Body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating in black and white women

OBJECTIVE: This study predicted and found that body image dissatisfaction and bulimic symptoms have a curvilinear relationship among undergraduate women. RESULTS: For the women in this sample, regardless of race, body image dissatisfaction correlated with bulimic symptoms, such that women who perceived themselves as bigger or smaller than the ideal body size for their ethnic group endorsed bulimic symptoms. Black and white women differed regarding their ethnic group's ideal body image and their self-perceptions of how they compared with the ideal image. Black women tended to report being underweight, whereas white women tended to report being overweight. DISCUSSION: The findings in this study suggest that some black women are not buffered against eating disorders as suggested in previous research.     

A study of fantasy-based sexual arousal in women

The self-reported use of sexual fantasy as an aspect of sexual behavior in natural settings was examined with respect to genital responding to both sexual fantasy and an erotic audiotape within the laboratory. It was predicted that subjects who self-reported a higher frequency of using sexual fantasy during either masturbation or sexual interaction with a partner in extralaboratory settings would be more highly responsive on genital measures of sexual arousal obtained when the subject was generating sexual fantasy within the laboratory. Forty-five female subjects (median age, 21) completed a battery of questionnaires, which included three scales of general imagery ability and frequency, and a detailed sexual history. All subjects then experienced an initial nonstimulated baseline period followed by a second baseline period and an exposure to an erotic audiotape. Genital responding was measured by vaginal photoplethysmography. Those subjects who reported more frequent use of fantasy during masturbation outside the laboratory showed greater genital responses during both fantasy and tape-elicited arousal than those reporting less use of masturbatory fantasy. One of the imagery questionnaires yielded a significant correlation with genital response in the fantasy condition. It appears that cognitive factors have predictive significance for measures of vaginal pressure pulse responses to erotic tape recordings and fantasies.Portions of this paper were presented at the 1979 meetings of the Society for Psychophysiological Research, Cincinnati, Ohio.     

Perimenopausal sexuality

This report covers (i) the results of an interview survey concerning sexual responses of 124 women during the perimenopause (menopause transition), and (ii) the results of 52 women's prospective coital behavior records over 3 months with concomitant steroid analysis. Results indicated that (i) in general, the age group centering around 49 years appears not to be suffering from a particular sexual deficit in the dimensions of desire, response, or satisfaction in their sexul life, and (ii) a subset of women with especially low estradiol levels (< 35 mg/pl) tends to have reduced coital activity.     

Orgasm in women in the laboratory—quantitative studies on duration,intensity, latency,and vaginal blood flow

Sexual arousal by clitoral self-stimulation was used by healthy, young adult women volunteers (n =28) to induce orgasm in the laboratory. The duration of the orgasm was obtained using the subject's verbal indication of its start and finish. The estimated duration and the subjective experience of the orgasm self-graded on a 5-point scale were also obtained in a number of subjects. Vaginal blood flow was assessed by the power consumption needed to keep a heated oxygen electrode, held on the vaginal wall by suction, at a constant temperature. The mean measured orgasm duration was 19.9 seconds (SD, ± 12, n =26). For 14 subjects, their estimate of the duration of their orgasms (12.2 ± 9.8 seconds, mean ± SD) was greatly underestimated compared with the measured duration (26 ± 14.6 seconds). This result indicates that data obtained on the duration of orgasm from questionnaires or interviews have suspect validity. The measured duration of the orgasms was not significantly correlated with the subjective grading. The increase in vaginal blood flow at orgasm was not significantly correlated with the subjective gradings of orgasm (n =18), the orgasm latency (time taken to induce orgasm, n =18), or the measured duration of orgasm (n =14). This research was funded in part by a grant from the Novo Fund, Copenhagen, Denmark.     

Female sexuality after spinal cord injury

A questionnaire investigating women's perception of sexuality and sexual behavior after spinal cord injury was mailed to all 74 women followed by the Central Pennsylvania Spinal Cord Injury Program. 37% responded. (After spinal cord injury, women rated sex as being 26% less important to them, but also felt 23% less satisfied with their sexual lives.) 52% were able to achieve an orgasm after their injury, but half of the women who experienced orgasm felt it was different after spinal cord injury. The biggest perceived change after spinal cord injury was perceived attractiveness of their bodies. Women rated their bodies as being only half as attractive after their injury as before. Female sexuality remains a vastly underresearched area in spinal cord injury, and much more data is needed to counsel women about sex after their injury. All members of the rehabilitation team need to be comfortable addressing issues of sexuality with their patients.Presented at the American Spinal Injury Association Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, May 4, 1990.     

Oral contraceptives and sexuality in university women

The relationship between use of oral contraceptives and sexuality in university women who completed the McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire was examined. Pill users reported sexual intercourse earlier, were less likely to be virgins, more likely to have a sex partner, more apt to be engaging in petting and intercourse than nonusers, and reported more frequent intercourse than sexually active nonusers. Nonusers reported a greater frequency and enjoyment of anal intercourse than pill users. The prediction that pill users would have less vaginal lubrication than nonusers was supported. Contrary to prediction, pill users reported a higher frequency of sexual thoughts and fantasies, and level of sexual interest than active nonusers. Triphasic Orthonovum 7/7/7 (OR7/7/7) users reported more sexual thoughts and fantasies and had higher Sexual Interest (Factor 1) scores than monophasic Orthonovum 1/35 (OR1/35) users. Triphasic users as a group enjoyed sexual activity more, were more aroused during sexual activity, and had higher Sexual Interest factor scores than monophasic users. Triphasic users reported more sexual thoughts and fantasies, sexual interest and had higher Sexual Interest factor scores than nonusers, while monophasic users did not. Monophasic users reported less vaginal lubrication than nonusers, whereas triphasic users did not. Comparisons of OR7/7/7 and OR1/35 users with nonusers revealed the same findings. Results suggest that women using triphasic pills experience greater sexual interest and response than those using monophasics. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. Preparation of this paper was supported, in part, by the Pacific Center for Sex and Society (PCSS), John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Milton Diamond, Director.     

Controversies and contentions: a gay man conducting research with women about their understandings of sexuality,sex and sexual problems

Whether male researchers can conduct qualitative research with female participants, and interpret accounts of their lives, is a contentious issue within the feminist literature. Academics and activists argue that not all researchers are uniformly positioned, in terms of social location, or possess the necessary lived experiences to conduct feminist research. Conducting research into sexuality can intensify these concerns, with such projects perceived as ‘riskier’ and establishing trust in the research setting more difficult than with mainstream topics. This paper draws on data from research interviews that explored women's understandings of sexuality, sex and sexual problems to discuss participants' views of being interviewed by a gay man. It highlights that the shared experience of marginality was a key influence upon the interview interaction, particularly regarding levels of empathy, and this facilitated disclosure. By providing a reflexive account of the gendered and sexual orientation dynamics of conducting research interviews, we argue that focusing solely upon gender similarity as a pre-requisite for conducting feminist research with female participants fails to acknowledge the role of other factors that enable ‘good’ research to be done.     

武汉地区女大学生性行为调查

目的了解武汉地区女大学生性行为现况。方法采用分层整群抽样方法，对调查对象进行无记名自填式问卷调查。结果在调查2365名女大学生中，其性行为发生率为17．89％；不同专业和不同年级的女大学生性行为发生率差异有统计学意义，以艺术类和高年级发生率为高。女大学生初次性行为的原因以一时感情冲动、好奇、为增强与男友的关系为主；而近一年内性行为的原因以为增强与男友的关系和生理需要为主。无论是初次性行为还是近一年内性行为。其性伴侣均以自已的男朋友为主，但也有多性伴现象存在。结论女大学生中的性行为发生率较高，存在性滥等问题。     

Self-concept and sexuality of spinal cord injured women

Differences in perceived self-concept and sexual response before and after spinal cord injury were examined. Twenty-four women between the ages of 20 and 40 completed a questionnaire and participated in a brief taped interview. Most of the women viewed themselves as very or somewhat attractive and had been involved in a sexual relationship since injury. The majority viewed sexual relationships as very enjoyable, although many commented that changes in bowel and bladder function had inhibited sexual expression. The need for more effective sexual counseling was highlighted. A trend was noted for an interrelationship between sexuality and self-concept in adapting to acquired disability.The present study is based on a research paper submitted by the first two authors in partial fulfillment for the Master of Arts in Physical Therapy at Stanford University School of Medicine.     

Body image in boys: a review of the literature

OBJECTIVE: Both scientific research and popular attention have begun to focus on the neglected issue of body image in boys. We reviewed the findings of this emerging literature. METHOD: Using computer and manual search techniques, we located 17 studies that assessed body image attitudes in boys under age 18. RESULTS: We located 17 studies, most performed within the last 10 years. Eight studies used exclusively questionnaires or interviews; the rest also used figure drawings from which the subjects could choose specific images in answer to questions. Although boys generally displayed less overall body concern than girls, many boys of all ages reported dissatisfaction with their bodies, often associated with reduced self-esteem. Whereas girls typically wanted to be thinner, boys frequently wanted to be bigger. However, most studies failed to distinguish between "bigness" due to increased muscle and that due to fat. CONCLUSIONS: Body image dissatisfaction in boys is common and often associated with distress. To better assess this phenomenon, future studies should take care to separate the indices of muscle and fat.     

Effects of antiandrogen-estrogen treatment on sexual and endocrine parameters in hirsute women

Sexual activity was evaluated in 51 women with hirsutism associated with increased levels of circulating androgens before and while on combined treatment with the antiandrogen cyproterone acetate (CA) and ethinyl estradiol (EE₂) and compared to a reference group of 52 subjects. The percentage of unbound testosterone (T) was higher (p < 0.001), the coital frequency lower (p < 0.05), and the masturbation frequency higher (p< 0.04) in hirsute women. Mean frequency of total activity (coitus plus masturbation) was similar in the two groups. Treatment with combination of CA and EE₂ resulted in a decline of unbound T (p< 0.001). There was no change of total sexual activity, but coital frequency increased (p < 0.05) and masturbation frequency declined (p < 0.04). It is concluded that raised levels of circulating androgens, as judged by free T concentration, are not of crucial importance in the expression of sexual behavior in hirsute women.     

Personality correlates of sexual behavior in black women

Black women (N =35)were asked via questionnaires to provide information about various aspects of their sexual behavior (e.g., orgasm consistency, clitoral-vaginal preferences, intercourse frequency, and masturbation). They also responded to the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, to a measure of attitudes toward their parents, and to a measure of their preferences for external and internal sources of stimulation. The sexual behavior of the blacks was generally more similar to than different from that of female white controls. Furthermore, a number of correlations between sexual response patterns and personality and attitudinal measures that were previously found in white women were duplicated in the black women. However, there were also previous correlations that were not duplicated. Overall, the results for the black women paralleled those for white women.     

Sexual Self-esteem and Body Image of South African Spinal Cord Injured Adolescents

Although adolescents sustain a large portion of spinal cord injuries, the area of spinal cord injured adolescents and the issues surrounding their sexuality are under-researched. This is the first South African study on the sexuality of spinal cord injured adolescents and attempts to address this paucity. It is generally postulated that the sexuality of adolescents who have sustained SCI will be detrimentally affected by the consequences of having a physical disability, resulting in developmental lags relative to non-disabled peers. The focus of this article is to explore the impact of spinal cord injury on adolescents sexual self-esteem and body image. A qualitative study was conducted, with data being collected via in-depth individual interviews, which were subsequently analyzed thematically. A disparity was found between dominant ableist discourses of the SCI adolescent as a sexually immature and passive spectator, and the lived experiences of the participants involved in the study. The study concluded that entrenched socially constructed attitudes appear to limit the opportunities for spinal cord injured adolescents to express their sexuality more than the limitations by their disabilities.