Master of Science / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Joyce Baptist / Quality of couples sexual communication remains an understudied area, despite its link with important relational outcomes such as relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction and condom use. Using a sample of 441 college students, this study examined how parent-child sexual communication (frequency, quality and permissive and restrictive messages) is related to sexual attitudes (permissive and idealistic) and couples sexual communication. Results suggests quality of couples sexual communication was positively related to frequency of parent-child sexual communication and negatively related to quality of parent-child sexual communication. There was not a significant relationship between the types of messages about sexuality from parents and quality of couples sexual communication. However, permissive parental messages were positively related to permissive sexual attitudes and restrictive parental messages was negatively related to permissive sexual attitudes. Idealistic sexual attitudes were found to be positively related to couples sexual communication. Finally, idealistic sexual attitudes marginally mediated the relationship between quality of parent-child sexual communication and quality of couples sexual communication. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

ABSTRACT This paper was intended as an investigation of the sexual values and attitudes of the aboriginal junior high school students, who were born and raised in a non-patriarchal (matriarchal) society. The first part of this thesis was the literature review, including studies on the traditional aboriginal cultural characteristics and relevant theories of sexual values and attitudes. Then, this paper presented the statistic results from the author-formulated questionnaires, which stressed on the sexual values and attitudes. The valid samples in our research included 13 schools from six counties, i.e., Hualian, Pingdong, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taipei and Yilan County. The number of the aboriginal junior high school students was 407 and 132 for the non-aboriginal one. The total valid samples were 539. Below is a series of preliminary results elicited from the statistic analysis. 1. The aboriginal junior high students in a non-patriarchal society held a mid-to-high level attitude toward the sexual values. Among these sexual values, the value of ¡§the opinions of the two sexes¡¨ was perceived as the highest, followed by ¡§the views on social participation,¡¨ while ¡§the views on the attachment to the family¡¨ the lowest. 2. The aboriginal junior high students in a non-patriarchal society revealed a medium level of the sexual attitudes. Among these sexual attitudes, ¡§sexual harassment and sex infringement¡¨ received the highest average points, followed by ¡§the interaction of two sexes,¡¨ while ¡§the sex roles¡¨ the lowest average points. 3. The aboriginal junior high students in a non-patriarchal society who were ¡§female,¡¨ ¡§the Ami,¡¨ ¡§Father: the aboriginal, Mother: the Hans¡¨ and the expectation of their parents was ¡§treat boys and girls on an equal basis¡¨ tended to have the highest value of the equality in two sexes. While others who were ¡§male,¡¨ ¡§the Atayal,¡¨ ¡§parents aboriginal,¡¨ and their parents were with ¡§no particular expectation to child¡¨ tended to have the most deviant values of the equality in two sexes. 4. The most positive sexual attitudes held by the aboriginal junior high students in a non-patriarchal society were those who were ¡§female,¡¨ ¡§the Paiwan¡¨ and parents¡¦ harmonious degree ¡§quarrels once in a while.¡¨ However, others who were ¡§male,¡¨ ¡§the Atayal¡¨ and parents¡¦ harmonious degree of a ¡§very harmonious¡¨ displayed the least positive sexual attitudes. 5. There was significant difference between the aboriginals of different ethnicities and the Hans junior high students in the whole sexual values, ¡§the opinions of the two sexes,¡¨ ¡§the views on independent social activities,¡¨ ¡§the views on the attachment to the family¡¨ and ¡§the views on social participation¡¨ etc. ¡§The Hans (non-aboriginal)¡¨ revealed significantly higher sexual values on the whole sexual values and ¡§the opinions of the two sexes¡¨ than ¡§the Atayal.¡¨ Moreover, there was significant difference between the aboriginals of different ethnicities and the Hans (non-aboriginal) junior high students in the whole sexual attitudes and the performances constructed by factors as ¡§the interaction of two sexes,¡¨ ¡§sexual orientation¡¨ and ¡§sexual knowledge¡¨ etc. Still the Hans (non-aboriginal) appeared a more positive sexual attitude toward ¡§the interaction of two sexes¡¨ than ¡§the Atayal.¡¨ 6. Significant positive correlation appeared among each factors of the sexual values and attitudes by the aboriginal junior high students in a non-patriarchal society. The sexual values revealed a typical correlation with the sexual attitudes as well. The sexual values of the aboriginal junior high students in a non-patriarchal society can predict validly its sexual attitudes, making an explainable total variation quantity up to 38.331%. The higher sexual values of ¡§the views on social participation,¡¨ the more positive attitudes to ¡§the interaction of two sexes¡¨ and ¡§the sex roles.¡¨ The higher sexual values of ¡§the views on the attachment to the family,¡¨ the fewer performances on the ¡§sexual harassment and sex infringement.¡¨

Risky sexual behaviors, or behaviors with the risk of an adverse health outcome, are on the rise. Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are also on the rise. Research suggests that several variables are closely related to human sexual behavior, namely sexual attitudes, sexual knowledge, and gender. Individuals with more permissive sexual attitudes tend to engage in riskier sexual behaviors. Studies examining the relationship between sexual knowledge and risky sexual behavior show both positive and negative associations. Although risky behaviors can occur between partners of any gender, the present study focuses on heterosexual relationships.The present study uses data from a nationally representative sample of 3,737 adults living in the People's Republic of China (PRC) who completed a computerized interview about their sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. I used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a mediation model with sexual attitudes as a mediator between sexual knowledge and four risky sexual behaviors: number of sexual partners, extradyadic sex, age of first intercourse, and paying for sex. I found significant indirect effects of attitudes on every risky sexual behavior other than age of first intercourse. There was a significant gender moderation such that attitudes predicted stronger effects on behavior for women than for men. These findings have implications for future efforts to create interventions and prevention programs for risky sexual behavior. Although the present study has some limitations, it contributes to a gap in the literature by replicating a Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB) model of risky sexual behavior a large, representative sample of adults across the PRC.

This study compared the sexual knowledge and sexual attitudes of college students. Utilizing the Sex Knowledge Inventory - Form Y and the Valois Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire, data was gathered from 203 students. Analysis of the data concluded no significant differences between the sexual knowledge of or the sexual attitudes of male and female subjects. A significant difference, at .01, was found between the attitudes of subjects scoring either low or high in sexual knowledge. Individuals with lower knowledge expressed less accepting sexual attitudes, while those with higher knowledge expressed more accepting sexual attitudes. Lastly, the correlation of sexual knowledge with attitude indicated a positive association to exist between high sexual knowledge and various' sexual topics.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carla Ribeiro do Lago Storch.pdf: 1332711 bytes, checksum: df20337dd95efca333df2b8e4cc05738 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research is a result of the master s degree dissertation in Clinical Psychology at PUC-SP Psychosomatic Center and Health Psychology, with theoretic reference in Analytical Psychology. The general objective of this research is the understanding of teenagers awareness about sexual behaviour and attitudes in the light of Jungian psychology. This study was done with 350 teenagers that attend a private school in the central region of the Capital of Sao Paulo - Brazil. The tools used to collect the data were: EAS-A Scale of Attitude and Scale of Reasons to Have and Not Have Sex, adapted, translated and validated by Storch (2012), to the brazilian population. The results showed that there are differences between the genders regarding attitudes, sexual behaviors and motivations to have sexual intercourse. The conclusion of the results shows that female teenagers present attitudes less sex utility, that is, a more emotional vision, when compared to male teenagers / Esta pesquisa é resultado da Dissertação de mestrado em Psicologia Clínica no Núcleo de Psicossomática e Psicologia Hospitalar da PUC-SP, com referencial teórico Na Psicologia Analítica. A pesquisa teve como objetivo geral a compreensão da consciência dos adolescentes, acerca dos comportamentos e atitudes sexuais à luz da Psicologia Junguiana. Este estudo foi realizado com 350 adolescentes que estudam em um colégio particular na região central da Capital Paulistana. Os instrumentos utilizados na coleta dos dados foram: Escala de atitudes EAS-A e Escala de Motivos para Fazer e Não Fazer Sexo, traduzido, adaptado e validado por Storch (2012), para a população brasileira. Os resultados demostraram que existem diferenças entre os sexos feminino e masculino no que refere as atitudes e comportamentos sexuais e motivações para terem relações sexuais. A conclusão dos resultados demostram que, as moças apresentam atitudes menos utilitárias do sexo, ou seja uma visão mais emocional, quando comparadas com os rapazes

Romantic couples with children struggle to balance the needs of their romantic relationships with the responsibilities of parenting and mothers report difficulty viewing themselves as sexual beings after having children. Understanding the risk and protective factors for sexual and relational outcomes for couples with children or those that may have children in the future may provide insight into the dynamics of these couples and the ways in which parents can preserve relational health over time. The current study utilized Basson’s Model of Sexual Response (2000) as a conceptual theoretical framework and the Actor Partner Interdependence Model (APIM; Kenny et al., 2006) as an analytic framework for conducting couple-level research on sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, sexual rewards and costs, and infidelity. The current study had the following four aims: 1) to develop and validate a reliable tool to measure individuals’ Attitudes Towards Mothers as Sexual Beings (ATMSB) in a sample of couples with and without children. 2) to assess differences in ATMSB and sexual/relational outcomes of ATMSB among couples with children and couples without children, 3) to examine the role of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) in influencing sexual and relational outcomes among couples with children, and 4) to investigate the impact of positive communication, partner appraisals, and sexual rewards and costs on sexual and relational outcomes among couples with children. The current study collected data from 294 individuals in mixed sex (one man and one woman) couples through an online questionnaire. In the first study, the ATMSBscale items were developed and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted yielding the following three scale factors: 1) Quality of Motherhood and Sexuality, 2) Mothers’ Sexual Functioning, 3) Mothers’ Sexual Pleasure and Enjoyment with high construct validity. A series of multiple linear regressions and structural equation models (SEM) were conducted predicting sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and desire discrepancies. Results indicated that ATMSB total scores and individual subscale scores predicted sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, dyadic sexual desire and desire discrepancies with varying actor and partner effects among men and women with children and without children. These results indicated that when men and women endorse beliefs that mothers and sexuality are compatible, they have higher levels of sexual and relational health within the couple. Additionally, couples with children had more positive ATMSB overall and there were similarities and differences in the impact of ATMSB (and subscales) on sexual and relational outcomes between couples with children compared to those without children. In the second study, the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score on sexual desire, desire discrepancies, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, sexual rewards and costs, and infidelity was measured among couples with children. A logistic regression and a series of multiple linear models were conducted with results indicating that for women, ACE score predicted the equality of sexual costs (EQcst). For men, higher ACE scores predicted a greater likelihood of engaging infidelity. Results from the SEM indicated that men’s ACE score predicted women’s sense of equality of sexual costs among partners (EQcst). These results indicate that ACE scores are associated with negative sexual and relational outcomes among couples with children. In the third study, the impact of positive communication, partner appraisal, and rewards and costs of the sexual relationship on sexual desire, desire discrepancies, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction was measured among couples with children. A series of multiple linear regressions and a SEM were conducted with results indicating that when individuals engage in more positive communication strategies, they have significantly higher levels of sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction as do their partners. More positive partner appraisals were associated with higher levels of relationship satisfaction for men and women and their partners. As a whole, a number of risk and protective factors were identified for sexual and romantic relationships among couples with children. Implications for future research, clinical work and health promotion programing targeting parents are discussed.

This study was designed to determine; (1) if adolescent self esteem is related to premarital sexual attitudes and intercourse behavior; (2) if religious affiliation and church attendance affect the relationship between adolescent self esteem and premarital sexual attitudes and behavior. Approximately 2400 adolescents residing in California, New Mexico, and Utah comprised the sample. Adolescents who attended church services more often reported less sexually permissive attitudes and behavior than those who attended church less often. Similarly, Mormons' premarital sexual attitudes and behavior was more conservative than was the case for non-Mormon adolescents. Findings indicated that the nature of the relationship between permissiveness and self esteem did depend on cultural norms or contexts. In the most conservative normative contexts (among Mormons and frequent church attenders) there was a negative relationship between self esteem and sexual attitudes and sexual behavior; there was no significant relationship between self esteem and sexual attitudes and sexual behavior among the more moderate sample groups.

Abstract The characteristics of being private, interactive and active publicize sex, which used to be a taboo topic, on the Internet in every way. The group using the Internet has gradually taken an open perspective in sexual attitudes and behaviors. People are looking for short-term sex relationships through the BBS, chat rooms, and matching websites, which lead to the increasing proportion of one-night stand experiences. When people are situated in an Internet environment where sex information is open and accessible to almost everyone, will the changes in sexual attitude and behavior are also being influenced with time? It¡¦s worth further probing into the relations between the actual users¡¦ conditions and the sexual attitudes and behaviors of those who acquire sex satisfaction through the Internet. This research will be focused on the demographic characteristics, users¡¦ conditions, sexual attitudes and behaviors of average Internet users and the one-night stand group, trying to understand if different variables make differences in the users¡¦ sexual attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, in this research the independent variables are the demographic characteristics and the dependent variables are sexual attitudes and behaviors. The Internet users¡¦ conditions are the intervening variables. The researchers will collect sample data about users aged from 18 to 30, including some who used to have Internet one-night stand experiences and post messages on every BBS bulletin board, chat room, matching website and porn website. Questionnaires are designed for the users to answer on the Web. This practice took about two months altogether. 1008 questionnaires were collected. Major findings after statistic analyses are as follow: 1. The sexual attitudes of Internet users differentiate distinctly by sex. However, sexual attitudes don¡¦t change by different ages, marital conditions, education levels and occupations. 2. The sexual behaviors of Internet users differentiate distinctly in sexs, ages, marital conditions, education levels, and occupations. 3. Average Internet users¡¦ sexual attitudes make no difference in the years of using the Internet, the frequencies, and how many hours per day spent on the Internet. 4. The sexual behaviors of average Internet users change distinctly because of the different hours per day spent on the Internet, but make no difference in the years of using the Internet and the frequencies. 5. The sexual behaviors of average Internet users differentiate rather by the activeness of exposing to porn websites than by whether they are exposed to porn websites, how often, and the time spent on the websites. 6. The sexual behaviors of average Internet users differentiate distinctly rather by whether they are exposed to porn websites, the activeness, and how long on the porn websites than by how often they are exposed to the porn websites. 7. The group of Internet one-night stand is distinctly different form that of average Internet users in the years of using the Internet, average hours per day on the Internet, not in how often they use the Internet. 8. The group of Internet one-night stand is distinctly different from that of average Internet users rather in the frequencies of exposing to the porn websites and time on the websites than in the activeness of exposing to porn websites. 9. There¡¦s a positive relationship in having one-night stay experiences with the frequency of exposing to porn websites. 10. The sexual attitude of the group of Internet one-night stay are not different from that of average Internet users. 11. The sexual behavior of Internet one-night stay group is distinctively different from that of average Internet users.

People engage in sex for a wide variety of reasons and these reasons can differ depending on the individual, his or her partner, and on the context of the sexual encounter. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine how sexual attraction and sexual orientation, of both self and partner, affect an individual’s reasons to engage in sex, or sexual motivation. Three studies were conducted to explore these effects from both the individual’s and the partner’s perspective. In Study 1, individual attitudes toward having casual sex, dating, and being in a committed relationship with a bisexual partner of the other gender were examined in a sample of 720 men and women. Participants reported negative attitudes toward having these relationships and more negative attitudes were reported as the commitment level of the considered relationship increased. Women also reported more negative attitudes and greater insecurity toward relationships than men. In Study 2, the psychometric properties of a comprehensive research tool, the Why Have Sex? (YSEX?) questionnaire to use in Study 3 for the study of sexual motivation were evaluated in a sample of 146 women with same-sex attraction. Overall, the reliability of this scale was excellent for casual sex motivations and motivations for sex in committed relationships with female partners. In Study 3, motivations for sex and the effects of relationship context, sexual attraction, and the gender of one’s partner were explored in a sample of 510 women including women with same-sex attraction and women with exclusively heterosexual attraction. Results of this study showed that relationship context had the largest effect on sexual motivation; physical motivations were more strongly endorsed for casual sex while emotional motivations were more strongly endorsed for sex in committed relationships. No effect of sexual attraction was reported. Further, no effect of gender of partner was reported by sexual minority women. The results of this dissertation have important implications for the study of sexual motivation, specifically as it relates to sexual attraction and orientation. Motivations for sex are likely to be affected by an individual’s attitudes and perceptions of his or her partner’s sexual orientation and associated stereotypes. In addition, the type of sexual relationship and associated level of commitment had strong, differential effects on sexual motivation. This is a novel finding as the context of the sexual relationship has not previously been considered with respect to individual motivations for sex. Henceforth, studies on sexual motivation need to be more contextualized and include more comprehensive assessments of individuals to increase the validity of findings and demonstrate the complex variation of human sexual motivation.

Previous literature has identified links between psychopathic trait severity and disturbed styles of attachment on sexual outcomes in adulthood. However, few studies have investigated these domains within one design. Therefore, it is unclear how they may influence each other, given that an association between attachment styles and psychopathic traits has also been previously documented. This study sought to explore the possible role of psychopathic traits upon the association between attachment and sexual outcomes. Participants were sampled from an undergraduate student population at a large university. Data were analyzed using correlational and hierarchical regression analyses, as well as two exploratory path models. Analyses suggested that aspects of attachment and psychopathic trait severity were significantly associated with each other and differentially predicted certain sexual outcomes. Furthermore, results indicated that the effects of attachment avoidance on sexual outcomes were mediated by Factor 1 traits of psychopathy, while the effects of attachment anxiety were mediated by Factor 2 traits. Additionally, it was found that attachment style was linked with contempt, and this was further linked to disturbances in sexual outcomes, which is a novel finding. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.