Anxious and Hostile: Consequences of Anxious Adult Attachment in Predicting Male-Perpetrated Sexual Assault

Components of Hostile Masculinity and Their Associations With Male-Perpetrated Sexual Aggression Toward Women: A Systematic Review

Hostile masculinity and its components (i.e., sexual dominance, hostility toward women, adversarial sexual beliefs, rape myth acceptance, and acceptance of interpersonal violence) have received considerable research attention as predictors of male-perpetrated sexual aggression toward women. The current systematic review sought to synthesize and organize the extant literature. Studies were included in the systematic review if they were published in a peer-reviewed journal between the years 1990 and 2020, contained a male sample within the United States, analyzed quantitative data, and examined at least one component of hostile masculinity and its association with sexual aggression. Literature searches were conducted in three academic databases, and additional records were identified through references sections from known hostile masculinity research. A total of 95 articles met inclusion criteria and were integrated into the overview of results. The reviewed literature provided broad support for the association between hostile masculinity and sexual aggression, including evidence for the theoretical framework posited by the confluence model of sexual aggression. Prevention efforts are likely to find success by modifying hostile masculine characteristics among men, particularly within problematic environmental contexts. However, the review also highlighted the need for a uniform conceptualization and operational definition of hostile masculinity. Additionally, empirical work with diverse samples is necessary to determine the scope of generalizability and potential subcultural distinctions. Future research that addresses these limitations will contribute to the understanding and prevention of sexual aggression beyond what is provided by the extant literature.

Modelling sexual violence in male rats: the sexual aggression test (SxAT)

Sexual assault and rape are crimes that impact victims worldwide. Although the psychosocial and eco-evolutionary factors associated with this antisocial behavior have repeatedly been studied, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still largely unknown. Here, we established a novel paradigm to provoke and subsequently assess sexual aggression (SxA) in adult male Wistar rats: the sexual aggression test (SxAT). Briefly, male Wistar rats are sexually aroused by a receptive female, which is exchanged by a non-receptive female immediately after the first intromission. This protocol elicits forced mounting and aggressive behavior toward the non-receptive female to different degrees, which can be scored. In a series of experiments we have shown that SxA behavior is a relatively stable trait in rats and correlates positively with sexual motivation. Rats with innate abnormal anxiety and aggressive behavior also show abnormal SxA behavior. In addition, central infusion of oxytocin moderately inhibits aggressive behavior, but increases forced mounting. Finally, we identified the agranular insular cortex to be specifically activated by SxA, however, inhibition of this region did not significantly alter behavior in the SxAT. Altogether, the SxAT is a paradigm that can be readily implemented in behavioral laboratories as a valuable tool to find answers regarding the biological mechanisms underlying SxA in humans, as well as social decision-making in general.

The Nasopharynx Swab Test for Coronavirus Disease-2019 Is Mild and Will Not Cause Significant Pain and Anxiety: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Psychiatrists

Background

Laboratory viral nucleic acid testing (NAT), such as the nasopharyngeal swab test, is now recommended as the gold standard for the diagnosis of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). However, the nasopharyngeal swab testing process may cause some discomfort.

Objective

To investigate the influence of nasopharyngeal swab tests on the anxiety and pain felt by psychiatric medical staff.

Methods

A total of 174 psychiatric medical staff (namely 97 doctors, 68 nurses, and nine administrators) and 27 controls were included in the current study. A self-designed questionnaire was used to collect their general demographic information (age, gender, marriage, occupation, profession, smoking history, alcohol consumption history, tea drinking history, previous history of anxiety and depression) as well as their subjective experience, such as nausea, vomiting, coughing, worry, fear, etc, during nasopharyngeal swab collection. The Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to assess the subjects’ pain and state anxiety, respectively.

Results

There were no statistical differences (p>0.05) in age, marriage, smoking history, a history of anxiety and depression, pain scores, and anxiety scores between different professions and genders. The results of partial correlation analysis (controlled for gender and history of depression or anxiety) indicated that the male gender was negatively correlated with being anxious (r=-0.148, p=0.037) and nervous (r=-0.171 p=0.016), although there was no significant difference in pain and anxiety between men and women. In addition, marriage might help women resist negative emotions.

Conclusions

1) There will be mild discomfort during nucleic acid testing, but not enough to cause pain and anxiety; 2) women are more likely to be anxious and nervous during the nucleic acid testing.

Associations of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance With Male- and Female-Perpetrated Sexual Coercion in Romantic Relationships

Few studies have investigated the associations between romantic attachment dimensions and sexual coercion perpetration. The present study aimed to address methodological limitations in previous studies, and to more accurately identify the associations between romantic attachment and sexual coercion perpetration in romantic relationships. Data from 284 individuals (56% men) were secured via an online self-report survey. Participants completed assessments of romantic attachment to their current romantic partner, and reported the frequency with which they perpetrated 34 acts of sexual coercion against their romantic partner. Attachment anxiety was a positive predictor of sexual coercion perpetration for men and women. Additionally, for men only, the association between attachment anxiety and sexual coercion perpetration was stronger for individuals with greater attachment avoidance. The results of the study present a clearer picture of the associations between attachment and sexual coercion, and accord with modern theoretical perspectives positing that romantic attachment regulates reactions to acute and ongoing relationship threats.