Psychometric evaluation of the Menstrual Joy Questionnaire.

Analysis of 10 terms in the Menstrual Joy Questionnaire of Delaney, Lupton, and Toth indicated that the 34 undergraduate students did not agree on the definitions of scale items. The authors discuss the use of this questionnaire as a stimulus in experimental research and as a measure of positive perimenstrual experience.

A method for reporting self-harm according to level of injury and location on the body.

Self-mutilation occurs on a continuum from superficial to severe, yet previous studies have not differentiated these acts. This study, conducted over 4 years with emotionally disturbed adolescents, presents a method for reporting four levels of severity of self-mutilation. A group of 32 subjects inflicted 128 self-mutilations. Each wound was rated for level of injury and was mapped according to the location of the wound on the body. This method for reporting self-mutilation was seen as an efficient and reliable procedure for describing the full continuum of self-inflicted injuries. The term self-harm was seen as a more accurate and useful description of these behaviors.

Sexual behavior, drugs, and relationship patterns on a college campus over thirteen years.

Three samples of college students at a small New England liberal arts college received questionnaires regarding their sexual philosophies, behavior, relationship with most recent partner, self-perceived attractiveness, relationship with parents, use of drugs and alcohol, attitudes toward marriage and abortion, and other subjects. The college was sampled in 1974, 1979, and 1986. Sexual behavior increased dramatically from 1974 to 1979 and then decreased in 1986 to approximately where it was in 1974. The reason for this change, and findings regarding the relationships between sexual behavior and many of the variables cited above are discussed.

PIP: 3 samples of college students at a small New England liberal arts college received questionnaires regarding their sexual philosophies, behavior, relationship with most recent partner, self-perceived attractiveness, relationship with parents, use of drugs and alcohol, attitudes toward marriage and abortion, and other subjects. The college was sampled in 1974, 1979, and 1986. Sexual behavior increased dramatically from 1974 to 1979 and then decreased in 1986 to approximately where it was in 1974. The authors speculate that the spread of herpes contributed to this trend reversal. The 1980s also brought more common knowledge of chlamydia trachomatis, nonspecific urethritis, and AIDS. There is some evidence that the double standard for sexual behavior is not present for the most recent sample, though men are still more apt to desire sex without concern for a strongly bonded relationship. Still, in 1986, they showed some evidence of movement toward having sex within a more committed relationship as compared to men in 1974. It is conjectured that the data reflect an increase in individualism and a weakening of the influence of religion and parental relationship on sexual behavior.