https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/j.2051-5545.2011.tb00014.x

Physical illness in patients with severe mental disorders.I. Prevalence, impact of medications and disparities in health care

Two studies are presented that evaluate newly developed scales of sensation seeking and sexual compulsivity. Results showed that the scales were reliable and correlated with convergent and divergent measures in expected directions in samples of both gay men (N = 296) and inner city low-income men and women (N = 158). Consistent with theories of sensation seeking, the scales corresponded to an attraction toward a range of sexual practices, including increased frequencies of unprotected intercourse and a greater number of sexual partners. As expected, sexual compulsivity was not related to variety and novelty in sexual practices, but was associated with lower levels of self-esteem and resistance to adopting sexual risk-reducing strategies. However important differences were observed between the gay men and heterosexual samples; scales correlated with substance use only among gay men, and sexual compulsivity was related to a range of sexual practices only among heterosexuals. The sensation seeking and Sexual Compulsivity Scales were therefore reliable, appeared valid, and useful in predicting sexual risk behaviors.

Sexual sensation seeking and Sexual Compulsivity Scales: reliability, validity, and predicting HIV risk behavior.

Risky behavior can be an expression of a normal, genetically influenced personality trait, sensation seeking. Its expression in risky behaviors such as extreme and risky sports, vocations, substance abuse, unsafe sex, and crime, among others, is the topic of this fascinating and accessible book. In "Sensation Seeking and Risky Behavior", Marvin Zuckerman offers a comprehensive view of the role of sensation seeking in a wide range of behaviors, from risky driving and sports through substance use, sex, and crime or other antisocial behaviors. How the personality trait sensation seeking relates to these risky behaviors is described and explained in terms of genetics, biology, attitudes, and expectancies. Insights into prevention and treatment of maladaptive forms of sensation seeking, like substance abuse and unsaf sexual activity, based on the published research, are offered.

Sensation Seeking And Risky Behavior

Sixty-three samples providing single-sex means on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory [BSRI; S. L. Bem (1974) “The Measurement of Psychological Androgyny,”Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 42, pp. 155–162] and 40 reporting similar data on the Personal Attributes Questionnaire [PAQ; J. T. Spence and R. L. Helmreich (1978)Masculinity and Feminity, Austin University of Texas Press] for American undergraduates were located and analyzed. Women’s scores on the BSRI-M and PAQ-M (masculine) scales have increased steadily over time (r’s = .74 and .43, respectively). Women’s BSRI-F and PAQ-F (feminine) scale scores do not correlate with year. Men’s BSRI-M scores show a weaker positive relationship with year of administration (r = .47). The effect size for sex differences on the BSRI-M has also changed over time, showing a significant decrease over the twenty-year period. The results suggest that cultural change and environment may affect individual personalities; these changes in BSRI and PAQ means demonstrate women’s increased endorsement of masculine-stereotyped traits and men’s continued nonendorsement of feminine-steretyped traits.

Changes in masculine and feminine traits over time: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed seroprevalence rates of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among individuals with severe mental illness. METHODS: Participants (n = 931) were patients undergoing inpatient or outpatient treatment in Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, or North Carolina. RESULTS: The prevalence of HIV infection in this sample (3.1%) was approximately 8 times the estimated US population rate but lower than rates reported in previous studies of people with severe mental illness. Prevalence rates of HBV (23.4%) and HCV (19.6%) were approximately 5 and 11 times the overall estimated population rates for these infections, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated rates of HIV, HBV, and HCV were found. Of particular concern are the high rates of HCV infection, which are frequently undetected. Individuals with HCV infection commonly fail to receive appropriate treatment to limit liver damage and unknowingly may be a source of infection to others.

Prevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C in people with severe mental illness.

Sensation seeking, the propensity to prefer exciting, optimal, and novel stimulation or arousal, is a potential mediating factor in sexual risk for human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV), the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, the most widely used measure of sensation seeking, the Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, & Zoob, 1964), contains numerous culturally outdated items and items that do not pertain to sexual behavior. In this study, 106 homosexually active men completed newly developed measures of sensation seeking related to sexual and nonsexual experiences, as well as a measure of sexual compulsivity. Results show that the new scales were internally consistent and time-stable. Additional analyses demonstrated convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity for these scales, showing them to be of use as mediating variables in models of high-risk sexual behavior. Implications for HIV prevention and behavior change are discussed.

Sexual sensation seeking: scale development and predicting AIDS-risk behavior among homosexually active men

OBJECTIVE Chronic mentally ill adults have been found to be at risk for HIV infection The authors investigated the prevalence of HIV risk behaviors among psychiatric outpatients Correlates of HIV risk factors and characteristics of patient relationships in which risk occurred were investigated METHOD Structured interviews were conducted with 95 chronic mentally ill adults from urban community support service programs The interviews focused on sexual and substance use behavior, history of HIV risk behaviors, and relationship characteristics related to risk RESULTS The study showed that 27% of all patients had had two or more sex partners in the previous year and 18% had received money or drugs for sex High rates of illicit drug use were also found, with frequent use of drugs or alcohol in association with sexual activity Multiple regression analyses showed that use of illicit drugs, meeting sex partners in psychiatric clinics, and meeting partners in bars accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in HIV risk behavior CONCLUSIONS These results suggest an urgent need for HIV prevention programs targeted at urban chronic mentally ill adults Risk-producing characteristics of patient relationships and social networks should be addressed in the development of prevention interventions

Factors associated with risk for HIV infection among chronic mentally ill adults.

The relationship between sexual aggression and theoretical love styles was studied. Based on self-reported sexual history, 63 college men were grouped as having either consensual sexual experience only (n =33) or having verbally coercive sexual experience (n =30). Analyses were conducted using six love style scales, likelihood to rape, likelihood to use sexual force, masculinity, and sociopathy to predict sexual coercive group membership. Logistic regression indicated that the Ludus love style, a manipulative, game-playing orientation towards intimate relationships, was the best predictor of sexual coercion among the six love styles. Additionally, logistic regression indicated that the Ludus love style was as effective in classifying men as coercive or noncoercive as other dispositions related to sexual aggression. These results suggest that the Ludus love style may serve as a unifying construct for dispositions related to sexual aggression. This study constitutes an initial attempt to link sexually coercive behaviors to a theoretical model of intimate relationships. Results are discussed in the context of a situational model of sexual coercion.

Jennifer R. Johnson

Papers

Sexual sensation seeking: scale development and predicting AIDS-risk behavior among homosexually active men

Factors associated with risk for HIV infection among chronic mentally ill adults.

Sexual aggression and love styles: An exploratory study