An Examination of the Relative Associations of Prototype Favorability, Similarity, and Their Interaction With Alcohol and Alcohol-Related Risky Sexual Cognitions and Behavior

Prototypes are defined as the image a person holds of the typical person who engages in risk behavior and are comprised of favorability toward the prototype and similarity to the prototype. Despite both being posited as important prototype dimensions, the findings regarding their predictive utility are mixed, and most research has focused on alcohol use and not other related risk behaviors. Thus, the present study examined whether both prototype dimensions (prototype favorability, prototype similarity) as well as their interaction predicted alcohol and alcohol-related sexual cognitions and behavior. Results from 294 emerging adults indicated that prototype similarity (but not prototype favorability or their interaction) predicted both behavioral and cognitive outcomes. Results suggest that researchers utilizing prototypes should be mindful of which prototype dimensions they include in their guiding theory and subsequent clinical applications.

BibliothEP: A Study Evaluating the Effectiveness of Bibliotherapy for Premature Ejaculation (PE)

Objective: The BibliothEP study aimed to assess the efficacy of a bibliotherapy for premature ejaculation (PE) Design and Method: The study was conducted in two phases. First, a sample of 120 participants suffering from PE read a concise cognitive behavioural self-help manual for PE (51 A5 pages including illustrations) and were compared after treatment to 66 waiting list controls. Second, 36 subjects received and read the self-help manual and were compared after treatment to 32 subjects having received the same manual plus a complementary brief guidance (45-90 minutes) from a coach not specialized in sex therapy, but who had been specifically trained to support the bibliotherapy intervention (by attending a 5-hour training module). The main outcome measures were self-determined latency time to ejaculation, feelings of control, sexual satisfaction, PE-related distress and subjective impression of improvement. Results: At 6-month posttreatment, all participants showed significant improvements as compared to waiting list condition. The improvements were maintained at 12 month. They were slightly greater in the case of complementary therapist support. Improvements were demonstrated for all forms of PE, but the intervention appeared to be slightly more effective when the problem was of moderate severity. In all cases, improvements in sexual functioning were accompanied by improvements in sexual cognitions. Conclusions: The cost-effectiveness of the self-help manual makes it a valuable first-line treatment for any form of PE. Moreover, the outcome of the bibliotherapy process might be increased by coaching from a health worker specifically trained to this aim.

Sexual Cognitions in Victims of Childhood and Adolescence/Adulthood Sexual Abuse

This study explored the relationship between 1) child sexual abuse (CSA), adolescent/adult sexual abuse (AASA), and both (CSA+AASA), and 2) the frequency of positive and negative sexual cognitions according to their content –intimate, exploratory, dominance, submission, and impersonal– in men and women. We also analyzed the severity of the sexual contact of individuals who had experienced AASA. We assessed a Spanish sample of 228 men and 333 women, aged between 18 and 50 years old. In the sample, 341 individuals reported having experienced some type of sexual victimization (victims group), while 220 individuals reported no victimization (non-victims group). Overall, sexual victims reported a higher frequency of positive sexual cognitions compared to non-victims, particularly when they had experienced CSA+AASA and the severity of the sexual contact was greater. Men and women who had experienced abuse reported a higher frequency of exploratory cognitions (p < .01). Male victims reported more cognitions of submission (p < .01), whereas female victims reported more cognitions of dominance (p < .05), which indicates lack of congruence with traditional gender roles. Finally, only intimate cognitions (p < .001) were experienced as negative by male victims. We discuss the relevance of the findings for therapeutic interventions with sexual abuse victims.