Associations Between Negative Body Image and Sexual Health Practices in Emerging Adults from Malaysia.

Past findings on the association between negative body image and sexual health behaviors have been mixed and mostly derived from Western samples. The aim of the current study was to examine associations between indices of negative body image and sexual health practices that reduce the risk of disease transmission in emerging adults, and whether these associations are moderated by gender. Using an online survey, a convenience sample of 584 Malaysian adults aged 18-30 years (230 men, 354 women) completed measures of satisfaction with overall appearance, body size dissatisfaction, weight satisfaction, height satisfaction, and genital image evaluation. They also reported if they ever had partnered sex, condomless sex, and been screened for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), as well as their lifetime number of penetrative sex partners. Hierarchical logistic and ordinal regression analyses indicated that more positive genital image evaluation, but not the other body image indices, was significantly associated with having had partnered sex and fewer lifetime penetrative sex partners. None of the body image indices were significantly associated with condomless sex. All associations were consistent across men and women. For HIV testing, a significant interaction between genital image evaluation and gender emerged. However, this was reduced to non-significance after controlling for the number of penetrative sex partners. Overall, our findings underline the importance of promoting improved genital image in interventions aimed at increasing positive sexual health behaviors.

Body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors: A systematic review of observational studies.

Engagement in health-promoting behaviors has been argued to be dependent on psychological factors in addition to simply having knowledge or access to resources. We systematically reviewed the evidence for the association between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors using six electronic databases and supplementary manual searches in the current study. To be included in the review, studies had to be empirical, in any language, and examined the potential link between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening. Findings from the final 16 quantitative and 12 qualitative studies generally suggest that people who were more satisfied or less dissatisfied with their bodies were more likely to engage in health screening. This review also highlighted key gaps in the literature such as the limited studies that included men as participants and the lack of examination of the underlying mechanisms and contingencies of the relationship between body (dis)satisfaction and health screening behaviors.

A systematic review on the cultural factors associated with stigma during pandemics.

Both public stigma and perceived self-stigma are prevalent during pandemics threatening a divide among the global community. This systematic review examined the cultural factors associated with viral respiratory-related pandemic stigma. Following PRISMA guidelines, the keywords, "culture, stigma, and pandemic" were searched across relevant databases for empirical papers between January 2000 to March 2022. Quality assessment and coding were adopted in the screening process. Thirty-one articles were included in the final analysis. Themes revealed that collectivistic values, cultural identities, and non-western regions were associated with public (others) stigma; mismatch of cultural values, minority groups, and North America, Asia, Oceania, and African regions were associated with higher perceived and self-stigma. We further mapped the themes into a proposed systemic cultural stigma model to integrate the dynamic intersection of cultural values, identity, and ecology. The cultural factors and their influence on stigma were then explained by drawing on two evolutionary theories: Cultural rationality theory and scapegoating theory. Lastly, we proposed culturally sensitive and responsive practices for stigma management at the community level, especially in non-Western regions during the pandemic recovery phase.

Masturbation Among Malaysian Young Adults: Associated Sexual and Psychological Well-Being Outcomes.

Despite being a common sexual practice, not much is known about masturbation within the Malaysian context. The current study examined the masturbation practices of a convenience sample of Malaysian young adults, and how one's reported experience of masturbating and frequency of masturbation is associated with sexual and psychological well-being. Satisfaction with sex life, satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety, and stress were measured as outcome variables. Responses from 621 participants (M = 22.1 years, SD = 2.4 years) that were collected through an online questionnaire were analyzed. Results revealed that most participants (77.7%) had masturbated at least once in their life. Sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being did not differ between those who reported masturbating before and those who did not. Among those with masturbation experience, higher frequency of masturbation was associated with less sexual satisfaction and more symptoms of anxiety and stress. Masturbation frequency was not associated with life satisfaction or reports of depressive symptoms. Gender, frequency of partnered sex, availability of a sexual partner, and religiosity did not moderate the relationships between masturbation frequency with sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being. Although the limitations of the current study impede generalizability, masturbation was found to be a common behavior among the current sample. Causal inferences cannot be drawn from the significant associations found in the current study, as the findings indicate such relationships may be bidirectional. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12119-023-10101-2.

Pornography consumption and sexual health among emerging adults from Malaysia: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high prevalence, few studies have examined pornography consumption among emerging adults in Malaysia. The current study examined the attitudes, motivations, and behaviours related to pornography consumption and their association with sexual health. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional survey that was conducted online, a convenience sample of 319 Malaysians aged 18-30years (M =23.05, s.d.=2.55) reported their attitudes and behaviours related to pornography consumption, including the degree of problematic consumption, and completed measures of sexual health. These included sexual satisfaction, awareness of sexual feelings, sexual self-reflection, sexual assertiveness, embarrassment during partnered sex, and genital image. To capture pornography genre preferences, participants also reported the keywords that they typically use to search for pornography. These open-ended responses were thematically coded. RESULTS: Between 60 and 70% of participants reported positive attitudes toward pornography and 81.2% (N =259) reported lifetime intentional exposure to pornography. Gender differences were present in pornography consumption attitudes, motivations, preferences, and behaviours. Problematic pornography consumption, and not consumption frequency, was associated with poorer sexual satisfaction. Among women and not men, more frequent consumption was associated with more sexual self-reflection and positive feelings about their genitals. Sexual embarrassment was higher among women who consume pornography more problematically and among men who consumed pornography more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: Pornography consumption attitudes and behaviours appear rather universal. However, the benefits of pornography consumption frequency and disadvantages associated with problematic consumption appear to be more relevant for women's than men's sexual health, specifically sexual self-reflection, genital image, and sexual embarrassment.

Relationship Between Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms and Caregiver Burden In Breast Cancer Patients: The Mediating Role of Anxiety and Depression.

Breast cancer impacts not only the physical and mental health of patients but also the people around them-especially their caregivers. This study examined the relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and caregiver burden in breast cancer patients through the mediating pathway of anxiety and depression. METHODS: A total of 236 breast cancer patients from China completed the Chinese Version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale (PSS), the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Chinese version of the General Anxiety Symptoms Scale (GAD-7). In addition, caregivers of these breast cancer patients were surveyed by the Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire (CSAQ). RESULTS: Structural equation model showed that our model fitted well [χ2 /df = 1.966, TLI = 0.959, CFI = 0.994, RMSEA (90% CI) = 0.065 (0-0.12)] and revealed that anxiety, but not depression, mediated the relationship between PTSS in breast cancer patients and caregiver burden. CONCLUSION: The level of PTSS was positively correlated with anxiety and depression in breast cancer patients, and the level of anxiety and depression was positively related to caregiver burden. The PTSS of patients positively predicted caregiver burden and this relationship appears to be mediated by the patient's anxiety.

The Source of Power Matters: Positional Power as a Better Predictor of Sexual Interest Perceptions than Dispositional Power Among Men within a Military Context.

The current research examined the roles of positional power induced by one's hierarchical position in an organization and dispositional power (i.e., one's general feeling of power) in the perception of sexual interest in a military context. In two vignette-based experiments with men who were military members, positional power induced by military rank led to heightened sexual perceptions. Men estimated higher sexual interest from their interaction partner when interacting with a hypothetical woman of a lower military rank, compared to a woman of equal (Experiment 1; N = 144) or higher military rank (Experiment 2; N = 232). Being in a relatively higher rank induces feelings of power over the interaction partner and thus results in a higher perception of sexual interest. Furthermore, Experiment 2 revealed that positional power better predicted heightened perceived sexual interest than dispositional power.

Dispositional mindfulness as a moderator between perceived stress and psychological symptoms in Chinese digestive tract cancer patients.

Mindfulness has been garnering increased attention within the area of clinical psychology due to its theorized and empirical associations with psychological well-being. Using a sample of patients diagnosed with digestive tract cancer (N = 292), we examined the relationship between perceived stress and psychological symptoms at varying levels of dispositional mindfulness. Results showed significant associations between perceived stress and psychological symptoms. More importantly, the relationship between perceived stress and psychological symptoms was only significant for patients with low, but not high, levels of dispositional mindfulness. Implications and future research directions were discussed.