A Survey Of The Sexual Behaviour And Sexual Health Of Australian Prisoners
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$591,000.00
Summary
The Australian Study of Health and Relationships telephone survey recently reported on the sexual attitudes, knowledge, health and behaviour of over 19,000 Australians. One of the groups that was omitted from that survey was prisoners. Yet prisoners are a high-risk group for sexual ill health. Prisoners are mostly drawn from the most disadvantaged groups in society: they are more likely to be unemployed, they have less education and lower incomes than other Australians, and many suffer from mino ....The Australian Study of Health and Relationships telephone survey recently reported on the sexual attitudes, knowledge, health and behaviour of over 19,000 Australians. One of the groups that was omitted from that survey was prisoners. Yet prisoners are a high-risk group for sexual ill health. Prisoners are mostly drawn from the most disadvantaged groups in society: they are more likely to be unemployed, they have less education and lower incomes than other Australians, and many suffer from minor intellectual disabilities and-or mental illness. This proposed survey of inmates in Australian prisons will fill in this missing data. Prisoners are the forgotten population in many countries. Only a few surveys of prisoners' health have been performed. There are some surveys of sexual behaviour in particular prisons overseas, though most of them concentrate on HIV risks and do not explore the sexual lives of prisoners in the same way as the major national sex surveys in the US, the UK and France did for people living outside prison. Prison is itself a dangerous place for people's sexual health. In prison, much of the sex that occurs is not voluntary. Sexual assault in prisons can lead to serious physical injury as well as risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV-AIDS. Although some of these injuries can be sufficiently serious to require surgery, only a small proportion are reported to the authorities. Younger prisoners (aged 18-25) and those who are small, slightly built or gay, are at higher risk of being assaulted. This study will explore the factors surrounding sexual assault in prison and make recommendations for preventing it.Read moreRead less
The Australian Longitudinal Study Of Health And Relationships
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,292,187.00
Summary
Achieving satisfaction in our intimate relationships is a vital component of our well being. To date, most studies of sexual and reproductive health have focused on how common particular problems might be. Thus, studies have tended to have relatively narrow focuses on, for example, the prevalence of pregnancy, miscarriage and termination, or on patterns of sexual practice and contraceptive use, or on the frequency with which individuals experience sexual difficulties. Yet, all of these are inter ....Achieving satisfaction in our intimate relationships is a vital component of our well being. To date, most studies of sexual and reproductive health have focused on how common particular problems might be. Thus, studies have tended to have relatively narrow focuses on, for example, the prevalence of pregnancy, miscarriage and termination, or on patterns of sexual practice and contraceptive use, or on the frequency with which individuals experience sexual difficulties. Yet, all of these are inter-related aspects of sexual and reproductive health that can have profound impacts on each other. Importantly, most of these studies have looked at these issues at a single point in time and could only infer the likely contribution of prior events on currently observed patterns. This study will recruit a random sample of Australians aged 16 to 65 years and interview them annually, initially over a four-year period. It will collect detailed information about sexual and reproductive health and provide essential information about how sexual and reproductive health changes as we age. It will document the relationships between patterns of sexual behaviour, contraceptive choices, pregnancy and its outcomes, and sexual functioning including the experience of sexual problems and the achievement of satisfaction in our physical and emotional intimate relationships.Read moreRead less
The Australian Longitudinal Study Of Health And Relationships
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,624,798.00
Summary
Ensuring the sexual and reproductive health of the Australian population is essential for our wellbeing as a nation. As well as the overall importance, at least three aspects of sexual and reproductive health are among the key policy issues for present Australian governments: maintaining and increasing the birth rate; reducing the abortion rate; and preventing and controlling Chlamydia infections.
Social Norms Regarding HIV-STI Risk And Risk Reduction Behaviours Among Men Who Have Sex With Men In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$692,269.00
Summary
In Australia, 85% of HIV infections are due to male homosexual contact. HIV-STI risk behaviour of individual gay-community-attached men has been well-studied, but social norms regarding behaviours are less well understood. We will collect new data about the norms regarding HIV-STI risk and risk reduction behaviours and compare their communication in gay communities in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. This study will provide information to better target HIV prevention and promote safe sex among men.
Transdermal Testosterone Therapy: A Potential Treatment For Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)-associated Sexual Dysfunction In Women
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$241,351.00
Summary
Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is frequently reported with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and venlafaxine, these being the most common antidepressants used by Australian women. We have shown that testosterone therapy significantly improves sexual function in women with FSD. However SSRI-users have been excluded from these past studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of transdermal testosterone therapy for treatment of sexual dysfunction associated with SS ....Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is frequently reported with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy and venlafaxine, these being the most common antidepressants used by Australian women. We have shown that testosterone therapy significantly improves sexual function in women with FSD. However SSRI-users have been excluded from these past studies. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of transdermal testosterone therapy for treatment of sexual dysfunction associated with SSRI therapy.Read moreRead less
MicroRNA Regulation Of Sex Determination And Gonad Development.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$518,076.00
Summary
Sex determination, the decision to develop into either boy or girl, influences most aspects of our lives. Consequently, disorders of sexual development (~1% of births), resulting in genital abnormalities, infertility and often cancer, are extremely traumatic for the individual. The molecular basis of these disorders is not well understood. This project will identify new factors important for sex determination and therefore will improve diagnosis and clinical care for the patients.
Hypospadias is one of the most common developmental defects in humans, yet over two thirds of the cases cannot be explained. Our recent studies using marsupials show that this process is mediated by 5-alpha-androstanediol, a hormone with previously undetermined physiological function. This study will provide novel data on the interactions of the genes and hormones that will inform our understanding of this common developmental defect of male development