CJHS Abstracts: Vol 19(1-2) 2010

The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality (CJHS)

Volume 19, Number 1-2, 2010
The reliability and validity of instruments supporting the sexual self-control model Terry P. Humphreys¹ and Deborah J. Kennett¹ ¹Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario Young women often voluntarily give-in to unwanted sexual activity not involving force. Kennett, Humphreys, and Patchell (2009) proposed a new conceptual model of sexual self-control that delineated the factors empowering young women to be resourceful in such situations. The present study extended the Kennett et al. model by providing reliability, construct and predictive validity to the various measures that make up the sexual self-control model. Three hundred and thirty heterosexual female undergraduate students completed an online questionnaire. Sixty-three participants completed a retest seven weeks later. Results demonstrated strong support for the measures that make up the sexual self-control model, i.e., the reasons for consent to unwanted sexual activity scale, the sexual self-efficacy questionnaire, the sexual resourcefulness scale, and the sexual giving-in experiences survey, and for the model itself. Future applications of the sexual self-control model are discussed (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 1-13). Sexual health education in Newfoundland and Labrador schools: Junior high school teachers’ experiences, coverage of topics, comfort levels and views about professional practice Melody Morton Ninomiya ¹Faculty of Education, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL This exploratory study sought to identify the experiences, topic coverage, comfort levels, views, and training of junior high school teachers responsible for teaching sexual health education in grades 7, 8, or 9 in Newfoundland and Labrador. All schools with these grades were invited to participate. Thirty-one teachers answered fixed measures and open-ended questions to elicit quantitative and qualitative data on the themes of interest. The findings identify a number of key issues affecting sexual health education in Newfoundland and Labrador. These include: a general absence of pre-service and in-service training; outdated curricular resources; under-coverage of topics associated with pleasure, satisfaction, and behaviour; and a seeming lack of awareness of sexual diversity in the classroom and response to it despite apparent acceptance of and comfort with the topic. These and other findings are discussed in relation to the practice of teaching sexual health education in Newfoundland and Labrador schools (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 15-26). Sexual identity and heterosexual male students’ usage of homosexual insults: An exploratory study Tyler L. Brown¹ and Kevin G. Alderson² ¹Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB ²Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB The use of different homosexual insults by heterosexual male students at a mid-sized Canadian university was studied. The types of insults included both those directed at sexuality and sexual orientation (“sexualized homosexual insults”) and those related more to gender role behaviour and masculinity (“nonsexual homosexual insults”). Comparison groups for the type of insults used by participants were based on their heterosexual male sexual identity as reflected in scores for opposite-sex sexual orientation, masculine gender role, and adherence to traditional gender ideologies. The key measures employed were The Sexuality Questionnaire (Alderson, Orzeck, Davis, & Boyes, 2010) and a homosexual insult questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Participants varied in insult usage in relation to their scores on the sexual identity measures although some insults were used with similar frequency among men despite variations in these measures. The findings are discussed in relation to the issues of opposite sex sexual orientation, gender role, and gender ideology as well as age, education, religion, and ethnic background (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 27-42). Trends in teen pregnancy rates from 1996-2006: A comparison of Canada, Sweden, U.S.A., and England/Wales Alexander McKay¹ and Michael Barrett¹ ¹The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN), Toronto, ON This article summarizes and compares the most recent available data on ten-year teen birth/ abortion rates in Canada, Sweden, U.S.A., and England/Wales. From 1996 to 2006, the teen birth/abortion rate declined by 36.9% in Canada, 25% in the U.S.A, and 4.75% in England/Wales, and increased 19.1% in Sweden. In 2006, the lowest teen birth/abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15-19 was in Canada (27.9) followed by Sweden (31.4), England/Wales (60.3), and the U.S.A. (61.2). With respect to teen birth rates, in 2006, Sweden (6.0), and Canada (13.7) had rates substantially lower than in England/ Wales (35.0) and the U.S.A. (41.9). Canadian interprovincial/territorial differences in teen pregnancy rates, and percentage declines from 1996 to 2006, as well as declines among women aged 15-19, 20-24, and 25-29 are examined. Potential factors contributing to trends in teen pregnancy rates are discussed (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 43-52). General and sexual communication in established relationships: An exploration of possible links to condom use among young adults Andrea M. Boyle¹ and Lucia F. O’Sullivan¹ ¹Psychology Department, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB Rates of consistent condom use are typically low among young adults in established relationships. This exploratory investigation examines how young adults in relationships characterize their communication styles with their current partners. Communication difficulty within the relationship, including sexual communication, was further explored for associations with condom use. Thirty-two women and 22 men (18-24 years) tracked their condom use over a three-week period using daily diaries. Diary data subsequently were linked to reports of communication difficulties that emerged from analyses of the qualitative interview data addressing relationship communication. We found that those who reported some difficulty in communication practiced condom use more consistently than those who did not report such difficulties. No statistically significant differences were found for those who reported difficulty communicating about sex-related issues compared to those who reported feeling at ease discussing such issues. Results have implications for interventions promoting safer sex among young adults (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 53-64).

Volume 19, Number 1-2, 2010

The reliability and validity of instruments supporting the sexual self-control model

Terry P. Humphreys¹ and Deborah J. Kennett¹

¹Department of Psychology, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario

Young women often voluntarily give-in to unwanted sexual activity not involving force. Kennett, Humphreys, and Patchell (2009) proposed a new conceptual model of sexual self-control that delineated the factors empowering young women to be resourceful in such situations. The present study extended the Kennett et al. model by providing reliability, construct and predictive validity to the various measures that make up the sexual self-control model. Three hundred and thirty heterosexual female undergraduate students completed an online questionnaire. Sixty-three participants completed a retest seven weeks later. Results demonstrated strong support for the measures that make up the sexual self-control model, i.e., the reasons for consent to unwanted sexual activity scale, the sexual self-efficacy questionnaire, the sexual resourcefulness scale, and the sexual giving-in experiences survey, and for the model itself. Future applications of the sexual self-control model are discussed (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 1-13).

Sexual health education in Newfoundland and Labrador schools: Junior high school teachers’ experiences, coverage of topics, comfort levels and views about professional practice

Melody Morton Ninomiya

¹Faculty of Education, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL

This exploratory study sought to identify the experiences, topic coverage, comfort levels, views, and training of junior high school teachers responsible for teaching sexual health education in grades 7, 8, or 9 in Newfoundland and Labrador. All schools with these grades were invited to participate. Thirty-one teachers answered fixed measures and open-ended questions to elicit quantitative and qualitative data on the themes of interest. The findings identify a number of key issues affecting sexual health education in Newfoundland and Labrador. These include: a general absence of pre-service and in-service training; outdated curricular resources; under-coverage of topics associated with pleasure, satisfaction, and behaviour; and a seeming lack of awareness of sexual diversity in the classroom and response to it despite apparent acceptance of and comfort with the topic. These and other findings are discussed in relation to the practice of teaching sexual health education in Newfoundland and Labrador schools (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 15-26).

Sexual identity and heterosexual male students’ usage of homosexual insults: An exploratory study

Tyler L. Brown¹ and Kevin G. Alderson²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
²Division of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

The use of different homosexual insults by heterosexual male students at a mid-sized Canadian university was studied. The types of insults included both those directed at sexuality and sexual orientation (“sexualized homosexual insults”) and those related more to gender role behaviour and masculinity (“nonsexual homosexual insults”). Comparison groups for the type of insults used by participants were based on their heterosexual male sexual identity as reflected in scores for opposite-sex sexual orientation, masculine gender role, and adherence to traditional gender ideologies. The key measures employed were The Sexuality Questionnaire (Alderson, Orzeck, Davis, & Boyes, 2010) and a homosexual insult questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Participants varied in insult usage in relation to their scores on the sexual identity measures although some insults were used with similar frequency among men despite variations in these measures. The findings are discussed in relation to the issues of opposite sex sexual orientation, gender role, and gender ideology as well as age, education, religion, and ethnic background (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 27-42).

Trends in teen pregnancy rates from 1996-2006: A comparison of Canada, Sweden, U.S.A., and England/Wales

Alexander McKay¹ and Michael Barrett¹

¹The Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN), Toronto, ON

This article summarizes and compares the most recent available data on ten-year teen birth/ abortion rates in Canada, Sweden, U.S.A., and England/Wales. From 1996 to 2006, the teen birth/abortion rate declined by 36.9% in Canada, 25% in the U.S.A, and 4.75% in England/Wales, and increased 19.1% in Sweden. In 2006, the lowest teen birth/abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 15-19 was in Canada (27.9) followed by Sweden (31.4), England/Wales (60.3), and the U.S.A. (61.2). With respect to teen birth rates, in 2006, Sweden (6.0), and Canada (13.7) had rates substantially lower than in England/ Wales (35.0) and the U.S.A. (41.9). Canadian interprovincial/territorial differences in teen pregnancy rates, and percentage declines from 1996 to 2006, as well as declines among women aged 15-19, 20-24, and 25-29 are examined. Potential factors contributing to trends in teen pregnancy rates are discussed (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 43-52).

General and sexual communication in established relationships: An exploration of possible links to condom use among young adults

Andrea M. Boyle¹ and Lucia F. O’Sullivan¹

¹Psychology Department, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB

Rates of consistent condom use are typically low among young adults in established relationships. This exploratory investigation examines how young adults in relationships characterize their communication styles with their current partners. Communication difficulty within the relationship, including sexual communication, was further explored for associations with condom use. Thirty-two women and 22 men (18-24 years) tracked their condom use over a three-week period using daily diaries. Diary data subsequently were linked to reports of communication difficulties that emerged from analyses of the qualitative interview data addressing relationship communication. We found that those who reported some difficulty in communication practiced condom use more consistently than those who did not report such difficulties. No statistically significant differences were found for those who reported difficulty communicating about sex-related issues compared to those who reported feeling at ease discussing such issues. Results have implications for interventions promoting safer sex among young adults (The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 2010: 19; 53-64).

Back to Abstracts > Vol 19(1-2)