| Recent Research for the week of January 4, 2010 |
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by Mary Seymour, Library and Research Intern This week's new research includes:
1. Evaluation of a statewide youth-focused relationships education curriculum Journal of Adolescence
Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of a youth-focused relationships education curriculum called Relationship Smarts Plus (RS+), and used their research to make recommendations for best practices in relationships education for adolescents. They found that students receiving the RS+ program found it valuable and showed important changes in knowledge and attitudes from pre-to-post program. They also found that the program’s success was related in part to the following components of the program: using activities and supportive discussions to convey information; addressing topics that are relevant to adolescents’ dating relationships, such as self-development within relationships, dating aggression, pressure situations, understanding intimacy, and distinguishing love from infatuation; recruiting teachers who are well-trained, comfortable with the material, and have good rapport with their students; creating an engaging curriculum that includes activities and clear examples that represent the real experiences of youth; including enough time for open discussion; and mixing students with varied family and relationship experiences, dating relationship history and relationship skills.
2. The mouth: a gateway or a trap for HIV? AIDS
Since the mouth is not conducive to either infection or transmission of HIV, researchers examined the innate factors in the mouth and saliva that can influence HIV infection. This article describes in detail some of the cells and molecules involved in blocking oral HIV transmission, and concludes by recommending that these molecules may provide inspiration as to how to prevent HIV infection in the genital and rectal mucosal membranes.
Read the article here: http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/Fulltext/2010/01020/The_mouth__a_gateway_or_a_trap_for_HIV_.3.aspx
3. Estimates of HIV incidence from household-based prevalence surveys AIDS
Researchers estimated the number of new cases of HIV infection in the general population in countries where there have been two recent household-based HIV prevalence surveys: the Dominican Republic, Mali, Niger, Tanzania, and Zambia. Among men and women aged 15-44 years, they estimated the incidence to be: 0.5/1000 person-years at risk in the Dominican Republic 2002-2007, 1.1/1000 in Mali 2001-2006, 0.6/1000 in Niger 2002-2006, 3.4/1000 in Tanzania 2004-2008, and 11.2/1000 in Zambia 2002-2007. They found that the groups most at risk in these epidemics were typically 15-24-year-old women and 25-39-year-old men. Overall, they found that incidence appeared to have declined in all of the countries, but only significantly among men in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania and women in Zambia.
Read the article here: http://journals.lww.com/aidsonline/Fulltext/2010/01020/Estimates_of_HIV_incidence_from_household_based.19.aspx
4. Juveniles who commit sex offenses against minors Juvenile Justice Bulletin
Researchers examined data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System to determine the characteristics of the juvenile sex offender population coming to the attention of law enforcement. Their findings include: that 35.6% of sex offenses against minors are committed by juveniles; that juvenile sex offenders are more likely to offend in groups and at schools, and have more male victims and younger victims than adult sex offenders; that the number of juvenile sex offenders increases sharply at 12 and plateaus after age 14; that 1 out of 8 juvenile offenders are younger tan age 12; that only 7% of juveniles who commit sex offenses are female; and that jurisdictions vary widels in their concentration of reported juvenile sex offenders, far more so than they vary in their concentration of adult sex offenders.
Read the report here: http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/227763.pdf
5. Risky sexual behaviors among Hispanic young adults in south Florida Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Researchers examined sexual behaviors among 709 Hispanic individuals aged 18-23, and analyzed associations between nativity and age at immigration and sexual behaviors. They found that smaller proportions of sexually experienced women who had immigrated to the United States before age six than of similar U.S.-born women reported having had vaginal sex and oral six. Compared with U.S.-born women, those who had immigrated at age six or older reported lower levels of oral sex and drug use in conjunction with sex in the past year, and a lower average lifetime number of sexual partners. Immigrant men were no less likely than U.S.-born men to engage in risky sexual behavior.
Read the abstract here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123203596/abstract
6. How an adolescent’s childbearing affects siblings’ pregnancy risk: A qualitative study of Mexican American youths Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Researchers interviewed Mexican American 12-18-year-olds to determine how an older sister’s teenage childbearing had affected them, and the themes that emerged were categorized as risk factors or protective factors. They found six risk factors and 11 protective factors. The most commonly reported risk factors were that youths did not perceive early parenting as a hardship, they had increased difficulties in school, and they wanted to have a baby too. The most commonly cited protective factors were an increased motivation to avoid early parenting, an increased appreciation of the difficulties of parenting, mothers’ explicitly discouraging early parenting and youths’ feeling of greater closeness with their mother.
Read the abstract here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123203582/abstract
7. A little thing called love: Condom use in high-risk primary heterosexual relationships Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
Researchers interview 25 high-risk heterosexual couples, including HIV-serodiscordant couples, to examine their sexual risk taking. They found that participants described nonuse of condoms as a strategy to find and maintain a primary relationship, establish trust and increase intimacy. Many had unprotected intercourse while recognizing their risk of HIV and other STDs, placing their love for their partner and other emotional needs over concerns about their health. Several couples reduced their STD risk by practicing negotiated safety (i.e., using condoms until their serostatus had been determined) or similar strategies, including sharing sexual or drug use history, disclosing HIV test results and using condoms until they decided that their relationship would be monogamous.
Read the abstract here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123203580/abstract
8. The role of learned resourcefulness in helping female undergraduates deal with unwanted sexual activity Sex Education
Researchers examined the relationship between learned resourcefulness skills and the manner in which undergraduate heterosexual women handle unwanted sexual advances/activity. They found that possessing a higher general repertoire of learned resourcefulness skills predicted greater sexual self-control with unwanted sexual advances. Physical contact with men, greater sexual victimization, more reasons for consenting, and less use of sexual resourcefulness skills all directly contributed to voluntarily giving-in behavior.
Read the abstract here: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a916486287
9. Contraceptive use and non-use among teenage girls in a sexually motivated situation Sex Education
Researchers examined contraceptive use and non-use among Finnish teenage girls. They found that attitude, intention and preparatory behavior, like carrying condoms, having a condom available, and discussing safer sex before intercourse, were not alone sufficient for predicting contraceptive use. The crucial element seems to be self-efficacy.
Read the abstract here: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a916486134
10. The impact of delinquency on young adult sexual risk behaviors and sexually transmitted infections Journal of Adolescent Health
Researchers examined the association between delinquent behavior, sexual risk behavior, and STI among adolescents and young adults who were categorized as belonging to one of four delinquent groups: life-course persistent, adolescence-limited, late-onset and nondelinquency. They found that none of the delinquency groups were associated with young adult STI, and only life-course persistent delinquency was associated consistently with sexual risk behavior.
Read the article here: http://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(09)00240-7/abstract |