Masturbation, paying for sex, and other sexual activities: the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Richters ◽  
Richard O. de Visser ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Anthony M. A. Smith ◽  
Chris Rissel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Participation Rate ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Random Digit ◽  
Group Sex ◽  
Random Digit Dialling

Background This study describes the prevalence of (solo) masturbation, paying for sex and a range of other sexual practices among Australians. Methods: A representative sample of 20 094 men and women aged 16–69 years (participation rate among eligible people, 66.2%) were recruited by landline and mobile phone random-digit dialling and computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2012–13. Results: Many respondents (men, 72%; women, 42%) had masturbated in the past year. Half (51%) of the men and 24% of women had masturbated in the past 4 weeks. In the past year, more than two-fifths of respondents (men, 63%; women, 20%) had looked at pornography in any medium. Approximately 15% of men and 21% of women had used a sex toy. Digital-anal stimulation with a partner was practised by 19% of men and 15% of women, and oral-anal stimulation by 7% of men and 4% of women. Sexual role playing or dressing up were engaged in by 7–8%. Online sex, swinging, group sex, BDSM (bondage and discipline, ‘sadomasochism’ or dominance and submission) and fisting (rectal or vaginal) were each engaged in by less than 3% of the sample. Seventeen per cent of men said they had ever paid for sex; 2% had done so in the past year. Conclusion: Most of the solo practices studied were engaged in by more men than women, but women were more likely to have used a sex toy. Autoerotic activities are both substitutes for partnered sex and additional sources of pleasure for people with sexual partners.

scholarly journals Migraine Variability: An Underrecognized Impediment to Effective Treatment

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-218
Author(s):  
John Edmeads ◽  
Andrew Grenville ◽  
Michel Aubé
Keyword(s):  
International Headache Society ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Attack Frequency ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Random Digit ◽  
Appropriate Treatment ◽  
Degree Of Disability ◽  
Random Digit Dialling

OBJECTIVE:To determine whether individuals in a population-based sample of migraine sufferers experience attacks that vary in intensity and in degree of disability, and to correlate any variability with age, sex, attack frequency and physician-consulting behaviour.DESIGN:Telephone interviews of randomly selected, population-based sample.PARTICIPANTS:Men and women, aged 15 years and older, with headaches conforming to modified International Headache Society diagnostic criteria for migraine.METHODS:Sample selected by modified random digit dialling method, with call-backs. A total of 20,565 calls identified 341 migraine sufferers who were interviewed by trained interviewers from a survey research organization using a computer-assisted system.DATA ANALYSIS:Descriptive, with differences between proportions of groups tested by c2.RESULTS:Eighty-nine per cent of all migraine suffers had experienced two or three levels of severity in their migraine attacks as assessed by debilitation.CONCLUSIONS:Most migraine sufferers experience frequent variation in attack severity, a finding that has implications for the prescribing of appropriate treatment.

Heterosexual experience and recent heterosexual encounters among Australian adults: the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Rissel ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Anthony M. A. Smith ◽  
Juliet Richters ◽  
Richard O. de Visser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Anal Intercourse ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Oral Sex ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Multiple Partners ◽  
Lifetime Experience ◽  
Lifetime Number

Background Current information about numbers of other-sex partners, experiences of different heterosexual behaviours and the recent heterosexual experiences among a representative sample of Australian adults is needed. It is not known whether these practices have changed between 2001–02 and 2012–13. Methods: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 9963 men and 10 131 women aged 16–69 years from all states and territories. The overall participation rate among eligible people was 66.2%. Results: Men reported more sexual partners than women, although the lifetime number of heterosexual partners reported by women increased significantly between 2001–02 and 2012–13. In 2012–13, 14.7% of men and 8.6% of women reported two or more sexual partners in the last year. Reporting multiple partners was significantly associated with being younger, being bisexual, living in major cities, having a lower income, having a blue-collar occupation and not being married. The proportion of respondents reporting ever having had oral sex or anal intercourse increased significantly since the last survey. At the last heterosexual encounter, 91.9% of men and 66.2% of women had an orgasm, oral sex was reported in only approximately one in four encounters and anal intercourse was uncommon. Conclusion: There were increases between 2001–02 and 2012–13 in partner numbers among women and in the lifetime experience of oral and anal sex. The patterns of heterosexual experience in Australia are similar to those found in studies of representative samples in other countries.

Homosexual experience and recent homosexual encounters: the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E. Grulich ◽  
Richard O. de Visser ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Anthony M. A. Smith ◽  
Wendy Heywood ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Sex Partners ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infection ◽  
Transmissible Infection

Background The aim of this study is to describe homosexual experience and characteristics of recent homosexual encounters among Australian adults and identify changes between 2001–02 and 2012–13. Methods: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 20 094 men and women aged 16–69 years and the participation rate among eligible people was 66.2%. Respondents indicated the number of same-sex partners they had had in their lifetime and in the last 12 months. Those who reported any homosexual experience were asked the age at which this first occurred and about characteristics of the first and most recent homosexual encounter. Results: Reporting ever having same-sex experience was more common in women (13.5%) than in men (6.5%, P < 0.001). Among these people, men reported more lifetime and recent same-sex partners than women (P < 0.001). Same-sex experience was associated with some but not all indices of higher socioeconomic status. In men, it was associated with living in a major city (P = 0.02) and in women, it was associated with younger (<30 years) age and with very low income (P < 0.001). Men were younger than women at their first homosexual encounter (P = 0.005). Women were more likely than men to have their first same-sex encounter with a regular partner. For women but not men, there was a significant increase in the proportion reporting same-sex experience since 2001–02. Conclusion: Same-sex experience is not uncommon and is increasing in prevalence in young Australian women. The high number of same-sex partners among homosexual and bisexual men places them at greater risk of sexually transmissible infection.

Corrigendum to: Heterosexual experience and recent heterosexual encounters among Australian adults: The Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Rissel ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Anthony M. A. Smith ◽  
Juliet Richters ◽  
Richard O. de Visser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Anal Intercourse ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Oral Sex ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Multiple Partners ◽  
Lifetime Experience ◽  
Lifetime Number

Background Current information about numbers of other-sex partners, experiences of different heterosexual behaviours and the recent heterosexual experiences among a representative sample of Australian adults is needed. It is not known whether these practices have changed between 2001–02 and 2012–13. Methods: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 9963 men and 10 131 women aged 16–69 years from all states and territories. The overall participation rate among eligible people was 66.2%. Results: Men reported more sexual partners than women, although the lifetime number of heterosexual partners reported by women increased significantly between 2001–02 and 2012–13. In 2012–13, 14.7% of men and 8.6% of women reported two or more sexual partners in the last year. Reporting multiple partners was significantly associated with being younger, being bisexual, living in major cities, having a lower income, having a blue-collar occupation and not being married. The proportion of respondents reporting ever having had oral sex or anal intercourse increased significantly since the last survey. At the last heterosexual encounter, 91.9% of men and 66.2% of women had an orgasm, oral sex was reported in only approximately one in four encounters and anal intercourse was uncommon. Conclusion: There were increases between 2001–02 and 2012–13 in partner numbers among women and in the lifetime experience of oral and anal sex. The patterns of heterosexual experience in Australia are similar to those found in studies of representative samples in other countries.

scholarly journals Barebacking among men who have sex with men recruited through a Swedish website: associations with sexual activities at last sexual encounter

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
R C Berg ◽  
R Tikkanen ◽  
M W Ross
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Anal Intercourse ◽  
Unprotected Anal Intercourse ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Sexual Encounter ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Group Sex

The research topic of barebacking emerged in the mid-1990s. Since then, a multitude of studies, largely from the United States, have produced invaluable knowledge of factors that help explain the behaviour among men who have sex with men (MSM), and that may contribute to HIV risk reduction programming and advice to counsellors working with barebackers. Given the scant empirical research about barebacking among European MSM, we conducted a survey among 3,634 MSM recruited through a web community in Nordic countries. The objectives of the study were twofold: to describe the sexual activities associated with barebacking behaviour at last sexual encounter, and to evaluate the relationship of barebacking with relevant variables. Men who reported barebacking (n=356) and men who did not (n=3,278) were compared. On the basis of the results of the analyses, the socio-sexual profile of barebackers drawn was one that is at increased risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections due to their sexual practices, particularly unprotected anal intercourse, but also group sex and rimming. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the likelihood of engaging in barebacking was higher for MSM who reported more frequent HIV testing (odds ratio (OR)=5.16), a higher number of female sex partners (OR=16.80), using gay cruising places (OR=1.51) and gay chat rooms (OR=2.11).

Attitudes toward sex and relationships: the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard O. de Visser ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Judy M. Simpson ◽  
Andrew E. Grulich ◽  
Anthony M. A. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Education ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Mobile Telephone ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Social Sanctions ◽  
Attitudes Toward Sex ◽  
Bisexual Identity ◽  
Being Religious

Background Attitudes towards sex and relationships influence laws about what is and is not permissible and social sanctions against behaviours considered unacceptable. They are an important focus for research given their links to sexual behaviour. The aim of the present study was to describe attitudes towards sex and relationships, to identify correlates of scores on a scale of sexual liberalism and to examine responses to jealousy-evoking scenarios among Australian adults. Methods: Computer-assisted landline and mobile telephone interviews were completed by a population-representative sample of 20 094 men and women aged 16–69 years. The overall participation rate among eligible people was 66.2%. Respondents expressed their agreement with 11 attitude statements, five of which formed a valid scale of liberalism, and also responded to a jealousy-evoking scenario. Results: There was general agreement that premarital sex was acceptable (87%), that sex was important for wellbeing (83%) and that sex outside a committed relationship was unacceptable (83%). Respondents were accepting of homosexual behaviour and abortion and few believed that sex education encouraged earlier sexual activity. More liberal attitudes were associated with: being female; speaking English at home; homosexual or bisexual identity; not being religious; greater education; and higher incomes. Respondents who expressed more liberal attitudes had more diverse patterns of sexual experience. Predicted sex differences were found in response to the jealousy-evoking scenario — men were more jealous of a partner having sex with someone else and women were more jealous of a partner forming an emotional attachment — but responses varied with age. Conclusion: Sexual attitudes of Australians largely support a permissive but monogamous paradigm. Since 2002, there has been a shift to less tolerance of sex outside a committed relationship, but greater acceptance of homosexual behaviour.

Design and methods of the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Richters ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Judy M. Simpson ◽  
David Shellard ◽  
Chris Rissel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Survey Design ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Great Majority ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Australian Study ◽  
Australian Population ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
High Participation ◽  
Combination Of Methods ◽  
Almost All

Background This paper describes the methods and process of the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships. Methods: A representative sample of the Australian population was contacted by landline and mobile phone modified random-digit dialling in 2012–13. Computer-assisted telephone interviews elicited sociodemographic and health details as well as sexual behaviour and attitudes. For analysis, the sample was weighted to reflect the study design and further weighted to reflect the location, age and sex distribution of the population at the 2011 Census. Results: Interviews were completed with 9963 men and 10 131 women aged 16–69 years from all states and territories. The overall participation rate among eligible people was 66.2% (63.9% for landline men, 67.9% for landline women and 66.5% for mobile respondents). Accounting for the survey design and adjusting to match the 2011 Census resulted in a weighted sample of 20 094 people (10 056 men and 10 038 women). The sample was broadly representative of the Australian population, although as in most surveys, people with higher education and higher status occupations were over-represented. Data quality was high, with the great majority saying they were not at all or only slightly embarrassed by the questionnaire and almost all saying they were 90–100% honest in their answers. Conclusions: The combination of methods and design in the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships, together with the high participation rate, strongly suggests that the results of the study are robust and broadly representative of the Australian population.

scholarly journals Differentiating DSM-IV Anxiety and Depressive Disorders in the General Population: Comorbidity and Treatment Consequences

2000 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice M Ohayon ◽  
Colin M Shapiro ◽  
Sidney H Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Anxiety Disorder ◽  
General Population ◽  
Mood Disorder ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
The Past ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Dsm Iv

Objective: To attempt, for the first time, to apply a positive and differential diagnosis process in the general population during interviews using DSM-IV classification to ascertain the profile and occurrence of concomitant mental disorders. Method: A representative sample of 1832 individuals aged 15 years or older living in the metropolitan area of Toronto were interviewed by means of telephone interviews. The participation rate was 72.8%. Results: Overall, 13.2% (n = 242) of the sample had either a mood disorder (n = 127; 6.9%) or an anxiety disorder (n = 770; 9.3%) at the time of their interview. The prevalence was higher among women (16.5%) than amongmen (9.7%), with an odds ratio of 1.8. The comorbidity of mood and anxiety disorders was found in 3%(n = 55) of the sample. Less than one-third of respondents with a mood and/or anxiety disorder were being treated by aphysician for a mental disorder. However, these individuals were greater consumers of health care services. Most of them consulted a physician an average of 5 times in the past year. Individuals on medication diagnosed with a mood and an anxiety disorder consulted a physician an average of 12 times in the past year. Only 13% of them were treated with antidepressants and under 9% with anxiolytics. Conclusions: More than 70% of subjects with a mood disorder also complained of insomnia. With the differential process, 12%> of the subjects manifesting a full-fledged anxiety disorder were diagnosed with only a mood disorder because the anxiety occurred only in the course of the mood disorder. About two-thirds of the subjects diagnosed in this study were undiagnosed and untreated by their physician.

Experiences of sexual coercion in a representative sample of adults: the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard O. de Visser ◽  
Paul B. Badcock ◽  
Chris Rissel ◽  
Juliet Richters ◽  
Anthony M. A. Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Representative Sample ◽  
Sexual Coercion ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Australian Study ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Changes Over Time ◽  
Sexually Transmissible Infection ◽  
Transmissible Infection

Background It is important to have current reliable estimates of the prevalence, correlates and consequences of sexual coercion among a representative sample of Australian adults and to identify changes over time in prevalence and consequences. Methods: Computer-assisted telephone interviews were completed by a representative sample of 20 094 Australian men and women aged 16–69 years. The participation rate among eligible people was 66.2%. Results: Sexual coercion (i.e. being forced or frightened into sexual activity) was reported by 4.2% of men and 22.4% of women. Sexual coercion when aged ≤16 years was reported by 2.0% of men and 11.5% of women. Correlates of sexual coercion were similar for men and women. Those who had been coerced reported greater psychosocial distress, were more likely to smoke, were more anxious about sex and more likely to have acquired a sexually transmissible infection. Few people had talked to others about their experiences of sexual coercion and fewer had talked to a professional. There were no significant differences between the First and Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships in whether men or women had experienced coercion, talked to anyone about this or talked to a counsellor or psychologist. Conclusion: Sexual coercion has detrimental effects on various aspects of people’s lives. It usually occurs at the ages at which people become sexually active. There is a need to reduce the incidence of sexual coercion, better identify experiences of sexual coercion, and provide accessible services to minimise the detrimental effects of sexual coercion.

Digital Technologies and Sex

2020 ◽  
pp. 240-250
Author(s):  
Shane W. Kraus ◽  
Marc N. Potenza
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Emerging Adults ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Casual Sex ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Pornography Use ◽  
Adolescents And Adults

The Internet has revolutionized the way in which we consume and participate in sexual activities. Digital technologies are shaping the ways in which people interact with one another romantically and sexually. This chapter reviews some of the ways in which digital technologies are potentially shaping sexual behaviors, especially those of adolescents and young adults. Evidence suggests that technologies are facilitating increasingly more sexual activities among young people and adults, yet our understanding of these remains incomplete. The Internet has made pornography highly accessible to most individuals around the world, but the effects of frequent pornography use on individuals’ sexual beliefs and practices remain largely unknown. Sexting is also common among adolescents and adults, with some initial evidence finding that sexting was a partial mediator between problematic alcohol use and sexual hookups. More work on sexting behaviors is needed, particularly among vulnerable populations or groups at risk for exploitation. The wide use of smartphone applications designed to help users find casual sex partners are becoming more common, mirroring the increasing acceptability of having relationally uncommitted sex among young adults. More research is needed to investigate the influences of digital technologies on shaping the sexual practices of adolescents and emerging adults who may be spending increasingly more time online. Furthermore, more research is needed to examine both the potential benefits and risks associated with digital technologies that may facilitate sexual behaviors.

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