Pornography Use and Sexual Offending: An Examination of Perceptions of Role and Risk

Despite no definitive relationship between pornography and sexual offenses, there exists an assumption that use plays a role in the commission of sexual crimes and may increase risk of recidivism. This has led to the development of post-release restrictions on adult media for those convicted of a sexual offense. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 101 incarcerated individuals convicted of a sexual offense to explore the central research questions: (1) What are the common themes among individual’s experiences regarding pornography and how do they construct the role of pornography in their offending? (2) How do they frame pornography use post-release and understand pornography use as related to risk of re-offense? A qualitative analysis revealed common themes regarding how individuals constructed pornography use and notions of risk. Strategic and targeted monitoring and supervision of those who perceive their pornography use as consuming and facilitating may be a more effective practice than abstinence-only blanket restrictions.

Comprehensive sexuality education to reduce pregnancy and STIs in adolescents in the United States: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background. The United States has a higher rate of teen pregnancy than any other developed country with 30% of American girls becoming pregnant before the age of 20. Laws regarding the inclusion and content of sexuality education vary across the country, which are associated with differences in pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates between states. This systematic review aims to determine whether comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is more effective than abstinence-only or no sexuality education at reducing teenage pregnancy. Secondary objectives include analyzing the effect of CSE on STI incidence, sexual activity, safe-sex behaviors, and social discomfort. Methods. We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus for studies published from 1990–2021. Additionally, we searched ClinicalTrials.gov and Google Scholar and manually searched reference lists of included papers. Results. Twenty-nine studies met our inclusion criteria. Only seven included pregnancy as an outcome, with three fitting our meta-analysis criteria. There was a decrease in pregnancy rates for participants in the CSE intervention compared to the control (n = 3, risk ratio = 0.89, 95%CI 0.79- 1.00, I2 = 0%). Fifteen of 21 studies reporting safe-sex behaviors, 8 of 24 reporting sexual activity, and 0 of 3 reporting STI rates found statistically significant results favoring CSE. In the narrative synthesis, we found an increase in safe-sex behaviors, specifically condom use, in adolescents receiving CSE compared to no intervention. Conclusions. CSE is likely to reduce pregnancy rates; however, there was limited data available on this outcome. CSE increased safe-sex behaviors but did not have a notable impact on sexual activity or STIs. Future research should include the effects of CSE on social discomfort as well as more studies comparing CSE to abstinence-only education. This review can serve as evidence for the implementation of CSE in the US.

Epilogue

The epilogue discusses the enormous power of recent presidential administrations to mold sex education through federal funding initiatives. Since 1996, the country has seen the pendulum in full swing, from the increase in abstinence-only support under President George Bush, to advancement of comprehensive sexuality education under President Barack Obama, to serious efforts to shift funds toward abstinence-only programs under current President Donald Trump. The legacies of religious sex educators established select terms of these discussions, especially in portrayals of what is at stake. Throughout this history, religious people have proven that the concept of morality could be used to expand discourses of sexuality beyond physical considerations, to limit these discussions to the restriction of sexual activity, or, in most cases, both. Contrary to narratives that pit secular sex education against religious actors, religious influence has been and continues to be both multidimensional and pervasive in the development of sex education.

Abstinence-Only and the Struggle to Define Sex Education

As Chapter 5 argues, conservative Christian abstinence-only advocates learned a great deal from the liberal Protestants and comprehensive sexuality education they rejected. This phase of sex education, often defined by the struggle between competing versions of sex education, began with the emergence of abstinence-only education in the 1980s. After years of opposing sex education, conservative Christians like Tim LaHaye developed their replacements. Supported by—and supporting—the newly developed Christian Right and the evangelical pro-family movement, these programs espoused chastity before marriage and omitted information on contraceptive benefits and the diversity of sexual behaviors and identities. It was no longer a question of whether sex education belonged in schools, but rather which type would be taught. Conservatives, too, had learned how to translate religious values into secular spaces in order to gain a bigger audience for their concerns and values.

Introduction

This chapter introduces the ways religion contributed to the major agendas that defined the five historical phases of sex education. The phases include (1) the formation of the early sex education movement out of purity and hygiene movements between 1876 and 1913; (2) the institutionalization of moral education as part of venereal disease prevention programs in schools, YMCAs (Young Men’s Christian Associations), and the military between 1913 and 1925; (3) the shift to family life education between 1925 and 1964; (4) the development of comprehensive sexuality education between 1964 and 1981; and (5) the growth of abstinence-only programs from 1981 to the present. These phases were dominated by organizations like the American Social Hygiene Association (ASHA) and the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). Religion was prominent in the motivations of the organizations’ founders, the participation of religious sex educators, cooperation with churches and synagogues, and discussions within publications and conferences.

Reduced drinking and harm reduction in the treatment of alcohol use disorders

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the scientific evidence for reduced drinking in alcohol use disorders. While the aim of alcohol use disorders (AUD) treatment usually focuses on abstinence, only a minority of individuals with AUD enter treatment. Lack of alternative treatment goals, including reduced drinking instead of abstinence, have been identified as a potential barrier for treatment entry. Epidemiological and treatment outcome studies reveal that a large proportion of individuals with AUD are able to substantially reduce their alcohol intake for a prolonged duration of time. Design/methodology/approach A narrative review of the literature on prevalence rates and health effects as well as evidence-based approaches fostering reduced drinking in individuals with AUD is presented. Findings Reduced drinking is associated with improvements in both morbidity and mortality. Research has identified evidence-based psychosocial and pharmacological treatment approaches; however, implementation is still scarce. Originality/value Target groups for interventions fostering drinking reduction instead of abstinence are defined and desiderata for further research are outlined.

Towards Sexual Education: Moroccan Youth’s Perception Between Globality and Islam

In this research, the nation-state forces certain archaic cultural forms and practices on the current youth population. This is a result of the lack of adequate communication between the state and the Moroccan youth. Thus, Morocco continues to press on teaching abstinence-only sex programs since 2005. This research attempts to Bridge the gap of communication through articulating Moroccan youth’s perceptions and their relation with globalization and religion. The first part of the Analysis argues that globalization shapes sexual education is received. The positive perception of sexual education is due to glocality since the individual youth identifies with the western culture he or she witnesses on media and the internet. This leads to an urge to experiencing sex outside of marriage. The negative perception of sexual education is due to grobality, yet this is a minority within the sample. In the second part, participants perceive Islam to be for sexual education. Then, there is a need for sexual safety especially since youth are already engaging in premarital intercourses. Sexual education would keep them away from STDs and pregnancies out of wedlock. Thus, the Moroccan youth’s perception favors sexual education and seeks to implement it as a means of dealing with premarital relationships.