Evidence for Sex Differences in Depression, Sexual Attitudes, and Impulsivity as Predictors of Breaking Shelter-in-Place Orders During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Although the call to understand how sexual behaviors have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic has been established as an important area of study, research examining the extent to which gender, sexual attitudes, impulsivity, and psychological distress predicted breaking shelter-in-place (SIP) orders to engage in sexual behaviors with partners residing outside the home is undefined. Obtaining a deeper examination of the variables which predict risky sexual behaviors during SIP has important implications for future research at the intersection of public health, sexuality, and mental health. This study addressed the gap in the literature by considering how partnered sexual behaviors may be used during the COVID-19 pandemic to alleviate stress, as measured by breaking SIP orders for the pursuit of sexual intercourse. Participants consisted of 186 females and 76 males (N = 262) who predominately identified Caucasian/White (n = 149, 57.75%) and heterosexual/straight (n = 190, 73.64%) cultural identities with a mean age of 21.45 years (SD = 5.98, range = 18-65). A simultaneous logistic regression was conducted to examine whether mental health symptoms, sexual attitudes, and impulsivity predicted participants' decision to break SIP orders to engage in sexual intercourse. Based on our results, breaking SIP orders to pursue sexual activities with partners residing outside the home during the COVID-19 pandemic may be understood as an intentional strategy among men with less favorable birth control attitudes to mitigate the effects of depression. Implications for mental health professionals, study limitations, and future areas of research are additionally provided.

Development and evaluation of a Spanish-language version of the Relational Health Indices.

We reported the development and evaluation of a Spanish-language version of the Relational Health Indices (RHI; Liang et al., 2002) for use in clinical and research settings. Participants were 348 men and women from international (n = 201) and domestic (n = 147) locations who were heritage Spanish speakers. A multistage translation of the RHI is described as well as the procedure used to evaluate the internal structure of the translated assessment. The results indicated a modest 3-factor structure, χ2(628) = 1397.16, p < .001; comparative fit index (CFI) = .86, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = .85, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .06 for the amigo (peer), mentor (mentor), and comunidad (community) subscales that has practical implications for treatment planning, outcome evaluation, and program development. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record