Canadian Attitudes Toward Female Topless Behaviour: A National Survey
Dayna S. Fischtein, Edward S. Herold, & Serge Desmarais, University of Guelph

This study examined Canadian attitudes toward the acceptability of women being topless in three different contexts: at public beaches, in public parks, and on city streets. It evaluated the predictive value of several demographic variables (gender, age, education, religiosity, marital status, and region of Canada) in explaining attitudes toward topless behaviour. The data were obtained from a Compas Polling survey that asked Canadian adults (N = 1479) questions about relationships and sexuality. While Canadians differed in their views about legal acceptance of toplessness in public,context played a major role with acceptance greatest for toplessness at public beaches and least on city streets. Logistic regression models predicted a significant but modest amount of variance for each of the three topless contexts with gender and religiosity consistently being the most significant predictors of attitudes (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2005; 14: 63-75).

Young Women’s Sexual Adjustment: The Role of Sexual Self-Schema, Sexual Self-Efficacy, Sexual Aversion and Body Attitudes.
Elke D. Reissing, Genevieve M. Laliberte and Hannah J. Davis, University of Ottawa.

Recent epidemiological studies have revealed high prevalence rates for sexual dysfunction among young women. This study investigated the role of sexual self-schema, sexual aversion, sexual self-efficacy, and body attitudes in the sexual adjustment of a sample of 84 women between the ages of 18 and 29. Linear regression path analyses indicated that sexual self-efficacy mediated the association between sexual self-schema and sexual adjustment. Body attitudes did not appear to be related directly to sexual self-schema, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual adjustment. However, a more negative body attitude was associated with an increase in sexual aversion, which in turn was associated with negative sexual adjustment. The findings suggest that modifying negative sexual self-schema by increasing sexual self-efficacy may be an effective intervention for preventing the maintenance and/or exacerbation of sexual difficulties in young women (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2005; 14: 77-85).

An Exploration of Sexual Behaviour and Self-Definition in a Cohort of Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Kim Engler, Joanne Otis, Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Michel Alary, Benoit Masse, Robert S. Remis, Marie-Eve Girard, Jean Vincelette, Bruno Turmel, Rene Lavoie, Roger Le Clerc.

A measure of sexual activity (homosexual vs. bisexual) and a measure of sexual identification (homosexual/gay vs. bisexual) were combined to classify men who have sex with men (MSM) for HIV research. Using polytomous logistic regression analyses, gay-defined homosexually active men (GDHA; n=994) were compared with three groups: bisexually defined bisexually active (BDBA; n=83), bisexually defined homosexually active men (BDHA; n=47), and gay-defined bisexually active men (GDBA; n=25). Over an 18-month period, differences were observed between the bisexual groups and the GDHA in some socio-demographic characteristics, sexual practices, partners, venues used for sex, and in trading sex. The bisexually defined groups also showed increased odds of injection drug use. These exploratory analyses identified a constellation of practices that distinguished each group from the GDHA and are suggestive of distinct risk contexts. Future research should examine in greater detail the intersections between male bisexuality, trading sex and drug use as well as the role of discrepancies between identity and behaviour in HIV risk (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2005 14; 87-104).

Influence of Teens’ Perceptions of Parental Disapproval and Peer Behaviour on Their Initiation of Sexual Intercourse.
Mary Rucklos Hampton, Bonnie Jeffery, University of Regina, Barb McWatters & Pamela Smith.

This study of 2,353 grade 10 and 12 students asked whether their perceptions of parental approval/disapproval of their having sexual intercourse would predict whether or not they had ever had intercourse. Well over half of these students anticipated parental disapproval and 44% of the total sample had ever had intercourse. Logistic regression analyses showed no predictive effect of perceived parental disapproval on intercourse experience whereas students’ perceptions of the sexual intercourse experience of same sex and other sex friends was predictive for both sexes. Females were significantly more likely than males to anticipate fathers’ disapproval but the sexes did not differ with respect to mothers’ disapproval. Students most often cited personal experience, friends and parents as main or preferred sources of information about healthy dating and relationships but generally favoured schools for information on pregnancy and STI prevention. The findings may suggest ways to support the potentially mutually reinforcing roles of schools, peers and parents in adolescent sexual health (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2005, 14; 105-121).