Sex in Australia: heterosexual experience and recent heterosexual encounters among a representative sample of adults

OBJECTIVE: To describe numbers of opposite-sex partners, experiences of different heterosexual behaviours, and recent heterosexual experiences among a representative sample of Australian adults. METHODS: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 10,173 men and 9,134 women aged 16-59 years from all States and Territories. The response rate was 73.1% (69.4% among men and 77.6% among women). RESULTS: Men reported more sexual partners than women over their lifetime, in the past five years and in the past year. 15.1% of men and 8.5% of women reported multiple sexual partners in the past year. Reporting multiple opposite-sex partners was significantly associated with being younger, identifying as bisexual, living in major cities, having a lower income, having a blue-collar occupation, and not being married. All but a handful of respondents' most recent heterosexual encounters involved vaginal intercourse and condoms were used in one-fifth of these sexual encounters. Anal intercourse was very uncommon during respondents' most recent heterosexual encounters. CONCLUSION: Patterns of heterosexual experience in Australia are similar to those found in studies of representative samples in other countries. IMPLICATIONS: There may be a need for interventions targeted at people with multiple sexual partners to promote safer sexual behaviour and to reduce the likelihood of transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.     

Sex in Australia: sexual identity, sexual attraction and sexual experience among a representative sample of adults

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence of same-sex and opposite-sex attraction and experience in Australia and the prevalence of different sexual identities. METHOD: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 10,173 men and 9,134 women aged 16-59 years from all States and Territories of Australia. The overall response rate was 73.1% (men, 69.4%; women, 77.6%). Men and women were asked about their experience of same-sex and opposite-sex attraction and experience along with their sexual identity. The agreement and disagreement between sexual attraction and sexual experience were explored. RESULTS: Among men, 97.4% identified as heterosexual, 1.6% as gay or homosexual and 0.9% as bisexual. Among women, 97.7% identified as heterosexual, 0.8% as lesbian or homosexual and 1.4% as bisexual. Among men, 91.4% reported only opposite-sex attraction and experience, as did 84.9% of women. Thus, some same-sex attraction or experience was reported by 8.60% of men and 15.1% of women. Of men, 4.2% reported sexual attraction and sexual experience that was inconsistent, as did 8.2% of women. Factors associated with this agreement or disagreement included age group, non-English-speaking background, education and socio-economic status. CONCLUSION: Relatively few Australians reported a sexual identity other than heterosexual. However, both same-sex attraction and homosexual experience are more common than homosexual or bisexual identity would suggest. Reporting same-sex attraction or experience was associated with poorer mental health and is likely to reflect responses to homophobia in Australian society.     

男男性接触者中异性爱者与素质性同性爱者艾滋病高危性行为比较

目的探讨中国男男性接触者（MSM）中异性爱者与素质性同性爱者（gay）艾滋病高危性行为状况。方法采用定向抽样方法，对9城市2250例MSM进行匿名问卷调查，比较其中异性爱组与gay组的高危性行为。结果异性爱组累计同性性伴数（平均13．8个）、近6个月同性性伴数（平均3．8个）、累计同性口交性伴数（平均10．5个）和同性肛交性伴数（平均12．4个），均低于gay组；在婚异性爱组累计女性性伴数（平均4．9个）、近6个月女性性伴数（平均1．7个），均高于在婚gay组。异性爱组同性性交安全套使用率（68．8％）低于gay组；但最近1次同性肛交安全套使用率（91．3％）、与女性性交安全套使用率（63．7％）均高于gay组；两组最近1次同性肛交安全套使用率（分别为91．3％、71．0％）均高于最近1次同性口交安全套使用率。异性爱组最近1年曾参加群交百分率（9．9％）、性交时自己或对方出血过百分率（16．7％）、到外地并与当地男性性交百分率（11．4％），曾向同性买性百分率（4．6％）、16岁前遭遇过成年男性实施的强迫性交百分率（4．2％），均低于gay组。结论MSM中异性爱者与gay的高危性行为存在诸多差异，为有效阻断HIV传播，干预工作应选择重点亚人群进行。     

Homosexual Mating Preferences from an Evolutionary Perspective: Sexual Selection Theory Revisited

Studies in evolutionary psychology and sexual selection theory show that heterosexual men prefer younger mating partners than heterosexual women in order to ensure reproductive success. However, previous research has generally not examined differences in mating preferences as a function of sexual orientation or the type of relationship sought in naturalistic settings. Given that homosexual men seek partners for reasons other than procreation, they may exhibit different mating preferences than their heterosexual counterparts. Moreover, mating preferences may show important differences depending on whether an individual is seeking a long-term versus a short-term relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine these issues by comparing partner preferences in terms of age and relationship type between homosexual and heterosexual men placing internet personal advertisements. Participants included 439 homosexual and 365 heterosexual men who placed internet ads in the U.S. or Canada. Ads were coded for the participant’s age, relationship type (longer-term or short-term sexual encounter) sought, and partner age preferences. Significantly more homosexual than heterosexual men sought sexual encounters, although men (regardless of sexual orientation) seeking sexual encounters preferred a significantly wider age range of partners than men seeking longer-term relationships. These findings suggest that partner preferences are independent of evolutionary drives to procreate, since both types of men preferred similar ages in their partners. In addition, they highlight the importance of examining relationship type in evolutionary studies of mating preferences, as men’s partner preferences show important differences depending upon the type of relationship sought.     

Sex in Australia: selected characteristics of regular sexual relationships

OBJECTIVE: To describe selected characteristics of Australian adults' regular or ongoing sexual relationships. METHOD: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 10,173 men and 9,134 women aged 16-59 years. The overall response rate was 73.1% (69.4% men, 77.6% women). Respondents indicated how often they had sex in the past four weeks, contraceptive use, their own and their partners' expectations about having sex with other people during their relationship, whether they had discussed these expectations with their partners and whether they had an explicit agreement about sex with other people. RESULTS: 85.3% of men and 89.5% of women were in a regular heterosexual relationship, among whom 81.4% of men and 89.3% of women reported contraceptive use. Men and women who had a regular partner for the past 12 months had had sex with their partners an average of 1.84 times per week in the four weeks before interview; younger people had sex more often. Most respondents expected themselves and their partners to not have sex with other people, although men were less likely than women to have discussed these expectations with their partner. Bisexually identified men and women were significantly less likely than heterosexually identified men and women to support having sex only with their regular partner. Only 4.9% of men and 2.9% of women in regular heterosexual relationships had concurrent sexual partners in the past 12 months. CONCLUSION: Australians' attitudes to not having sex with people while in a regular relationship are highly consistent with their behaviour.     

Heterosexual and homosexual coercion,sexual orientation and sexual roles in medical students

Rape has been conceptualized on a dimension of normal male behavior. The Koss and Oros (1982) study used a questionnaire that allowed men to respond only as sexual aggressors of women, and women only as victims of men. Medical students' responses to a modified questionnaire, in which both sexes reported being aggressors and/or victims, revealed that relatively comparable proportions of men and women were victims of coercive experiences: 35% of women and 30% of men experiencing constant physical attempts to have sexual activity. Forms of coercion not involving threat or use of force were more common, more exclusively heterosexual, and carried out by more equivalent percentages of men and women. 15% of women and 12% of men felt initially coerced into sexual activity but then enjoyed it. Threat or use of force to attempt to or to obtain intercourse were employed by 4% of men and 2% of women and experienced by 5% of both sexes. Half the male victims and female aggressors and a quarter of the male aggressors and female victims who reported such coercion stated it was homosexual. The ratio of homosexual/heterosexual feelings reported by male, but not female, students correlated with the degree of the homosexual coercion they both carried out and experienced. The degree of sexual coercion carried out by men and women correlated with their masculine sex role scores, suggesting, if the dimensional concept of rape is valid, that rape is on a continuum with masculine rather than male behaviors.     

Feminine gender identity and physical aggressiveness in heterosexual and homosexual pedophiles

This study explored the differences among six groups of adult males in retrospective self-reports of childhood gender identity and physical aggressiveness. The three groups of homosexual men preferred prepubescent, pubescent, or physically mature sexual partners. The three groups of heterosexual men preferred prepubescent partners, normal sexual interaction with physically mature partners (controls), or anomalous interaction with physically mature partners. Childhood gender identity was measured with the Feminine Gender Identity Scale (FGIS), and boyhood aggressiveness was measured with the Physical Aggressiveness Scale (PAS). Duncan tests at the .05 level showed that the FGIS differentiated the homosexuals who preferred mature partners from the five other groups; whereas the PAS differentiated all homosexual groups from all heterosexual groups. These results suggest that male homosexuals in general tend to be unaggressive in boyhood, whereas only those who prefer mature sexual partners show significant levels of feminine identification.     

How comfortable do first-year medical students expect to be when taking sexual histories?

The authors assessed the expected degree of comfort among first-year students at two California medical schools in taking a sexual history from four types of patients: heterosexual men; heterosexual women; homosexual (men and women combined); and an AIDS patient. Data were from questionnaires administered at two California medical schools (response rate = 87%). Students expected to be significantly more comfortable with heterosexual patients who were the same sex as the student. Students who had previously taken a sexual history anticipated relatively more comfort with heterosexual patients. The lowest expected comfort was for the AIDS patient. Older students expected to be more comfortable with the AIDS patient, independent of the student's personal sexual experience. Students with a homosexual friend anticipated more comfort with both the AIDS patient and the homosexual patients.     

Interactions between persons at risk for AIDS and the general population in Denmark.

A nationwide study of sexual behavior was undertaken among 4,680 randomly selected Danes aged 18-59 years. The median number of sexual partners (lifetime) was highest for men aged 30-34 years (eight partners) and for women aged 25-29 years (seven partners). After adjustment for age and sex, having had greater than or equal to 5 sexual partners in the past year was strongly associated with living in larger cities, intravenous drug use, and having sex with a prostitute, a bisexual man, an intravenous drug user, or a resident of sub-Saharan Africa. The frequency of ever having had anal intercourse was highest among women aged 20-34 years (range, 27%-36%) and was independently associated only with increasing number of sexual partners (lifetime). Overall, 2.7% of men reported any homosexual experience, among whom most (88%) had also had heterosexual intercourse. Prostitute contact (ever) was reported by 13% of all men and was associated with a high educational level, a history of travel, a greater number of sexual partners, and intravenous drug use. Overall, sexual contact with someone considered at high risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (a homosexual/bisexual man, intravenous drug user, prostitute, or sub-Saharan African resident) was reported by 15.9% of men and 4.8% of women. Among active blood donors (past year), 12.5% of men and 4.0% of women had engaged in potentially risky behavior. HIV testing was deliberately sought more often by respondents exposed to someone at increased risk of HIV infection (10.6%) than by those unexposed (6.5%, p less than 0.01). Exposure to persons at risk of HIV infection is considerable in Denmark. The majority of persons who have had potential exposure to HIV have not yet been tested for HIV.     

Body Image Satisfaction in Heterosexual,Gay, and Lesbian Adults

Does the prevalence and degree of body dissatisfaction differ among heterosexual and homosexual men and women? Some theorists have suggested that, compared to their heterosexual peers, gay men are at greater risk for body dissatisfaction and lesbians at lower risk. Past studies examining this issue have generally relied on small samples recruited from gay or lesbian groups. Further, these studies have sometimes produced conflicting results, particularly for comparisons of lesbian and heterosexual women. In the present research, we compared body satisfaction and comfort with one’s body during sexual activity among lesbian women, gay men, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men through two large online studies (Ns = 2,512 and 54,865). Compared to all other groups, heterosexual men reported more positive evaluations of their appearance, less preoccupation with their weight, more positive effects of their body image on their quality of life and the quality of their sex life, more comfort wearing a swimsuit in public, and greater willingness to reveal aspects of their body to their partner during sexual activity. Few significant differences were found among gay men, lesbian women, and heterosexual women. Many gay men (42%) reported that their feelings about their body had negative effects on the quality of their sex life, as did some lesbian women (27%), heterosexual women (30%), and heterosexual men (22%). Overall, the findings supported the hypothesis that gay men are at greater risk than heterosexual men for experiencing body dissatisfaction. There was little evidence that lesbian women experience greater body satisfaction than heterosexual women.     

Lack of evidence for increased risk of hepatitis A infection in homosexual men.

In 1997, prevalence of and risk factors for hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection were evaluated in 146 homosexual and 286 heterosexual men attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinic in Rome, Italy. Total HAV antibody (anti-HAV) was detected in 60.3% of homosexuals and 62.2% of heterosexuals. After adjustment for the confounding effects of age, years of schooling, number of sexual partners, use of condoms, and history of STD, homosexuals were not found to be at increased risk of previous HAV exposure than heterosexuals (OR 1.1; 95% CI 0.7-1.9). Independent predictors of the likelihood of anti-HAV seropositivity among homosexuals and heterosexuals were: age older than 35 years and positive syphilis serology which is likely a proxy of lifestyles that increase the risk of faecal-oral infections. These findings do not support a higher risk in homosexual men but could suggest a role for the vaccination of susceptible patients attending STD clinics.     

Do homosexual persons use health care services more frequently than heterosexual persons: findings from a Dutch population survey

Use of health care services has been suggested to be lower among homo- or bisexual persons than among heterosexual persons, due to a lack of trust in the health care system. However, population-based studies on differences in health care utilization according to sexual orientation are scarce. The purpose of the current study was to explore differences in health care utilization and confidence in health care between heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual persons. A survey of a random sample of patients of Dutch general practices (n = 9684) gathered data on socio-demographic variables, sexual orientation, health status, confidence in health care and health care utilization. Differences in health care utilization between homo- or bisexual persons and heterosexual persons were analyzed with logistic regression analysis, in which we statistically adjusted for socio-demographics and health status. Reported health was lower among homosexual men and women as compared to heterosexual persons. There were no sexual orientation-related differences in confidence in health care. Controlling for health status, it appeared that gay men more frequently used mental and somatic health care than heterosexual men, and that lesbian or bisexual women more frequently used mental health care than heterosexual women. We found a higher rate of health care use among homosexual and bisexual persons as compared to heterosexual persons, that could only be partly explained by differences in health status. To gain a better understanding of our findings, data on the predisposition to use health services among homosexual and bisexual men and women is needed.     

Multiple Aspects of Sexual Orientation: Prevalence and Sociodemographic Correlates in a New Zealand National Survey

Sexual orientation consists of multiple components. This study investigated both sexual identity and same-sex sexual behavior. Data came from the New Zealand Mental Health Survey, a nationally representative community sample of New Zealanders aged 16 years or older, interviewed face-to-face (N = 12,992, 48% male). The response rate was 73.3%. Self-reported sexual identity was 98.0% heterosexual, 0.6% bisexual, 0.8% homosexual, 0.3% “Something else,” and 0.1% “Not sure.” Same-sex sexual behavior with a partner was more common: 3.2% reported same-sex sexual experience only and 1.9% reported both experience and a relationship. For analysis of childhood and lifecourse, five sexuality groups were investigated: homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual divided into those with no same-sex sexual experience, experience only, and experience and relationship. The non-exclusively heterosexual groups were more likely to have experienced adverse events in childhood. Educational achievement and current equivalized household income did not differ systematically across the sexuality groups. Only 9.4% of the exclusively heterosexual lived alone, compared with 16.7% of bisexuals and 19.0% of homosexuals. Heterosexuals were more likely than bisexuals or homosexuals to have ever married or had biological children, with differences more marked for males than for females. Heterosexuals with no same-sex sexual experience were more likely to be currently married than the other two heterosexual groups. Restricting comparisons to heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual identification ignores the diversity within heterosexuals. Differences between the bisexual and homosexual groups were small compared with the differences between these groups and the exclusively heterosexual group, except for sex (80.8% of bisexuals were female).     

Suicidality and Sexual Orientation: Differences Between Men and Women in a General Population-Based Sample From The Netherlands

Homosexuality has been shown to be associated with suicidality and mental disorders. It is unclear whether homosexuality is related to suicidality, independently of mental disorders. This study assessed differences in lifetime symptoms of suicidality (death ideation, death wishes, suicide contemplation, and deliberate self-harm) between homosexual and heterosexual men and women, controlling for lifetime psychiatric morbidity. Interaction effects of age and the role of perceived discrimination were also examined. Data were collected on a representative sample of the Dutch population aged 18–64 years. Classification as heterosexual or homosexual was based upon reported sexual behavior in the preceding year. Of those sexually active, 2.8% of 2,878 men and 1.4% of 3,120 women had had same-sex partners. Homosexual men differed from their heterosexual counterparts on all four suicide symptoms (OR ranging from 2.58 to 10.23, with higher ORs for more severe symptoms), and on the sum total of the four symptoms; homosexual women only differed from heterosexual women on suicide contemplation (OR=2.12). Controlling for psychiatric morbidity decreased the ORs, but among men all associations were still significant; the significance for suicide contemplation among women disappeared. Younger homosexuals were not at lower risk for suicidality than older homosexuals in comparison with their heterosexual counterparts. Among homosexual men, perceived discrimination was associated with suicidality. This study suggests that even in a country with a comparatively tolerant climate regarding homosexuality, homosexual men were at much higher risk for suicidality than heterosexual men. This relationship could not only be attributed to their higher psychiatric morbidity. In women, there was no such clear relationship.     

Comparative data of childhood and adolescence molestation in heterosexual and homosexual persons

In research with 942 nonclinical adult participants, gay men and lesbian women reported a significantly higher rate of childhood molestation than did heterosexual men and women. Forty-six percent of the homosexual men in contrast to 7% of the heterosexual men reported homosexual molestation. Twenty-two percent of lesbian women in contrast to 1% of heterosexual women reported homosexual molestation. This research is apparently the first survey that has reported substantial homosexual molestation of girls. Suggestions for future research were offered.     

Psychosocial development of heterosexual,bisexual, and homosexual behavior

Relationships with overt adult Kinsey Scale scores (K) indicate that early sexual experiences are most closely related to K, followed in order by gender related and familial variables. A developmental model emphasizing social learning is presented. Interviewees were 7669 American white males and females.Elevated K (more homosexual scores) was found for females who had few girl companions at age 10 and few male companions at 16, had learned to masturbate by being masturbated by a female, had intense prepubertal sexual contact with boys or men, found thought or sight of females, but not males, arousing by age 18, had homosexual contact by age 18, higher K at 17, and higher first-year homosexual behavior frequency.Elevated K (more homosexual scores) was found for males who reported poorer teenage relationships with their fathers, had more girl companions at age 10, fewer male companions at 10 and 16, avoided sports participation, learned of homosexuality by experience, learned to masturbate by being masturbated by a male, had intense prepubertal sexual contact with boys or men, had neither heterosexual contact nor petting to orgasm by age 18, found thought or sight of males, but not females, arousing by age 18, had homosexual contact by age 18, higher K at ages 16 and 17, and had higher first-year homosexual behavior frequency.Behavioral bisexuals, those scoring between 2.0 and 4.0 on the K scale on the basis of overt behavior (0.7% of females, 1.2% of males), reported more arousal to heterosexual stimuli than did exclusive heterosexuals.