Resources and Support for Sexual Assault Survivors Receiving Services From the U.S. Air Force: What Survivors Say They Need for Recovery.

Sexual assault (SA) is a serious challenge faced by the U.S. military. Participants in this study included men and women who volunteered in response to a call for survivors of SA. Participants included active duty and reserve U.S. Air Force (USAF) members, spouses of service members, or civilian employees for the USAF (beneficiaries). The primary research question was, "if you could design the perfect response system to support survivors, what would be included in this system?" The research team conducted in-depth interviews with nine survivors. Next, 82 survivors completed a survey agreeing or disagreeing with strategies identified by interview participants to improve services for survivors and offered additional suggestions. Analysis revealed survivor recommendations to improve SA services.

The role of emotional dysregulation in the association between family-of-origin conflict and romantic relationship maintenance.

Family-of-origin systems are consequential for the emotional well-being of offspring. These influences are likely to last into adulthood, affecting adult children's romantic relationships. The mechanisms by which family-of-origin environments influence adult romantic relationships are not fully understood. In a sample of 118 different-sex couples, we tested the effects of negative family-of-origin conflict on adult offspring's provision of relationship maintenance to their romantic partner using structural equation modeling. We evaluated emotional dysregulation as a mediator of this effect, using two measures of emotional dysregulation. Results from structural models demonstrated a negative effect of family-of-origin conflict on the provision of relationship maintenance via higher levels of emotional dysregulation. Our results highlight emotional self-regulation as a valuable intervention point for couple therapists.

Parent-Child Sexual Communication Frequency and Adolescent Disclosure to Mothers About Sexuality: The Moderating Role of Open Communication in a Common Fate Structural Equation Model.

Although frequent and open parent-child sexual communication (PCSC) has been shown to yield positive effects on adolescent sexual health outcomes, most PCSC is one-sided and parent dominated rather than ideal communication characterized by openness. Adolescent children's disclosure of sexual feelings and behaviors to parents can prompt parent-child sexual communication (PCSC) and help parents tailor PCSC to children's needs, increasing the effectiveness of PCSC in promoting positive sexual outcomes. However, very little work has been done exploring correlates of adolescent disclosure about sexuality. Thus, the current study explored the associations between frequent PCSC and child disclosure and secret keeping, and whether open PCSC moderated the relationships. The sample included 603 mother-child dyads from the United States. Adolescent children were 12-17 years old (M = 14.55, SD = 1.68), White (55.6%) and cisgender female (49.8%). A common-fate SEM model revealed that PCSC frequency was positively associated with adolescent disclosure and adolescent secret keeping. However, when PCSC was open, PCSC frequency was associated with a decrease in adolescent secret keeping and an increase in adolescent disclosure. We discuss the importance of encouraging both open and frequent PCSC, as their interaction is related to increased adolescent disclosure and less adolescent secret keeping.

Sexual Violence and Mental Health: An Analysis of the Mediating Role of Self-Compassion Using a Feminist Lens.

Feminist theories describe how women who experience sexual violence often internalize cultural narratives which can lead to self-blame and disconnection. Self-compassion has the potential to provide a buffer against these negative outcomes. This study explored self-compassion as a mediator of the association between experiencing sexual violence and negative mental health outcomes. The sample consisted of 368 undergraduate women. A path analysis revealed that experiencing sexual violence prior to the beginning of the semester was positively associated with self-criticism, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms at the end of the semester directly and indirectly through self-compassion mid-semester. Clinical and research implications are also discussed.

Sex Feelings: A Mediated Group Path Analysis of the Association of Perceptions of Parent Communicated Sexual Values with Sexual Attitudes and Outcomes in Emerging Adulthood.

Although communication between parents and children about sexually transmitted diseases and avoiding unwanted pregnancy has been shown to be effective in increasing safe sex practices, parents also implicitly (or explicitly) communicate their own values and attitudes about sex in conversations with their children that might have impacts on their children's sexual feelings and behaviors beyond adolescence. Data were collected from undergraduate students in a human development class (N = 351; 265 women). Multiple group path analysis was used to investigate how emerging adults' perceptions of their parents' sexual values, either leaning toward sexual exploration or abstinence, were associated with their own sexual attitudes, frequency of sexual activity with a partner, desired frequency of sexual activity with a partner and sexual satisfaction. Sexual exploration and abstinence values communicated by parents were significantly associated with emerging adults' permissive and instrumental sexual attitudes; however, only permissive sexual attitudes mediated relationships between parental values and emerging adult sexual outcomes. Only parent-communicated abstinence values had significant direct effect on any of the sexual outcomes (sexual satisfaction). Additionally, gender only moderated the direct relationship between parental abstinence values and sexual frequency; this relationship was significant only for women.

Navigating "Breakup Remorse": Implications for Disrupting the On-Again/Off-Again Cycles in Young Adult Dating Relationships.

While the research is clear on the risks for distress associated with on-again, off-again romantic relationships (i.e., cyclical relationships), little is known about the change mechanisms experienced by partners in cyclical relationships or how helping professionals can assist young adults stably continue or end these relationships. Young adults (N = 21) in different stages of cyclical relationships (renewed, ended, or contemplating renewal) attended focus groups and articulated specific mechanisms that influenced their ability to make distress-reducing decisions. Main themes for professionals working with partners in cyclical relationships centered on promoting "decision-making resilience," which included addressing issues around identity development, communication, power/control dynamics, and intentionality. These results inform assessments and interventions to bolster resilience and reduce distress for cyclical couples.

The buffering effect of belonging on the negative association of childhood trauma with adult mental health and risky alcohol use.

More than half of the American population has experienced at least one childhood traumatic event in their lifetime, which can lead to alcohol misuse and mental and physiological health issues. A sense of belonging in close relationships is hypothesized to promote resiliency against the negative outcomes of childhood trauma experiences. Using a sample of 654 adults aged 26-40years old, this study examined the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and adult risky alcohol use mediated by mental health status and perceptions of belonging. Results indicated that having a greater sense of belonging was associated with greater mental health and reduced reports of risky alcohol use. The negative total association of childhood trauma on adult mental health was partially mediated by a sense of belonging, indicating that a sense of belonging may buffer the impact of childhood trauma on later mental health outcomes and therefor potentially decrease later risky alcohol use in adulthood. Recommendations for systemic treatment and increasing close relationships across the lifespan as resiliency factors are explored. Implementations for public policy changes for Marriage and Family Therapists are discussed.

Sexual Attitudes of Classes of College Students Who Use Pornography.

Pornography is widely accepted and used as an appropriate sexual practice. Previous literature has suggested that pornography users may be best viewed through a heterogenetic lens that indicates specific classes of pornography users. Furthering this previous research, a latent profile analysis was conducted using a sample of 635 college students (mean age men 20.22 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.10); women 19.16 [SD = 2.12]) over two time points to not only identify unique classifications of pornography users, but also examine specific sexual attitudes 3 months later of each classification. When deriving types, the Pornography Consumption Inventory, frequency of pornography use, gradation of pornography acceptance, the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale, and religiosity were used. For men, two classes of users were statistically derived based on the above variables: permissive porn explorers (n = 102) and sexual communion and dabbling porn users (n = 55). For women, two classes emerged: nonpermissive porn abstainers (n = 421) and instrumental, integrated porn users (n = 57). These results develop greater detail of different types of pornography users by exploring various sexual attitudes associated with their pornography use patterns.

Assessing decision making in young adult romantic relationships.

Romantic relationships among young adults are rich with ambiguity and without a clear, universal progression emphasizing the need for active decision making. Lack of active decision making in romantic relationships can lead to increases in constraints (e.g. pregnancy, shared living space or finances) that promote the continuation of relationships that would have otherwise ended, leading to increased risk of relationship distress. Because there is no available assessment of thoughtfulness regarding relationship decisions, the authors of the present studies report data on the development of one such scale, the Relationship Deciding Scale (RDS). Study 1 (N = 995) reveals the factor structure of the RDS and provides reliability data for the emergent subscales. In Study 2 (N = 963), the obtained three-factor structure (Relationship Confidence, Knowledge of Warning Signs, and Deciding) is tested via confirmatory factor analysis, demonstrates convergent and discriminant validity, and is shown to predict relationship characteristics 14 weeks later. Study 3 (N = 805) shows the sensitivity of the three factors to change through examination of the influence of a semester-long intervention targeted at increasing decision making in relationships. Use of this scale for identifying and intervening with couples or individuals who lack active decision making in relationships may decrease their risk for future relationship distress.