Effects of circumcision on male sexual function: debunking a myth?

PURPOSE: Claims of superior sexual sensitivity and satisfaction for uncircumcised males have never been substantiated in a prospective fashion in the medical literature. We performed such a study to investigate these assertions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Brief Male Sexual Function Inventory (BMSFI) was administered to sexually active males older than 18 years before undergoing circumcision. After a minimum interval of 12 weeks after the operation, the survey was again administered. The 5 domains of the BMSFI (sexual drive, erections, ejaculation, problem assessment overall satisfaction) were each given a summed composite score. These scores before and after circumcision were then analyzed by Wilcoxon signed-rank testing. RESULTS: All 15 men who participated in the study between September 1999 and October 2000 were available for followup. Mean patient age plus or minus standard deviation was 36.9 +/- 12.0 years. There was no statistically significant difference in the BMFSI composite scores of reported sexual drive (p >0.68), erection (p >0.96), ejaculation (p >0.48), problem assessment (p >0.53) or overall satisfaction (p >0.72). CONCLUSIONS: Circumcision does not appear to have adverse, clinically important effects on male sexual function in sexually active adults who undergo the procedure.

Does self-competence predict gender differences in adolescent depression and anxiety?

This longitudinal study examined 75 young adolescents to explore whether self-competence predicts the emergence of gender differences in depression and anxiety. During both 6th and 7th grade, boys reported significantly higher levels of self-competence than did girls. In addition, boys were significantly less depressed and anxious than girls in 7th grade, but not in 6th grade. Finally, when the variance contributed by self-competence was accounted for, the relationship between gender and trait anxiety weakened and the relationship between gender and depression became non-significant. These results support the hypothesis that self-competence is partially responsible for the emergence of gender differences in depression and anxiety during early adolescence.

Adolescent weight management and perceptions: an analysis of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Researchers investigated contemporary weight management activities and weight perceptions among adolescents and determined the effects of school health education on these perceptions and activities. This national, random sample of more than 6,500 adolescents (grades 7-12) measured perceived weight, weight change efforts, weight change activities, Body Mass Index, and health education for weight management. Results indicate that most adolescents: 1) take part in efforts to manage their weight, although many struggle with perceiving their weight; 2) engage in appropriate weight change efforts; and 3) report receiving school health education that positively effects some aspects of their weight management behavior. Thus, adolescents are concerned about weight and perceptions of weight and are engaging in a variety of weight change activities for weight maintenance and weight change. School health education appears to have some effect in improving adolescent health behavior, and discussion centers on this topic.

Perceived parental acceptance and early adolescent self-competence.

Relationships between perceived parental acceptance and adolescent self-competence were examined in 214 sixth- and seventh-grade students by both adolescent and parental gender. Results indicated that for boys, paternal but not maternal, acceptance significantly predicted self-competence, while the opposite pattern was found for girls. In addition, self-worth significantly predicted maternal and paternal acceptance for both boys and girls. The consistency of these findings with current models of human development is discussed, along with their implications for research.

Temperament and personality typologies in adult offspring of alcoholics.

OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of the present study was to derive temperament and personality typologies among adult offspring of alcoholics and their controls in two separate samples. Additional aims were to examine the relation between temperament/personality typologies and drinking behaviors, and to explore the effect of antisocial behavior on this relation. METHOD: The first sample assessed consisted of middle-aged adult men and women (82 offspring of alcoholics and 72 controls), whereas the second sample included only young adult men who were oversampled for antisocial personality disorder (44 offspring of alcoholics and 47 controls). RESULTS: Two distinct temperament typologies emerged across both samples. One typology ("Cluster 1") was characterized by high levels of harm avoidance and pessimism, and low levels of sensation and self-esteem whereas the other typology ("Cluster 2") was characterized by the reverse of these characteristics. Cluster 1 individuals also tended to exhibit many characteristics of the "difficult temperament", whereas Cluster 2 individuals did not. In addition, Cluster 1 individuals were found to consume more alcohol and to have higher MAST scores than Cluster 2 individuals. However, when antisocial behavior was considered, the typologies were unrelated to any of the indices of drinking behaviors in both samples. CONCLUSIONS: The temperament typologies that emerged in the present study are consistent with the literature. More importantly, these typologies were found across two separate samples and among both offspring of alcoholics and offspring of nonalcoholics. Finally, the relationship between temperament/personality typologies and drinking behaviors was generally nonsignificant once antisocial behavior was considered.

Childhood and adulthood temperament and problem behaviors and adulthood substance use.

A sample of 229 adult men and women were assessed to examine the relationships between childhood and adulthood temperament and problem behaviors. The influence of these variables on adult substance use was also assessed. Results indicated that individuals who had "difficult" temperament characteristics (e.g., hyperactivity) and who experienced problem behaviors (e.g., antisocial behaviors) as children were likely to exhibit them as adults. In addition, the continuation of temperament characteristics and problem behaviors from childhood into adulthood did not demonstrate a high degree of specificity. When the relationships between temperament and problem behaviors to substance use were examined, conduct disorder during childhood and antisocial behavior during adulthood were found to be the best predictors of adult substance abuse. Moreover, this relationship became increasingly stronger with more substance involvement. These results underscore the importance of examining substance use in finer detail by assessing the pattern of substance use, instead of overall substance use involvement.

Hassles and uplifts and generalized outcome expectancies as moderators on the relation between a family history of alcoholism and drinking behaviors.

The present study examined 85 adult offspring of alcoholics (FH+) and 68 comparison subjects without a family history of alcoholism (FH-) in order to address three questions: (1) Does the relation between hassles and uplifts and drinking differ by gender and/or family history of alcoholism? (2) Do hassles and uplifts and/or generalized outcome expectancies (dispositional optimism and pessimism) moderate the relation between having a family history of alcoholism and drinking behaviors? (3) Do hassles and uplifts and outcome expectancies interact to influence drinking behaviors? The pattern of relations between hassles and uplifts and drinking behaviors and between outcome expectancies and drinking behaviors differed by family history and gender. Hassles were related to increased alcohol consumption for FH+ men only, whereas outcome expectancies were related to indicators of problem drinking for FH+ women only. When the moderating influences of hassles and uplifts and outcome expectancies were examined, both hassles and pessimism were found to moderate the relation between family history and drinking behaviors. In addition, hassles and uplifts and outcome expectancies interactively influenced this relation. These results emphasize the need to examine further both individual and contextual processes in studies examining the risk of the development of alcoholism.

An examination of the underlying influence of temperament and problem behaviors on drinking behaviors in a sample of adult offspring of alcoholics.

The present study investigated the potential mediating influence of childhood and early adolescent temperament and problem behaviors on the relation between parental alcoholism and adult drinking behaviors in a sample of 153 offspring of alcoholics and their controls. The influence of the alcoholic parent's and the offspring's gender on this relation was also assessed. Both gender of the parent and gender of the offspring were found to have important differential effects. More specifically, individuals with an alcoholic father consumed more alcohol, were more concerned about their drinking, and were more concerned about the possibility of developing a drinking problem than those without an alcoholic father. In contrast, no significant relations emerged between maternal alcoholism and drinking behaviors. Gender differences among the offspring were also observed, with males drinking more frequently to "get high" and scoring higher on the MAST than females. Finally, gregariousness was found to significantly mediate the relation between paternal alcoholism and frequency of drinking to "get high" and frequency of drinking to "get drunk" for males. Possible explanations regarding the differential results pertaining to gender and the lack of significant findings concerning mediation are discussed.

The influence of perceived social support on the relationship between family history of alcoholism and drinking behaviors.

The present study examined the effect that perceived social support has on the relationship between having a family history of alcoholism and alcohol use in a sample of 85 adult children of alcoholics and a control group (n = 68). Social support from both peers and from family members were assessed for their potential differential effects. Gender differences were also examined. Overall, perceived social support from friends significantly moderated the relationship between family history of alcoholism and several indicators of alcohol use. In contrast, perceived social support from family members did not moderate any of the relationships examined. These findings emphasize the importance of considering different sources of social support when using social support as a moderating variable and the need to examine the underlying processes and variables involved in the relationship between having a family history of alcoholism and alcohol use.