News by Subject Social & Behavior

There is no major difference in the gender identity development of children raised by same-sex parents compared to those adopted by heterosexual couples. These are the findings of a new study in Springer's journal Sex Roles. Lead author Rachel Farr of the University of Kentucky says that the toys that children prefer to play with in their preschool years are much more tell-tale about whether they will grow up to conform to typical gender norms.

Watching transgender characters on fictional TV shows has the power to influence attitudes toward transgender people and policy issues, according to new research from USC Annenberg. The research was published in the Springer Journal Sex Roles and further highlights the ways political ideology shapes viewer responses to transgender depictions in entertainment.

Closthioamide, discovered in 2010, might eventually offer an alternative for current drugs that are becoming less effective against gonorrhoea.

Intergenerational relations include various forms of help and support but also tensions and conflicts. Although relations with in-laws are the subject of many anecdotes and proverbs across cultures, they remain little studied in contemporary societies. A new study investigates how being a parent is associated with conflicts between family generations. The research is part of the Generational Transfers in Finland -- a research project lead by Professor Anna Rotkirch and funded by the Academy of Finland.

The age at which a boy is first exposed to pornography is significantly associated with certain sexist attitudes later in life, but not necessarily in the way people might think, according to research presented at the 125th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.

Women's cognitive functioning past middle age may be affected by the degree of gender equality in the country in which they live. The research is a first attempt to shed light on the adverse consequences of gender inequality on women's health in later life.

The culture of silence around vaginal bleeding at all stages of life endangers women's health and is compounded by limited access to clean water, sanitation, and factual information in low and middle-income countries, according to a study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. An approach that looks at vaginal bleeding as more than a monthly period and addresses the needs of girls and women across the life course is urgently required.

Research led by William Robinson, PhD, Associate Research Professor of Behavioral & Community Health Sciences at LSU Health New Orleans School of Public Health, has found that 86 percent of heterosexuals who are at high risk for HIV would use a home-based test kit provided by mail and 99 percent would seek treatment based on a positive result. This self-administered alternative may lead a group whose high risk is under-recognized to treatment sooner.

Offering HIV testing to people at health checks when they register at a new GP surgery in high-prevalence areas is cost-effective and will save lives, according to a study involving over 86,000 people from 40 GP surgeries, led by Queen Mary University of London and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.