News by Subject Social & Behavior

Some women are seeking abortion services outside the formal healthcare system in Great Britain, where abortion is legally available, citing reasons such as access barriers, privacy concerns and controlling circumstances, according to new research from Abigail Aiken, an assistant professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Aiken examined the demographics and circumstances of women requesting early medication abortion through an online telemedicine initiative over a four-month period.

Use of MDMA or 'Molly' is common in the electronic dance music scene, but research is showing that many Molly users are using other drugs unknowingly.

Two new papers reveal striking racial and ethnic disparities in the incidence and prevalence of lupus, a systemic autoimmune disease that can affect virtually any organ system. The reports, which are published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, provide the latest information from lupus registries in California and New York.

Recent studies have shown that approximately 90 percent of adult Americans fail to reach the US Department of Health guidelines for physical activity, which could be contributing to surging obesity rates. Now, new research by a multidisciplinary team of University of Missouri researchers suggests that physical activity can change diet preferences in males, but not in females -- an area that researchers say has not been thoroughly studied.

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.

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.

The causes of severe antisocial behavior may differ between boys and girls, which could pave the way for new sex-specific treatments, according to a major new study published today.

Researchers examined the sexual behaviors of a nationally representative group of US women that can prevent against or increase risk for HIV infection and reported the differences in behaviors such as condom use and concurrent sex partners and the changes in these behaviors over 7 years for white, black, and Latina women ages 18-44 in a study published in Journal of Women's Health.

Radical changes to our health care system that take into account the unique needs of women, including minority populations, are needed to ensure women are receiving the same high-quality care that men receive, according to a state of the art review paper published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and written by members of the American College of Cardiology Cardiovascular Disease in Women Committee.