young people's sexual risk taking. It is situated within a complex context of young people's sustained structural/self-sexualisation, significant sexual activity, unwanted outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), intended benefits such as pleasure, and recurrent interventionists' promotion of abstinence-until-marriage sexual norm to young people. The above conceptualization is tested with a mixed-methodology that recruited fifty-six students with a snowball sampling technique. McCracken's long-interview and Stones' empirical research brackets for structuration theory facilitated narrative data collection, which were subjected to structural-hermeneutic analysis. Respondents identified four broad influences on their dominantly heterosexual behaviour. They include external influences (mass media), internal influences (positive pre-dispositions to premarital sex), agency (purposeful sexual action), and (un)intended outcome (STI and pleasure). Respondents emphasize that influences are non-hierarchical, differentially combine, and are dependent on individuals, contexts and seasons. They also infer the Nigerian context concurrently constrain and enable their sexual conducts via three normative sexual behaviour options. These are (1) the dominant Nigerian culture promoted abstinence-until-marriage. (2) Modernity sanctioned safer-sex with contraceptives. (3) Collective/individuated preference for unprotected premarital sex, periodic abstinence and contraceptive use. Respondents admit they practise the latter, which is a hybridization of option (1) and (2) and is illustrative of the co-influence of structure and agency on action. The conclusion is drawn that sexual risk taking is influenced by young people's concurrent structural/self sexualisation and their pursuit of contextual, personal and collectively meaningfial goals. Consequently, dominant linear conceptualizations of sexual risk taking, e.g. problem behaviour, will continue to be limited in effectiveness because they neglect these complex, recursive and interrelated influences. Thus, pragmatic efforts to manage risk-prone sexualities must concurrently engage their complex structural and agential sources, governed by safer-sex promotion, a recognition of multiple influences and individuated/collective value that both society and young people attach to sex.

Forty-one women filled out surveys about their heterosexual sexual behavior over the course of 30 days. These surveys tracked their menstrual cycles, sexual behavior, sexual desires, and orgasm frequency. Although the sample size was small, a number of borderline statistically significant (p < .10) trends emerged from the analysis: women experienced more copulatory orgasms on average when fertile and women who were not in relationships tended to have more frequent non-copulatory orgasms. Naturally cycling women also experienced significantly more non-copulatory orgasms when fertile. Although no strong conclusions can be drawn from the current sample, the results suggest many avenues for future research. / by Jesse B. Marczyk. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This thesis examined whether mental health problems and sexual risk taking were associated in a general population sample and if so, the extent and direction of this association. The thesis begins with a review of theories of risk taking; sexual risk and mental health correlates; and the existing studies linking mental health and sexual risk taking. Three empirical studies were conducted. Study One produced new evidence that a range of psychiatric disorders were linked to early sex (<16 years), risky sex (multiple partners and inconsistent condom use in the past year at age 21) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by the age of 21 years. Young people who present with schizophrenia spectrum disorder were also prone to early and risky sex and STIs. Second, depression, the single most common psychiatric problem in the population, was also associated with risky sex and STIs. The risk increased with comorbid psychiatric conditions. Study Two addressed the issue of directionality, specifically examining if childhood behavioural and emotional problems and early adolescent psychiatric disorder predicted later sexual risk taking and STIs. Main findings showed that childhood antisocial behaviour increased the likelihood of risky and early sex, and that low levels of childhood anxiety increased the likelihood of later risky sex and having STIs. Involvement with delinquent peers mediated the association between childhood antisocial behaviour and risky and early sex. To a lesser degree, attachment to parents mediated the association between antisocial behaviour and early sex. These factors did not mediate the association between low levels of childhood anxiety and later sexual outcomes. No associations were found between adolescent psychiatric disorder and later sexual risk taking, with the exception of conduct disorder. However, it is important to note that by excluding the group who had early sex in order to establish temporality, other behaviours of interest exhibited by this group were also excluded. The third study examined whether sexual risk taking was associated with an increased risk of subsequent mental health problems, addressing the issue of directionality in the other direction. Main findings showed that reports of early sex, multiple sex partners and STIs elevated the risk of later substance dependence disorders. Importantly, this association persisted after controlling for �baseline� levels of psychiatric disorder. Early sex also predicted later conduct disorder, even after controlling for prior conduct disorder. In contrast, early sex, multiple sex partners and acquisition of STIs were unrelated to later diagnoses of anxiety or depression. The significant associations with multiple sex partners and STIs were also shown for incident cases of substance dependence. Moderation analyses revealed no differences between the sexes in any of the studies except in Study Three. Specifically, the association between multiple sex partners and substance dependence appeared to be stronger for males than females for up to 10 sex partners and substantially stronger for females than for males beyond ten sex partners. The final chapter in this thesis reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the studies in this thesis before considering the implications of the results for theory, research and practice.