Vibrator-Assisted Start-Stop Exercises Improve Premature Ejaculation Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Premature ejaculation (PE) is associated with decreased quality of life, lower confidence and self-esteem, and higher levels of depression, anxiety, and interpersonal difficulties. Here we investigated the effectiveness of vibrator-assisted start-stop exercises for treatment of PE, and whether the treatment effect could be enhanced by an additional psychobehavioral intervention. Fifty participants with a mean age of 41.7 years were included and randomized into two treatment groups and a waiting list control group. Participants were instructed to perform start-stop exercises while stimulating the penis with a purpose-made vibrator, 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Additionally, participants in one of the treatment groups received additional psychoeducation and performed mindfulness meditation-based body scan exercises three times a week. Data were gathered through online questionnaires before and after treatment, as well as 3 and 6 months after treatment. The interventions reduced PE symptoms with large effect sizes (partial η2 = .20 across the three groups, d [95% CI] = 1.05 [.27, 1.82] and 1.07 [.32, 1.82] for treatment groups compared to waiting list control group). The additional psychobehavioral intervention did not further reduce PE symptoms, but did decrease PE-associated negative symptoms such as levels of sexual distress, anxiety, and depression. No side effects were reported. Vibrator-assisted start-stop exercises can be offered as an adequate treatment option for PE.

A Longitudinal Assessment of Associations Between Women's Tendency to Pretend Orgasm, Orgasm Function, and Intercourse-Related Pain in Different Partner Relationship Constellations.

The aim of the present study was to investigate how women's tendency to pretend orgasm during intercourse is associated with orgasm function and intercourse-related pain, using a longitudinal design where temporal stability and possible causal relationships could be modeled. The study sample consisted of 1421 Finnish women who had participated in large-scale population-based data collections conducted at two time points 7 years apart. Pretending orgasm was assessed for the past 4 weeks, and orgasm function and pain were assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index for the past 4 weeks. Associations were also computed separately in three groups of women based on relationship status. Pretending orgasm was considerably variable over time, with 34% of the women having pretended orgasm a few times or more at least at one time point, and 11% having done so at both time points. Initial bivariate correlations revealed associations between pretending orgasm and orgasm problems within and across time, whereas associations with pain were more ambiguous. However, we found no support in the path model for the leading hypotheses that pretending orgasms would predict pain or orgasm problems over a long period of time, or that pain or orgasm problems would predict pretending orgasm. The strongest predictor of future pretending in our model was previous pretending (R 2 = .14). Relationship status did not seem to affect pretending orgasm in any major way.

A Longitudinal Analysis of Premature Ejaculation Symptoms Raises Concern Regarding the Appropriateness of a "Lifelong" Subtype.

Premature ejaculation (PE) is divided into acquired and lifelong subtypes, with the implication that the latter is chronic. This longitudinal study included data for untreated respondents from a population-based sample (sample 1) and a sample of patients diagnosed with lifelong PE (sample 2). About half of the respondents who at time 1 fulfilled the most important diagnostic criterion for lifelong PE (≤1minute ejaculation latency) no longer did so at time 2. Standardised autoregressive coefficients for PE symptom measures were 0.58 for sample 1, 0.83 for sample 2, and 0.37 for individuals with ejaculatory latencies ≤1minute. A subjective perception of change in ejaculatory latency was reported by 47% (n=397) of sample 1 and 62% (n=10) of sample 2. PE symptoms were in general unstable over time, which raises concern regarding the appropriateness of the "lifelong" diagnosis. PATIENT SUMMARY: We looked at the stability of symptoms of premature ejaculation (PE) over time. We found that PE symptom severity varies considerably, and to a lesser but still considerable degree in patients diagnosed with lifelong PE. Our results suggest that there is reason to doubt the appropriateness of the term lifelong PE.

No Evidence for Long-Term Causal Associations Between Symptoms of Premature Ejaculation and Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Sexual Distress in a Large, Population-Based Longitudinal Sample.

Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most common male sexual complaints, but its etiology is unclear. Psychological problems, such as symptoms of anxiety and depression, have traditionally been seen as causal or maintaining etiological components of PE, and previous cross-sectional studies have found weak positive associations between them. The aim of the present study was to test possible causal pathways over time between PE and symptoms of the psychological problems anxiety, depression, and sexual distress. A sample of 985 male Finnish twins and brothers of twins completed a questionnaire in 2006 and 2012. Significant bivariate correlations were found both within and across time between PE and the psychological problems. When fitting structural equation models to test hypothesized causal pathways, symptoms of anxiety and sexual distress at the first measurement time point did not predict future PE. Likewise, PE symptoms at the first measurement did not predict increments or decrements in anxiety, sexual distress, or depression later on. These null findings regarding hypothesized associations may partly be explained by the relatively long time between measurements, or that the measures possibly did not capture the aspects of anxiety that are related to PE.

Bilingualism and performance on two widely used developmental neuropsychological test batteries.

The present study investigated the effect of bilingualism on the two widely used developmental neuropsychological test batteries Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition (NEPSY-II) in children. The sample consisted of 100 Finland-Swedish children in two age groups. About half (n = 52) of the participants were early simultaneous bilinguals, and the other half (n = 48) were monolinguals. As no Finland-Swedish versions of the tests are available at the moment, both tests were translated and adapted to suit this population. The results revealed no difference in the performance between bilingual and monolingual children. This speaks against a cognitive advantage in bilingual children and indicates that development of separate norms for monolingual and bilingual children is not needed for clinical use.

Student-, classroom-, and school-level risk factors for victimization.

The purpose of this study was to simultaneously investigate student-, classroom-, and school-level risk factors for victimization. Both peer nominations and students' self-reports of victimization were utilized. The sample consisted of 6731 Finnish elementary school students (3386 girls and 3345 boys) nested in 358 classrooms in 74 schools. The participants were from Grades 3, 4, and 5 (mean age 11years). The results of multilevel analyses indicated that there was considerable variability in, and distinctive risk factors associated with, both peer- and self-reported victimization at all the three levels investigated. Social anxiety and peer rejection synergistically predicted victimization at the student level. At the classroom level, negative social outcome expectations of defending the victim were associated with an increased risk of a student being bullied. Victimization was also common in classrooms and schools where students perceived their teachers to have less disapproving attitudes toward bullying. Furthermore, the effects of the student-level predictors were found to vary across classrooms, and classroom size moderated the effects of social anxiety and peer rejection on victimization. By identifying the risk factors at the multiple levels, and looking into cross-level interactions among these factors, research can help to target interventions at the key ecological factors contributing to victimization, making it possible to maximize the effectiveness of interventions.

Being bullied by same- versus other-sex peers: does it matter for adolescent victims?

The negative consequences of peer victimization on psychosocial adjustment are well documented. The consequences, however, may depend on who the bullies are. In this study, we examined the consequences of same- versus other-sex victimization. The sample consisted of 4,941 Finnish adolescents (ages 14-15; 47.7% boys). We used structural equation modeling to examine both concurrent and longitudinal associations of same- and other-sex victimization with depression, negative perception of peers, and social self-esteem. Both same- and other-sex victimization were related to psychosocial adjustment. Concurrently, the victimization experiences with same-sex peers in particular were associated with generalized cognitions about peers, whereas being bullied by other-sex peers was related to adolescents' social self-esteem more strongly than victimization by same-sex peers. The longitudinal associations, in turn, showed that only being bullied by boys had carry-over effects on girls' adjustment. Other-sex victimization can have serious consequences especially on girls' psychosocial adjustment.

Effects of the KiVa anti-bullying program on adolescents' depression, anxiety, and perception of peers.

The present study investigated the effects of the KiVa antibullying program on students' anxiety, depression, and perception of peers in Grades 4-6. Furthermore, it was investigated whether reductions in peer-reported victimization predicted changes in these outcome variables. The study participants included 7,741 students from 78 schools who were randomly assigned to either intervention or control condition, and the program effects were tested with structural equation modeling. A cross-lagged panel model suggested that the KiVa program is effective for reducing students' internalizing problems and improving their peer-group perceptions. Finally, changes in anxiety, depression, and positive peer perceptions were found to be predicted by reductions in victimization. Implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed.

Going to scale: a nonrandomized nationwide trial of the KiVa antibullying program for grades 1-9.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of school-based antibullying programs have typically been examined on small samples, with number of schools ranging from 1 to 78 (Farrington & Ttofi, 2009). This study investigated the effectiveness of the KiVa antibullying program in the beginning of its nationwide implementation in Finland. METHOD: At each time point, the participants included 888 schools with approximately 150,000 students in 11,200 classrooms in Grades 1-9 (8-16 years of age; 51% boys and 49% girls). Victims and bullies were identified with the global questions from the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (Olweus, 1996), utilizing the criteria suggested by Solberg and Olweus (2003). The program effects were examined by calculating odds ratios based on a cohort-longitudinal design, correcting the standard errors for clustering. RESULTS: During the first 9 months of implementation, the KiVa program reduced both victimization and bullying, with a control/intervention group odds ratio of 1.22 (95% CI [1.19, 1.24]) for victimization and 1.18 (95% CI [1.15, 1.21]) for bullying. CONCLUSIONS: Generalized to the Finnish population of 500,000 students, this would mean a reduction of approximately 7,500 bullies and 12,500 victims.

A large-scale evaluation of the KiVa antibullying program: grades 4-6.

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the KiVa antibullying program using a large sample of 8,237 youth from Grades 4-6 (10-12 years). Altogether, 78 schools were randomly assigned to intervention (39 schools, 4,207 students) and control conditions (39 schools, 4,030 students). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that after 9 months of implementation, the intervention had consistent beneficial effects on 7 of the 11 dependent variables, including self- and peer-reported victimization and self-reported bullying. The results indicate that the KiVa program is effective in reducing school bullying and victimization in Grades 4-6. Despite some evidence against school-based interventions, the results suggest that well-conceived school-based programs can reduce victimization.

Intrapersonal and interpersonal risk factors for peer victimization in immigrant youth in Finland.

This study (a) compared native Finns and immigrant children with respect to different forms of peer victimization and (b) tested whether intrapersonal (e.g., depression) and interpersonal (e.g., peer rejection) sample was drawn from the first phase of a large intervention evaluation project, KiVa, in Finland, composed of 4,957 native Finns (51% girls), 146 first-generation immigrants (48% girls), and 310 second-generation immigrants (53% girls) 9 to 12 years of age. The concurrent data included self- and peer reports collected via Internet-based questionnaires. Compared with native youth, first- and second-generation immigrants were more often targets of both peer- and self-reported victimization. Both immigrant groups experienced higher levels of physical, racist, and sexual victimization than natives. Furthermore, second-generation immigrants reported higher levels of property damage, threats, and cybervictimization than native Finns. Significant indirect effects were found between immigrant status and victimization. Interpersonal but not intrapersonal risk factors helped to explain these associations.