Women’s Individual and Relationship-Level Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Solo Masturbation and Vibrator Use

poster abstractBackground: Both public health and developmental literature emphasize the importance of solo masturbation as one component in healthy sexuality, particularly for women. However, few studies have examined how the context of a woman’s sexual/romantic relationship may impact both her attitudes towards and her frequency of solo masturbation, particularly in terms of vibrator use. Better understanding of this context has important implications for sexual health education and intervention efforts. Methods: Data were drawn from a larger internet-based, cross-sectional survey examining adult men’s and women’s health and life experiences. For the current study, we retained all female participants (N=113; Mean Age=29.37 years [SD=9.91]). Outcome measures included solo masturbation and vibrator use attitudes and behaviors; independent variables were perception of partner's knowledge of and comfort with participant’s masturbation and vibrator use, sexual entitlement, and sexual openness. Descriptive statistics and bivariate correlations, were utilized to describe and understand the relationships among variables of interest (SPSS, v.22.0 (all p<.05). Results: Of the 113 participants, 76.0% (n=85) identified as being in some form of established sexual/romantic relationship. 54.7% (n=52) of participants had ever used a vibrator, while 38.9% (n=37) described themselves as current vibrator users. A majority of participants (62.3%, n=66) indicated that they masturbate a few times per month or more, with 50.0% (n=26) of vibratorusers indicating that they use a vibrator almost every time or every time they masturbate. 42.9% (n=39) of participants described themselves as being completely comfortable with their partner’s masturbation habits, and 59.8% (n=52) described their partner as either somewhat or completely comfortable with the participant’s masturbation. 60.5% (n=55) of participants indicated that they felt either somewhat or completely comfortable discussing masturbation with their partner. 85.7% (n=42) of vibrator-users indicated that their partner knew about their vibrator use, and 66.0% (n=33) felt their partner was either somewhat or completely comfortable with their vibrator use. Considering participants both with and without current partners, greater sense of sexual entitlement was associated with more positive attitudes about masturbation and vibrator use (R=0.758), as well as greater frequency of masturbation (R=0.455). Higher frequency of masturbation also correlated with more positive attitudes about masturbation and vibrator use (R=.381) and greater sexual openness (R=.266). Regarding the relationship context, partner knowledge of vibrator use was positively associated with greater frequency of vibrator use for solo masturbation (R=.361). Greater comfort discussing masturbation with a partner was correlated with more positive perception of partner’s comfort with the participant’s masturbation (R=.389), which in turn was positively associated with greater participant comfort with their partner’s masturbation habits (R=.300). Conclusion: Solo masturbation and vibrator use for masturbation are common among adult women, even when they are in established sexual/romantic relationships. Positive perceptions of a partner’s comfort with masturbation and vibrator use, as well as open sexual communication, may contribute to developing a sex-positive relationship environment that is supportive of women’s solo sex activities. Our findings provide potential avenues for revising existing sexual health and therapeutic interventions for women (with or without a partner)

A longitudinal daily diary analysis of condom use during bleeding-associated vaginal sex among adolescent females

Objective: Sex during bleeding is a risk factor for sexually transmitted infection (STI) and other bloodborne viruses, including HIV. We examined daily predictors of adolescent women's male condom use during bleeding-associated vaginal sex. Methods: Adolescent females (N=387; 14-17 years) were recruited from primary care clinics for a longitudinal cohort study of STIs and sexual behaviour. Data were daily partner-specific sexual diaries; generalised estimating equation logistic regression assessed the likelihood of condom use during bleeding-associated vaginal sex. Results: Less than 30% of bleeding-associated vaginal sex events were condom protected. Condom use during these events was less likely with younger age, higher partner support, higher partner negativity or past week bleeding-associated sex with a given partner; condom use was more likely with high individual mood and past week condom use during bleeding-associated vaginal sex with a given partner. Conclusions: Low condom rates during bleeding-associated vaginal sex can increase STI and bloodborne virus risk. Providers should consider integrating partner-specific and behavioural factors when they deliver sexual health messages to young women

Sex differences in the movement patterns of free-ranging chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): foraging and border checking

Most social primates live in cohesive groups, so travel paths inevitably reflect compromise: decision processes of individuals are obscured. The fission-fusion social organisation of the chimpanzee, however, allows an individual’s movements to be investigated independently. We followed 15 chimpanzees (8 male and 7 female) through the relatively flat forest of Budongo, Uganda, plotting the path of each individual over periods of 1-3 days. Chimpanzee movement was parsed into phases ending with halts of more than 20 minutes, during which individuals fed, rested or engaged in social activities. Males, lactating or pregnant females, and sexually receptive females all travelled similar average distances between halts, at similar speeds, and along similarly direct beeline paths. Compared to lactating or pregnant females, males did travel for a significantly longer time each day and halted more often, but the most striking sex differences appeared in the organisation of movement phases into a day’s path. After a halt, males tended to continue in the same direction as before. Lactating or pregnant females showed no such strategy and often retraced the preceding phase, returning to previously visited food patches. We suggest that female chimpanzee movements approximate an optimal solution to feeding requirements, whereas the paths of males allow integration of foraging with territorial defence. The ‘continually moving forwards’ strategy of males enables them to monitor their territory boundaries – border checking – whilst foraging, generally avoiding the explicit boundary patrols observed at other chimpanzee study sites

Why male orangutans do not kill infants

Infanticide is widespread among mammals, is particularly common in primates, and has been shown to be an adaptive male strategy under certain conditions. Although no infanticides in wild orangutans have been reported to date, several authors have suggested that infanticide has been an important selection pressure influencing orangutan behavior and the evolution of orangutan social systems. In this paper, we critically assess this suggestion. We begin by investigating whether wild orangutans have been studied for a sufficiently long period that we might reasonably expect to have detected infanticide if it occurs. We consider whether orangutan females exhibit counterstrategies typically employed by other mammalian females. We also assess the hypothesis that orangutan females form special bonds with particular “protector males” to guard against infanticide. Lastly, we discuss socioecological reasons why orangutan males may not benefit from infanticide. We conclude that there is limited evidence for female counterstrategies and little support for the protector male hypothesis. Aspects of orangutan paternity certainty, lactational amenorrhea, and ranging behavior may explain why infanticide is not a strategy regularly employed by orangutan males on Sumatra or Borneo

Water Adaptive Limber Locomotive Effector (WALL-E)

There are many celestial bodies in the Solar System that have the potential for harboring life such as the moons Europa and Enceladus; these worlds hide away vast oceans under thick layers of ice. The potential for these bodies to contain other lifeforms has piqued the interest of organizations on Earth, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), as destinations for future missions. Because of the distances and relatively harsh conditions involved, Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) would be sent on the initial missions to explore these worlds. The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has developed a remotely-operated Mini-Arm for use on an ROV. This mini arm would be used to explore the oceans of these distant worlds. However, it is in need of an end effector capable of manipulating objects of interest; this was the task of the Boise State University Microgravity Team. During the course of the 2018-2019 school year, the team designed and fabricated WALL-E as a flexible and dexterous solution to subsurface gripping. The design, degrees of freedom, and simple user interface allow the operator to easily manipulate samples of varying dimensions and geometries, akin to those potentially found on the aforementioned ocean worlds