Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 2007. / Supervisor: Sigal Balshine Includes bibliographical references.

Graduation date: 1998

The purposes of this study are illustrated as follows: to investigate the current situation of demography, internet pornography experience, sexual attitude and behavior among senior high school students, to exam the difference and correlation of those students¡¦demography which is represented on internet pornography experience and sexual attitude, and to try to find out the variables of pornography experience and population, which could be used to predict senior high school students¡¦ sexual attitude in such environment which internet pornography overloads. The data gathered from questionnaires are analyzed by statistical methods such as frequency distributions, mean deviation, reliability analysis, factor analysis, chi-square test, t-test of dependent sample, ANOVA of dependent sample, Pearson¡¦s correlation, and the multiple regression. Results and discussion are summarized as follows: 1. There are 63.7% senior high school students have touch the internet for 5 years, and the degree increase by the years that they touched. They usually talk and make friend on the internet(78.7%) . 2. There are 71.1% senior high school students have touch the internet pornography, and that is they main way to connect the pornography. They touched it for vagary, and they touched it for one hour a day, in nine in the night to twelve in the noon. They touched it at their home. 3. The senior high school students¡¦ sexual attitude is between agree and disagree. 4. There are 10.5% students have sexual behavior, which gather 15 to 17 years old. The contraception they usually took is condom. 5. Sex, school, talking about sexual issues with friend have significant different to internet pornography experience. 6. Sex, grade, school, the school location have significant different to sexual attitude. 7.Internet pornography has different to sexual attitude. Without connecting internet pornography, connecting less time, and taking disagree option, the sexual attitude are more guard. 8.Internet pornography experience and sexual attitude have lower negative correlation. 9.Internet pornography has different to sexual behavior. The more connecting, the more frequency, and the more time cost the students have, their sexual behavior are deeper. 10.Internet pornography experience and sexual behavior have lower correlation. 11.Population and internet pornography information to sexual attitude can validly predict 12% senior high school students¡¦ sexual attitude. Population and internet pornography information to sexual behavior can validly predict 12.6% senior high school students¡¦ sexual behavior.

Tidiga vuxenlivet präglas av oprövade miljöer och situationer. Detta ställer höga krav på individens perception, anpassningsförmåga och attityd. En intensiv miljö flertalet unga vuxna kommer i kontakt med för första gången är krogen. Positiv attityd till riskfyllda beteenden där kan i förlängningen resultera i negativa hälsoeffekter. Syftet med denna enkätstudie var i huvudsak att undersöka unga vuxnas attityd till Verbal aggression, Rekreationellt berusningsdrickande, Riskfyllt sex, Fysisk aggression, Ekonomiskt riskfylld modekonsumtion, Ekonomiskt riskfylld festkonsumtion, Rekreationellt drogbruk och Riskfyllt spelande om pengar. Resultatet av de 256 personer som deltog visade genom variansanalys att män hade signifikant mer positiv attityd än kvinnor till fem av åtta riskbeteenden och att största skillnaden då kön, etnicitet och studieval analyserades i kombination förelåg mellan ickesvenska män och kvinnor på studieförberedande program. Klusteranalys visade på förekomst av högriskgrupp där män var i majoritet. Eventuella preventiva insatser bör i huvudsak lämpligen riktas mot unga vuxna män.

While it is generally assumed that alcohol consumption plays some role in the advent of negative sexual outcomes among college students (sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, and date rape), that role has not been empirically demonstrated or quantified. The purpose of this study was to assess the association of alcohol consumption with negative sexual outcomes in college women. Specifically, this study attempted to determine this association by means of a survey administered to a population of women students from Oregon State University and Western Oregon State College (n =430). Data collection took place during winter term, 1991. Average monthly alcohol consumption was assessed, as well as the frequency of alcohol consumption prior to sexual intercourse. The association of alcohol consumption with experiences of sexual coercion, in both the victim and the perpetrator, was also assessed. Negative sexual outcomes assessed were sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy "scares", four categories of sexual coercion (unwanted touching, verbally forced date rape, physically forced date rape, and stranger rape), and unprotected intercourse (condom usage). A strong association between alcohol consumption and sexual coercion was found. Women who had experienced sexual coercion consumed significantly more alcohol on the average than those who had not had such experience. Also, it was found that alcohol was consumed by the perpetrator, the victim, or both in the majority (57-69%) of incidents of sexual coercion. While women who had experienced STDs appeared to drink more (mean monthly alcohol consumption= 16.9 drinks) than those who had not experienced STDs (mean monthly alcohol consumption= 12.3 drinks), small cell size and sample variability made meaningful statistical comparisons inappropriate. No association between alcohol consumption and unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy "scares" was found. Alcohol consumption prior to intercourse had a paradoxical relationship with both sexually transmitted diseases and condom usage: those who always or never drink prior to intercourse were less likely to experience an STD and more likely to use condoms than those who say they occasionally drink prior to intercourse. It is recommended that university health educators disseminate the findings on alcohol consumption and sexual coercion and STDs. It is also suggested that they, along with those responsible for student services and university policies, should encourage non-alcoholic forms of social support, stress management, and recreation on campus. An additional recommendation was that both qualitative research and longitudinal studies be done to follow up the exploration begun in this study. / Graduation date: 1992

This review of sexual education in the United States broadly defines the two most common approaches in sexual education seen in this country today. I cover the status of certain sexual behaviors and risks amongst the teenage population in the U.S. and specifically cover reported sexual activity in high school students and overall data on teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This work specifically looks at Maine, California, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, and New Mexico to highlight the variety of state policies concerning sexual education and the differences in teenage sexual behaviors that exist within each of those six states. A description of how cultural influences can affect a young person’s sexual behavior is also given. In the final discussion section of this paper I have emphasized the need for more comprehensive sexual education programs in the United States and the importance of providing culturally sensitive programs in order to continue the fight against teenage pregnancy and STI rates in adolescents.

In most animal species, reproductive success depends critically on precopulatory or solicitational behaviors that occur prior to mating. The specific sensory systems and behavioral strategies employed in precopulatory behaviors vary across species; in all cases, however, animals must be able to identify potential mating partners and solicit sexual interest. Female Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) engage in multiple forms of precopulatory behaviors that are preferentially expressed to males or their odors, including vaginal scent marking and sexual odor preference. Conspecific odors relevant for precopulatory behaviors are processed by a network of forebrain areas that includes the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) and the medial preoptic area (MPOA). The precise functional and neurochemical mechanisms whereby these areas regulate the expression of precopulatory behaviors, however, are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation is to address the following research questions: (1) Is the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), acting within BNST or MPOA, necessary for the normal expression of odor-­guided precopulatory behaviors? (2) Is BNST or (3) MPOA required for the preferential expression of vaginal marking or investigation towards male odors?, and (4) Does OT interact with social odor processing to regulate vaginal marking? We found that blockade of OT receptors (OTRs) in MPOA and BNST decreased vaginal marking to male odors. There was no effect of OTR blockade on sexual odor preference. Selective lesions of BNST also disrupted preferential vaginal marking responses to male odors, without affecting sexual odor preference. In contrast, lesions of MPOA disrupted odor preference without affecting vaginal marking responses. Finally, central blockade of OTRs eliminated the normal pattern of increased activation of neurons to male vs. female odors in BNST, but not MPOA. Considered together, these results suggest that OT normally acts within BNST to drive preferential vaginal marking responses to male odors via selective facilitation of neural responses to these odors, and further, that there are separate and distinct neural circuits that regulate different forms of odor-guided precopulatory behaviors in females.

The United States continues to be affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and now public health is faced with new challenges in mitigating the spread of the disease. African-Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV and a further understanding about the factors that influence high risk sexual behaviors needs to be continuously examined. The aim of this study was to understand and compare the the perception of HIV risk and factors associated with risk perception in high risk adult and adolescent groups. After multivariate analysis, having multiple partners was the only predictor of an increased risk perception among adults. Among adolescents, no significant relationship was found between HIV risk indicators and having an increased HIV risk perception. Both adults and adolescents appeared to underestimate their HIV risk based on their reported risk sexual behaviors. More work is necessary to help adolescents accurately assess their risk of infection.

In the stallion, inconsistent sexual behavior and variable semen quality are common. This reproductive variability has been attributed to differences in circulating hormone concentrations. In order to further examine this relationship, 7 miniature stallions were observed for sexual behavior and semen characteristics. Blood was also drawn from each stallion 15 min before mating (time -15), immediately following ejaculation (time 0) and at times following ejaculation (times +15, +30, and +60). Plasma was later analyzed for concentrations of testosterone (T), estrone sulphate (ES) and cortisol. Semen was evaluated for volume, sperm concentration and progressive motility. Sexual behavior was quantified by assigning a libido score to each stallion, recording reaction time and the number of jumps required for ejaculation. Upon statistical analysis, data revealed both ES and cortisol increased at the time of semen collection (P < 0.05), while T did not. Regression analysis revealed that ES and the ratio of ES to T at times -15, +30, and +60 were negatively correlated to libido scores. Additionally, a positive relationship was found between ES at times -15 and +60 and reaction time, as well as between cortisol at times -15, 0, and +15 and libido scores. No relationship was observed between T and sexual behavior. However, T at time -15 was positively correlated to progressive motility, and the ratio of ES/T at time -15 was negatively correlated to progressive motility. No other association was detected between ejaculate parameters and hormone concentrations. These results not only serve to enhance understanding of stallion hormone profiles, but also provide further insight into the hormonal control of sexual behavior and sperm production. This knowledge can be used to generate improved management techniques for stallions that are inconsistent in sexual behavior and sperm output.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-136). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.