Pornography, Sexual Coercion and Abuse and Sexting in Young People's Intimate Relationships: A European Study

New technology has made pornography increasingly accessible to young people, and a growing evidence base has identified a relationship between viewing pornography and violent or abusive behavior in young men. 

This article reports findings from a large survey of 4,564 young people aged 14 to 17 in five European countries which illuminate the relationship between regular viewing of online pornography, sexual coercion and abuse and the sending and receiving of sexual images and messages, known as "sexting." 

In addition to the survey, which was completed in schools, 91 interviews were undertaken with young people who had direct experience of interpersonal violence and abuse in their own relationships. Rates for regularly viewing online pornography were very much higher among boys and most had chosen to watch pornography. Boys' perpetration of sexual coercion and abuse was significantly associated with regular viewing of online pornography. 

Viewing online pornography was also associated with a significantly increased probability of having sent sexual images/messages for boys in nearly all countries. In addition, boys who regularly watched online pornography were significantly more likely to hold negative gender attitudes. 

The qualitative interviews illustrated that, although sexting is normalized and perceived positively by most young people, it has the potential to reproduce sexist features of pornography such as control and humiliation. Sex and relationships education should aim to promote a critical understanding of pornography among young people that recognizes its abusive and gendered values.

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By:  Stanley N1, Barter C2, Wood M2, Aghtaie N2, Larkins C3, Lanau A2, Överlien C4.

• 1University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK NStanley@uclan.ac.uk.
• 2University of Bristol, UK.
• 3University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
• 4Stockholm University, Sweden Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway. 
• J Interpers Violence. 2016 Mar 6. pii: 0886260516633204.

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Social Media and HIV: A Systematic Review of Uses of Social Media in HIV Communication

Background

Social media, including mobile technologies and social networking sites, are being used increasingly as part of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and treatment efforts. As an important avenue for communication about HIV, social media use may continue to increase and become more widespread.

Objective

The objective of this paper is to present a comprehensive systematic review of the current published literature on the design, users, benefits, and limitations of using social media to communicate about HIV prevention and treatment.

Methods

This review paper used a systematic approach to survey all literature published before February 2014 using 7 electronic databases and a manual search. The inclusion criteria were (1) primary focus on communication/interaction about HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), (2) discusses the use of social media to facilitate communication, (3) communication on the social media platform is between individuals or a group of individuals rather than the use of preset, automated responses from a platform, (4) published before February 19, 2014, and (5) all study designs.

Results

The search identified 35 original research studies. Thirty studies had low or unclear risk of at least one of the bias items in the methodological quality assessment. Among the 8 social media platform types described, short message service text messaging was most commonly used. Platforms served multiple purposes including disseminating health information, conducting health promotion, sharing experiences, providing social support, and promoting medication adherence. Social media users were diverse in geographic location and race/ethnicity; studies commonly reported users aged 18-40 years and users with lower income. Although most studies did not specify whether use was anonymous, studies reported the importance of anonymity in social media use to communicate about HIV largely due to the stigma associated with HIV. The ability to share and receive information about HIV was the most commonly reported benefit of social media use and the most common challenges were related to technology. Measures of frequency of use, satisfaction, and effects of use varied across studies.

Conclusions

Using social media to bridge communication among a diverse range of users, in various geographic and social contexts, may be leveraged through pre-existing platforms and with attention to the roles of anonymity and confidentiality in communication about HIV prevention and treatment. More robust research is needed to determine the effects of social media use on various health and social outcomes related to HIV.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/7OaH7N

By:  Tamara Taggart, MPH, ¹ Mary Elisabeth Grewe, MPH,^2,3 Donaldson F Conserve, PhD, MPH,¹ Catherine Gliwa, BA,^2,3and Malika Roman Isler, PhD, MPH^3,4

¹Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (http://sph.unc.edu/hb/health-behavior-home/), Chapel Hill, NC, United States

²Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

³Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

⁴North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Tamara Taggart, Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 135 Dauer Drive 302 Rosenau Hall, CB Number 7440, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7440, United States, Phone: 1 919 966 5771, Fax: 1 919 966 2921, Email: ude.cnu.liame@traggatt.

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An Interactive Text Message Intervention to Reduce Binge Drinking in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial with 9-Month Outcomes

Background

Binge drinking is associated with numerous negative consequences. The prevalence and intensity of binge drinking is highest among young adults. This randomized trial tested the efficacy of a 12-week interactive text message intervention to reduce binge drinking up to 6 months after intervention completion among young adults.

Methods and Findings

Young adult participants (18–25 y; n = 765) drinking above the low-risk limits (AUDIT-C score >3/4 women/men), but not seeking alcohol treatment, were enrolled from 4 Emergency Departments (EDs) in Pittsburgh, PA. Participants were randomized to one of three conditions in a 2:1:1 allocation ratio: SMS Assessments + Feedback (SA+F), SMS Assessments (SA), or control. For 12 weeks, SA+F participants received texts each Thursday querying weekend drinking plans and prompting drinking limit goal commitment and each Sunday querying weekend drinking quantity. SA+F participants received tailored feedback based on their text responses. To contrast the effects of SA+F with self-monitoring, SA participants received texts on Sundays querying drinking quantity, but did not receive alcohol-specific feedback. The control arm received standard care. Follow-up outcome data collected through web-based surveys were provided by 78% of participants at 3- months, 63% at 6-months and 55% at 9-months. Multiple imputation-derived, intent-to-treat models were used for primary analysis. At 9-months, participants in the SA+F group reported greater reductions in the number of binge drinking days than participants in the control group, lower binge drinking prevalence, less drinks per drinking day and lower alcohol-related injury prevalence. Participants in the SA group did not reduce drinking or alcohol-related injury relative to controls. Findings were similar using complete case analyses.

Conclusions

An interactive text-message intervention was more effective than self-monitoring or controls in reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related injury prevalence up to 6 months after intervention completion. These findings, if replicated, suggest a scalable approach to help achieve sustained reductions in binge drinking and accompanying injuries among young adults.

Below:  Self-reported alcohol consumption and alcohol-related injuries at 3-, 6- and 9-months follow-ups

Full article at: http://goo.gl/AKZTno

By: 

Brian Suffoletto, Jeffrey Kristan

Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Tammy Chung, Duncan B. Clark

Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Kwonho Jeong, Anthony Fabio

Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Peter Monti

Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America

 

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Sexting among Married Couples: Who Is Doing It, and Are They More Satisfied?

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of sexting (i.e., sending sexual messages via mobile phones) within a sample of married/cohabiting couples (180 wives and 175 husbands). 

Married adults do sext each other, but it is much less common than within young adult relationships, and consists mainly of sexy or intimate talk (29% reported engaging in sexy talk with partners) rather than sexually explicit photos or videos (12% reported sending nude or nearly-nude photos). 

Sending sexy talk messages was positively related to relationship satisfaction only among those with high levels of avoidance, and sending sexually explicit pictures was related to satisfaction for men, and for women with high levels of attachment anxiety. Additionally, sending sexually explicit pictures was related to greater ambivalence among both men and women. 

These findings support and extend previous research with young adults.

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By: McDaniel BT1, Drouin M2.

• 1Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.
• 2Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne , Fort Wayne, Indiana.  

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Health Care Providers' Perspectives on a Weekly Text-Messaging Intervention to Engage HIV-Positive Persons in Care (WelTel BC1)

Though evidence shows that Mobile health (mHealth) interventions can improve adherence and viral load in HIV-positive persons, few have studied the health care providers' (HCP) perspective. 

We conducted a prospective mixed methods pilot study using the WelTel intervention wherein HIV-positive participants (n = 25) received weekly interactive text messages for 6 months. Text message response rate and topic data were collected to illustrate the HCP experience. The aim of this study is to explore intervention acceptability and feasibility from the HCP perspective through a baseline focus group and end of study interviews with HCP impacted by the intervention. Interview data were thematically coded using the Technology Acceptance Model. 

HCPs identified that the WelTel intervention engaged patients in building relationships, while organizing and streamlining existing mHealth efforts and dealing with privacy issues. HCPs recognized that although workload would augment initially, intervention benefits were many, and went beyond simply improving HIV viral load.

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Mobile Phone Text Message Reminders: Measuring Preferences of People with Antipsychotic Medication

Mobile technology use, including Short Messaging Service (SMS) text messaging, has increased in health care services. Preferences regarding the type or timing of text messages sent by healthcare providers to people with antipsychotic medication have not yet been fully investigated. This study examines the relationship between patients' demographic characteristics and the tailored messages they select. 

The study ("Mobile.Net", ISRCTN: 27704027) includes a structured analysis of a random sub-sample of participants who received messages for 12months. The data were collected in 24 sites and 45 psychiatric hospitals in Finland and analyzed with descriptive statistics and Poisson regression models. The study sample involved 562 people on antipsychotic medication, and a total of 2112 text messages (2 to 25 monthly) were analysed. 

Regarding message content, there was no significant variation in the proportions relating to 'medication', 'treatment appointments' or 'free time'. Monday was the most popular day to receive messages and morning was preferred to later in the day. Age was most closely associated with 'number of messages' and 'time of messages'. 

Older women and younger men preferred higher numbers of messages (p=0.0031). Participants preferred positive, encouraging and slightly humorous messages. 

The findings suggest that messages may be acceptable for difficult to access groups in follow-up. This type of intervention may be useful for various types of patients especially for younger males. To further support the evidence about factors related to message utilization and use, it is important to evaluate the effectiveness of text messages in psychiatric care.

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Perceptions, Attitudes, and Experience Regarding mHealth among Homeless Persons in New York City Shelters

Mobile health may be an effective means of providing access and education to the millions of homeless Americans. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 50 homeless people from different shelters in New York City to evaluate their perceptions, attitudes, and experiences regarding mobile health. Participants' average age was 51.66 (SD = 11.34) years; duration of homelessness was 2.0 (SD = 3.10) years. 

The majority had a mobile phone with the ability to receive and send text messages. Most participants attempted to maintain the same phone number over time. The homeless were welcoming and supportive of text messaging regarding health care issues, including appointment reminders, health education, or management of diseases considering their barriers and mobility, and believed it would help them access necessary health care. 

Overwhelmingly they preferred text reminders that were short, positively framed, and directive in nature compared to lengthy or motivational texts. The majority believed that free cell phone plans would improve their engagement with, help them navigate, and ultimately improve their access to care. 

These positive attitudes and experience could be effectively used to improve health care for the homeless. Policies to improve access to mobile health and adapted text messaging strategies regarding the health care needs of this mobile population should be considered.

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