Sexual Health Education: Attitudes, Knowledge, and Comfort of Teachers in New Brunswick Schools.
Jacqueline N. Cohen, E. Sandra Byers, Heather A. Sears, & Angela D. Weaver, University of New Brunswick.

We surveyed 336 teachers in elementary and middle schools in New Brunswick to assess their attitudes towards sexual health education (SHE), the importance they assign to sexual health topics, their knowledge about and comfort teaching these topics, and the grade at which they think these topics should be introduced. Ninety-three percent of teachers supported school-based SHE. Most teachers (78%) thought SHE should start in elementary school; 97% indicated it should start by middle school. The teachers reported that the sexual health curriculum should include a broad range of topics, yet, on average, they felt only somewhat knowledgeable about sexual health. Median responses indicated that the teachers also felt only somewhat comfortable teaching most sexual health topics, including communicating about sex, birth control methods and safer sex practices, and sexual coercion and sexual assault; they felt less than somewhat comfortable teaching about masturbation and sexual pleasure and orgasm. There was some variation in responses by gender and teaching level. Although most of the teachers (65%) had received no training to teach SHE, the majority of teachers who had received training rated their training as good or very good. Regarding the quality of SHE in their own schools, although 41% of teachers perceived it as good, very good, or excellent, over a quarter of teachers (28%) indicated that they did not know what the quality of SHE was in their school. These findings underscore the need for in-service training to increase teachers’ knowledge about sexuality and their comfort teaching specific sexual health topics. (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2004; 13: 1-15).

Does PMDD Belong in the DSM? Challenging the Medicalization of Women’s Bodies.
Alia Offman, Carleton University & Peggy J. Klienplatz, University of Ottawa.

Many believe in the existence of a class of symptoms experienced prior to menses labelled as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), however, the research findings on PMDD have been tenuous. In this paper, the validity and utility of the PMDD diagnosis is called into question and it is argued that PMDD is a socially constructed diagnosis rather than a psychiatric disorder. The distinction between physiological experiences and pathology is investigated in addition to the implications of a PMDD diagnosis for patients, clinicians, researchers and pharmaceutical companies. Finally, the paper explores the relation between PMDD and sexuality offering an additional voice in the developing discourse on the medicalization of women’s experiences of sexuality. (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2004; 13: 17-27).

Biobehavioural and Cognitive Determinants of Adolescent Girls’ Involvement in Sexual Risk Behaviours: A Test of Three Theoretical Models.
Line Tremblay, Laurentian University & Jean-Yves Frigon, University of Montreal.

The observed increase in teenage pregnancy rates and sexually transmitted infection (STI) in adolescents in Quebec indicates a need to examine causes and prevention of sexual risk behaviours in this age group. This study used two theoretical frameworks (the Theory of Reasoned Action and Problem Behaviour Theory) combined with the basic framework of the Theory of Reproductive Development to identify variables predicting two specific behaviours related to teen pregnancy and reproductive health: (1) age at first intercourse, and (2) consistency of condom use. Two cohorts of girls (N= 407, aged 12 to 17 years) were included in three specific periods of data collection from 1995 to 1997. Sequential Logistic Regression Analyses were performed to test the two theoretical frameworks separately for each outcome. The results show that age at first intercourse and the consistency of condom use are predicted by different sets of variables, suggesting that these behaviours may have different meanings and/or importance for adolescents. The Theory of Reasoned Action combined model appears to be a better predictor of the two target behaviours. (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2004; 13: 29-44).

A Biopsychosocial Systems Approach to Premature Ejaculation.
Adam J. Mrdjenovich, Gary H. Bischof, Western Michigan University and Jennifer L. Menichello, Jewish Family and Children’s Services.

A biopsychosocial systems approach to the understanding and management of premature ejaculation (PE) is described here as a basis for concurrently addressing the multiple factors that have been associated with PE at the biological, psychological, and social levels. This paper examines the complex interactions within and between factors associated with these levels, reviews the varied definitions and aetiological explanations for PE, and proposes use of a combination of methods for treatment consistent with a systems perspective. Attention to couple/relational dynamics is identified as an important component of the biopsychosocial systems approach to treatment. (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2004; 13: 45-55).