Paraprofessional Christian Ministries for Sexual Behavior and Same-Sex Identity Concerns

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Yarhouse ◽  
Lori A. Burkett ◽  
Elizabeth M. Kreeft

Paraprofessional Christian ministries for sexual behavior and same-sex identity concerns have grown significantly in recent years. Some ministries are affiliated with organizations that have specific standards for affiliation; others are independent. Some emphasize change of sexual orientation; others promote change of behavior and chastity. Some ministries provide services exclusively to homosexuals; others provide resources to homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. This paper reviews similarities and differences among paraprofessional Christian ministries for persons struggling with sexual behaviors and same-sex identity concerns. Similarities and differences are related to (a) mission/vision, (b) view of etiology, (c) method of intervention, (d) format, and (e) definition of success. Christian ministries include Exodus International-affiliated ministries, independent Christian ministries, Homosexuals Anonymous, and Courage. Impressions from the review of the various Christian ministries are also offered, including recommendations for making appropriate referrals.

Author(s):  
Yin Xu ◽  
Sam Norton ◽  
Qazi Rahman

AbstractThis study examined adolescent sexual behaviors patterns, and the consistency between sexual behavior and sexual orientation, in a prospective birth cohort. We used data on 5150 young people from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Sexual orientation was assessed using a 5-point scale of sexual attraction at 15.5 years. Fourteen sexual activities were assessed using the Adolescent Sexual Activities Index at 13.5 and 15.5 years. Latent class analysis suggested four subgroups of adolescent sexual behaviors at 13.5: a “high-intensity sexual behaviors exclusively with other-sex, no same-sex intimacy” group (3.87%); a “moderate-intensity sexual behaviors exclusively with other-sex, no same-sex intimacy” group (16.57%); a “low-intensity sexual behaviors exclusively with other-sex, no same-sex intimacy” group (34.21%); and a “no sexual behavior” group (45.35%). There were five subgroups at 15.5 where four of them (23.42%, 18.37%, 28.12%, and 24.52%, respectively) were interpreted the same as at 13.5 years and a new “high-intensity sexual behaviors, some same-sex intimacy” subgroup (5.57%). Latent transition analysis showed approximately half the adolescents moved toward greater engagement in higher intensity sexual activities with other-sex at 15.5. Boys and girls who were in groups without same-sex intimacy were predominantly attracted to the other-sex, whereas there were moderate consistencies between same-sex intimacy and same-sex attraction for boys and low consistency for girls. Findings suggest that it may be important to include low-intensity sexual behaviors when assigning adolescents to sexual orientation groupings (via sexual behaviors) in order to reduce selection biases and increase statistical power via the increase in sample size.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daiki Hiramori ◽  
Saori Kamano

As a growing amount of research examines the impact of sexuality on various demographic outcomes, it becomes important to understand the complex intersections of sexual orientation identity, sexual/romantic attraction, and sexual behavior. However, most previous studies use data from Western countries that have particular histories of sexuality, limiting the generalizability of the findings beyond Western societies. We describe dimensions of sexuality in Japan, where there has not been any religious authority condemning same-sex behavior and any law prohibiting same-sex relations except for a decade in the late 19th century. We use data from the “Survey on Diversity of Work and Life, and Coexistence among the Residents of Osaka City,” the first population-based survey with detailed questions about multiple aspects of sexuality in Japan, to conduct descriptive analysis. More women identify as bisexual or asexual than lesbian. Among the respondents who selected “Don’t want to decide, haven’t decided”—a category originally created for queer/questioning respondents—as their sexual orientation, the proportion of those who indicated exclusive heterosexuality is higher than expected, raising the possibility that some heterosexual respondents with no heterosexual identity may have mistakenly chosen this category. The data suggest that the population of heterosexual-identified men who have sex with men is small. The prevalence of the asexual population differs by whether sexual orientation identity or sexual/romantic attraction is used to capture this population. Our analysis extends the demography of sexuality by examining unique non-Western data and putting in context the previous findings observed in Western countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (E) ◽  
pp. 324-327
Author(s):  
Lili Fajria ◽  
Nuzulia Irawati ◽  
Hema Malini ◽  
Mudjiran Mudjiran ◽  
Randi Refnandes

BACKGROUND: In the transition period, in adolescents occur the process of physical, cognitive, and social maturation. This period is essential in the formation of sexual identity, which related to gender and sexual orientation. Improper sexual identities will provoke sexual behavior problems. The problems with sexual behavior begin from differences in sexual orientation with a sexual orientation generally accepted by the public (heterosexual). In some adolescents, there is a change in sexual orientation that leads to homosexuality. The factors that play a significant role in adolescent sexual orientation are parenting. AIM: This study aimed to examine the risk of different sexual orientation tendencies in adolescents and the families’ factors in West Sumatra. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study’s design was a cross-sectional study with 532 adolescents aged 13–18 years old as the respondents. It took 3 months to research by using a questionnaire as the instrument. The questionnaire’s data were analyzed using Chi-square. RESULTS: The results showed that the risk of different sexual behaviors in adolescents was 59.4% normal tendency, 26.7% low tendency, and 13.9% high tendency. Furthermore, family factors related significantly to the risk of different sexual behavior tendencies were gender and family intimacy factors (p < 0.05), while age, family type factors, and family income factors (p > 0.05) are not significantly related. CONCLUSION: Based on that, it concluded that the parents expected to develop closer relationships with family members.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lindberg ◽  
Lauren Firestein ◽  
Cynthia Beavin

This study examines changes over time, and demographic differentials, in the prevalence of select sexual behaviors and contraceptive use measures in a national sample of US adolescents. We used data on female and male adolescents aged 15-19 from the 2006-2010 (N=4,662), 2011-2015 (N=4,134), and 2015-2017 (N=1,810) National Survey of Family Growth. Logistic regression was used to identify differences between periods by gender, and for some measures by age, in sexual behaviors (penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI), oral or anal sex with an opposite-sex partner, sexual experience with a same-sex partner), contraceptive use and condom consistency. We estimated probabilities of age at first PVI with Kaplan-Meier failure analysis and tested for changes over time and differences by gender. Over half of all adolescents have engaged in at least one of the sexual behaviors measured. Between 2011-2015 and 2015-2017, males age 15-17 reported significant declines in all but same-sex partners, while the prevalence of sexual behaviors among older males and adolescent females overall remained generally stable. In each period, females were more likely than males to report a same-sex partner. Age of first PVI increased, but by age 17 the difference between time periods is minimal. Adolescent females report increases in the use at last sex of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (3% to 18%) and multiple methods (27% to 41%). The condom use measures did not change over time. These findings identify components of both stability and change in adolescent sexual and contraceptive behavior in the last decade. Implications This analysis contributes a timely update on trends in adolescent sexual behavior and contraceptive use, showing that adolescents’ behaviors are complex and evolving. Sexual health information and services must be available so that young people have the resources to make healthy and responsible choices for themselves and their partners.


2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 619-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald C. Barrett ◽  
Lance M. Pollack

Previous research has yielded important understandings of how sexual minorities adjust to living in a heteronormative culture, but scholarly critiques of assimilation and Merton's research on adaptations to deviance suggest value in examining whether there are distinct types of adaptation. Applying Merton's definition of adaptations in anomic environments suggests that different patterns can be defined depending on the importance placed on assimilation and on sexual expression. Using the 1997 Urban Men's Health Study data (n=2,585), four different adaptation patterns are defined: MSM conformist, MSM innovator, MSM nonconformist, and MSM uninvolved. To establish criterion validity, expected correlates of membership in each group are then examined. The distinct groups, each representing from 20 percent to 30 percent of the sample, largely conformed to expectations on measures of sexual self-identification, involvement in gay culture, intimacy and sexual exploration, health, and income. Scholarly and policy implications of the adaptation typology are considered.


2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trenton D. Mize ◽  
Bianca Manago

Are men and women categorized differently for similar sexual behavior? Building on theories of gender, sexuality, and status, we introduce the concept of precarious sexuality to suggest that men’s—but not women’s—heterosexuality is an especially privileged identity that is easily lost. We test our hypotheses in a series of survey experiments describing a person who has a sexual experience conflicting with their sexual history. We find that a single same-sex sexual encounter leads an observer to question a heterosexual man’s sexual orientation to a greater extent than that of a heterosexual woman in a similar situation. We also find that a different-sex sexual encounter is more likely to change others’ perceptions of a lesbian woman’s sexual orientation—compared to perceptions of a gay man’s sexual orientation. In two conceptual replications, we vary the level of intimacy of the sexual encounter and find consistent evidence for our idea of precarious sexuality for heterosexual men. We close with a general discussion of how status beliefs influence categorization processes and with suggestions for extending our theoretical propositions to other categories beyond those of sexual orientation.


Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 371 (6536) ◽  
pp. eaba2941
Author(s):  
Dean Hamer ◽  
Brian Mustanski ◽  
Randall Sell ◽  
Stephanie A. Sanders ◽  
Justin R. Garcia

The phenotypic measures used by Ganna et al. (Research Articles, 30 August 2019, p. 882) lump together predominantly heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual individuals, including those who have experimented with a same-sex partner only once. This may have resulted in misleading associations to personality traits unrelated to understood categories of human sexuality. Scientific studies of human sexuality should use validated and reliable measures of sexual behaviors, attractions, and identities that capture the full spectrum of complexity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Hua Hu ◽  
Hai-mei Li ◽  
Hao Yu ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
Chen-Xing Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractEpidemiological studies have demonstrated that the genetic factors partly influence the development of same-sex sexual behavior, but most genetic studies have focused on people of primarily European ancestry, potentially missing important biological insights. Here, we performed a two-stage genome-wide association study (GWAS) with a total sample of 1478 homosexual males and 3313 heterosexual males in Han Chinese populations and identified two genetic loci (rs17320865, Xq27.3, FMR1NB, Pmeta = 8.36 × 10−8, OR = 1.29; rs7259428, 19q12, ZNF536, Pmeta = 7.58 × 10−8, OR = 0.75) showing consistent association with male sexual orientation. A fixed-effect meta-analysis including individuals of Han Chinese (n = 4791) and European ancestries (n = 408,995) revealed 3 genome-wide significant loci of same-sex sexual behavior (rs9677294, 2p22.1, SLC8A1, Pmeta = 1.95 × 10−8; rs2414487, 15q21.3, LOC145783, Pmeta = 4.53 × 10−9; rs2106525, 7q31.1, MDFIC, Pmeta = 6.24 × 10−9). These findings may provide new insights into the genetic basis of male sexual orientation from a wider population scope. Furthermore, we defined the average ZNF536-immunoreactivity (ZNF536-ir) concentration in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) as lower in homosexual individuals than in heterosexual individuals (0.011 ± 0.001 vs 0.021 ± 0.004, P = 0.013) in a postmortem study. In addition, compared with heterosexuals, the percentage of ZNF536 stained area in the SCN was also smaller in the homosexuals (0.075 ± 0.040 vs 0.137 ± 0.103, P = 0.043). More homosexual preference was observed in FMR1NB-knockout mice and we also found significant differences in the expression of serotonin, dopamine, and inflammation pathways that were reported to be related to sexual orientation when comparing CRISPR-mediated FMR1NB knockout mice to matched wild-type target C57 male mice.


Behaviour ◽  
1980 ◽  
Vol 75 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael H. Figler ◽  
Harry W. Cole ◽  
Harman V.S. Peeke ◽  
Frederick J. Parente

AbstractC. nigrofasciatum have been widely used as a preparation in the investigation of aggressive (threat/attack) behavior because of their reputation as a highly aggressive species. They have also frequently been used in studies of learning processes, especially habituation. The reproductive and aggressive behaviors of the family Cichlidae have been described extensively, however, the sexual behavior of C. nigrofasciatum has been treated only cursorily. Several investigators have postulated a mutually inhibitory relationship between sex and aggression such that any decrease in the level of one of these motivational states results in an increase in the level of the other. In order to test this hypothesized relationship between sex and aggression, male and female C. nigrofasciatum were exposed to either male or female stimulus fish for 24 consecutive hours. In the present investigation, performance of sexual behavior was found to inhibit performance of aggressive behavior and vice versa. A principle components statistical analysis was performed in order to reduce the number of dependent variables to a smaller number of underlying clusters of variables referred to as factors. The principle components analysis indicated that the data were characterized by two orthogonal factors, the first of which reflected qualitative differences between the sex and aggression variables, suggesting that a mutually inhibitory relationship exists between sex and aggression. Discriminant analyses indicated that females initiate courtship and perform more aggressive behaviors than males, males elicit more aggression than females, opposite sex dyads perform more sexual behaviors than same sex dyads, and same sex dyads perform more aggressive behaviors than opposite sex dyads. Habituation of aggression was demonstrated in all dyads. Significant decrements in sexual behaviors were not observed.


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