“If I knew then what I know now”: Seropositive individuals' perceptions of partner trust,safety and risk prior to HIV infection

The purpose of this study was to examine personal and relational characteristics of HIV positive individuals. Forty HIV positive heterosexuals, who were infected through heterosexual sex, completed an on‐line questionnaire designed to assess perceived risk of HIV, perceived partner safety and trust, and reasons for these perceptions prior to HIV infection. Results indicated that prior to infection, HIV positive heterosexuals reported having similar sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to those not infected with the virus. Participants reported moderate to high levels of trust for their partners, low levels of perceived risk of infection, and high levels of perceived partner safety. A moderately strong, negative, linear relationship existed between perceived partner safety and partner trust and perceived risk. In addition, women perceived their partners as “safer”; than did men and those in serious relationships perceived their partners as safer than those in casual relationships. Results from this study shed light on the personal and relational characteristics of heterosexuals living with HIV and the utility of social comparison theory in raising awareness about HIV positive and negative individuals.     

Sex differences in communication and the construction of HIV/AIDS

This paper reports analyses of sex differences in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior related to HIV/AIDS and communication about HIV I'AIDS in the heterosexual college population. Men and women differed in their assessments of risk to HIV infection for various behaviors; in each case women perceived greater risk. Women were more favorable than men regarding talking about AIDS and attitudes about condom use. Men reported a greater number of sexual partners for the previous five years than did women. Men, more often than women, appear to have changed their behavior in a direction of greater risk. Only two sex differences were found for prevention‐related behaviors. First, men more often reported having purchased a condom. However, no sex differences were found for actual condom use. Second, as reported in previous studies, women were more likely to engage in AIDS‐related talk with a sexual partner. Because of their many differences, men and women need to be targeted as separate audiences for HIV/AIDS prevention. Further, because women have emerged as the most rapidly growing group at risk for HIV infection and because women appear to be more willing than men to implement HIV/AIDS prevention in their relationships, they should be considered a primary audience for HIV/AIDS‐prevention programs designed for influencing the behavior of heterosexual couples.     

Maintaining Relationship Alternatives Electronically: Positive Relationship Maintenance in Back Burner Relationships

Back burners are desired prospective romantic/sexual partners that people communicate with to establish a future romantic or sexual relationship. We surveyed 658 college students about the extent to which they reported using various positive relationship maintenance strategies (positivity, openness, assurances) during communication with their most important back burner. Consistent with previous research, singles did not differ from those in committed romances in the number of back burners reported; however, singles and casual daters utilized the positive maintenance strategies to a greater extent than did those in committed relationships. Men reported using more assurances than did women, but the sexes did not differ on the other strategies utilized. Implications and limitations are discussed.     

Do Individual Perceptions Matter in Pornography Effects? How Perceived General Acceptance and Influence of Pornography May Impact Agreement With Sex-Role Attitudes

Pornography use is often associated with less-progressive sex-role attitudes, such as endorsement of a sexual double standard between heterosexual partners, but the process by which this relationship occurs is still largely unexamined. The present study was conducted to examine how perceptions about pornography may play a role in the relationship between pornography use and sex-role attitudes. Perceived general acceptance and perceived influence of pornography on most people partially mediated the relationship between pornography use and sex-role attitudes. The more participants reported using pornography, the more they believed pornography was generally accepted and had a positive influence; however, conversely to what was hypothesized, the more positive they perceived pornography’s influence, the less likely they were to report sex-role attitudes that endorse a sexual double standard.     

Exposure to HIV/AIDS-Related Media Content and HIV Testing Intention: Applying the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction

Despite considerable evidence of an association between mass communication efforts and HIV testing behavior, the mechanisms through which this association may be established have been less extensively studied. Drawing on the integrative model of behavioral prediction, this study assessed the relationship between exposure to HIV/AIDS-related media content, individual intention to be tested for HIV, and the psychosocial variables mediating the relationship among 986 urban and rural residents of northwest Ethiopia. Structural equation modeling revealed that the relationship between exposure to HIV/AIDS-related media content and HIV testing intention was partially mediated by the three psychosocial variables associated with the integrative model (attitude, normative, and self-efficacy beliefs). However, whereas exposure to HIV/AIDS media content was found to be associated most substantially with attitudes toward HIV testing, intention to be tested was found mainly to be influenced by normative beliefs, which suggests that there is a possible mismatch between mass media programming and the prevailing psychosocial processes within the study population. The relationship between exposure to HIV/AIDS-related media content and HIV testing intention was also found to be mediated differently across urban and rural groups. Thus, it appears that the two groups may require different types of intervention to promote the desired behavior.     

Internet Pornography and U.S. Women's Sexual Behavior: Results From a National Sample

Representative studies on Internet pornography exposure and women's sexual behavior are needed. National data were utilized to explore the association between 1,077 U.S. women's exposure to Internet pornography and number of sexual partners. Internet pornography exposure and number of sexual partners were positively correlated. This association remained after controlling for age, marital status, ethnicity, education, and religiosity. However, the association was moderated in theoretically predictable ways by women's confidence in media and perceived life dullness.     

A Communicative Analysis of a Sexual Health Screening Intervention Conducted in a Low-Income Housing Complex

Providing free HIV screening within public housing sites offers the potential for increased participation of at-risk populations. Residential-based screening, however, raises concerns about privacy because of the stigma attached to HIV/AIDS and even to the testing for HIV. This study examined the effectiveness of offering HIV screening within a public housing high-rise in upstate New York. Through interviews with both women who obtained testing and those who did not, this study explored the tension between convenience and privacy concerns. The findings suggest that offering HIV screening where people live could encourage participation in the screenings, as well as lead to a destigmatization of HIV testing over time. Some women chose to eschew the convenience of on-site testing in favor of a more private venue for screening, whereas some women responded positively to the accessibility of on-site testing, using communicative strategies to manage privacy concerns.     

A comparison of fact sheets that promote preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use among men who have sex with men

ABSTRACT

Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective medicine against HIV transmission. PrEP can be especially beneficial in the men who have sex with men (MSM) communities. However, medical studies have associated MSM’s PrEP use with undesired riskier behaviors (risk compensation), such as reducing condom use and acquiring more sexual partners. Fact sheets are important information sources for MSM to learn about PrEP and can potentially prevent risk compensation. This study compared three accessible fact sheets (the Truvada fact sheet, the CDC fact sheet, the FDA fact sheet) in terms of their effects on MSM’s PrEP use intention and risk compensation intention (n = 600). The results showed that the CDC and the FDA fact sheets significantly encouraged higher PrEP use intention without provoking higher risk compensation intention. To promote PrEP use without raising risk compensation intention, fact sheets might be good information sources for the MSM population.     

Love is all you need: A content analysis of romantic scenes in Chinese entertainment television

A large sample of entertainment television programs that were aired on 28 channels in China in 2004 was analyzed for romantic and sexual content. Romantic scenes, typically portraying men and women already in committed relationships, appeared in 80% of the 196 programs analyzed. The analysis suggested that, according to Chinese television in the early part of the twenty-first century, emotional love was more important than physical sexual interaction in romantic relationships. More than half of the 1112 romantic scenes analyzed depicted love between the partners without any discussion or display of physical sexual behavior. Only 8% of scenes included discussion or depiction of sexual behavior (e.g., touching, kissing, and intercourse) without some sense that the partners were in a loving, committed relationship. Sexual intercourse was implied or depicted in fewer than 2% of the romantic scenes. Findings are discussed in light of the Chinese government's periodic regulation of sexually suggestive media content and attempts to filter Internet content. The extent to which such content may affect young viewers' perceptions of romantic relationships and sexual behavior is also discussed.     

整合生物医学信息,构建性病艾滋病综合信息网络数据库

作者拟利用互联网信息整合系统 ( Internet Information Integration System,3 I)从 Internet上遴选、下载、收集各种有价值的性病艾滋病信息 ,经过自动分类、过滤、排重和知识网络构建等智能化的处理整合后 ,建立性病艾滋病综合信息资源网络数据库并为用户提供检索服务 ,也可以个性化的形式提供给用户。     

Expected versus actual responses to disclosure in relationships of HIV‐positive African American adolescent females

Ten HIV‐positive African American adolescent females were interviewed regarding disclosure of their HIV infection in various relationships. Communication Boundary Management (Petronio, 1991) provided a framework for understanding disclosure patterns in these relationships. Participants described expected (n = 113) and actual (n = 94) responses to disclosing an HIV diagnosis. The findings indicate that expected response and the target of disclosure affect adolescents’ disclosure decisions. Participants expected targets of disclosure to respond as follows: experience negative emotional reactions, provide support, treat them differently, tell others, or were unsure of a target's response. On the basis of these findings, five themes were identified related to actual responses to disclosure of HIV infection: different treatment, negative emotional reaction, received support, target told others, and treated no differently. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

HIV and aids: Toward increased awareness and understanding of prevention and education research using meta‐analysis

This essay is a review of four projects that use meta‐analysis to summarize existing research on four behavioral issues for HIV/AIDS education and prevention. The first project considers the importance of behavioral routines to promote safer sex behavior and the need to consider how the gender of the participant impact on those discussions. The second project examines four issues (disclosure, social support, risk behavior, and childbearing) for those testing positive for HIV. The third project examines the impact that the announcement of Earvin “Magic”; Johnson on behaviors and attitudes of adults and children. The final project examines the difference in knowledge for one subgroup of U.S. society (Hispanics) compared to either White European or African Americans. The summaries of ongoing projects illustrate the importance of meta‐analysis as a means to aggregate existing research.     

Examining condom use self‐efficacy and coping in sexual situations

This investigation involves the examination of college students' condom self‐efficacy (knowledge and skills regarding condom use) and coping strategies in sexual situations. Results indicate that although students report high condom efficacy, efficacy is weakly correlated with actual condom use. Overall, efficacy is weakly correlated with coping styles in sexual situations. In general, students are opting for non‐communicative ways of coping (e.g., avoidance) in sexual situations as opposed to communicative ways (e.g., discussion with partner) of coping. However, those who report “always” using a condom use communicative coping strategies more frequently than non‐communicative coping strategies. Efficacy is positively related to communicative coping styles versus non‐communicative coping styles. Marital partners differ from unmarried couples in that they use more “planning ahead” coping strategies. Discussion and implications follow.     

Rethinking the effect of inter-gender collaboration on research performance for scholars

As scientific collaboration has become more common with increased representation of female scholars, the effects of inter-gender collaboration have attracted more attention. However, scholars have not reached a consensus on the relationship between inter-gender collaboration and research performance. Empirical evidence at the scholar level has also been rare. Therefore, based on the ratio of the opposite sex in collaboration partners, this study reveals the influence of participating in inter-gender collaborations on research performance for scholars. Grouped regression was employed to test gender differences in this effect. The effect of partners’ academic levels was also investigated to account for potential gender differences. The results indicated that inter-gender collaboration had a positive effect on research performance for scholars. Grouped regressions also showed that collaborating with more inter-gender partners exerted a significantly negative effect on the research performance of female scholars, while it had a positive effect for male scholars. The negative effect on female scholars were found to be strengthened if the partners were at a high academic level. This study is helpful to understand inter-gender collaboration in depth, and further reveals the gender differences in scientific collaboration.     

Men's behavior toward women after viewing sexually-explicit films: degradation makes a difference

Past research indicates that short-term exposure to nonviolent sexual media stimuli can produce cognitive changes in men which, in turn, can affect their behavior toward women. This study explored differences among these behavioral effects based upon sexual degradation in film content and male viewers' gender schematicity, as an extension of the study of cognitive effects reported in Jansma, Linz, Mulac, and Imrich (1997). Seventy-one men viewed one of three films: (a) sexually-explicit and degrading to women, (b) sexually-explicit but non-degrading, or (c) non-sexual. The men then interacted with women in problem-solving dyads that were recorded on videotape. Men who viewed either sexually-explicit film displayed more dominance and anxiety than did the men who viewed the non-sexual film. This was true, however, for only the two-thirds who were non sex-typed (BSRI, Bem, 1974). Sex-typed men's behavior was consistent across sexual versus non-sexual film conditions. In addition, men who viewed the degrading sexual film displayed less anxiety, but more dominance, than men who watched the non-degrading sexual film. Women's behavior failed to distinguish which of the three films their partners had viewed, but was positively correlated with most of their partner's discriminating behavior. Results of men's viewing sexual or degrading sexual material are discussed in terms of negative social implications for women in the context of everyday male-female interactions.     

Able but not motivated? The relative effects of happy and sad mood on persuasive message processing

The effects of happy and sad moods on systematic processing are examined in the present study. Research has indicated that positive mood leads to less systematic processing, and negative mood heightens systematic processing. Debate has ensued as to whether persons in a positive mood lack the cognitive ability to process messages systematically (e.g., Worth & Mackie, 1987), or lack the motivation to process systematically (e.g., Bohner et al., 1992). In the present study, it was posited that, consistent with Cialdini's Negative State Relief Model (1973), persons in a positive mood lack the motivation to process, but do not lack the cognitive ability to do so. An experiment was designed to test this motivational hypothesis by varying outcome involvement, message strength, and mood. Contrary to the cognitive inability hypothesis, results indicated that persons in a positive mood do have the cognitive capacity to process systematically, but that message strength is the major predictor of attitude.     

Identification as a mediator of celebrity effects

Considerable research has been devoted to the effects of celebrity endorsers on consumer behavior. Most of the research has examined credibility or attractiveness as a determinant of message effectiveness, A review of Burke, Kelman, and Bandura's theories suggests that there may be another critical factor underlying celebrity effects — identification. A review of previous research results suggests that identification may be a viable explanation for the effectiveness of celebrity endorsers. A test of the identification effect was probed by examining people's personal concern, perceived risk, and sexual behaviors a year after Magic Johnson's announcement that he tested positive for HIV. The results of this study indicate that identification mediates message effects. This finding has important implications for media campaigns. It suggests that a spokesperson with whom the audience identifies insures the greatest likelihood of achieving lasting attitude or behavior change.     

Positive portrayals of ‘living with HIV’ to reduce HIV stigma: do they work in reality?

ABSTRACT

The study explored how the combinations of living-with-HIV portrayals and HIV onset controllability portrayals influence HIV stigma because the two frame coexist in our communication environment. Results from an experiment with 443 college students in the United States indicated different combinations of the two frames might be helpful, ineffective, or harmful in reducing HIV stigma. The positive portrayal-low onset controllability combination might reduce HIV stigma, the negative portrayal-low onset controllability combination might be ineffective in reducing HIV stigma, and the positive portrayal-high onset controllability combination and the negative portrayal-high onset controllability combination might even increase HIV stigma. These results contextualize the effectiveness of positive portrayals of living with HIV when audiences may be exposed to multiple frames of messages about HIV stigma; they highlight the potential interactions between the two frames that may reduce the effectiveness of anti-stigma messages or may be used against the efforts to reduce HIV stigma.