American Singles' Attitudes Toward Future Romantic/Sexual Partners' COVID-19 Vaccination Status: Evidence for both Vigilance and Indifference in a National Sample.

Around 142 million American adults are currently single; at least half of these singles want to pursue a romantic partner. Romantic dating can involve exposure to numerous people. Thus, dating can significantly impact pathogen exposure risk. In a demographically-representative cross-sectional survey conducted in 2021 (N = 5,000), we examined U.S. American singles' COVID-19 vaccination status, assessed their preferences around a potential partner's COVID-19 vaccination status, and identified demographic subgroups of singles particularly opposed to or indifferent to a partner being vaccinated against COVID-19. Our results showed 65% of participants were fully vaccinated, 10% were partially vaccinated, and 26% were unvaccinated against COVID-19. With regards to partner preferences, half wanted a vaccinated partner; 18.9% wanted a vaccinated partner but would make exceptions; 6.1% wanted an unvaccinated partner; and 25% reported that they did not care about their dating partner's vaccination status. Partner preferences were largely aligned with participants' own vaccination status, such that vaccinated participants preferred vaccinated partners. However, those preferring unvaccinated partners-or those willing to make exceptions for a partner-were most likely to identify as men, younger in age, a political affiliation outside of the two-party political system, a gender or sexual minority, or as a racial minority (i.e., Black/African-American or South Asian). Additionally, participants who were employed (vs. unemployed) were more likely to make exceptions for or prefer an unvaccinated partner. These results suggest that singles prefer homophily in COVID-19 vaccine status, and that minoritized subgroups of singles are more likely to maintain a social network including unvaccinated close others. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12119-023-10097-9.

Camsites as a Context for Sexual Consent Education: User Experiences.

Understanding sexual consent is essential for the promotion of healthy sexual relationships and the prevention of sexual violence. Emerging sexual technologies can provide opportunities for users to learn about and potentially practice navigating sexual consent with partners, but this field of research is still nascent. In this study, we surveyed 5,828 erotic camsite users to determine whether they learned something new about sexual consent from their use of the site. Participants mostly identified as heterosexual white men, aged 18 to 99. Our results showed that 12% (n = 699) reported learning something new about sexual consent from their camsite use. Those who reported learning something new were prompted to provide a qualitative report of what they had learned; 36% (n = 252) did so. Users reported learning about the importance of respecting boundaries; how consent can change or differ based on the person, context, or time; the implicit and explicit forms of sexual consent, and the need to explicitly communicate about sexual consent; and how consent norms apply to commercial sexual contexts. Our findings show that people are learning about sexual consent from camsites, but the obtained knowledge is complex and sometimes negative. This study sheds light on the potential of emerging sexual technologies as sources for sexual education, and highlights the need for further research exploring the ways in which understandings of digital sexual consent translate to broader contexts.

The lifelong orgasm gap: exploring age's impact on orgasm rates.

Background: Research demonstrates significant gender- and sexual orientation-based differences in orgasm rates from sexual intercourse; however, this "orgasm gap" has not been studied with respect to age. Aim: The study sought to examine age-related disparities in orgasm rates from sexual intercourse by gender and sexual orientation. Methods: A survey sample of 24 752 adults from the United States, ranging in age from 18 to 100 years. Data were collected across 8 cross-sectional surveys between 2015 and 2023. Outcomes: Participants reported their average rate of orgasm during sexual intercourse, from 0% to 100%. Results: Orgasm rate was associated with age but with minimal effect size. In all age groups, men reported higher rates of orgasm than did women. Men's orgasm rates ranged from 70% to 85%, while women's ranged from 46% to 58%. Men reported orgasm rates between 22% and 30% higher than women's rates. Sexual orientation impacted orgasm rates by gender but not uniformly across age groups. Clinical Translation: The persistence of the orgasm gap across ages necessitates a tailored approach in clinical practice and education, focusing on inclusive sexual health discussions, addressing the unique challenges of sexual minorities and aging, and emphasizing mutual satisfaction to promote sexual well-being for all. Strengths and Limitations: This study is the first to examine the orgasm gap with respect to age, and does so in a large, diverse sample. Findings are limited by methodology, including single-item assessments of orgasm and a sample of single adults. Conclusion: This study revealed enduring disparities in orgasm rates from sexual intercourse, likely resulting from many factors, including sociocultural norms and inadequate sex education.

Women Who Experience More Affectionate Touch Report Better Body Satisfaction and Relationship Outcomes.

Affectionate touch (e.g. hugging, handholding) is an essential component of many intimate relationships and is a primary contributor to overall relationship satisfaction as well as sexual satisfaction. Affectionate touch is understood to be a form of non-verbal communication in which the giver is expressing positive feelings toward the receiver. Here, we propose that affectionate touch also positively impacts receivers' body satisfaction, because affectionate touch is a positive message communicated toward the receiver's body. In a cross-sectional sample of romantically partnered women (N = 1,156), we assessed the association between affectionate touch frequency and body satisfaction. We also investigated whether affectionate touch is associated with relationship/sexual satisfaction in part because touch helps to improve women's evaluations of their own bodies. Our results showed that body satisfaction was a significant, partial mediator and a valid path through which affectionate touch shapes relationship quality. Receiving affectionate touch could bolster relationship satisfaction and self-perceptions among women. Given the prevalence of body dissatisfaction amongst women, these results suggest that the underexplored associations between affectionate touch and body satisfaction may have significant impacts on a wide array of future empirical and applied research trajectories.

Exploring patterns in mental health treatment and interests of single adults in the United States: a secondary data analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine mental health treatment utilization and interest among the large and growing demographic of single adults in the United States, who face unique societal stressors and pressures that may contribute to their heightened need for mental healthcare. Method: We analyzed data from 3,453 single adults, focusing on those with possible mental health treatment needs by excluding those with positive self-assessments. We assessed prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of mental health treatment, including psychotherapy and psychiatric medication use, and interest in attending psychotherapy among participants who had never attended. Results: 26% were in mental health treatment; 17% were attending psychotherapy, 16% were taking psychiatric medications, and 7% were doing both. Further, 64% had never attended psychotherapy, of which 35% expressed interest in future attendance. There were differences in current psychotherapy attendance and psychiatric medication use by gender and sexual orientation, with women and gay/lesbian individuals more likely to engage in both forms of mental health treatment. Additionally, interest in future psychotherapy among those who had never attended varied significantly by age, gender, and race. Younger individuals, women, and Black/African-American participants showed higher likelihoods of interest in psychotherapy. Conclusion: Our research highlights a critical gap in mental health treatment utilization among single adults who may be experiencing a need for those services. Despite a seemingly higher likelihood of engagement in mental health treatment compared to the general population, only a minority of single adults in our sample were utilizing mental health treatment. This underutilization and the observed demographic disparities in mental health treatment underscore the need for targeted outreach, personalized treatment plans, enhanced provider training, and policy advocacy to ensure equitable access to mental healthcare for single adults across sociodemographic backgrounds.

Engagement with Emerging Forms of Sextech: Demographic Correlates from a National Sample of Adults in the United States.

Social technology is ever-evolving, and increasingly offers novel domains for sexual experiences. In the current study, we investigated demographic correlates of engagement with emerging forms of sextech, defined here as internet-based applications, platforms, or devices used for sexual pleasure. Our web-based, demographically representative sample included 7,512 American adults aged 18-65 years, with a near-even gender split of men/women and moderate racial diversity (63% White). Participants indicated their engagement with eight forms of sextech, including six emerging forms of sexual technology (visiting erotic camming sites, participating in camming streams, teledildonic use, accessing virtual reality pornography, playing sexually explicit video games, and sexual messaging with chatbots or artificially intelligent entities) as well as two more common domains (online pornography and sexting). Participants who were younger, were men, had higher income, and were sexual minorities reported more frequent engagement with all forms of sextech assessed. Unlike prior work on pornography, religious individuals were more likely to engage with emerging sextech. Beyond online pornography (50%) and sexting (29%), visiting camming sites (18%) and playing sexually explicit video games (13%) were relatively common. Findings may contribute to the destigmatization of sextech engagement and forecast future norms in technologically-facilitated sexual behavior.

Sextech Use as a Potential Mental Health Reprieve: The Role of Anxiety, Depression, and Loneliness in Seeking Sex Online.

Depression, anxiety, and loneliness have long been recognized as global mental health concerns. To temporarily relieve psychological distress, self-soothing behavior is common, including engagement in sexual behaviors that are linked to positive mental well-being. Considering the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated many mental health ailments alongside physical distancing regulations, we specifically examined online sexual behavior via the use of emergent digital sexual technologies, or sextech. In a 2019 study of 8004 American adults, we assessed whether people experiencing higher anxiety, depression, and/or loneliness were more likely to engage in sextech use. Furthermore, we examined whether anxiety or depression mediated the association between loneliness and sextech use, as loneliness is one contributor to anxiety and depression. People with higher anxiety and depression were more likely to engage in sextech. However, those who were more lonely were less likely to engage with sextech, suggesting the aforementioned patterns were not due to lack of social connection. Our findings suggest people with mental health struggles may be drawn to interactive, digital forms of sexual behavior as a means of alleviating symptoms through distraction or self-soothing. This insight offers an important pathway for expanding the scope of mental health interventions, particularly as technology becomes increasingly prevalent and accessible in everyday life.

Orthostatic proteinuria and the spectrum of diurnal variability of urinary protein excretion in healthy children.

The aim of this study was to characterize the 24-h and diurnal variability of urinary protein excretion and identify the prevalence of orthostatic proteinuria (OP) in healthy children. Upright, supine, and 24-h total urinary protein (UrTP) and creatinine clearance (CrCl) were measured in 91 healthy children ages 6-19 years. Urinary protein and creatinine excretions were calculated and examined by gender, age, Tanner stage, and body mass index (BMI). Orthostatic proteinuria (OP) was defined as a 24-h UrTP >100 mg/m(2) with a normal supine UrTP (<4 mg/m(2)/h). There exists a marked diurnal variability in UrTP. The upright UrTP rate was three to four-times greater than the supine rate. UrTP, adjusted for body surface area, is higher in boys than girls and increases with age and BMI. There is a similar increase in upright CrCl compared with supine. Urinary protein to creatinine ratio (UPcr) is strongly correlated with UrTP. OP is common, being found in 20% of children in this cohort, and is more common in boys and associated with age >10 years and BMI >85%. In children with OP, a first morning UPcr shows a value in the normal range, whereas a random daytime UPcr is elevated. There exists a diurnal variability in urinary protein excretion that is exaggerated in participants with OP. UPcr reliably estimates 24-h UrTP. Using current pediatric criteria, OP is very common, particularly in boys. A normal first morning UPcr ratio indicates that a child with elevated random urinary protein has OP.

Effect of Carelink, an internet-based insulin pump monitoring system, on glycemic control in rural and urban children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether use of the internet-based insulin pump monitoring system, Carelink, improved glycemic control in rural and urban children treated with insulin pump therapy. RESEARCH DESIGN: We reviewed records of 94 children treated with insulin pump therapy between the years 2004 and 2007 and compared glycemic control, diabetes self-care measures, frequency of clinic visits, and geographic location associated with Carelink use. RESULTS: Carelink users showed improvement in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels [8.0 +/- 0.1 (SE) vs. 7.7 +/- 0.1 (SE), p = 0.002]. Carelink users uploaded pump and glucometer data 2.2 +/- 1.8 (SD) times per month over 0.8 +/- 0.4 (SD) yr. Patients who had no access to carelink software and were followed in a conventional manner showed no change in HbA1c levels [8.0 +/- 0.2 (SE) vs. 8.1 +/- 0.2 (SE), p = 0.17] during the study period. Carelink non-users, defined as patients who had Carelink access but did not use it, had a higher HbA1c level at the start of the study and did not change over the study period [8.9 +/- 0.2 (SE) vs. 9.0 +/- 0.3 (SE), p = 0.82]. Rural Carelink users showed improvement in HbA1c levels following Carelink use [7.9 +/- 0.2 (SE) vs. 7.4 +/- 0.2 (SE), p = 0.001], yet had significantly fewer clinic visits per year compared with urban patients [2.8 +/- 0.2 (SE) vs. 3.5 +/- 0.1 (SE), p = 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Use of the Carelink system was associated with improved glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy.

Relationship between glycemic control, ethnicity and socioeconomic status in Hispanic and white non-Hispanic youths with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVES: To determine if there is a disparity in glycemic control between Hispanic and white non-Hispanic children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) and to delineate the factors associated with glycemic control in these populations. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study included 183 youths with type 1 DM (99 white non-Hispanics and 84 Hispanics) and their parents/guardians cared for in a well-defined, private pediatric endocrine diabetes clinic, where the same physician and diabetes educators treat all patients. The youths were invited to participate if they had been diagnosed with diabetes at least 3 months before the study and were < 21 yr of age. Self-report questionnaires and chart reviews were used to assess individual familial and sociodemographic variables. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, compliance with home monitoring of blood sugar, level of parental supervision of treatment, and socioeconomic status of Hispanic and white non-Hispanic families in the study. RESULTS: Hispanic youths with type 1 DM were in poorer metabolic control than their white non-Hispanic counterparts (0.45% difference in HbA1c levels, p = 0.02). Hispanic youths exhibited lower compliance with home monitoring of blood sugar but their parents reported greater supervision of their diabetes treatment. Hispanic families were found to have significantly lower income, rate of health insurance, father's educational attainment, and mother's educational attainment. Lower family socioeconomic status, but not ethnicity or educational attainment of parents, was associated with a significantly higher HbA1c, regardless of ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that Hispanic youths with type 1 diabetes may be at greater risk for poor glycemic control because of their lower socioeconomic status rather than their ethnicity.