Unsolicited online sexual material: What affects our attitudes and likelihood to search for more?
Amanda Nosko, Eileen Wood, Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, and Serge Desmarais, Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON

Sexually explicit information can be encountered through the Internet by both active exploration and passive means (e.g., junk mail, email and pop-ups). The present study examined unsolicited exposure to sexually explicit material through email, junk mail and pop-ups by assessing potential variables that might impact on positive attitudes towards such sexually explicit materials and the likelihood to search for them online. The findings support previously reported gender differences in attitudes and behaviour in relation to sexually explicit materials. Overall, males felt more positive toward online sexual content and were more likely to explore unsolicited emails and pop-ups than were females. Computer use for a variety of purposes (e.g., downloading files, communication, and entertainment) predicted positive attitudes towards unsolicited sexual pop-ups and junk mail messages while sheer number of hours spent on the computer predicted searching behaviour for sexual information. Domain-specific curiosity (i.e., curiosity toward online sexual material) positively predicted both positive attitudes and searching behaviours. Implications from this exploratory study are discussed (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2007; 16: 1-10).

University students’ definitions of having sex, sexual partner, and virginity loss: The influence of participant gender, sexual experience, and contextual factors
Eileah C. Trotter and Kevin G. Alderson, Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.

Does everyone mean the same thing when they talk about having sex, losing their virginity, or who they would consider to be a sexual partner? The researchers were interested in (a) determining if students differ in their definitions of these terms; (b) examining the relationship between students’ own sexual experience and their labelling of behaviours comprising these terms; and (c) determining whether such factors as orgasm, dating status, the sex of the partner, and the sex of the participant influence their definitions. One hundred fifty-five undergraduate students completed five questionnaires, three of which asked them to indicate whether they would consider a list of hypothetical behaviours as involving having sex, sexual partner, and a loss of virginity, and one of which asked them to indicate whether they had engaged in a list of parallel sexual behaviours with a member of the opposite or same sex. Students reported a broader definition of sexual partner than of having sex and a broader definition of having sex than of virginity loss. Students’ definitions were more likely to include scenarios involving a longer dating status, an opposite-sex partner, and the presence of orgasm. Females reported a broader definition of having sex than males and no relationship was found between students’ sexual experience and their sexual definitions (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2007;16: 11-29).

Characteristics of male and female victims of sexual coercion
Cailey Hartwick, Serge Desmarais, and Karl Hennig, Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario

The current study investigated whether men and women who had experienced sexual coercion shared similar characteristics, and assessed the predictive value of various victim characteristics. Participants were 251 male and 267 female University students. Findings were largely consistent with past literature indicating a prevalence of various forms of coercion of 38.8% for men and 47.9% for women. In addition, past findings on the context of men and women’s experience with sexual coercion were replicated, specifically the initiator’s strategies, the sexual activities that ensued, and the relationship between the initiator and the victim. For men and women alike, the number of sexual partners, the number of romantic relationships, and the length of the longest romantic relationship were the best predictors of sexually coerced experiences. Furthermore exploration of victim characteristics broke new ground and revealed that the belief in men’s sexual accessibility was predictive of sexual victimization for both men and women. Implications of these findings are discussed in reference to sexual script theory (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2007; 16: 31-44).

Cognitive and demographic factors that predict self-efficacy to use condoms in vulnerable and marginalized aboriginal youth
Regan J. Shercliffe, Mary Hampton, Kim McKay-McNabb, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Bonnie Jeffery, Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit (SPHERU), Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Pamela Beattie, University of Regina, and Barb McWatters, Planned Parenthood, Regina, Saskatchewan

Evidence suggests that Aboriginal youth are at higher risk for sexual health problems, including HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI), than are non-Aboriginal youth. Given that condom use is effective in preventing HIV/STI and that self-efficacy is predictive of condom use, it is noteworthy that there is so little research on self-efficacy to use condoms in Aboriginal youth. This study employed a community action research strategy to examine the relationship between a set of cognitive and demographic variables and self-efficacy to use condoms in a sample of vulnerable and marginalized Aboriginal youth (N = 68). We found that those individuals who reported having sex at a later age and who scored higher on a measure of assertive communication reported higher levels of self-efficacy to use condoms. Suggestions concerning how these results could be incorporated in education programs are discussed (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2007; 16: 45-56).

Guidelines and statements issued from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the World Health Organization state that the proper and consistent use of latex condoms reduces the risk of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This report summarizes research indicating that latex condoms provide an essentially impermeable barrier to STI/HIV pathogens and, from epidemiological studies, that proper and consistent latex condom use substantially reduces the risk of infection with HIV, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2), and human papillomavirus (HPV). Clinicians, pharmacists, and educators should strongly recommend proper and consistent latex condom use to reduce the risk of STI/HIV infection (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2007; 16: 57-61).