Prevalence And Risk Behaviors Of Chinese Men Who Seek Same-sex Partners Via The Internet In Hong Kong

BACKGROUND With growing accessibility and need over the past decades, the Internet has experienced a rapid increase in use globally. Specifically, with the accelerated development in information technology, more than 90% of Hong Kong’s citizens use the Internet, and 70% of children in the age group of 6-17 have daily access to it. However, despite the benefits of Internet technology, its addiction could pose serious social and health issues. Therefore, conducting research to investigate its causes and risk factors is fundamental. OBJECTIVE In this study, we examined the relationship between worry and Internet addiction among children in Hong Kong, and investigated the moderating effect of the permissive parenting style on such relationship. METHODS The participants consisted of 227 fourth-grade and fifth-grade students (120 males, 52.9%) from primary schools in Hong Kong with a mean age of 9.55 (SD = .58). Each participant was asked to complete the questionnaires, including the Internet Addiction Test for Internet addiction, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children for worry, and the Parental Authority Questionnaire for the permissive parenting style. RESULTS The results indicated that worry was related to greater Internet addiction among children. Furthermore, there was a moderating effect of the permissive parenting style such that the positive association between worry and Internet addiction was stronger when the permissive parenting style was higher. CONCLUSIONS Our findings imply that parenting styles are influential in the prevention of Internet addiction.

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Can Same-Sex Partners Consent to Organ Donation?

American Journal of Law & Medicine ◽

10.1017/s009885880000232x ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 31-44

Author(s):

Roderick T. Chen ◽

Alexandra K. Glazier

Keyword(s):

Organ Donation ◽

Legal Status ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Same Sex ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Civil Union ◽

Organ Donations ◽

Domestic Partnerships ◽

Appeals Court ◽

Estate Law

As more same-sex couples enter into civil unions and domestic partnerships, the courts and other institutions are beginning to consider the implications of these partnerships in several areas of the law. A Georgia appeals court, for example, recently published the first opinion addressing this issue, ruling that a civil union of two women, obtained in Vermont, was not equivalent to a marriage for the purposes of interpreting a child custody agreement entered into in Georgia. As many observers predicted, the enactment of legislation recognizing same-sex partnerships has profound implications on the practice of family law, trust and estate law and healthcare law.This Article focuses on an area of healthcare law in which the legal status of a civil union or domestic partnership could have significant consequences—organ donations. In particular, it explores whether a civil union or domestic partner is an appropriate party to consent to an organ donation.

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Same-Sex Couples and Cognitive Impairment: Evidence From the Health and Retirement Study

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbaa202 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hui Liu ◽

Ning Hsieh ◽

Zhenmei Zhang ◽

Yan Zhang ◽

Kenneth M Langa

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

The United States ◽

Population Based ◽

Cognitive Status ◽

Health And Retirement Study ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Physical And Mental Health ◽

Same Sex ◽

Same Sex Couples ◽

Retirement Study

Abstract Objectives We provide the first nationally representative population-based study of cognitive disparities among same-sex and different-sex couples in the United States. Methods We analyzed data from the Health and Retirement Study (2000–2016). The sample included 23,669 respondents (196 same-sex partners and 23,473 different-sex partners) aged 50 and older who contributed to 85,117 person-period records (496 from same-sex partners and 84,621 from different-sex partners). Cognitive impairment was assessed using the modified version of the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Mixed-effects discrete-time hazard regression models were estimated to predict the odds of cognitive impairment. Results The estimated odds of cognitive impairment were 78% (p < .01) higher for same-sex partners than for different-sex partners. This disparity was mainly explained by differences in marital status and, to a much lesser extent, by differences in physical and mental health. Specifically, a significantly higher proportion of same-sex partners than different-sex partners were cohabiting rather than legally married (72.98% vs. 5.42% in the study sample), and cohabitors had a significantly higher risk of cognitive impairment than their married counterparts (odds ratio = 1.53, p < .001). Discussion The findings indicate that designing and implementing public policies and programs that work to eliminate societal homophobia, especially among older adults, is a critical step in reducing the elevated risk of cognitive impairment among older same-sex couples.

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