The longitudinal relationship between levels of cognitively stimulating leisure activity and positive and negative affect among older adults with MCI.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between different levels of cognitively stimulating leisure activity (CSLA) participation and different levels of positive and negative affect among older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: Using a repeated-measured multivariate analysis of covariance (RM-MANCOVA), this study analyzed the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data from 2012 to 2020 (N = 5932). RESULTS: The results presented the following. (a) The high CSLA group showed higher positive affect and lower negative affect than the mid and low groups. Also, the mid-CSLA group presented higher positive affect and lower negative affect than the low CSLA group. (b) Both positive and negative affect showed significant differences between years and indicated a continuously declining slope year by year without exceptions. (c) The high CSLA group not only presented higher positive affect and lower negative affect during the period but also solely showed a rebounding feature in the declining slope on both emotions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study provide valuable support for the design and implementation of CSLA participation programs and clinical guidelines for older adults with MCI. The results highlight the importance of determining the optimal level of CSLA engagement that is required to promote emotional health and cognitive function in this population. Healthcare professionals and clinical practitioners can leverage the insights gained from this study to develop and deliver effective CSLA interventions tailored to the specific needs and capacities of older adults with MCI.

Non-Fatal Strangulation/Choking During Sex and Its Associations with Mental Health: Findings from an Undergraduate Probability Survey.

Choking/strangulation during sex is prevalent among young adults in the United States. We examined associations between having ever been choked and participants' current mental health symptoms (e.g., feeling depressed, anxious, sad, lonely) in the prior 30 days and in the prior year. Participants were 4352 randomly sampled undergraduates who completed a confidential online survey and reported lifetime partnered sexual activity. 33.6% of women and 6.0% of men reported having been choked more than five times. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, having been choked remained significantly associated with all four mental health outcomes, except for overwhelming anxiety among men.

Diverse Sexual Behaviors in Undergraduate Students: Findings From a Campus Probability Survey.

BACKGROUND: Probability-based surveys of college students typically assess sexual behaviors such as oral, vaginal, and anal sex. Little is known about the broader range of sexual behaviors in which students engage. AIMS: In a random sample survey of undergraduate students, we aimed to: (1) describe how recently participants had engaged in solo and partnered sexual behaviors, (2) examine how frequently participants enacted certain rough sex sexual behaviors (e.g., light spanking, hard spanking, choking, slapping, and others), (3) assess participants' frequency of experiencing certain rough sex behaviors, (4) describe participants' frequency of threesome/group sex, (5) assess the characteristics of participants' experiences with choking during sex; and (6) examine choking and face slapping in regard to consent. METHODS: A confidential, online cross-sectional survey of 4,989 randomly sampled undergraduate students at a large U.S. university. OUTCOMES: Participants reported having engaged in a broad range of solo and partnered sexual activities, including rough sex behaviors. RESULTS: The most prevalent general sexual behaviors were solo masturbation (88.6%), oral sex (79.4% received, 78.4% performed), penile-vaginal intercourse (73.5%), and partnered masturbation (71.1%). Anal intercourse was the least prevalent of these behaviors (16.8% received, 25.3% performed). Among those with any partnered sexual experience, 43.0% had choked a partner, 47.3% had been choked, 59.1% had been lightly spanked and 12.1% had been slapped on the face during sex. CLINICAL TRANSLATION: College health clinicians and educators need to be aware of the diverse and evolving range of solo and partnered sexual behaviors reported by students. In addition to counseling students about pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection risk, clinicians might assess patients' engagement in diverse sexual behaviors, such as choking/strangulation during sex, given the risk for serious outcomes including death. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS: Strengths of our research include the large sample size, use of random sampling, high response rate for college populations, broad range of behaviors assessed, and novel data on choking during sex. Among our limitations, we did not assess to what extent the experiences were wanted, pleasurable, or appealing to participants. Except for in relation to choking and slapping, we also did not assess issues of consent. CONCLUSION: Participants reported engaging in diverse sexual behaviors, some of which have important clinical implications, are understudied, and warrant further research. Herbenick D, Patterson C, Beckmeyer J, et al. Diverse Sexual Behaviors in Undergraduate Students: Findings From a Campus Probability Survey. J Sex Med 2021;18:1024-1041.

What Is Rough Sex, Who Does It, and Who Likes It? Findings from a Probability Sample of U.S. Undergraduate Students.

Using data from an undergraduate probability sample, we aimed to: (1) describe the prevalence and demographic characteristics of students who reported having engaged in rough sex with their current partner; (2) assess which sexual behaviors students consider to be rough sex; (3) describe the frequency with which participants report engaging in rough sex as well as their reports of initiating and liking rough sex, in relation to gender and sexual identity; and (4) examine predictors of rough sex frequency. Participants were 4998 students randomly sampled from a large Midwestern university who completed a confidential Internet-based survey (2453 women, 2445 men, 41 gender non-binary, 36 transgender or other gender non-conforming identities). Within these, 1795 individuals who reported a romantic/sexual partner of at least 3 months responded to questions about engaging, liking, and initiating rough sex. The most common behaviors participants considered to be rough sex were choking, hair pulling, and spanking. Transgender and gender non-binary students more often endorsed behaviors as rough sex. Also, rough sex was conceptualized as multidimensional, with one cluster being more consistent with earlier conceptualizations of rough sex (e.g., hair pulling, spanking) and the second cluster including behaviors such as choking, slapping, punching, and making someone have sex. About 80% of those with a current sexual or romantic partner engaged in rough sex with them and most who engaged it liked it. Bisexual women reported greater rough sex frequency and enjoyment (54.1% indicated enjoying it "very much"). Implications for sexuality research and education are discussed.

Wald χ2 Test for Differential Item Functioning Detection with Polytomous Items in Multilevel Data.

Identifying items with differential item functioning (DIF) in an assessment is a crucial step for achieving equitable measurement. One critical issue that has not been fully addressed with existing studies is how DIF items can be detected when data are multilevel. In the present study, we introduced a Lord's Wald χ2 test-based procedure for detecting both uniform and non-uniform DIF with polytomous items in the presence of the ubiquitous multilevel data structure. The proposed approach is a multilevel extension of a two-stage procedure, which identifies anchor items in its first stage and formally evaluates candidate items in the second stage. We applied the Metropolis-Hastings Robbins-Monro (MH-RM) algorithm to estimate multilevel polytomous item response theory (IRT) models and to obtain accurate covariance matrices. To evaluate the performance of the proposed approach, we conducted a preliminary simulation study that considered various conditions to mimic real-world scenarios. The simulation results indicated that the proposed approach has great power for identifying DIF items and well controls the Type I error rate. Limitations and future research directions were also discussed.

School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists' Adherence to Practice Guidelines for Assessment of English Learners.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which school-based speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) assessment practices with individual English learners (ELs) align with federal legislation and professional practice guidelines. Specifically, we were interested in examining SLPs' use of multiple tools during individual EL assessments, as well as relationships between practices and number of types of training experiences. Method School-based SLPs in a Midwestern state were recruited in person or via e-mail to complete an online survey pertaining to assessment. Of the 562 respondents who completed the survey, 222 (39.5%) indicated past or present experience with ELs, and thus, their data were included in the analyses. The questionnaire solicited information about respondent's demographics, caseload composition, perceived knowledge and skills and training experiences pertaining to working with ELs (e.g., graduate school, self-teaching, professional conferences), and assessment practices used in schools. Results The majority of respondents reported using multiple tools rather than a single tool with each EL they assess. Case history and observation were tools used often or always by the largest number of participants. SLPs who used multiple tools reported using both direct (e.g., standardized tests, dynamic assessment) and indirect tools (e.g., case history, interviews). Analyses revealed low to moderate positive associations between tools, as well as the use of speech-language samples and number of types of training experiences. Conclusions School-based SLPs in the current study reported using EL assessment practices that comply with federal legislation and professional practice guidelines for EL assessment. These results enhance our understanding of school-based SLPs' assessment practices with ELs and may be indicative of a positive shift toward evidence-based practice.