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Biomedical subjects

P R Abramson

Publications and source records attributed to P R Abramson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Secondary HIV transmission rates in a mixed-gender sample.

Information about the sexual behaviour of HIV-infected individuals is needed to predict the course of the sexually transmitted HIV epidemic in the US. The present study provides model-based estimates of the secondary transmission rate (i.e. the number of infections expected among the sex partners of already infected individuals) for a sample of HIV-positive persons in Atlanta. A mathematical model was used to estimate the secondary transmission rate of HIV infection for a sample of HIV-positive men and women in Atlanta, based on their self-reported sexual behaviour, extrapolated over a 15-year horizon. Separate rates were calculated for different transmission routes, including: from women to men-who-have-sex-with women (MSW) and from men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) to other MSM. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the impact of different parametric and modelling assumptions. Restricted to the sub-sample that reported transmission risk behaviours, the mean number of secondary infections was 0.14 for transmission from women to MSW; 0.31 for transmission from MSW to women; and 0.84 for MSM to MSM transmission. Bisexual men were at especially high transmission risk, with 1.59 and 0.54 secondary infections expected among their male and female partners, respectively. The main analysis indicates that, in this sample, each current infection will lead to fewer than one future infection for all groups other than bisexual men, which suggests that the epidemic is contracting in this community, although this analysis cannot rule out the possibility of a growing epidemic among MSM. This method can be used to identify groups at high risk for HIV transmission and thereby to better target HIV prevention resources.

Dangerous Behavior↗
PubMed1998

Early childhood exposure to parental nudity and scenes of parental sexuality ("primal scenes"): an 18-year longitudinal study of outcome.

As part of the UCLA Family Lifestyles Project (FLS), 200 male and female children participated in an 18-year longitudinal outcome study of early childhood exposure to parental nudity and scenes of parental sexuality ("primal scenes"). At age 17-18, participants were assessed for levels of self-acceptance; relations with peers, parents, and other adults; antisocial and criminal behavior; substance use; suicidal ideation; quality of sexual relationships; and problems associated with sexual relations. No harmful "main effect" correlates of the predictor variables were found. A significant crossover Sex of Participant X Primal Scenes interaction was found such that boys exposed to primal scenes before age 6 had reduced risk of STD transmission or having impregnated someone in adolescence. In contrast, girls exposed to primal scenes before age 6 had increased risk of STD transmission or having become pregnant. A number of main effect trends in the data (nonsignificant at p < 0.05, following the Bonferonni correction) linked exposure to nudity and exposure to primal scenes with beneficial outcomes. However, a number of these findings were mediated by sex of participant interactions showing that the effects were attenuated or absent for girls. All effects were independent of family stability, pathology, or child-rearing ideology; sex of participant; SES; and beliefs and attitudes toward sexuality. Limitations of the data and of long-term regression studies in general are discussed, and the sex of participant interactions are interpreted speculatively. It is suggested that pervasive beliefs in the harmfulness of the predictor variables are exaggerated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Effectiveness of condoms in preventing HIV transmission.

The consistent use of latex condoms continues to be advocated for primary prevention of HIV infection despite limited quantitative evidence regarding the effectiveness of condoms in blocking the sexual transmission of HIV. Although recent meta-analyses of condom effectiveness suggest that condoms are 60 to 70% effective when used for HIV prophylaxis, these studies do not isolate consistent condom use, and therefore provide only a lower bound on the true effectiveness of correct and consistent condom use. A reexamination of HIV seroconversion studies suggests that condoms are 90 to 95% effective when used consistently, i.e. consistent condom users are 10 to 20 times less likely to become infected when exposed to the virus than are inconsistent or non-users. Similar results are obtained utilizing model-based estimation techniques, which indicate that condoms decrease the per-contact probability of male-to-female transmission of HIV by about 95%. Though imperfect, condoms provide substantial protection against HIV infection. Condom promotion therefore remains an important international priority in the fight against AIDS.

Condoms↗
PubMed1996

Occasional condom use and HIV risk reduction.

Model-based estimates indicate that even occasional condom use can substantially reduce the probability of human immunodeficiency virus transmission. For many realistic parameter values, an essentially linear relationship exists between the proportion of sexual contacts in which a condom is used and the resultant reduction in the risk of infection. Thus, in many cases, the use of condoms for half of all sexual contacts reduces the probability of transmission by about half the maximum possible reduction obtained through consistent use. These results suggest that occasional condom use should be reconceptualized within a harm-reduction paradigm in which increased use is stressed for those individuals who are either unable or unwilling to use condoms consistently.

Condoms↗
PubMed1996

Implications of increased infectivity in early-stage HIV infection. Application of a Bernoulli-process model of HIV transmission.

Recent reports suggest that the infectivity of sexually transmitted HIV (i.e., the probability of transmission on a single sexual contact) may be up to 1,000 times greater during the first few months of infection than during the long asymptomatic period that precedes the development of AIDS. Assuming the validity of this estimate, a simple Bernoulli-process model of HIV transmission indicates that, in some cases, the expected number of secondary infections is greater for the brief period of primary infection than for the much longer asymptomatic phase. The implications of these findings for current HIV/AIDS prevention practices are analyzed with particular attention to the role of condom use in preventing HIV transmission.

Condoms↗
PubMed1995

The law hath not been dead: protecting adults with mental retardation from sexual abuse and violation of their sexual freedom.

The extent to which three professional groups (law enforcement officers, licensing personnel, and sex educators/counselors) utilize legally relevant criteria when assessing the sexual abuse of an adult with mental retardation was examined. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions that varied in terms of the ability of a woman with mental retardation to understand concepts involving the nature and consequences and right of volition in a sexual relationship. The results indicated significant effects for both treatment condition and group. Thus, more explicit, standardized criteria should be developed for professionals to utilize when assessing consent involving possible sexual abuse of adults with mental retardation.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

How much is too much? Dependency in a psychotherapeutic relationship.

This paper presents a case that documents an extreme example of "fostered dependency." After 18 years of psychoanalysis, which eventually escalated to 8-10 sessions per week, with two treating (and married) analysts, the patient sought legal redress and compensation for negligent treatment. The lawsuit claimed that continued psychotherapy first created, then unduly fostered, dependency. Other problems cited were dual relationships, confused boundaries, excessive sessions, exorbitant fees, length of treatment, failure to keep records, failure to identify goals, and failure to keep therapy focused upon the patient's well-being. This case, which eventually settled out of court, is instructive in several regards: (1) it provides an example of the extent to which dependency can be created and manipulated; (2) it suggests a strategy by which the profession can facilitate a patient's rights; and (3) it also raises a number of broader issues about the conduct of psychotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Sexual expression of mentally retarded people: educational and legal implications.

Issues of legal consent and competency, in addition to the relevant psychological literature, were reviewed in relation to institutional policy for sexual management of mentally retarded individuals. The significance of comprehensive sex education was also discussed. Finally, suggestions were provided that minimize prejudicial treatment of mentally retarded people, without eliminating their opportunities for sexual expression.

Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilitie↗
PubMed1983

Sex and the media: three decades of best-selling books and major motion pictures.

The expression of sexuality in best-selling novels and major motion pictures was examined. There are two reasons that such stimuli merit systematic analysis. First and foremost is the finding that best-selling novels and major motion pictures exist as a primary source of sexual information. Of equal importance, however, is the need to examine such stimuli for myths and fallacies. The novels and films analyzed in the present study were selected from the last years of three consecutive decades: 1959, 1969, and 1979. Inclusion in this study was based on ranking in either a best-seller list (i.e., books) or a rental-receipts list (i.e., movies). The use of such criteria serves the dual purpose of allowing for the examination of stimuli that are accessible to large masses of people and at the same time allowing for the examination of sexually relevant stimuli. The results are discussed in terms of historical changes (over the three decades) and manifest themes (i.e., general characteristics or consistent themes). An additional section was included to address the broader implications of the present findings and to suggest alternatives.

Communication↗
PubMed1983

Pectoral changes during the sexual response cycle: a thermographic analysis.

Pectoral changes over the course of the sexual response cycle were examined using thermographic measurement. Three married couples volunteered to participate. Each couple reported to the thermography laboratory two times. Included within the two sessions (which were a minimum of a day apart) was a masturbation to orgasm sequence and a control behavior sequence. During both sequences, the thermographic image was focused on the pectoral region. An asymmetrical vasocongestive pattern was discovered in the right side of the pectoral region throughout the course of the sexual response cycle, for both men and women. The results were interpreted in terms of the structure and function of the lymphatics.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Parental attitudes about sexual education: cross-cultural differences and covariate controls.

Cross-cultural differences in parental attitudes and experiences of childhood sexual education were examined. Parental attitudes and experiences were isolated for study because of their significance as a vehicle for transmitting culturally prescribed norms. The present study also tested for artifactual differences between cultures, in terms of explaining the differences with concomitant variability. Couples with children ranging in age from 1 to 10 were utilized and were drawn from four subcultures (Mexican-American, N = 22, Black American, N = 20, Caucasian American, N = 27, and Japanese-American, N = 18). The most salient and consistent finding was the pronounced significance of the covariate controls (especially father's education and mother's religiosity). That is, although a few cross-cultural effects remained significant despite the influence of a covariate, most of the findings were biased by a concomitant (i.e., demographic) variable.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Thermographic measurement of sexual arousal: a discriminant validity analysis.

Thermographic measurement was discovered to be a valid method for assessing human sexual arousal, in that it achieved adequate discriminant validity and that it covaried with self-reports of sexual arousal. The advantages of this procedure over other physiological methods are that it provides a thermogram indicating flow rate and transfer of heat, allows for cross-gender comparisons, and is a more ecologically valid method of assessing sexual arousal.

Adult↗