@article{bibby_choukas-bradley_widman_turpyn_prinstein_telzer_2023, title={A longitudinal assessment of adolescents’ sexual communication with parents, best friends, and dating partners}, volume={59}, ISSN={["1939-0599"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001556}, DOI={10.1037/dev0001556}, abstractNote={Sexual health communication in adolescence is important for sexual well-being. With limited empirical work utilizing longitudinal methodologies, this study aimed to investigate how the frequency of sexual communication with parents, peers, and dating partners changes across adolescence and varies based on sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Participants included 886 U.S. adolescents (54.4% females; 45.9% White, 22.6% Hispanic/Latinx, 21.6% Black/African American) surveyed yearly from middle school through 12th grade. Growth curve models were used to estimate trajectories of the frequency in communication. Results showed curvilinear trajectories for adolescents' sexual communication with their parents, best friends, and dating partners over time. Although all three trajectories showed curvilinear patterns, sexual communication with parents and best friends increased earlier in adolescence and leveled off, while sexual communication with dating partners was lower in early adolescence and showed a steep increase across adolescence. Communication trajectories significantly diverged depending on adolescents' sex and race/ethnicity but not their sexual orientation. This study provides the first evidence of developmental changes over time in adolescent sexual communication with parents, best friends, and dating partners. Developmental implications for adolescents' sexual decision making are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).}, number={7}, journal={Developmental Psychology}, author={Bibby, E.S. and Choukas-Bradley, S. and Widman, L. and Turpyn, C. and Prinstein, M.J. and Telzer, E.H.}, year={2023}, month={Jul}, pages={1300–1314} }
 @article{mccrimmon_widman_javidi_brasileiro_hurst_2023, title={Evaluation of a Brief Online Sexual Health Program for Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Trial}, volume={4}, ISSN={["1552-6372"]}, DOI={10.1177/15248399231162379}, abstractNote={Adolescents are at increased risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and experiencing unintended pregnancy. In particular, adolescents from marginalized communities experience significant sexual health disparities compared to their more advantaged peers. Digital sexual health programs, such as HEART (Health Education and Relationship Training), may be effective in reducing these risks and addressing these disparities. HEART is a web-based intervention focused on the promotion of positive sexual health outcomes, such as sexual decision-making skills, sexual communication skills, sexual health knowledge, and sexual norms and attitudes. The current study evaluates the efficacy of HEART, and examines whether effects were moderated by gender, socioeconomic status (SES), race, English as a second language, and sexual orientation to ensure the program is effective for diverse groups of adolescents. Participants were 457 high school students (Meanage=15.06, 59% girls, 35% White, 78% heterosexual, 54% receive free or reduced-price lunch). Students were randomized to HEART or an attention matched control and assessed at pretest and immediate posttest. HEART was effective in increasing sexual assertiveness, sexual communication intentions, HIV/STI knowledge, condom attitudes, and safer sex self-efficacy compared to the control condition. There were no significant interactions by gender, SES, race, English as a second language, or sexual orientation, suggesting the program worked equally well for all groups of youth. The findings of this study suggest that HEART may be a promising avenue for the promotion of positive sexual health outcomes for diverse groups of youth.}, journal={HEALTH PROMOTION PRACTICE}, author={McCrimmon, Jordyn and Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah and Brasileiro, Julia and Hurst, Jeffrey}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{javidi_widman_maheux_mccrimmon_evans-paulson_becker_2023, title={PACT: Developing and Evaluating a Digital Sexual Consent Program for Youth}, volume={5}, ISSN={["1559-8519"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2023.2208560}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2023.2208560}, abstractNote={Understanding affirmative sexual consent is crucial for violence prevention and health promotion, yet few adolescents receive adequate consent education. The current study aimed to evaluate the acceptability and preliminary efficacy of a brief online program designed to teach adolescents information and skills about communicating and interpreting affirmative sexual consent (PACT: Promoting Affirmative Consent among Teens) in a randomized controlled trial with a national sample of 833 U.S. adolescents (ages 14-16; 42% White, 17% Asian, 17% Black, 13% Latinx; 53% girls, 31% boys, 12% non-binary; 45% heterosexual; 29% sexually active). PACT, grounded in health behavior change and persuasion theories, was developed using feedback from youth advisors and usability testers. Participants considered the program generally acceptable. Compared to youth who completed a control program, PACT was efficacious at shifting three measures of affirmative consent cognitions (i.e., knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy) from baseline to immediate posttest. Youth who completed PACT also demonstrated more accurate affirmative consent knowledge at 3 months post-baseline. PACT's effects on consent cognitions were generally similar among youth with various gender, racial/ethnic, and sexual identities. We discuss next steps for this program, including the possibilities of expanding to include additional concepts and tailoring to address the unique needs of specific youth.}, journal={JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH}, author={Javidi, Hannah and Widman, Laura and Maheux, Anne J. J. and McCrimmon, Jordyn and Evans-Paulson, Reina and Becker, Whitney}, year={2023}, month={May} }
 @article{hurst_widman_brasileiro_maheux_evans-paulson_choukas-bradley_2023, title={Parents’ attitudes towards the content of sex education in the USA: Associations with religiosity and political orientation}, volume={1}, ISSN={1468-1811 1472-0825}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2022.2162871}, DOI={10.1080/14681811.2022.2162871}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT While most parents support their adolescents receiving school-based sex education, there is variability in which sex education topics receive the most support from parents. Conservative political orientation and greater religiosity have been independently associated with parents’ lack of support for school-based sex education; however, no studies have examined the intersection of these two factors. The three goals of this study were to: 1) identify how specific sexual education topics cluster together to form content areas; 2) examine if religiosity and political orientation are uniquely associated with these content areas; and 3) examine if political orientation moderates the relationship between parents’ religiosity and their perceived importance for the specific sex education content areas. Participants were a national sample of 881 US parents. The sex education topics clustered into three content areas: Factual Knowledge (e.g., STI transmission), Practical Skills (e.g., how to access condoms), and Pleasure and Identity (e.g., pleasurable aspects of sex). Politically conservative and more religious parents reported the lowest perceived importance for each content area. Importantly, these main effects were qualified by a significant interaction: parents who reported both political conservativism and high levels of religiosity reported the lowest perceived importance for these three content areas being taught.}, journal={Sex Education}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Hurst, Jeffrey L. and Widman, Laura and Brasileiro, Julia and Maheux, Anne J. and Evans-Paulson, Reina and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2023}, month={Jan}, pages={1–17} }
 @article{allison_widman_stewart_evans_perry_2022, title={Adherence to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}, volume={70}, ISSN={["1879-1972"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.04.001}, abstractNote={This meta-analysis synthesized the proportion of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) who are adherent to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and factors moderating adherence. A systematic search was conducted of studies published through May 2020 using PubMed, PsycInfo, Cochrane, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Included studies reported the proportion of AYAs (mean age ≤ 29 years) who were PrEP adherent. PrEP adherence was meta-analyzed using random-effects models. Secondary analyses evaluated potential moderating variables. A total of 41 individual samples, from 29 studies, of 8,679 AYA (weighted average age = 23.8 years) were synthesized. The proportion of AYA who met study-defined thresholds for PrEP adherence was .64 (95% confidence interval .57-.71) across studies. Subgroup analyses revealed that adherence was lower in young cisgender women (.46) than young men who have sex with men (.65) and serodiscordant heterosexual couples (.98). Adherence was higher in studies initiated after 2012 (.70) than earlier studies (.47). No differences based on participant age, country, or strategies to promote adherence were found. Across published studies to date, 64% of AYA demonstrate adequate PrEP adherence. Findings can be used to guide PrEP adherence interventions and also provide directions for future research on PrEP among AYA.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH}, author={Allison, Bianca A. and Widman, Laura and Stewart, J. L. and Evans, Reina and Perry, Martha}, year={2022}, month={Jan}, pages={28–41} }
 @article{carrino_bryen_maheux_stewart_roberts_widman_choukas-bradley_2022, title={Are Feminists Empowered Activists or Entitled Whiners? A Thematic Analysis of U.S. Adolescents’ Definitions of “Feminist” in a Diverse, Mixed-Gender Sample}, volume={86}, ISSN={0360-0025 1573-2762}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11199-021-01260-3}, DOI={10.1007/s11199-021-01260-3}, number={7-8}, journal={Sex Roles}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Carrino, Emily A. and Bryen, Chloe P. and Maheux, Anne J. and Stewart, J. L. and Roberts, Savannah R. and Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2022}, month={Mar}, pages={395–414} }
 @article{maheux_widman_hurst_craig_evans-paulson_choukas-bradley_2022, title={Behavioral Measures to Assess Adolescent Sexual Communication with Partners: A Scoping Review and Call for Further Studies}, volume={60}, ISSN={0022-4499 1559-8519}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2103072}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2022.2103072}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Sexual communication with partners is important for adolescents’ sexual and socioemotional well-being. Behavioral assessments of partner sexual communication capture the complex and nuanced process of communication and are commonly used with adults, yet the existing literature among adolescents overwhelmingly relies on self-report measures. In the current paper, we reviewed the literature on adolescent partner sexual communication, identifying 14 studies including 2,043 participants (M age = 16) that used behavioral assessments (i.e., dyadic observations, role-plays with confederates, role-plays with vignettes). We also identify key gaps in the current literature: First, only one study recruited couples; studies that assessed dyadic interactions largely relied on confederates. Second, assessments often assumed that participants engaged in heterosexual sex, and no studies specifically recruited LGBTQ+ adolescents. Third, behavioral tasks often involved assumptions of participants’ sexual goals (e.g., desire to refuse sex) and focused almost exclusively on sexual refusal and condom negotiation. Additionally, coding schemes lacked standardization and micro-analytic strategies (e.g., coding change over time). Finally, observational methods have been almost exclusively used to assess intervention efficacy, rather than to understand associations between behaviorally-assessed communication skills and sexual outcomes or self-reported communication in basic research. We discuss recommendations for future research, including regular use of behavioral observation methods with diverse samples, to triangulate across multiple methodologies and identify correspondence between behavioral and self-report measures.}, number={1}, journal={The Journal of Sex Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Maheux, Anne J. and Widman, Laura and Hurst, Jeffrey L. and Craig, Elizabeth and Evans-Paulson, Reina and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2022}, month={Aug}, pages={36–44} }
 @article{evans-paulson_widman_javidi_lipsey_2022, title={Examining the efficacy of STD testing public health messages tailored to youth’s regulatory focus.}, volume={28}, ISSN={1939-2192 1076-898X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xap0000421}, DOI={10.1037/xap0000421}, abstractNote={Only 25% of sexually active youth have ever been tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). One potential strategy to increase testing is to target youth with health messages tailored to their regulatory focus. People have a dominant regulatory focus and tend to be either more concerned with the risks of unhealthy choices (prevention-focused) or the benefits of healthy choices (promotion-focused). Theoretically, when someone is targeted with a message that matches their regulatory focus, the message will be more effective. Among 380 sexually active youth, we examined whether matching STD testing messages to youth's regulatory focus strengthens the efficacy of the message for improving STD testing stigma, self-efficacy, and intentions. We evaluated participants' regulatory focus and then assigned them to watch either a prevention-focused or promotion-focused video encouraging STD testing. Among prevention-focused youth, those who watched the prevention-focused video had more stigmatizing attitudes toward STD testing than those who watched the promotion-focused video. Post hoc analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings for our stigma outcome and revealed a similar pattern for self-efficacy: youth who were more prevention-focused and received the prevention-focused video had lower STD testing self-efficacy. Our results for testing intentions were not significant. Interventionists should consider making STD testing messages for youth promotion-focused. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Evans-Paulson, Reina and Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah and Lipsey, Nikolette}, year={2022}, month={Dec}, pages={835–848} }
 @article{mcmahan_lombe_evans_enelamah_chu_simms_verkamp‐ruthven_martinez_mweemba_laforest_et al._2022, title={Getting to zero HIV/AIDS in sub‐Saharan Africa: Understanding perceptions of locals using the social determinants of health framework}, volume={30}, ISSN={0966-0410 1365-2524}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13444}, DOI={10.1111/hsc.13444}, abstractNote={This study explored a community perception of the facilitators and inhibitors of Getting to Zero (GTZ) in rural Zambia, sub-Saharan Africa. Data were collected in 2017. We use the Social Determinants of Health framework to guide organisation of key themes emerging from semistructured, focus group interviews with community members (N = 52). Data were analysed through an iterative descriptive/thematic approach which allowed for the highlighting of key themes. Emerging themes point to the significance of (a) individual, (b) sociocultural, (c) environmental and (d) economic factors, for example, treatment adherence, gender norms, food security and access to health care as important in GTZ. Implications for policy, practise and scholarship are suggested.}, number={3}, journal={Health & Social Care in the Community}, publisher={Hindawi Limited}, author={McMahan, Lyndsey D. and Lombe, Margaret and Evans, Caroline B.R. and Enelamah, Ngozi Victoria and Chu, Yoosun and Simms, Stewart and Verkamp‐Ruthven, Jennifer and Martinez, Javier Reyes and Mweemba, Odericky and LaForest, Lubenji and et al.}, year={2022}, month={May}, pages={e739–e748} }
 @article{adams_nabi_noar_evans_widman_2022, title={How Emotional Shifts Effect Youth Perceptions of Opioid Risk and Efficacy: Testing a Know the Truth Campaign Narrative}, volume={37}, ISSN={["1532-7027"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1921349}, DOI={10.1080/10410236.2021.1921349}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Integrating the extended parallel process model (EPPM) and the emotional flow hypothesis, we tested the persuasive effect of emotional shifts during exposure to a Know the Truth anti-opioid campaign narrative in a sample of middle-school students (n = 480). Testing two emotional flow sequences (threat to efficacy and efficacy to threat) of the Know the Truth narrative against a static (threat-only) emotional condition, we found that youth exposed to any emotional flow narrative reported higher levels of hope and lower levels of fear than those exposed to a threat-only narrative. We also found that a threat to efficacy narrative elicited higher levels of self-efficacy than an efficacy to threat emotional flow condition, suggesting that the emotional sequence influences self-efficacy, a well-established predictor of health behavior change. We conclude that the traditional threat to efficacy emotional flow may be superior to its inverse (efficacy to threat) when communicating with young people about opioid addiction. Implications for message design are discussed.}, number={14}, journal={HEALTH COMMUNICATION}, author={Adams, Elizabeth Troutman and Nabi, Robin L. and Noar, Seth M. and Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura}, year={2022}, month={Dec}, pages={1820–1831} }
 @article{javidi_widman_evans-paulson_lipsey_2022, title={Internal Consent, Affirmative External Consent, and Sexual Satisfaction Among Young Adults}, volume={3}, ISSN={["1559-8519"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2048628}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2022.2048628}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Sexual satisfaction is an important part of sexual health. Recently, efforts have been underway to better understand what factors contribute to positive sexual experiences among young adults. One factor may be sexual consent. This study aimed to explore individual and interactive effects of two distinct, but related dimensions of sexual consent – internal consent and affirmative external consent – on young adults’ feelings of sexual satisfaction following their most recent sexual intercourse experience. Participants were 294 young adults (ages 18–25, M age = 23.7; 59% women) recruited from Amazon’s MTurk. Results showed that each dimension of consent had a significant, unique relationship with satisfaction, and that the two dimensions of consent alone accounted for half of the variance in satisfaction. Additional analyses showed that there are specific components of both internal and affirmative external consent (e.g., safety/comfort; arousal; consent/want; communicator/initiator cues) that may be most influential in driving this relationship. As both consent dimensions greatly contribute to positive sexual experiences, researchers attempting to promote sexual wellbeing may be wise to attend to both internal and external consent.}, journal={JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Javidi, Hannah and Widman, Laura and Evans-Paulson, Reina and Lipsey, Nikolette}, year={2022}, month={Mar} }
 @article{maheux_roberts_nesi_widman_choukas‐bradley_2022, title={Longitudinal associations between appearance‐related social media consciousness and adolescents' depressive symptoms}, volume={94}, ISSN={0140-1971 1095-9254}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jad.12009}, DOI={10.1002/jad.12009}, abstractNote={INTRODUCTION
Frequent social media use among adolescents is associated with depressive symptoms, though prior work has overwhelmingly used cross-sectional designs and focused on "screen time." Subjective social media experiences, such as the concern with one's physical appearance on social media, may be more relevant to adolescents' depressive symptoms than mere frequency of use. Appearance-related social media consciousness (ASMC) is the preoccupation with one's physical attractiveness in social media photos and has been associated with depressive symptoms above and beyond frequency of social media use in prior cross-sectional work.


METHODS
In this brief report, we assessed this association longitudinally over 1 year within a diverse sample of highschool adolescents in the Southeastern US (n = 163, M age = 16.19; 55.8% girls; 44.8% White, 23.9% Black, 26.4% Hispanic/Latinx; 49.7% received free or reduced-price lunch).


RESULTS
Baseline ASMC was associated with higher depressive symptoms 1 year later, even when controlling for time spent on social media. Although girls reported higher levels of ASMC, associations were similar for adolescent boys and girls. No evidence was found that heightened depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with higher ASMC 1 year later.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings highlight the importance of physical appearance concerns on social media-above and beyond the frequency of use-in the development of depressive symptoms among adolescents. Implications for future research to examine the role of subjective social media experiences in adolescents' depressive symptoms are discussed.}, number={2}, journal={Journal of Adolescence}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Maheux, Anne J. and Roberts, Savannah R. and Nesi, Jacqueline and Widman, Laura and Choukas‐Bradley, Sophia}, year={2022}, month={Jan}, pages={264–269} }
 @article{kamke_stewart_widman_2022, title={Multilevel Barriers to Sexual Health Behavior Among Vulnerable Adolescent Girls in the USA}, volume={19}, ISSN={1868-9884 1553-6610}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00594-7}, DOI={10.1007/s13178-021-00594-7}, abstractNote={Most sexual health interventions focus on individual-level predictors of sexual behavior. Given the considerable influence of environmental factors on adolescent girls' sexual health, current interventions may be insufficient to promote safer sex. In this study, we aimed to understand adolescent girls' anticipated barriers to engaging in safer sex behavior after completing a brief, web-based sexual health intervention called HEART.This study used qualitative interviews with 50 adolescent girls who were recruited from community-based organizations that serve vulnerable youth. All participants were 12 to 19 years old (mean age=15.62, SD=1.83), and identified with a marginalized racial/ethnic group (58% Black; 18% Latinx; 24% Asian, biracial, or multiracial). Further, 24% identified as LGBTQ+, and 58% were sexually active.Guided by the social ecological model, we delineate six unique barriers to safer sex discussed by adolescents: partner manipulation, slut shaming, unclear sexual values, present time orientation, embarrassment, and access to sexual and reproductive health services.We conclude with recommendations for addressing these barriers to optimize adolescent girls' sexual health.}, number={2}, journal={Sexuality Research and Social Policy}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Kamke, Kristyn and Stewart, J. L. and Widman, Laura}, year={2022}, pages={822–833} }
 @article{brasileiro_widman_norwalk_mccrimmon_mullins_2022, title={National trends and disparate access to formal and informal sex education among youth involved with the child welfare system in the USA}, volume={10}, ISSN={1468-1811 1472-0825}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14681811.2022.2134102}, DOI={10.1080/14681811.2022.2134102}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT This study investigated whether youth involved with the child welfare system in the USA are receiving formal and informal sex education. Data come from the Second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing, a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents in contact with child protective services. Participants included young people (n = 1093, aged 11–21) involved with the child welfare system. Participants reported whether they had received formal sex education about a) abstinence only; b) contraceptives/condoms only; c) abstinence and contraceptives/condoms; or d) none. They also reported whether they knew where to access family planning services. We examined the prevalence of sex education experiences and differences in sex education access and knowledge based on participants’ pregnancy history and sociodemographic characteristics. Only half (49%) of participants had received any form of formal sex education. Pregnant youth were less likely to have received any sex education compared to non-pregnant youth . 72% of adolescents who had received sex education about contraceptives/condoms reported knowing where to access family planning services compared to only 46% of adolescents who had not received this sex education . There is a pressing need for comprehensive sex education among youth involved with the child welfare system.}, journal={Sex Education}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Brasileiro, Julia and Widman, Laura and Norwalk, Kate and Mccrimmon, Jordyn and Mullins, Lily}, year={2022}, month={Oct}, pages={1–17} }
 @article{evans_stokes_hope_widman_cryer-coupet_2022, title={Parental influence on sexual intentions of Black adolescent girls: Examining the role of gendered-racial socialization.}, volume={36}, ISSN={1939-1293 0893-3200}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000874}, DOI={10.1037/fam0000874}, abstractNote={Parents can promote the sexual health of adolescents in a number of well-established ways, such as through sexual communication and parental monitoring. Another unexplored avenue through which parents might influence sexual decision-making among Black girls is gendered-racial socialization-the process through which parents send messages to their Black daughters about what it means to be a Black girl, in part, to improve their self-esteem. In a national, U.S.-based sample of 287 Black girls (Mage = 15.4) and their parents (87.8% female), we examine how two dimensions of gendered-racial socialization (gendered-racial pride socialization; gendered-racial oppression socialization): (a) are related to adolescents' intentions to have early sex and (b) moderate the association of parental communication and monitoring with adolescents' intentions to have early sex. We found Black girls who are exposed to more empowering messages about Black girls and women are less likely to intend to have early sex. Additionally, gendered-racial pride socialization moderated the relationship between parental monitoring and intentions to have sex, such that more monitoring was associated with lower intentions to have early sex among girls low in gendered-racial pride socialization. For girls high in gendered-racial pride socialization, there was no relationship between parental monitoring and sexual intentions. Gendered-racial pride socialization is an important asset in Black families, which can be leveraged to improve the sexual health of Black girls. Future studies are needed to examine the causal, temporal pathways between gendered-racial socialization and sexual health. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).}, number={2}, journal={Journal of Family Psychology}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Evans, Reina and Stokes, McKenzie N. and Hope, Elan C. and Widman, Laura and Cryer-Coupet, Qiana R.}, year={2022}, month={Mar}, pages={318–323} }
 @article{hurst_widman_maheux_evans-paulson_brasileiro_lipsey_2022, title={Parent–child communication and adolescent sexual decision making: An application of family communication patterns theory.}, volume={36}, ISSN={1939-1293 0893-3200}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000916}, DOI={10.1037/fam0000916}, abstractNote={Family communication patterns theory proposes two dimensions of family communication-conversation orientation and conformity orientation-that can impact adolescent decision making. The purpose of this study is to examine how family communication patterns, above and beyond the frequency of parent-child sexual communication, are associated with adolescents' (a) sexual self-efficacy, (b) intentions to communicate about sex with partners, and (c) intentions to use condoms. Participants were 452 U.S. adolescents (Mage = 15.06; 59% girls; 35% White, 33% Latinx, 25% Black). Controlling for the frequency of parent-child sexual communication and gender, we found the interaction between conversation and conformity orientation was associated with adolescent sexual self-efficacy and intentions to communicate about sex with partners. When families were high on conversation and low on conformity, adolescents had statistically significantly higher sexual self-efficacy than any other family communication patterns. When families were low on conversation and low on conformity, adolescents had statistically significantly lower intentions to communicate with future sex partners than any other family communication pattern. Findings highlight the importance of understanding general communication processes beyond the frequency of parent-child sexual communication. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).}, number={3}, journal={Journal of Family Psychology}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Hurst, Jeffrey L. and Widman, Laura and Maheux, Anne J. and Evans-Paulson, Reina and Brasileiro, Julia and Lipsey, Nikolette}, year={2022}, month={Apr}, pages={449–457} }
 @article{maheux_roberts_nesi_widman_choukas-bradley_2022, title={Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness Scale among emerging adults}, volume={43}, ISSN={["1873-6807"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.08.002}, abstractNote={Appearance-related social media consciousness (ASMC) is the persistent awareness of one's attractiveness on social media. The ASMC Scale, recently developed for use with adolescents (Choukas-Bradley et al., 2020), provides a promising tool for systematically examining ASMC and associations with mental health. The current study examined the psychometric properties of the ASMC Scale among emerging adult men and women. Participants for Study 1 were 428 emerging adults (M age = 21.9) from five Anglophone, industrialized countries (U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand). Results from Study 1 provide evidence that the 13-item ASMC Scale has a unidimensional structure, strong internal consistency, measurement invariance across gender, and convergent validity (i.e., associations with related offline appearance concerns and cognitions) and incremental validity (i.e., associations with depressive symptoms and disordered eating, above and beyond time spent on social media). Participants from Study 2 were 296 U.S. college students (M age = 18.6). Results from Study 2 confirmed the factor structure and further demonstrated the convergent and incremental validity (above and beyond both time spent on social media and offline appearance concerns) of the ASMC Scale. Findings suggest that the ASMC Scale can be used among emerging adults, aiding future research investigating social media experiences and mental health.}, journal={BODY IMAGE}, author={Maheux, Anne J. and Roberts, Savannah R. and Nesi, Jacqueline and Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2022}, month={Dec}, pages={63–74} }
 @article{widman_maheux_craig_evans-paulson_choukas-bradley_2022, title={Sexual Communication between Adolescent Partners: A Scoping Review and Directions for Future Research}, volume={59}, ISSN={0022-4499 1559-8519}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2099787}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2022.2099787}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Sexual communication between adolescent partners is an important component of sexual health and wellbeing. Over 40 years of research on adolescent sexual communication has yielded rich information, yet there remain gaps in our understanding of the communication process. The purpose of this scoping review was to synthesize the body of research on adolescent sexual communication to identify how communication has been conceptualized, how researchers have measured communication, and what theoretical frameworks have been applied across the literature. We identified 198 assessments of sexual communication across 119 quantitative studies. This work included 127,489 adolescents (M age = 15.97) from 15 countries (81.5% U.S.-based). Most studies relied on self-reports (93.4%) and surveyed only one member of a couple (97.5%). The definition of sexual communication was highly varied across the literature: in half of assessments (52.0%) sexual communication was operationalized as a behavior–the verbal or nonverbal exchange of messages about sex–whereas the remaining half of assessments captured social-cognitive aspects of communication (e.g., communication self-efficacy, fear/anxiety). There was also a tendency for investigators to create their own idiosyncratic instruments: half of studies (48.9%) used instruments created by the research team with limited or no discussion of reliability/validity. Regarding the topic of communication, a third of assessments (33.8%) focused exclusively on condom communication and another quarter (24.0%) focused on other safer-sex issues (e.g., STDs, abstinence). Notably absent were studies focused on communication surrounding consent or sexual pleasure. Also absent was a guiding conceptual model or theory that could unify this body of work. Overall, results highlight gaps and inconsistencies in how partner sexual communication has been conceptualized, measured, and theorized about in previous work. We provide several recommendations for future theory-building efforts as well as rigorous, multimethod empirical investigations of adolescent sexual communication that would further our understanding of this important aspect of adolescent sexual wellbeing.}, number={8}, journal={The Journal of Sex Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Widman, Laura and Maheux, Anne J. and Craig, Elizabeth and Evans-Paulson, Reina and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2022}, month={Aug}, pages={984–999} }
 @article{stewart_wallace_nance_schalkoff_uhrig castonguay_widman_carey_golin_2022, title={Validated HIV Knowledge Scales for Use with Adults and Adolescents: A Systematic Review}, volume={26}, ISSN={1090-7165 1573-3254}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03521-4}, DOI={10.1007/s10461-021-03521-4}, abstractNote={HIV knowledge - the information a person possesses about HIV - is essential for the prevention and management of HIV. Therefore, the accurate measurement of HIV knowledge is important for both science and practice. This systematic review identifies extant HIV knowledge scales that have been validated with adolescent and adult populations and summarizes the state of this research. We searched seven electronic databases, which resulted in 6,525 articles. After title/abstract and full-text review, 27 studies remained and underwent qualitative review of reported scale psychometric properties. Many studies were conducted in the last decade (n = 12), reflecting advances in scientific knowledge of HIV. Five were exclusively adolescent-based studies (sample age ≤ 18). Most studies reported reliability (n = 25) or at least one form of validity (n = 21). Future studies should develop or refine HIV knowledge scales so that they reflect recent scientific developments, use rigorous psychometric testing, and target samples that include those persons at highest risk for HIV.}, number={5}, journal={AIDS and Behavior}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Stewart, J. L. and Wallace, Deshira D. and Nance, Abby and Schalkoff, Christine A. and Uhrig Castonguay, Breana J. and Widman, Laura and Carey, Michael P. and Golin, Carol E.}, year={2022}, pages={1695–1715} }
 @article{maheux_roberts_evans_widman_choukas-bradley_2021, title={Associations between adolescents' pornography consumption and self-objectification, body comparison, and body shame}, volume={37}, ISSN={["1873-6807"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.01.014}, abstractNote={Although prior work indicates an association between idealized media content and adolescents’ body-related concerns, such as self-objectification, body comparison, and body shame, few prior studies have examined the role of pornography. Even fewer studies have included adolescent girls, limiting our understanding of potential gender differences. In this brief report, we investigate these associations in a diverse mixed-gender sample of high school students in the Southeastern U.S. (n = 223, ages 15–18, M age = 16.25, 59 % girls) who completed computerized self-report measures. Controlling for demographic covariates and frequency of social media use, we found an association between frequency of pornography consumption in the past year and higher self-objectification and body comparison, but not body shame. No evidence of differences by gender emerged. Results suggest that both boys and girls may be susceptible to pornography-related body concerns, yet these concerns may not include body shame. Future research should examine both risks and benefits of pornography use among adolescents using longitudinal designs, as well as how body-related concerns can be incorporated into pornography literacy interventions.}, journal={BODY IMAGE}, author={Maheux, Anne J. and Roberts, Savannah R. and Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2021}, month={Jun}, pages={89–93} }
 @article{maheux_bryen_carrino_stewart_widman_choukas-bradley_2021, title={Depressive symptoms among mostly heterosexual adolescents}, volume={25}, ISSN={["1935-9713"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2020.1843583}, DOI={10.1080/19359705.2020.1843583}, abstractNote={Abstract Background Mostly heterosexual adolescents experience heightened depressive symptoms compared to heterosexual adolescents, though prior comparisons with other sexual minority adolescents have been inconsistent and rarely used a comprehensive measure of sexual orientation. Method U.S. high school adolescents were considered mostly heterosexual if they either (a) self-identified as mostly heterosexual or (b) identified as heterosexual but reported same-gender attraction and/or sexual behavior. Result Depressive symptoms among both groups of mostly heterosexual adolescents were higher than exclusively heterosexual adolescents but similar to other sexual minority adolescents. Conclusion Mostly heterosexual adolescents may be at risk for depression like their other sexual minority peers.}, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF GAY & LESBIAN MENTAL HEALTH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Maheux, Anne J. and Bryen, Chloe P. and Carrino, Emily A. and Stewart, J. L. and Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2021}, month={Jun}, pages={317–332} }
 @article{evans-paulson_widman_brasileiro_maheux_choukas-bradley_2021, title={Examining the link between sexual self-concept and sexual communication among adolescents}, volume={69}, ISSN={["1746-4102"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2021.1969585}, DOI={10.1080/01463373.2021.1969585}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to move beyond a sexual risk framework to investigate the possible associations among three sex-positive constructs for adolescents: their sexual self-concept (i.e., their positive/negative feelings about themselves as sexual beings), their sexual communication with romantic/sexual partners, and their sexual communication self-efficacy. We also examined differences in these constructs by sexual intercourse experience and gender. Participants were 171 adolescents who had been in a dating or sexual relationship in the past year (M age = 16.32 years; 64.3% girls). Compared to girls, boys had more positive sexual self-concepts but less self-efficacy to communicate with their partners about sex. Adolescents who reported having had sexual intercourse had more positive sexual self-concepts as well as more frequent partner sexual communication compared to adolescents without sexual intercourse experience. Adolescents with a more positive sexual self-concept had higher sexual communication self-efficacy and reported more frequent sexual communication. In addition, sexual communication self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between sexual self-concept and sexual communication. Results highlight the connection between sexual self-concept and sexual communication and contribute to a growing body of work on the positive aspects of adolescent sexuality.}, number={5}, journal={COMMUNICATION QUARTERLY}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Evans-Paulson, Reina and Widman, Laura and Brasileiro, Julia and Maheux, Anne J. and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2021}, month={Sep} }
 @article{brasileiro_widman_spiva_norwalk_2021, title={Identifying gaps in training on sexual health for caregivers of adolescents in foster care}, volume={17}, ISSN={1745-0128 1745-0136}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2021.1975859}, DOI={10.1080/17450128.2021.1975859}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Youth in foster care are a vulnerable group of adolescents that experience worse sexual health outcomes, including higher rates of STIs, HIV, and early and repeat pregnancy, compared to youth not in foster care. Caregivers of youth in foster care may play a critical role in improving the sexual health of youth in their care. However, many caregivers of youth in foster care do not talk to youth about sexual health, and few studies have directly asked caregivers about the trainings they may need to provide better sex education to youth. This exploratory study examined the training needs of caregivers of youth in foster care. Participants were a state-wide sample of 347 caregivers of youth in foster care in North Carolina, United States, who completed an online survey that asked about training needs. Almost half (49.0%) of participants state that they do not feel fully prepared to parent youth in foster care. Seventy-two percent of participants indicated they would like to receive more training on at least one of the three topics relevant to adolescent relationships and sexual health. By topic, the percentage of participants who desired more information included: peer pressure and friendships (48.1%); sexuality and sexual risk reduction (e.g. healthy relationships, pregnancy, STIs) (43.8%); and puberty and physical development (40.3%). Another area that most participants expressed a desire for more training was adolescent technology use (56.2%) – which is relevant to adolescent relationships and sexuality given a rise in the use of technology-based platforms to meet relationship partners, look at pornography, and share sexual messages and photos. Many caregivers desire additional training on how to engage with youth about sexuality and sexual risk reduction. Training caregivers of youth in foster care may be an effective strategy for improving the sexual health outcomes of this vulnerable population of youth.}, number={2}, journal={Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Brasileiro, Julia and Widman, Laura and Spiva, Sunshine and Norwalk, Kate}, year={2021}, month={Sep}, pages={119–129} }
 @article{evans-paulson_widman_javidi_lipsey_2021, title={Is Regulatory Focus Related to Condom Use, STI/HIV Testing, and Sexual Satisfaction?}, volume={59}, ISSN={["1559-8519"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1961671}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2021.1961671}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Regulatory focus theory contends that when making decisions people are either more inclined to focus on avoiding negative consequences (more prevention-focused) or achieving pleasurable outcomes (more promotion-focused). Some research suggests that regulatory focus is related to health behaviors, although this has not been thoroughly investigated in the sexual health domain. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between regulatory focus (prevention, promotion) and sexual health. In an online survey of 409 youth from the U.S. (ages = 18–25; M age = 23.5; 57.2% women; 74.1% White, 13.4% Asian, 10.5% Black, 9.8% Hispanic), we examined the relationship between regulatory focus and three sexual health outcomes: condom use, STI/HIV testing, and sexual satisfaction. Of youth in our sample, 31.8% had a dominant prevention-focus, while 54.8% had a dominant promotion-focus. Compared to youth who were more promotion-focused, more prevention-focused youth used condoms more frequently but reported less sexual satisfaction. No differences were found in rates of STI/HIV testing. This study lays the groundwork to investigate the dynamic role that regulatory focus may play in contributing to youths’ sexual health. More experimental and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the causal nature of the association between regulatory focus and sexual health.}, number={4}, journal={JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Evans-Paulson, Reina and Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah and Lipsey, Nikolette}, year={2021}, month={Aug} }
 @book{crooks_baur_widman_2021, place={Boston, MA}, edition={14th}, title={Our Sexuality}, ISBN={9780357360750  9780357360743}, publisher={Cengage Learning}, author={Crooks, R.L. and Baur, K. and Widman, L.}, year={2021} }
 @article{javidi_widman_lipsey_brasileiro_javidi_jhala_2021, title={REDEVELOPING A DIGITAL SEXUAL HEALTH INTERVENTION FOR ADOLESCENTS TO ALLOW FOR BROADER DISSEMINATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR HIV AND STD PREVENTION}, volume={33}, ISSN={["1943-2755"]}, DOI={10.1521/aeap.2021.33.2.89}, abstractNote={HIV/STDs and unintended pregnancy persist among adolescents in the United States; thus, effective sexual health interventions that can be broadly disseminated are necessary. Digital health interventions are highly promising because they allow for customization and widespread reach. The current project involved redeveloping and expanding HEART (Health Education and Relationship Training)-a brief, digital sexual health intervention efficacious at improving safer sex knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavior-onto an open-source platform to allow for greater interactivity and accessibility while reducing long-term program costs. The authors describe the process of adapting, reprogramming, and evaluating the new program, which may serve as a guide for investigators seeking to adapt behavioral interventions onto digital platforms. The final product is an open-source intervention that can be easily adapted for new populations. Among 233 adolescents (Mage = 15.06; 64% girls), HEART was highly acceptable and generally feasible to administer, with no differences in acceptability by gender or sexual identity.}, number={2}, journal={AIDS EDUCATION AND PREVENTION}, author={Javidi, Hannah and Widman, Laura and Lipsey, Nikolette and Brasileiro, Julia and Javidi, Farhad and Jhala, Arnav}, year={2021}, month={Apr}, pages={89–102} }
 @article{nesi_choukas-bradley_maheux_roberts_sanzari_widman_prinstein_2021, title={Selfie Appearance Investment and Peer Feedback Concern: Multimethod Investigation of Adolescent Selfie Practices and Adjustment}, volume={10}, ISSN={["2689-6575"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000342}, DOI={10.1037/ppm0000342}, abstractNote={Sharing "selfies" on social media is common among adolescents. The frequency with which adolescents post selfies may be less important than behaviors and cognitions underlying selfie-posting, and these practices may differ by gender. This multi-method study explored selfie practices in a school-based sample of 639 adolescents (M age=17.6; 53.5% female). Participants completed self-report measures of selfie practices, body esteem, depressive symptoms, and peer behaviors. In addition, a subset of participants' social media pages (n = 245) were observationally-coded for numbers of selfies, followers, and likes. Factor analyses revealed two distinct selfie practices: selfie appearance investment and selfie peer feedback concern. Girls posted selfies more frequently, and reported greater levels of appearance investment and concern over peer feedback on selfies compared to boys. Multiple group structural equation models indicated that for boys and girls, selfie appearance investment was associated with depressive symptoms. For girls only, selfie peer feedback concern was associated with excessive reassurance-seeking and lower body esteem. No associations were revealed between observationally-coded measures of selfie-posting frequency and psychosocial outcomes. Overall, findings suggest that frequency of selfie-posting may be less relevant for understanding adolescent adjustment than investment in and concern over the selfie-posting experience.}, number={4}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY OF POPULAR MEDIA}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Nesi, Jacqueline and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Maheux, Anne J. and Roberts, Savannah R. and Sanzari, Christina M. and Widman, Laura and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2021}, month={Oct}, pages={488–499} }
 @article{widman_javidi_maheux_evans_nesi_choukas-bradley_2021, title={Sexual Communication in the Digital Age: Adolescent Sexual Communication with Parents and Friends About Sexting, Pornography, and Starting Relationships Online}, volume={25}, ISSN={["1936-4822"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09866-1}, DOI={10.1007/s12119-021-09866-1}, number={6}, journal={SEXUALITY & CULTURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah and Maheux, Anne J. and Evans, Reina and Nesi, Jacqueline and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2021}, month={Dec}, pages={2092–2109} }
 @article{widman_javidi_maheux_evans_nesi_choukas-bradley_2021, title={Sexual Communication in the Digital Age: Adolescent Sexual Communication with Parents and Friends About Sexting, Pornography, and Starting Relationships Online (Apr, 10.1007/s12119-021-09866-1, 2021)}, volume={6}, ISSN={["1936-4822"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09883-0}, DOI={10.1007/s12119-021-09883-0}, abstractNote={A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-021-09883-0}, journal={SEXUALITY & CULTURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah and Maheux, Anne J. and Evans, Reina and Nesi, Jacqueline and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2021}, month={Jun} }
 @article{brasileiro_widman_hurst_2021, title={Sexual self-efficacy and sexual communication among adolescent girls: moderated mediation results from a randomized controlled trial}, volume={11}, ISSN={0887-0446 1476-8321}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.2012573}, DOI={10.1080/08870446.2021.2012573}, abstractNote={Abstract Objective: Guided by the Operating Conditions Framework, the goal of this study was to identify how and for whom an online sexual health program called Health Education and Relationship Training (HEART) worked. Design: Data come from a randomized controlled trial among 198 U.S. high school girls who completed HEART or an attention-matched control. We conducted mediation and moderated mediation models to determine if sexual self-efficacy was a mediator and if program acceptability and sexual activity status were moderators of HEART efficacy. Main Outcome Measure: Sexual communication skills were assessed with a behavioral role-play task. Results: HEART significantly improved sexual communication skills. These effects were fully mediated through sexual self-efficacy. Specifically, HEART improved sexual self-efficacy which in turn increased sexual communication skills. Also, when participants liked the program more, the effect of HEART on sexual self-efficacy was stronger. Further, among girls who had engaged in sexual activity, sexual self-efficacy was significantly associated with sexual communication skills. Conclusion: This study provides insights into the mechanisms of behavior change underlying HEART. Results highlight the need to further ‘unpack’ the effects of other sexual health programs, as we showed that programs may work better under certain conditions.}, journal={Psychology & Health}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Brasileiro, Julia and Widman, Laura and Hurst, Jeffrey L.}, year={2021}, month={Dec}, pages={1–15} }
 @article{brasileiro_widman_evans_javidi_2021, title={Social self-efficacy and sexual communication among adolescents in the United States: a cross-sectional study}, volume={18}, ISSN={["1449-8987"]}, DOI={10.1071/SH20221}, abstractNote={Background Sexual communication between partners is associated with safer sex behaviours, including condom use among adolescents. Several studies have found a relationship between negative psychological constructs (e.g. depression, anxiety) and poor sexual communication; however, scant research exists regarding positive psychological constructs and their potential to promote effective sexual communication among adolescents. This study examined the association between a positive construct, social self-efficacy - a person's belief in their ability to successfully manage social relationships - and three components of sexual communication: sexual assertiveness, self-efficacy for communication, and frequency of sexual communication with dating partners.Data were collected in a cross-sectional survey from 222 high school girls in a rural school district in the south-eastern United States (Mage = 15.2; 38% White, 29% Latina, 24% Black; 50% were in a dating relationship in the past 3 months). Variables were measured with Likert-type scales. Bivariate correlation and regression analyses were conducted.Social self-efficacy was significantly positively associated with sexual assertiveness and sexual communication self-efficacy for all girls, and there was a positive trend in the relationship between social self-efficacy and communication frequency among the subsample of girls who had a dating partner. The significant relationship with sexual assertiveness (β = 0.22, s.e. = 0.07, P = 0.001) and sexual communication self-efficacy (β = 0.17, s.e. = 0.04, P = 0.013) remained when controlling for sexual activity status.Strengthening social self-efficacy may enhance girls' sexual communication and assertiveness skills. Future studies are needed to confirm the causal and temporal nature of these associations.}, number={2}, journal={SEXUAL HEALTH}, author={Brasileiro, Julia and Widman, Laura and Evans, Reina and Javidi, Hannah}, year={2021}, pages={172–179} }
 @article{kamke_widman_javidi_2021, title={The Multidimensionality of Adolescent Girls' Gender Attitudes}, volume={39}, ISSN={["1936-4717"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s12147-021-09288-1}, DOI={10.1007/s12147-021-09288-1}, number={2}, journal={GENDER ISSUES}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Kamke, Kristyn and Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah}, year={2021}, month={Aug} }
 @article{stewart_wallace_nance_schalkoff_uhrig castonguay_widman_carey_golin_2021, title={Validated HIV Knowledge Scales for Use with Adults and Adolescents: A Systematic Review (Nov, 10.1007/s10461-021-03521-4, 2021)}, volume={11}, ISSN={["1573-3254"]}, DOI={10.1007/s10461-021-03536-x}, journal={AIDS AND BEHAVIOR}, author={Stewart, J. L. and Wallace, Deshira D. and Nance, Abby and Schalkoff, Christine A. and Uhrig Castonguay, Breana J. and Widman, Laura and Carey, Michael P. and Golin, Carol E.}, year={2021}, month={Nov} }
 @article{stewart_kamke_widman_hope_2021, title={“They See Sex as Something That’s Reproductive and Not as Something People Do for Fun”: Shortcomings in Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Socialization from Adults}, volume={37}, ISSN={0743-5584 1552-6895}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/07435584211020299}, DOI={10.1177/07435584211020299}, abstractNote={Theorists suggest that adolescent girls’ sexual socialization can influence sexual risk reduction and positive sexuality development, although adolescent girls’ positive sexuality development is understudied. In this study, we applied a sex-positive framework to explore sexual socialization experiences among a sample of adolescent girls of color recruited from community-based organizations that serve youth with heightened needs (n = 50; Mage = 15.62, range = 12–19; 58% Black/African American; 76% heterosexual; 58% sexually active). Specifically, we examined girls’ reports of messages about sexuality they have received from their teachers, parents, health care providers, and society at large. Participants completed brief, semi-structured qualitative interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Overall, the adolescent girls described how they navigate primarily sex-negative sexual socialization messages from adults to develop positive sexual selves. Within this narrative, we found five themes: (a) Adults deliver one-sided communication that adolescent sex is inappropriate and risky; (b) Gendered messages restrict adolescent girls’ sexuality; (c) Naive adults can’t be trusted; (d) Exclusion of same-gender sexual experiences endangers adolescents who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and with other nonheterosexual orientations (LGBQ+); and (e) Messages about sexual protection can help but may still restrict adolescent girls’ sexual choices. Implications for adolescent girls’ positive sexuality development are discussed.}, number={2}, journal={Journal of Adolescent Research}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Stewart, J. L. and Kamke, Kristyn and Widman, Laura and Hope, Elan C.}, year={2021}, month={Jun}, pages={250–279} }
 @article{widman_evans_2020, title={Adolescent Sexual Health Interventions: Innovation, Efficacy, Cost, and the Urgent Need to Scale}, volume={145}, ISSN={["1098-4275"]}, DOI={10.1542/peds.2020-0392}, abstractNote={* Abbreviations:
 FTT — : Families Talking Together
 HCP — : health care provider

African American and Latinx adolescents in the United States are at high risk for experiencing poor sexual health outcomes. Compared with their white peers, African American and Latina girls are nearly twice as likely to give birth before age 20.1 Rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections are also higher for racial and/or ethnic minority adolescents.2 The persistence of these sexual health disparities, despite decades of intervention efforts, necessitates prevention approaches that are innovative, efficacious, cost-effective, and scalable.

In this issue of Pediatrics , Guilamo-Ramos et al3 provide rigorous evidence for a highly promising intervention, a triadic version of Families Talking Together (FTT). The triadic FTT intervention is innovative in that it involves African American and Latinx youth in early adolescence, their female caregivers, and their health care providers (HCPs). Of more than two dozen sexual health interventions for African American and/or Latinx adolescents that have been evaluated in randomized clinical trials,4,5 FTT is the first of which we are aware that incorporates adolescents, parents, and HCPs in a single program. Incorporating both parents and HCPs into intervention efforts is wise for several reasons: HCPs can lend additional credibility to intervention … 

Address correspondence to Laura Widman, PhD, Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, 640 Poe Hall, Raleigh, NC 27695. E-mail: lmwidman{at}ncsu.edu}, number={5}, journal={PEDIATRICS}, author={Widman, Laura and Evans, Reina}, year={2020}, month={May} }
 @article{evans_widman_stokes_javidi_hope_brasileiro_2020, title={Association of Sexual Health Interventions With Sexual Health Outcomes in Black Adolescents A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis}, volume={174}, ISSN={["2168-6211"]}, DOI={10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0382}, abstractNote={Importance
Black adolescents are at increased risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and experiencing unplanned pregnancy. Although sexual health interventions aimed at decreasing these risks exist, evidence of the association between sexual health interventions and the sexual behavior of black adolescents has not been synthesized to our knowledge.


Objective
To examine the associations between sexual health interventions and behavioral, biological, and psychological outcomes.


Data Sources
For this systematic review and meta-analysis, a systematic search was conducted of studies published through January 31, 2019, using the PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases and relevant review articles. The following key words were used: youth, adolesc* or teen*; sexual health or safe* sex or sexually transmitted disease or sexually transmitted infection or STD or STI or HIV or AIDS or pregnancy or reproductive health or condom* or contracept* or unprotected sex or abstinence; intervention or program or education or prevention or promotion or trial; latino* or latina* or latinx* or minorit* or ethnic* or hispanic or african american* or black* or race or racial or biracial.


Study Selection
Studies were included if they included a US-based sample of black adolescents, evaluated a sexual health intervention using experimental or quasi-experimental designs, included a behavioral outcome, and were published in English.


Data Extraction and Synthesis
Standardized mean differences and 95% CIs were extracted and meta-analyzed using random-effects models.


Main Outcomes and Measures
Behavioral outcomes were abstinence, condom use, and number of sex partners. Biological outcomes were pregnancy and STI contraction. Psychological outcomes were sexual health intentions, knowledge, and self-efficacy.


Results
Across 29 studies including 11 918 black adolescents (weighted mean age, 12.43 years), there was a significant weighted mean association of sexual health interventions with improvements in abstinence (Cohen d = 0.14; 95% CI, 0.05-0.24) and condom use (Cohen d = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.11-0.39). No significant mean association of these interventions with number of sex partners, pregnancy, or STI contraction was found. Sexual health interventions were significantly associated with improvements in psychological outcomes: sexual health intentions (Cohen d = 0.17; 95% CI, 0.05-0.30), knowledge (Cohen d = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30-0.63), and self-efficacy (Cohen d = 0.19; 95% CI, 0.09-0.28). Intervention effect sizes were consistent across factors, such as participant sex and age and intervention dose.


Conclusions and Relevance
The findings suggest that sexual health interventions are associated with improvements in sexual well-being among black adolescents. There appears to be a need for wide-scale dissemination of these programs to address racial disparities in sexual health across the US.}, number={7}, journal={JAMA PEDIATRICS}, author={Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Stokes, McKenzie N. and Javidi, Hannah and Hope, Elan C. and Brasileiro, Julia}, year={2020}, month={Jul}, pages={676–689} }
 @article{widman_kamke_evans_stewart_choukas-bradley_golin_2020, title={Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Brief Online Sexual Health Program for Adolescents}, volume={57}, ISSN={["1559-8519"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1630800}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2019.1630800}, abstractNote={This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a 45-minute interactive, online sexual health program for adolescents, called Health Education and Relationship Training (HEART). The program was originally developed and evaluated among adolescent girls (HEART for Girls); the current project describes and evaluates a new version of the program that was adapted for boys and girls. Participants were 226 high school students (mean age = 16.3; 58% girls; 46% White; 79% heterosexual). Students were randomized to HEART or an attention-matched control and assessed at pre-test and immediate post-test. Overall, the program was feasible to administer in a school setting and youth found the program highly acceptable (83% liked the program, 87% learned new things, and 93% would use program content in the future). At post-test, students who completed HEART demonstrated improvements on every outcome we examined: sexual communication intentions, condom use intentions, HIV/STD knowledge, condom attitudes, condom norms, self-efficacy to practice safer sex, and sexual assertiveness compared to control participants (effect size ds = .23 to 1.27). Interactions by gender and sexual orientation revealed the program was equally acceptable and worked equally well for boys and girls and for heterosexual and sexual minority youth. We propose several avenues to further adapt and tailor HEART given its promise in promoting adolescent sexual health.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Widman, Laura and Kamke, Kristyn and Evans, Reina and Stewart, J. L. and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Golin, Carol E.}, year={2020}, month={Feb}, pages={145–154} }
 @article{evans_widman_kamke_stewart_2020, title={Gender Differences in Parents' Communication With Their Adolescent Children about Sexual Risk and Sex-Positive Topics}, volume={57}, ISSN={["1559-8519"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1661345}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2019.1661345}, abstractNote={A healthy sexual self-concept that captures an understanding of the risky and the positive aspects of sexuality is imperative to life-long well-being. Parents have a unique opportunity to instill knowledge of sexual risk as well as confidence and comfort around sexuality in their adolescents. Although parent–child communication about sexual risk is fairly common, less is known regarding the frequency of parent–child communication about sex-positive topics, such as sexual desire and satisfaction. This study examined the frequency of parents’ communication with their children about sexual risk and sex-positive topics among a sample of 901 parents of 13–17-year-old adolescents (parent Mage= 40.61; 71% mothers) from across the U.S. Parents reported on sexual communication with their adolescent children (child Mage = 14.68; 50% daughters). We examined gender differences in communication patterns. Few parents communicated with their adolescents about sex-positive topics. Only 38% discussed sexual satisfaction, 38% discussed different types of sexual practices (e.g., oral sex), and 55% discussed sexual desire. Parents communicate more about sexual risk than sex-positive topics with their adolescents and this discrepancy was largest for mothers of daughters. Fathers of daughters communicate the least about sex-positive topics. Implications for intervention development and future research on sexual communication are discussed.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH}, author={Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Kamke, Kristyn and Stewart, J. L.}, year={2020}, month={Feb}, pages={177–188} }
 @misc{widman_evans_choukas-bradley_2020, title={More Meta-analytical Explorations on Adolescent Sexual Health Interventions Are Needed Reply}, volume={174}, ISSN={["2168-6211"]}, DOI={10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.5894}, abstractNote={Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy | Continue JAMA Pediatrics HomeNew OnlineCurrent IssueFor Authors Podcast Publications JAMA JAMA Network Open JAMA Cardiology JAMA Dermatology JAMA Health Forum JAMA Internal Medicine JAMA Neurology JAMA Oncology JAMA Ophthalmology JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery JAMA Pediatrics JAMA Psychiatry JAMA Surgery Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry (1919-1959) JN Learning / CMESubscribeJobsInstitutions / LibrariansReprints & Permissions Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement 2023 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved Search All JAMA JAMA Network Open JAMA Cardiology JAMA Dermatology JAMA Forum Archive JAMA Health Forum JAMA Internal Medicine JAMA Neurology JAMA Oncology JAMA Ophthalmology JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery JAMA Pediatrics JAMA Psychiatry JAMA Surgery Archives of Neurology & Psychiatry Input Search Term Sign In Individual Sign In Sign inCreate an Account Access through your institution Sign In Purchase Options: Buy this article Rent this article Subscribe to the JAMA Pediatrics journal}, number={4}, journal={JAMA PEDIATRICS}, author={Widman, Laura and Evans, Reina and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2020}, month={Apr}, pages={390–391} }
 @article{maheux_evans_widman_nesi_prinstein_choukas-bradley_2020, title={Popular peer norms and adolescent sexting behavior}, volume={78}, ISSN={["1095-9254"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.12.002}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Introduction Adolescents misperceive and are heavily influenced by the behavior of their popular peers, yet research has not yet investigated this phenomenon for a relatively new and potentially risky behavior: adolescent sexting. The present study investigates rates of sexting among popular and non‐popular adolescents and the association between adolescents' perceptions of popular peers’ sexting behavior and their own sexting behavior. Methods A school‐based sample of 626 adolescents from a rural high school in the Southeastern U.S. ( M age = 17.4, 53.5% female) completed surveys indicating whether they had sent a sext in the past year. Participants also reported on perceptions of popular peers’ sexting behavior and completed sociometric nominations of peer status. Results While 87.4% of adolescents believed the typical popular boy or girl in their class had sent a sext in the past year, only 62.5% of popular adolescents had actually sent a sext. There was no significant difference between rates of sexting among popular and non‐popular (54.8%) adolescents. After adjusting for gender and sexual activity status, adolescents who believed that the typical popular peer sent a sext were over ten times more likely to have also sexted in the past year. Among adolescents who believed their popular peers had not sexted, girls were more likely than boys to have sexted themselves; however, this gender difference disappeared among adolescents who believed their popular peers had sexted. Conclusions These results underscore the importance of peer status and perceptions of peer norms in adolescents’ sexting.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Maheux, Anne J. and Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Nesi, Jacqueline and Prinstein, Mitchell J. and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2020}, month={Jan}, pages={62–66} }
 @article{evans_widman_javidi_adams_cacace_prinstein_desmarais_2020, title={Preliminary Evaluation of a Prescription Opioid Misuse Prevention Program Among Rural Middle School Students}, volume={45}, ISSN={0094-5145 1573-3610}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10900-020-00899-5}, DOI={10.1007/s10900-020-00899-5}, abstractNote={Adolescent opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose have emerged as national health crises. Nearly 17% of high school students have misused prescription opioids. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reach and acceptability of a widely-used prescription opioid misuse prevention program, This Is (Not) About Drugs© (TINAD), and its preliminary efficacy at improving opioid misuse knowledge, opioid misuse attitudes, self-efficacy to avoid opioid misuse, and intentions to misuse opioids. Participants were 576 7th grade students (Mage = 11.8; 51% boys; 39% Hispanic, 31% White, 20% Black) from a rural county in the southeastern U.S. All participants received the TINAD program and completed pretest and immediate posttest assessments. The program was school-based and implemented in collaboration with school teachers and administrators. Over 91% of all eligible students in the school district participated in the TINAD program. Most participants found the program acceptable-over 83% of students liked the program. Approximately 9% of participants reported prior misuse of prescription opioids. After participating in TINAD, students self-reported higher knowledge and self-efficacy as well as safer attitudes. However, there was no change in intentions to misuse opioids in the future. Effects of the program were consistent across gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, and previous opioid misuse. TINAD is acceptable and shows promise for improving opioid-related cognitions. However, more rigorous experimental and longitudinal research is needed to understand whether TINAD reduces opioid misuse over time. Given the limited research on adolescent opioid misuse prevention, this study lays the ground work for future randomized control trials.}, number={6}, journal={Journal of Community Health}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Javidi, Hannah and Adams, Elizabeth Troutman and Cacace, Sam and Prinstein, Mitchell J. and Desmarais, Sarah L.}, year={2020}, month={Aug}, pages={1139–1148} }
 @article{schleider_burnette_widman_hoyt_prinstein_2020, title={Randomized Trial of a Single-Session Growth MindSet Intervention for Rural Adolescents' Internalizing and Externalizing Problems}, volume={49}, ISSN={["1537-4424"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2019.1622123}, DOI={10.1080/15374416.2019.1622123}, abstractNote={Adolescents living in rural regions of the United States face substantial barriers to accessing mental health services, creating needs for more accessible, nonstigmatizing, briefer interventions. Research suggests that single-session “growth mind-set” interventions (GM-SSIs)—which teach the belief that personal traits are malleable through effort—may reduce internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents. However, GM-SSIs have not been evaluated among rural youth, and their effects on internalizing and externalizing problems have not been assessed within a single trial, rendering their relative benefits for different problem types unclear. We examined whether a computerized GM-SSI could reduce depressive symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and conduct problems in female adolescents from rural areas of the United States. Tenth-grade female adolescents (N = 222, M age = 15.2, 38% White, 25% Black, 29% Hispanic) from 4 rural, low-income high schools in the southeastern United States were randomized to receive a 45-min GM-SSI or a computer-based active control program, teaching healthy sexual behaviors. Young women self-reported depression symptoms, social anxiety symptoms, and conduct problem behaviors at baseline and 4-month follow-up. Relative to the female students in the control group, the students receiving the GM-SSI reported modest but significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms (d= .23) and likelihood of reporting elevated depressive symptoms (d= .29) from baseline to follow-up. GM-SSI effects were nonsignificant for social anxiety symptoms, although a small effect size emerged in the hypothesized direction (d= .21), and nonsignificant for change in conduct problems (d= .01). A free-of-charge 45-min GM-SSI may help reduce internalizing distress, especially depression—but not conduct problems—in rural female adolescents.}, number={5}, journal={JOURNAL OF CLINICAL CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOLOGY}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Schleider, Jessica L. and Burnette, Jeni L. and Widman, Laura and Hoyt, Crystal and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2020}, month={Sep}, pages={660–672} }
 @misc{evans_widman_stokes_javidi_hope_brasileiro_2020, title={Sexual Health Programs for Latinx Adolescents: A Meta-analysis}, volume={146}, ISSN={["1098-4275"]}, DOI={10.1542/peds.2019-3572}, abstractNote={Synthesizing 12 trials, sexual health interventions improved abstinence, condom use, and sexual health knowledge and reduced the number of sex partners among Latinx adolescents. BrightcoveDefaultPlayer10.1542/6154056863001PEDS-VA_2019-3572 Video Abstract CONTEXT: Latinx adolescents are at risk for negative sexual health outcomes, and many interventions have been developed to reduce this risk. OBJECTIVE: In this meta-analysis, we synthesized the literature on sexual health interventions for Latinx adolescents and examined intervention effects on 3 behavioral outcomes (abstinence, condom use, number of sex partners) and 3 psychological outcomes (safer sex knowledge, intentions, self-efficacy). Moderators of intervention success were explored. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of studies published through January 2019 was conducted by using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. STUDY SELECTION: All studies included a US-based sample of Latinx adolescents, evaluated sexual health intervention by using an experimental or quasiexperimental design, included a behavioral outcome, and were in English. DATA EXTRACTION: Standardized mean difference (d) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were meta-analyzed by using random-effects models. RESULTS: Effect sizes from 12 studies, sampling 4673 adolescents, were synthesized. Sexual health interventions improved abstinence (d = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.28), condom use (d = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.18 to 0.70), number of sex partners (d = −0.19, 95% CI: −0.37 to −0.001), and sexual health knowledge (d = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.70), compared with control conditions. Effects were consistent across a number of demographic and clinical characteristics, although culturally tailored interventions produced greater change in condom use than nontailored interventions. LIMITATIONS: There was variation across studies in measures of sexual behavior, and some elements of individual study quality were unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual health interventions have a small but significant impact on improving safer sexual behavior among Latinx adolescents. Health educators should consider the importance of cultural tailoring to program success.}, number={1}, journal={PEDIATRICS}, author={Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Stokes, McKenzie and Javidi, Hannah and Hope, Elan and Brasileiro, Julia}, year={2020}, month={Jul} }
 @article{choukas-bradley_nesi_widman_galla_2020, title={The Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness Scale: Development and validation with adolescents}, volume={33}, ISSN={["1873-6807"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.017}, abstractNote={Appearance-related social media consciousness (ASMC) is defined as the extent to which individuals’ thoughts and behaviors reflect ongoing awareness of whether they might look attractive to a social media audience. In this 3-study paper, we report the development and validation of the ASMC Scale for adolescents. In Study 1, we developed 18 items and received input from adolescent focus groups and content experts, resulting in 13 items. In Study 2, we administered these items to a high school sample (N = 1227; 51.8 % girls; Mage = 15.72), completing an exploratory factor analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis on two split halves. Results supported a single-factor solution with configural, metric, and partial scalar gender invariance. In Study 3, we administered the scale to a second high school sample (N = 226; 58.4 % girls; Mage = 16.25). ASMC scores demonstrated strong internal consistency, convergent and incremental validity, and test-retest reliability (measure re-administered for n = 207). Higher ASMC was associated with higher depressive and disordered eating symptoms, controlling for time on social media, gender, race/ethnicity, and body surveillance. Girls reported higher mean scores than boys. Findings support the use of this 13-item scale in reliably assessing adolescents’ ASMC, which may have important implications for mental health in the age of social media.}, journal={BODY IMAGE}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Nesi, Jacqueline and Widman, Laura and Galla, Brian M.}, year={2020}, month={Jun}, pages={164–174} }
 @article{evans_widman_goldey_2020, title={The Role of Adolescent Sex Education in Sexual Satisfaction among LGB+ and Heterosexual Young Adults}, volume={15}, ISSN={["1554-6136"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/15546128.2020.1763883}, DOI={10.1080/15546128.2020.1763883}, abstractNote={Abstract Comprehensive sex education from schools and parents can reduce adolescent sexual risk. Little is known about the associations between adolescent sex education and sexual satisfaction among young adults—particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority (LGB+) young adults. We examined how adolescent sex education (comprehensive versus abstinence-only) was associated with young adult sexual satisfaction (sexual contentment and sexual communication satisfaction). More comprehensive school-based sex education had a stronger association with sexual contentment and communication satisfaction in young adulthood for heterosexual participants than LGB+ participants. More comprehensive family-based sex education was associated with higher communication satisfaction for all participants.}, number={3}, journal={AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SEXUALITY EDUCATION}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Evans, Reina and Widman, Laura and Goldey, Katherine}, year={2020}, month={Jul}, pages={310–335} }
 @article{javidi_maheux_widman_kamke_choukas-bradley_peterson_2020, title={Understanding Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Affirmative Consent}, volume={57}, ISSN={["1559-8519"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1711009}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2019.1711009}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT A clear understanding of sexual consent is important for sexual violence prevention. To date, most research has focused on how college students understand and negotiate consent. Although adolescence is a critical period for the development of sexual attitudes, identity, and intimate relationships, the perspectives of high school-aged youth have been largely absent from the consent literature. The current study investigated adolescents’ attitudes toward affirmative consent in a sample of 226 high school students (58% female; 46% White, 24% Black, 25% Hispanic) from the southeastern U.S., as well as associations between affirmative consent attitudes and gender, gender role beliefs, and sexual activity status. Additionally, we tested whether gender role beliefs were a mediator between gender and affirmative consent attitudes. Overall, adolescents reported supportive attitudes toward affirmative consent. On average, girls and adolescents with more egalitarian gender role beliefs had more positive attitudes toward affirmative consent than boys and those with less egalitarian gender role beliefs, though no differences by sexual activity status were found. Gender role beliefs mediated the relationship between gender and attitudes toward affirmative consent. The results suggest that adolescents are generally supportive of affirmative consent practices, although some important group differences emerged.}, number={9}, journal={JOURNAL OF SEX RESEARCH}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Javidi, Hannah and Maheux, Anne J. and Widman, Laura and Kamke, Kristyn and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Peterson, Zoe D.}, year={2020}, month={Nov}, pages={1100–1107} }
 @inbook{widman_stewart_2019, place={New York}, edition={4th}, title={Adolescent sexual communication scale}, booktitle={Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures}, publisher={Routledge}, author={Widman, L. and Stewart, J.L.}, editor={Milhausen, R. and Fisher, T.D. and Davis, C.M. and Yarber, W.L. and Davis, S.L.Editors}, year={2019}, pages={251–253} }
 @article{stewart_widman_kamke_2019, title={Applying a Multifactorial Communication Framework to Better Understand Differences between Father-daughter and Mother-daughter Sexual Health Discussions}, volume={24}, ISSN={["1087-0415"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2019.1651428}, DOI={10.1080/10810730.2019.1651428}, abstractNote={While the literature on parent-child sexual communication among adolescent girls is robust overall, research that is specifically focused on communication between fathers and daughters is more limited. Further, there have been calls for work on parent-child sexual communication to be situated within a multi-factorial conceptual framework that distinguishes between different communication components, such as the communication source, content, frequency, quality, and timing. Using such a framework, this study examined aspects of father-daughter sexual communication as they compare to mother-daughter communication in a diverse sample of 193 girls (Mage = 15.62). Results highlighted several gaps between father-daughter and mother-daughter communication. Girls reported covering less content and communicating less frequently about sexual topics with their fathers compared to their mothers. Girls also reported being less comfortable communicating and found their discussions to be less helpful with fathers than mothers. Girls were also less likely to report communicating with fathers about sexual topics before their sexual debut than with mothers. No significant differences were found in communication style (i.e., conversational or like a lecture) between fathers or mothers. Results highlight the importance of understanding the multifaceted process of parent-child communication and signal the need for targeted intervention efforts to improve upon father-daughter communication.}, number={7-8}, journal={JOURNAL OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Stewart, J. L. and Widman, Laura and Kamke, Kristyn}, year={2019}, pages={633–642} }
 @misc{widman_evans_javidi_choukas-bradley_2019, title={Assessment of Parent-Based Interventions for Adolescent Sexual Health A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis}, volume={173}, ISSN={["2168-6211"]}, DOI={10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.2324}, abstractNote={Importance
Parent-based sexual health interventions have received considerable attention as one factor that can increase safer sexual behavior among youth; however, to our knowledge, the evidence linking parent-based interventions to youth sexual behaviors has not been empirically synthesized.


Objective
To examine the association of parent-based sexual health interventions with 3 primary youth outcomes-delayed sexual activity, condom use, and parent-child sexual communication-as well as several secondary outcomes. We also explored potential moderators of intervention effectiveness.


Data Sources
A systematic search was conducted of studies published through March 2018 using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Communication Source, and CINAHL databases and relevant review articles.


Study Selection
Studies were included if they: (1) sampled adolescents (mean age, ≤18 years), (2) included parents in a key intervention component, (3) evaluated program effects with experimental/quasi-experimental designs, (4) included an adolescent-reported behavioral outcome, (5) consisted of a US-based sample, and (6) were published in English.


Data Extraction and Synthesis
Standardized mean difference (d) and 95% confidence intervals were computed from studies and meta-analyzed using random-effects models. A secondary analysis evaluated potential moderating variables.


Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcomes were delayed sexual activity, condom use, and sexual communication.


Results
Independent findings from 31 articles reporting on 12 464 adolescents (mean age = 12.3 years) were synthesized. Across studies, there was a significant association of parent-based interventions with improved condom use (d = 0.32; 95% CI, 0.13-0.51; P = .001) and parent-child sexual communication (d = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.19-0.35; P = .001). No significant differences between parent-based interventions and control programs were found for delaying sexual activity (d = -0.06; 95% CI, -0.14 to 0.02; P = .16). The associations for condom use were heterogeneous. Moderation analyses revealed larger associations for interventions that focused on younger, compared with older, adolescents; targeted black or Hispanic youth compared with mixed race/ethnicity samples; targeted parents and teens equally compared with emphasizing parents only; and included a program dose of 10 hours or more compared with a lower dose.


Conclusions and Relevance
Parent-based sexual health programs can promote safer sex behavior and cognitions in adolescents, although the findings in this analysis were generally modest. Moderation analyses indicated several areas where future programs could place additional attention to improve potential effectiveness.}, number={9}, journal={JAMA PEDIATRICS}, author={Widman, Laura and Evans, Reina and Javidi, Hannah and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia}, year={2019}, month={Sep}, pages={866–877} }
 @article{choukas-bradley_nesi_widman_higgins_2019, title={Camera-ready: Young women’s appearance-related social media consciousness.}, volume={8}, ISSN={2160-4142 2160-4134}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/PPM0000196}, DOI={10.1037/ppm0000196}, number={4}, journal={Psychology of Popular Media Culture}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Nesi, Jacqueline and Widman, Laura and Higgins, M. K.}, year={2019}, month={Oct}, pages={473–481} }
 @article{stewart_spivey_widman_choukas-bradley_prinstein_2019, title={Developmental patterns of sexual identity, romantic attraction, and sexual behavior among adolescents over three years}, volume={77}, ISSN={["1095-9254"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.10.006}, abstractNote={Adolescents are heterogeneous in how they define and experience their sexual orientation, which can include specific identity labels, romantic attractions, and other- and/or same-sex sexual behavior. These three components of sexual orientation are not always concordant, and studies suggest adolescents-particularly girls-are fluid in these dimensions of orientation over time. The current study examined: 1) fluidity in adolescent girls' and boys' self-labeled identities and romantic attractions over time, and 2) patterns of adolescent girls' and boys' self-labeled identities and romantic attractions as they coincide with sexual behavior.Surveys were administered to adolescents in three low-income high schools in the rural Southeastern U.S. at three yearly intervals (n = 744; Mage = 15.0; 54.3% girls; 48% White, 24% Hispanic/Latinx, 21% Black/African American). Participants reported their self-labeled sexual identity and romantic attraction at each time point and their lifetime sexual behavior with girls and boys at year 3.Results revealed 26% of girls and 11% of boys reported fluidity in identity and 31% of girls and 10% of boys reported fluidity in attractions. At each time point, up to 20% of girls and 6% of boys reported a sexual minority identity label with concurrent same-sex attraction; the majority of these participants also reported same-sex behavior. Among heterosexual-identified participants reporting some degree of same-sex attraction at year 3, approximately 66% of girls and 10% of boys reported same-sex behavior.The findings suggest that many adolescents are nuanced and dynamic in how they identify and experience their developing sexualities.}, journal={JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Stewart, J. L. and Spivey, Leigh A. and Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2019}, month={Dec}, pages={90–97} }
 @article{kamke_widman_desmarais_2019, title={Evaluation of an Online Sexual Health Program among Adolescent Girls with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties}, volume={29}, ISSN={1062-1024 1573-2843}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01685-1}, DOI={10.1007/s10826-019-01685-1}, abstractNote={Adolescent girls with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBDs) have a heightened risk of negative sexual health, including HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unplanned pregnancy. Few evidence-based sexual health interventions are available for adolescent girls with EBDs. This study tested the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of a brief, online sexual health program called HEART (Health Education and Relationship Training).Forty-seven participants (M-age = 15.79; SD = 1.71; 62% Black, 23% Hispanic) recruited from community-based organizations in the southeastern U.S. were compared to a non-equivalent comparison group who received an attention-matched intervention.Findings support the feasibility of participant recruitment and program administration in community-based settings. Participants completed HEART in 44 minutes and experienced few technological difficulties. HEART was highly acceptable: most participants liked, learned from, and were engaged with the program. Further, 92% would recommend HEART to a friend and 98% would use what they learned in the future. At posttest, intervention participants had significantly higher communication intentions, communication skills, STI/HIV knowledge, sexual self-efficacy, condom attitudes, and condom norms than the comparison group (ps < .003; effect size ds = .38-1.65). Significant improvement in condom intentions was observed when comparing pretest to posttest scores among intervention participants only, t(46) = -3.21, d = 0.47.Findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of HEART among adolescent girls with EBDs in community-based settings. This study also addresses the growing need for research into the transferability of sexual health interventions to facilitate evidence-based decision-making about program dissemination and implementation.}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Child and Family Studies}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Kamke, Kristyn and Widman, Laura and Desmarais, Sarah L.}, year={2019}, month={Dec}, pages={1044–1054} }
 @article{francis_stevens_noar_widman_2019, title={Public Reactions to and Impact of Celebrity Health Announcements: Understanding the Charlie Sheen Effect}, volume={30}, ISSN={["1096-4649"]}, DOI={10.1080/10646175.2018.1532852}, abstractNote={Abstract Charlie Sheen, a popular actor, disclosed his HIV positive status on national television in November 2015. The purpose of this study was to examine reactions to and impact of Sheen’s HIV disclosure, specifically empathetic reactions, public engagement (information seeking, interpersonal communication, information sharing), and HIV testing intentions. We surveyed 751 adults about 2 months after Sheen’s disclosure and found high exposure to the announcement as well as information seeking, interpersonal communication, and information sharing about HIV. We found significant demographic differences in engagement with Sheen’s disclosure, with African Americans more likely to seek information and engage in conversations. Interpersonal communication mediated the relationship between empathy and HIV testing intentions. Public figure announcements, when widely-reported like that of Sheen, offer compelling health communication opportunities to inform and educate the public about disease and produce changes in public engagement that may impact behavioral intentions and ultimately behavior.}, number={5}, journal={HOWARD JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS}, author={Francis, Diane B. and Stevens, Elise M. and Noar, Seth M. and Widman, Laura}, year={2019}, month={Oct}, pages={479–494} }
 @article{kamke_widman_haskett_2019, title={Safer Sex Communication and Sexual Health Behaviors Among a Representative Statewide Sample of Homeless Adolescents}, volume={57}, ISSN={0022-4499 1559-8519}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1577945}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2019.1577945}, abstractNote={Homeless adolescents are at substantial risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unplanned pregnancy; however, little research has assessed factors, such as safer sex communication, that may protect homeless adolescents against these negative outcomes. Using the 2015 North Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS; unweighted N = 5,486; ages 12 to 18; 5% homeless), we compared homeless adolescents’ primary safer sex communication sources (i.e., health care providers, parents, teachers, peers, religious leaders) to housed adolescents’ communication sources and assessed how these sources relate to sexual health behaviors, including condom use, HIV testing, and number of sexual partners. Most homeless adolescents (61%), and 46% of housed adolescents reported having questions about sex. Further, twice as many homeless adolescents communicated primarily with health care providers compared to housed adolescents. Importantly, among homeless adolescents, communicating primarily with health care providers or teachers was related to greater likelihood of condom use and communicating primarily with religious leaders was related to greater likelihood of HIV testing. Parent communication was unrelated to homeless adolescents’ sexual health behaviors. Last, communicating primarily with peers was associated with reduced likelihood of HIV testing. Having nonparental adult communication sources, including health care providers, teachers, and religious leaders, may be critical for encouraging safer sex behaviors among homeless adolescents.}, number={2}, journal={The Journal of Sex Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Kamke, Kristyn and Widman, Laura and Haskett, Mary E.}, year={2019}, month={Feb}, pages={1–8} }
 @inbook{widman_mcnulty_2019, place={New York}, edition={4th}, title={The sexual narcissism scale}, booktitle={Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures}, publisher={Routledge}, author={Widman, L. and McNulty, J.K.}, editor={Milhausen, R. and Fisher, T.D. and Davis, C.M. and Yarber, W.L. and Davis, S.L.Editors}, year={2019}, pages={552–553} }
 @article{burnette_russell_hoyt_orvidas_widman_2018, title={An online growth mindset intervention in a sample of rural adolescent girls}, volume={88}, ISSN={["2044-8279"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85048912279&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/bjep.12192}, abstractNote={BackgroundStudents living in rural areas of the United States exhibit lower levels of educational attainment than their suburban counterparts. Innovative interventions are needed to close this educational achievement gap.}, number={3}, journal={BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Burnette, Jeni L. and Russell, Michelle V. and Hoyt, Crystal L. and Orvidas, Kasey and Widman, Laura}, year={2018}, month={Sep}, pages={428–445} }
 @article{choukas-bradley_nesi_widman_noar_2018, title={Examining the Roles of Self-Objectification and Appearance Expectations in Young Women’s Indoor Tanning Behavior}, volume={80}, DOI={10.1007/s11199-018-0913-9}, number={1-2}, journal={Sex Roles}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Nesi, Jacqueline and Widman, Laura and Noar, Seth M.}, year={2018}, month={Apr}, pages={52–62} }
 @article{wagner_widman_nesi_noar_2018, title={Intentions to Use Emergency Contraception: The Role of Accurate Knowledge and Information Source Credibility}, volume={49}, ISSN={["2168-3751"]}, DOI={10.1080/19325037.2018.1473179}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Background: Emergency contraception (EC) is a highly effective form of birth control that may lower rates of unintended pregnancy among young women. But efforts to disseminate EC to women are hampered by misinformation and inadequate information. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the sources from which young women learn about EC (including health care providers, friends/interpersonal sources, media sources, or no information sources) and to examine associations between source credibility with the accuracy of EC knowledge and intentions to use EC. Method: Using a computer-based survey, 339 college women (M age = 18.4) reported their EC information sources, knowledge about EC, and behavioral intentions to use EC. Results: In total, 97% of participants had heard of EC from at least one source and 49% indicated that they were highly likely to use EC in the future if needed. Results demonstrated that EC knowledge mediated the relationship between EC information source credibility and intentions to use EC. Discussion: This study contributes important insights to a scarce literature on EC information sources and the factors that predict intentions to use EC. Translation to Health Education Practice: Future EC promotion efforts should target Health Education sources instead of media or interpersonal sources to promote EC knowledge and use among young sexually at-risk populations.}, number={4}, journal={AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Wagner, Kyla P. Garrett and Widman, Laura and Nesi, Jacqueline and Noar, Seth M.}, year={2018}, pages={264–270} }
 @misc{mcnulty_widman_2018, title={Narcissistic Qualities and Infidelity}, ISBN={9783319921709 9783319921716}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92171-6_35}, DOI={10.1007/978-3-319-92171-6_35}, journal={Handbook of Trait Narcissism}, publisher={Springer International Publishing}, author={McNulty, James K. and Widman, Laura}, year={2018}, pages={327–333} }
 @article{widman_golin_kamke_burnette_prinstein_2018, title={Sexual Assertiveness Skills and Sexual Decision-Making in Adolescent Girls: Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Program}, volume={108}, ISSN={0090-0036 1541-0048}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2017.304106}, DOI={10.2105/ajph.2017.304106}, abstractNote={Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of an interactive, Web-based sexual health program (Health Education and Relationship Training [HEART]) for developing sexual assertiveness skills and enhancing sexual decision-making in adolescent girls. Methods Participants were 222 tenth-grade girls (mean age = 15.2; 38% White, 29% Hispanic, 25% Black) in the Southeastern United States who were randomized in fall 2015 to the HEART intervention or an attention-matched control. We assessed participants at pretest, immediate posttest, and 4-month follow-up. Results Both groups had similar demographic and sexual behavior characteristics at pretest. At immediate posttest, girls who completed the HEART program demonstrated better sexual assertiveness skills measured with a behavioral task, higher self-reported assertiveness, intentions to communicate about sexual health, knowledge regarding HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), safer sex norms and attitudes, and condom self-efficacy compared with the control condition. At 4-month follow-up, group differences remained in knowledge regarding HIV and other STDs, condom attitudes, and condom self-efficacy. Conclusions This brief online sexual health program can improve short-term outcomes among adolescent girls and offers an exciting new option in the growing array of digital health interventions available to youths. Trial Registration Number NCT02579135.}, number={1}, journal={American Journal of Public Health}, publisher={American Public Health Association}, author={Widman, Laura and Golin, Carol E. and Kamke, Kristyn and Burnette, Jeni L. and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2018}, month={Jan}, pages={96–102} }
 @inbook{widman_kamke_2018, title={Sexual Attitudes}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781506307633.n731}, DOI={10.4135/9781506307633.n731}, booktitle={The SAGE Encyclopedia of Lifespan Human Development}, publisher={SAGE Publications, Inc.}, author={Widman, L. and Kamke, K.}, editor={Bornstein, M.H.Editor}, year={2018}, pages={1965–1968} }
 @misc{widman_nesi_kamke_choukas-bradley_stewart_2018, title={Technology-Based Interventions to Reduce Sexually Transmitted Infections and Unintended Pregnancy Among Youth}, volume={62}, ISSN={["1879-1972"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.007}, DOI={10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.02.007}, abstractNote={Purpose Technology-based interventions to promote sexual health have proliferated in recent years, yet their efficacy among youth has not been meta-analyzed. This study synthesizes the literature on technology-based sexual health interventions among youth. Methods Studies were included if they (1) sampled youth ages 13–24; (2) utilized technology-based platforms; (3) measured condom use or abstinence as outcomes; (4) evaluated program effects with experimental or quasi-experimental designs; and (5) were published in English. Results Sixteen studies with 11,525 youth were synthesized. There was a significant weighted mean effect of technology-based interventions on condom use (d = .23, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.12, .34], p < .001) and abstinence (d = .21, 95% CI [.02, .40], p = .027). Effects did not differ by age, gender, country, intervention dose, interactivity, or program tailoring. However, effects were stronger when assessed with short-term (1–5 months) than with longer term (greater than 6 months) follow-ups. Compared with control programs, technology-based interventions were also more effective in increasing sexual health knowledge (d = .40, p < .001) and safer sex norms (d = .15, p = .022) and attitudes (d = .12, p = .016). Conclusions After 15 years of research on youth-focused technology-based interventions, this meta-analysis demonstrates their promise to improve safer sex behavior and cognitions. Future work should adapt interventions to extend their protective effects over time.}, number={6}, journal={JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH}, author={Widman, Laura and Nesi, Jacqueline and Kamke, Kristyn and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Stewart, J. L.}, year={2018}, month={Jun}, pages={651–660} }
 @article{grodensky_golin_parikh_ochtera_kincaid_groves_widman_suchindran_mcgirt_amola_et al._2017, title={Does the quality of safetalk motivational interviewing counseling predict sexual behavior outcomes among people living with HIV?}, volume={100}, ISSN={0738-3991}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.PEC.2016.08.014}, DOI={10.1016/J.PEC.2016.08.014}, abstractNote={Although past research has demonstrated a link between the quality of motivational interviewing (MI) counseling and client behavior change, this relationship has not been examined in the context of sexual risk behavior among people living with HIV/AIDS. We studied MI quality and unprotected anal/vaginal intercourse (UAVI) in the context of SafeTalk, an evidence-based secondary HIV prevention intervention.We used a structured instrument (the MISC 2.0 coding system) as well as a client-reported instrument to rate intervention sessions on aspects of MI quality. Then we correlated client-reported UAVI with specific counseling behaviors and the proportion of interactions that achieved MI quality benchmarks.Higher MISC-2.0 global ratings and a higher ratio of reflections to questions both significantly predicted fewer UAVI acts at 8-month follow-up. Analysis of client ratings, which was more exploratory, showed that clients who rated their sessions higher in counselor acceptance, client disclosure, and relevance reported higher numbers of UAVIs, whereas clients who selected higher ratings for perceived benefit were more likely to have fewer UAVI episodes.Further research is needed to determine the best methods of translating information about MI quality into dissemination of effective MI interventions with people living with HIV.}, number={1}, journal={Patient Education and Counseling}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Grodensky, Catherine and Golin, Carol and Parikh, Megha A. and Ochtera, Rebecca and Kincaid, Carlye and Groves, Jennifer and Widman, Laura and Suchindran, Chirayath and McGirt, Camille and Amola, Kemi and et al.}, year={2017}, month={Jan}, pages={147–153} }
 @article{widman_golin_kamke_massey_prinstein_2017, title={Feasibility and acceptability of a web-based HIV/STD prevention program for adolescent girls targeting sexual communication skills}, volume={32}, ISSN={["1465-3648"]}, DOI={10.1093/her/cyx048}, abstractNote={Adolescent girls are at substantial risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. To reduce these risks, we developed Health Education And Relationship Training (HEART), a web-based intervention focused on developing sexual assertiveness skills and enhancing sexual decision-making. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of this new program and examined if perceived acceptability varied according to participant ethnicity, sexual orientation or sexual activity status. Participants were part of a randomized controlled trial of 222 10th-grade girls (Mage = 15.26). The current analyses included those in the intervention condition (n = 107; 36% white, 27% black and 29% Hispanic). HEART took approximately 45 min to complete and was feasible to administer in a school-based setting. Participants found the program highly acceptable: 95% liked the program and learned from the program, 88% would recommend the program to a friend and 94% plan to use what they learned in the future. The primary acceptability results did not vary by the ethnicity, sexual orientation or sexual activity status of participants, suggesting broad appeal. Results indicate that this new online program is a promising method to reach and engage adolescents in sexual health education.}, number={4}, journal={HEALTH EDUCATION RESEARCH}, publisher={Oxford University Press (OUP)}, author={Widman, L. and Golin, C. E. and Kamke, K. and Massey, J. and Prinstein, M. J.}, year={2017}, month={Aug}, pages={343–352} }
 @article{nesi_widman_choukas-bradley_prinstein_2017, title={Technology-Based Communication and the Development of Interpersonal Competencies Within Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Preliminary Investigation}, volume={27}, ISSN={["1532-7795"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84994235615&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1111/jora.12274}, abstractNote={This study investigated longitudinal associations between adolescents’ technology‐based communication and the development of interpersonal competencies within romantic relationships. A school‐based sample of 487 adolescents (58% girls; Mage = 14.1) participated at two time points, one year apart. Participants reported (1) proportions of daily communication with romantic partners via traditional modes (in person, on the phone) versus technological modes (text messaging, social networking sites) and (2) competence in the romantic relationship skill domains of negative assertion and conflict management. Results of cross‐lagged panel models indicated that adolescents who engaged in greater proportions of technology‐based communication with romantic partners reported lower levels of interpersonal competencies one year later, but not vice versa; associations were particularly strong for boys.}, number={2}, journal={JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE}, author={Nesi, Jacqueline and Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2017}, month={Jun}, pages={471–477} }
 @article{widman_choukas-bradley_helms_prinstein_2016, title={Adolescent Susceptibility to Peer Influence in Sexual Situations}, volume={58}, ISSN={["1879-1972"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84958832182&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1016/j.jadohealth.2015.10.253}, abstractNote={One consistent predictor of adolescents' engagement in sexual risk behavior is their belief that peers are engaging in similar behavior; however, not all youth are equally susceptible to these peer influence effects. Understanding individual differences in susceptibility to peer influence is critical to identifying adolescents at risk for negative health outcomes. The purpose of this project was to identify predictors of susceptibility to peer influence using a novel performance-based measure of sexual risk taking.Participants were 300 early adolescents (Mage = 12.6 years; 53% female; 44% Caucasian) who completed (1) a pretest assessment of demographics, sexual attitudes, and hypothetical scenarios measuring the likelihood of engaging in sexual risk behavior and (2) a subsequent experimental procedure that simulated an Internet chat room in which youth believed that they were communicating with peers regarding these same hypothetical scenarios. In reality, these "peers" were computer-programmed e-confederates. Changes in responses to the sexual scenarios in the private pretest versus during the public chat room provided a performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility.In total, 78% of youth provided more risky responses in the chat room than those in pretest. The most robust predictor of this change was gender, with boys significantly more susceptible to peer influence than girls. Significant interactions also were noted, with greater susceptibility among boys with later pubertal development and African-American boys.Results confirm that not all youth are equally susceptible to peer influence. Consistent with sexual script theory, boys evidence greater susceptibility to social pressure regarding sexual behavior than girls.}, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH}, author={Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Helms, Sarah W. and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2016}, month={Mar}, pages={323–329} }
 @article{garrett_widman_francis_noar_2016, title={Emergency contraception: Sources of information and perceptions of access among young adults}, volume={56}, ISSN={["1541-0331"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84958046273&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1080/03630242.2015.1118727}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent pregnancy for up to 5 days after unprotected sex. Although EC has become increasingly available, little is known about perceptions of young adults regarding access to EC or whether information sources about EC relate to perceived access among young adults. Over a 1-week period in November 2013, a self-report survey was administered to 352 college students (67% women) at the student union of a large, public university in the southeastern United States. The survey assessed three aspects of EC: perceived access, information sources, and prior use. Twenty-one percent of participants had used EC. Participants reported relatively high perceptions of access to EC, with females reporting higher perceptions of access than males. Prior to the study, 7.4% of students had never heard of EC; the remaining students had heard of EC from an average of four sources. Among women, hearing of EC from media, interpersonal, or health education sources was significantly associated with greater perceived access (ps < .05). Among men, no specific information sources were associated with perceived access (ps > .10). Future EC awareness efforts for women should leverage all three of these sources, while future research should examine specific sources to focus on the content, quality, and frequency of messages.}, number={6}, journal={WOMEN & HEALTH}, author={Garrett, Kyla P. and Widman, Laura and Francis, Diane B. and Noar, Seth M.}, year={2016}, pages={668–679} }
 @article{widman_golin_noar_massey_prinstein_2016, title={PROJECTHEARTFORGIRLS.COM: DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB-BASED HIV/STD PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR ADOLESCENT GIRLS EMPHASIZING SEXUAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS}, volume={28}, ISSN={["1943-2755"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84990837093&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1521/aeap.2016.28.5.365}, abstractNote={This article describes the development of ProjectHeartforGirls.com , an interactive web-based program designed to improve sexual communication skills and reduce the risk of HIV/STDs among adolescent girls, a population at heightened risk for negative sexual health outcomes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Although sexual communication is a critical predictor of safer sex among teens, there are few online interventions that target these skills as a central program component. We developed ProjectHeartforGirls.com to fill this gap. Program development involved (1) identifying the target population (ethnically diverse high school girls), (2) clarifying the theoretical foundation (Reasoned Action Model), (3) conducting formative qualitative research (n = 25 girls), (4) drafting initial program content, (5) receiving ongoing feedback from a teen advisory board (n = 5 girls), (6) programming online content, and (7) conducting usability testing (n = 6 girls). These steps are described along with the final intervention product, which is currently being evaluated in a randomized controlled trial.}, number={5}, journal={AIDS EDUCATION AND PREVENTION}, author={Widman, Laura and Golin, Carol E. and Noar, Seth M. and Massey, Joy and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2016}, month={Oct}, pages={365–377} }
 @article{widman_choukas-bradley_noar_nesi_garrett_2016, title={Parent-Adolescent Sexual Communication and Adolescent Safer Sex Behavior A Meta-Analysis}, volume={170}, ISSN={["2168-6211"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84954146614&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.2731}, abstractNote={IMPORTANCE
Parent-adolescent sexual communication has received considerable attention as a factor that can positively affect safer sex behavior among youth; however, the evidence linking such communication to youth contraceptive and condom use has not been empirically synthesized.


OBJECTIVES
To examine the effect of parent-adolescent sexual communication on safer sex behavior among youth and explore potential moderators of this association.


DATA SOURCES
A systematic search of studies published from database inception through June 30, 2014, using the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Communication & Mass Media Complete databases and relevant review articles yielded 5098 studies, of which 52 studies with 25,314 adolescents met the study eligibility criteria. Analysis was conducted from July 1, 2014, to July 27, 2015.


STUDY SELECTION
Studies were included if they sampled adolescents (mean sample age ≤18 years), included an adolescent report of sexual communication with one or both parents, measured safer sex behavior, and were published in English.


DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Correlation coefficients (r) and 95% CIs were computed from studies and meta-analyzed using random-effects models.


MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Safer sex behavior, including use of contraceptives or condoms.


RESULTS
Fifty-two articles, including 71 independent effects representing more than 3 decades of research on 25,314 adolescents (weighted mean age, 15.2 years) were synthesized. Across studies, there was a significant weighted mean effect (r = 0.10; 95% CI, 0.08-0.13) linking parent-adolescent sexual communication with safer sex behavior, which was statistically heterogeneous (Q = 203.50, P < .001, I2 = 65.60). Moderation analyses revealed larger effects for communication with girls (r = 0.12) than boys (r = 0.04) and among youth who discussed sex with their mothers (r = 0.14) compared with their fathers (r = 0.03). Effects did not differ for contraceptive vs condom use or among longitudinal vs cross-sectional studies, indicating that parent sexual communication had a similar effect across study designs and outcomes. Several methodological issues were identified in the literature; future studies can improve on these issues by measuring parent-adolescent communication with robust, multi-item measures, clearly specifying the target parent, and applying multimethod longitudinal designs.


CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Sexual communication with parents, particularly mothers, plays a small protective role in safer sex behavior among adolescents; this protective effect is more pronounced for girls than boys. We discuss the implications for practice and make suggestions for future research on parent-adolescent sexual communication.}, number={1}, journal={JAMA PEDIATRICS}, author={Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Noar, Seth M. and Nesi, Jacqueline and Garrett, Kyla}, year={2016}, month={Jan}, pages={52–61} }
 @article{francis_noar_widman_willoughby_sanchez_garrett_2016, title={Perceptions of a campus-wide condom distribution programme: An exploratory study}, volume={75}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-85000501986&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1177/0017896916648994}, abstractNote={Objective: Condom distribution programmes are an important means of preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs); yet little research has examined their perceived and actual impact on college campuses. Design: Quantitative, cross-sectional study. Setting: Large public university in the Southeastern USA. Method: Approximately 2 months after a campus-wide condom distribution programme began, we utilised intercept surveys with 355 students (68% women; 43% racial/ethnic minorities) to examine their perceptions of the availability, accessibility and acceptability of condoms, and their perceptions and use of the newly installed condom dispensers. Results: Students perceived condoms to be available and accessible on campus after implementation of the condom dispensers. Students had heard about the dispensers from other people (36%), through social media (18%) and the campus newspaper (15%). Most students (71%) had seen the dispensers. Almost one in four students (23%) had taken a condom from the dispensers; among those who were sexually active during the 2 months that the dispensers were available, 33% had used them. More than one-third of students (37%) – and 53% of sexually active students – indicated intentions to use the dispensers in the next 6 months. Multiple regression analysis controlling for age, gender and race revealed that prior condom use, attitudes about the dispensers and comfort with the dispensers were significant predictors of sexually active students’ intentions to use the dispensers (p < .001). Conclusion: Overall, results indicate that over a short time period, this condom distribution programme was successful in reaching students and providing free condoms. Implications for implementing condom distribution programmes on college campuses as well as future directions for research are discussed.}, number={8}, journal={Health Education Journal}, author={Francis, D.B. and Noar, S.M. and Widman, L. and Willoughby, J.F. and Sanchez, D.M. and Garrett, K.P.}, year={2016}, pages={998–1011} }
 @article{choukas-bradley_goldberg_widman_reese_halpern_2015, title={Demographic and developmental differences in the content and sequence of adolescents' ideal romantic relationship behaviors}, volume={45}, ISSN={["1095-9254"]}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84942569967&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.08.019}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT}, journal={JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE}, author={Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Goldberg, Shoshana K. and Widman, Laura and Reese, Bianka M. and Halpern, Carolyn T.}, year={2015}, month={Dec}, pages={112–126} }
 @article{widman_noar_choukas-bradley_francis_2014, title={Adolescent sexual health communication and condom use: A meta-analysis.}, volume={33}, ISSN={1930-7810 0278-6133}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/HEA0000112}, DOI={10.1037/HEA0000112}, abstractNote={OBJECTIVE
Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fail to use condoms consistently. One interpersonal factor that may be key to condom use is sexual communication between sexual partners; however, the association between communication and condom use has varied considerably in prior studies of youth. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the growing body of research linking adolescents' sexual communication to condom use, and to examine several moderators of this association.


METHOD
A total of 41 independent effect sizes from 34 studies with 15,046 adolescent participants (M(age) = 16.8, age range = 12-23) were meta-analyzed.


RESULTS
Results revealed a weighted mean effect size of the sexual communication-condom use relationship of r = .24, which was statistically heterogeneous (Q = 618.86, p < .001, I² = 93.54). Effect sizes did not differ significantly by gender, age, recruitment setting, country of study, or condom measurement timeframe; however, communication topic and communication format were statistically significant moderators (p < .001). Larger effect sizes were found for communication about condom use (r = .34) than communication about sexual history (r = .15) or general safer sex topics (r = .14). Effect sizes were also larger for communication behavior formats (r = .27) and self-efficacy formats (r = .28), than for fear/concern (r = .18), future intention (r = .15), or communication comfort (r = -.15) formats.


CONCLUSIONS
Results highlight the urgency of emphasizing communication skills, particularly about condom use, in HIV/STI prevention work for youth. Implications for the future study of sexual communication are discussed.}, number={10}, journal={Health Psychology}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Widman, Laura and Noar, Seth M. and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Francis, Diane B.}, year={2014}, month={Oct}, pages={1113–1124} }
 @article{helms_choukas-bradley_widman_giletta_cohen_prinstein_2014, title={Adolescents misperceive and are influenced by high-status peers’ health risk, deviant, and adaptive behavior.}, volume={50}, ISSN={1939-0599 0012-1649}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/A0038178}, DOI={10.1037/A0038178}, abstractNote={Most peer influence research examines socialization between adolescents and their best friends. Yet, adolescents also are influenced by popular peers, perhaps due to misperceptions of social norms. This research examined the extent to which out-group and in-group adolescents misperceive the frequencies of peers' deviant, health risk, and adaptive behaviors in different reputation-based peer crowds (Study 1) and the prospective associations between perceptions of high-status peers' and adolescents' own substance use over 2.5 years (Study 2). Study 1 examined 235 adolescents' reported deviant (vandalism, theft), health risk (substance use, sexual risk), and adaptive (exercise, studying) behavior, and their perceptions of jocks', populars', burnouts', and brains' engagement in the same behaviors. Peer nominations identified adolescents in each peer crowd. Jocks and populars were rated as higher status than brains and burnouts. Results indicated that peer crowd stereotypes are caricatures. Misperceptions of high-status crowds were dramatic, but for many behaviors, no differences between populars'/jocks' and others' actual reported behaviors were revealed. Study 2 assessed 166 adolescents' substance use and their perceptions of popular peers' (i.e., peers high in peer perceived popularity) substance use. Parallel process latent growth analyses revealed that higher perceptions of popular peers' substance use in Grade 9 (intercept) significantly predicted steeper increases in adolescents' own substance use from Grade 9 to 11 (slope). Results from both studies, utilizing different methods, offer evidence to suggest that adolescents misperceive high-status peers' risk behaviors, and these misperceptions may predict adolescents' own risk behavior engagement.}, number={12}, journal={Developmental Psychology}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Helms, Sarah W. and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Widman, Laura and Giletta, Matteo and Cohen, Geoffrey L. and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2014}, pages={2697–2714} }
 @article{widman_2014, title={Book Review: APA handbook of sexuality and psychology}, volume={38}, ISSN={0361-6843 1471-6402}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0361684314543905}, DOI={10.1177/0361684314543905}, number={4}, journal={Psychology of Women Quarterly}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Widman, Laura}, year={2014}, month={Nov}, pages={575–576} }
 @article{przybyla_golin_widman_grodensky_earp_suchindran_2014, title={Examining the role of serostatus disclosure on unprotected sex among people living with HIV}, volume={28}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84918828465&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1089/apc.2014.0203}, abstractNote={Given the increasing prevalence of HIV, it is important to identify factors associated with safer sex behaviors between people living with HIV and their partners. Utilizing a diverse sample of 242 HIV-infected adults [n=69 men who have sex with men (MSM); n=68 men who have sex with women (MSW); n=105 women who have sex with men (WSM)], we examined the association between serostatus disclosure and unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse (UAVI) and the moderating effect of sexual behavior group on this association. Overall, 88.7% disclosed to their current partner. Approximately 18.8% of MSM, 17.7% of MSW, and 29.5% of WSM reported UAVI. Controlling for age, time since diagnosis, and partner serostatus, we found main effects on UAVI for disclosure and sexual behavior group; specifically, disclosure was inversely related to unprotected sex [AOR=0.09, 95% CI (0.02, 0.43), p<0.001], and MSM were less likely to engage in UAVI relative to WSM [AOR=0.11, 95% CI (0.17, 0.82), p<0.05]. However, the relationship between disclosure and UAVI was not moderated by sexual behavior group. Future strategies that aim to increase disclosure to partners may consider focusing on its value as a means by which to reduce sexual risk behavior.}, number={12}, journal={AIDS Patient Care and STDs}, author={Przybyla, S. and Golin, C. and Widman, L. and Grodensky, C. and Earp, J.A. and Suchindran, C.}, year={2014}, pages={677–684} }
 @article{choukas-bradley_giletta_widman_cohen_prinstein_2014, title={Experimentally measured susceptibility to peer influence and adolescent sexual behavior trajectories: A preliminary study.}, volume={50}, ISSN={1939-0599 0012-1649}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/A0037300}, DOI={10.1037/A0037300}, abstractNote={A performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between peer norms and trajectories of adolescents' number of sexual intercourse partners. Seventy-one 9th grade adolescents (52% female) participated in an experimental "chat room" paradigm involving "e-confederates" who endorsed sexual risk behaviors. Changes in participants' responses to risk scenarios before versus during the "chat room" were used as a performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility. Participants reported their perceptions of popular peers' number of sexual intercourse partners at baseline and self-reported their number of sexual intercourse partners at baseline and 6, 12, and 18 months later. Susceptibility was examined as a moderator of the longitudinal association between perceptions of popular peers' number of sexual intercourse partners and trajectories of adolescents' own numbers of partners. High perceptions of the number of popular peers' sexual intercourse partners combined with high peer influence susceptibility predicted steeper longitudinal trajectories of adolescents' number of partners. Results provide novel preliminary evidence regarding the importance of peer influence susceptibility in adolescents' development of sexual behaviors.}, number={9}, journal={Developmental Psychology}, publisher={American Psychological Association (APA)}, author={Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Giletta, Matteo and Widman, Laura and Cohen, Geoffrey L. and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2014}, pages={2221–2227} }
 @article{widman_noar_golin_willoughby_crosby_2014, title={Incarceration and unstable housing interact to predict sexual risk behaviours among African American STD clinic patients}, volume={25}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84898688129&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1177/0956462413505999}, abstractNote={Given the dramatic racial disparities in the rates of HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among African Americans, understanding broader structural factors that increase the risk for HIV/STIs is crucial. This study investigated incarceration history and unstable housing as two structural predictors of HIV risk behaviour among 293 African Americans (159 men/134 women, mean age = 27). Participants were recruited from an urban sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic in the southeastern U.S. Approximately half the sample had been incarcerated in their lifetime (54%), and 43% had been unstably housed in the past six months. Incarceration was independently associated with the number of sex partners and the frequency of unprotected sex. Unstable housing was independently associated with the frequency of unprotected sex. However, these main effects were qualified by significant interactions: individuals with a history of incarceration and more unstable housing had more sex partners and more unprotected sex in the past three months than individuals without these structural barriers. Implications for structural-level interventions are discussed.}, number={5}, journal={International Journal of STD and AIDS}, author={Widman, L. and Noar, S.M. and Golin, C.E. and Willoughby, J.F. and Crosby, R.}, year={2014}, pages={348–354} }
 @article{widman_nesi_choukas-bradley_prinstein_2014, title={Safe Sext: Adolescents' Use of Technology to Communicate About Sexual Health With Dating Partners}, volume={54}, ISSN={1054-139X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2013.12.009}, DOI={10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2013.12.009}, abstractNote={Purpose This study examined adolescents' technology-based sexual communication with dating partners, and evaluated associations between technology-based communication and condom use. Methods Participants were 176 high school students who indicated their use of technology to communicate with partners about condoms, birth control, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, and sexual limits. Sexually active youth also reported their frequency of condom use. Results Many adolescents (49%) used technology to discuss sexual health with partners, with rates varying by topic. Girls were more likely than boys to discuss HIV, pregnancy, and sexual limits. Ethnic minorities were more likely than whites to discuss condoms, STIs, HIV, pregnancy, and birth control. Importantly, rates of consistent condom use were three times higher among youth using technology to discuss condoms and birth control. Conclusions Results provide novel preliminary evidence regarding adolescents' use of technology to discuss sexual health and demonstrate links between technology-based communication and condom use among sexually active youth.}, number={5}, journal={Journal of Adolescent Health}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Widman, Laura and Nesi, Jacqueline and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2014}, month={May}, pages={612–614} }
 @article{mcnulty_widman_2014, title={Sexual Narcissism and Infidelity in Early Marriage}, volume={43}, ISSN={0004-0002 1573-2800}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10508-014-0282-6}, DOI={10.1007/S10508-014-0282-6}, abstractNote={There is theoretical reason to believe that narcissism is associated with infidelity. Yet, studies that have examined this association have yielded inconsistent results. Given that these inconsistencies may have emerged because prior studies used global assessments of narcissism that do not capture the extent to which the components of narcissism are activated in the sexual domain, the current research drew from two longitudinal studies of 123 married couples to examine the extent to which sexual narcissism predicted marital infidelity. Consistent with the idea that narcissism predicts sexual behavior when activated in the sexual domain, own sexual narcissism was positively associated with infidelity, controlling for own marital and sexual satisfaction, own globally-assessed narcissism, partner globally-assessed narcissism, and partner sexual narcissism. Helping to explain why this association emerged, further analyses demonstrated that it was driven by all four facets of sexual narcissism-sexual exploitation, grandiose sense of sexual skill, sexual entitlement (Study 1 only), and lack of sexual empathy (husbands only). Additionally, although partner sexual narcissism was unrelated to infidelity on average, partners' grandiose sense of sexual skill and partners' sexual entitlement (Study 2 only) were positively associated with infidelity, and partners' lack of sexual empathy was negatively associated with infidelity (Study 2 only). These findings highlight the benefits of using domain-specific measures of sexual narcissism in research on sexual behavior and the benefits of using domain-specific measures of personality more generally.}, number={7}, journal={Archives of Sexual Behavior}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={McNulty, James K. and Widman, Laura}, year={2014}, month={Apr}, pages={1315–1325} }
 @article{widman_olson_bolen_2013, title={Self-Reported Sexual Assault in Convicted Sex Offenders and Community Men}, volume={28}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84876148055&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1177/0886260512468237}, abstractNote={Although self-reported sexual assault perpetrated by men against women has been well documented among college men, less is known about self-reported perpetration among convicted sex offenders and community men. This study provides unique descriptive and comparative information on sexual assaults in these understudied populations. Participants were 40 convicted sex offenders and 49 demographically comparable community men who completed the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES; Abbey, Parkhill, & Koss, 2005; Koss, Gidycz, & Wisniewski, 1987) and other surveys to capture the promiscuous sex and hostile masculinity pathways posited by the confluence model (Malamuth, 2003). We found notably few differences between sex offenders and community men in the rate and severity of sexual assault perpetration and the tactics used to obtain unwanted sexual contact. Specifically, 68% of sex offenders and 59% of community men acknowledged they had perpetrated sexual assault. Both groups used guilt and anger as the most frequent tactics to obtain unwanted sexual activity from their female victims. Consistent with the confluence model, an impersonal orientation toward sexual relationships was associated with sexual assault for both sex offenders and community men. Future directions for research on sexual assault perpetration and violence prevention efforts are discussed in light of these findings.}, number={7}, journal={Journal of Interpersonal Violence}, author={Widman, L. and Olson, M.A. and Bolen, R.M.}, year={2013}, pages={1519–1536} }
 @article{widman_choukas-bradley_helms_golin_prinstein_2013, title={Sexual Communication Between Early Adolescents and Their Dating Partners, Parents, and Best Friends}, volume={51}, ISSN={0022-4499 1559-8519}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2013.843148}, DOI={10.1080/00224499.2013.843148}, abstractNote={This study assessed early adolescents’ sexual communication with dating partners, parents, and best friends about six sexual health topics: condoms, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), pregnancy, and abstinence/waiting. Using a school-based sample of 603 youth (ages 12 to 15; 57% female; 46% Caucasian), we examined communication differences across demographic and developmental factors, tested whether communication with parents and best friends was associated with greater communication with partners, and examined associations between communication and condom use. More than half of participants had not discussed any sexual topics with their dating partners (54%), and many had not communicated with parents (29%) or best friends (25%). On average, communication was more frequent among adolescents who were female, African American, older, and sexually active, despite some variation in subgroups across partner, parent, and friend communication. Importantly, communication with parents and friends—and the interaction between parent and friend communication—was associated with increased communication with dating partners. Further, among sexually active youth, increased sexual communication with partners was associated with more frequent condom use. Results highlight the importance of understanding the broader family and peer context surrounding adolescent sexual decision making and suggest a possible need to tailor sexual communication interventions.}, number={7}, journal={The Journal of Sex Research}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Widman, Laura and Choukas-Bradley, Sophia and Helms, Sarah W. and Golin, Carol E. and Prinstein, Mitchell J.}, year={2013}, month={Dec}, pages={731–741} }
 @article{mcnulty_widman_2013, title={The Implications of Sexual Narcissism for Sexual and Marital Satisfaction}, volume={42}, ISSN={0004-0002 1573-2800}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10508-012-0041-5}, DOI={10.1007/S10508-012-0041-5}, abstractNote={There is theoretical reason to believe narcissism is associated with a number of sexual behaviors and outcomes that affect both sexual and relationship satisfaction. Nevertheless, research on the association between personality and behavior demonstrates that personality traits, such as narcissism, only predict behavior in domains that activate the components of the personality system. Given that global assessments of narcissism do not capture the extent to which the components of narcissism are activated in the sexual domain, we examined the extent to which the facets of a domain-specific measure of sexual narcissism accounted for the trajectories of own and partner sexual and marital satisfaction over the first five years of 120 new marriages. Three of the four facets of sexual narcissism (sexual exploitation, sexual entitlement, and low sexual empathy) were negatively associated with both trajectories. The fourth facet (sexual skill) was positively associated with both trajectories. Notably, sexual satisfaction mediated the effect of every facet of sexual narcissism on marital satisfaction. A global assessment of narcissism was not associated with either trajectory of satisfaction. These findings highlight (1) the importance of narcissistic tendencies for sexual processes, (2) the benefits of using domain-specific measures of personality in research on sexual behavior, and (3) the importance of examining the implications of the specific facets of personality constructs.}, number={6}, journal={Archives of Sexual Behavior}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={McNulty, James K. and Widman, Laura}, year={2013}, month={Jan}, pages={1021–1032} }
 @article{widman_golin_noar_2013, title={When do condom use intentions lead to actions? Examining the role of sexual communication on safer sexual behavior among people living with HIV}, volume={18}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84876527469&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1177/1359105312446769}, abstractNote={This study investigated the moderating role of sexual communication in the association between intentions to use condoms and unprotected sex in a sample of 358 individuals living with HIV (233 men, 125 women, M age = 43). Longitudinal analyses revealed a significant interaction between condom intentions and sexual communication: individuals who were high in both condom intentions and safer sex communication engaged in less unprotected sex with all partners and with partners of HIV negative or unknown serostatus over six months of follow-up. Among individuals low in communication, intentions were not associated with unprotected sex. Implications for interventions are discussed.}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Health Psychology}, author={Widman, L. and Golin, C.E. and Noar, S.M.}, year={2013}, pages={507–517} }
 @article{widman_golin_grodensky_suchindran_2012, title={Do Safer Sex Self-Efficacy, Attitudes toward Condoms, and HIV Transmission Risk Beliefs Differ among Men who Have Sex with Men, Heterosexual Men, and Women Living with HIV?}, volume={17}, ISSN={1090-7165 1573-3254}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10461-011-0108-7}, DOI={10.1007/s10461-011-0108-7}, abstractNote={To understand sexual decision-making processes among people living with HIV, we compared safer sex self-efficacy, condom attitudes, sexual beliefs, and rates of unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse with at-risk partners (UAVI-AR) in the past 3 months among 476 people living with HIV: 185 men who have sex with men (MSM), 130 heterosexual men, and 161 heterosexual women. Participants were enrolled in SafeTalk, a randomized, controlled trial of a safer sex intervention. We found 15% of MSM, 9% of heterosexual men, and 12% of heterosexual women engaged in UAVI-AR. Groups did not differ in self-efficacy or sexual attitudes/beliefs. However, the associations between these variables and UAVI-AR varied within groups: greater self-efficacy predicted less UAVI-AR for MSM and women, whereas more positive condom attitudes—but not self-efficacy—predicted less UAVI-AR for heterosexual men. These results suggest HIV prevention programs should tailor materials to different subgroups.}, number={5}, journal={AIDS and Behavior}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Widman, Laura and Golin, Carol E. and Grodensky, Catherine A. and Suchindran, Chirayath}, year={2012}, month={Jan}, pages={1873–1882} }
 @book{widman_mcnulty_2012, title={Narcissism and Sexuality}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84885974615&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1002/9781118093108.ch31}, abstractNote={This chapter reviews evidence of associations among narcissism and (a) sociosexuality, (b) infidelity, (c) STDs/HIV, and (d) sexual aggression. Given some inconsistencies in past research, we argue that studies may demonstrate stronger and more consistent links between narcissism and sexuality by using a domain-specific assessment of sexual narcissism. We conclude by describing several avenues for future research.}, journal={The Handbook of Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Theoretical Approaches, Empirical Findings, and Treatments}, author={Widman, L. and Mcnulty, J.K.}, year={2012}, pages={351–359} }
 @article{widman_olson_2012, title={On the Relationship Between Automatic Attitudes and Self-Reported Sexual Assault in Men}, volume={42}, ISSN={0004-0002 1573-2800}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10508-012-9970-2}, DOI={10.1007/s10508-012-9970-2}, abstractNote={Research and theory suggest rape supportive attitudes are important predictors of sexual assault; yet, to date, rape supportive attitudes have been assessed through self-report measures that are methodologically and theoretically limited. To address these limitations, the objectives of the current project were to: (1) develop a novel implicit rape attitude assessment that captures automatic attitudes about rape and does not rely on self-reports, and (2) examine the association between automatic rape attitudes and sexual assault perpetration. We predicted that automatic rape attitudes would be a significant unique predictor of sexual assault even when self-reported rape attitudes (i.e., rape myth acceptance and hostility toward women) were controlled. We tested the generalizability of this prediction in two independent samples: a sample of undergraduate college men (n = 75, M age = 19.3 years) and a sample of men from the community (n = 50, M age = 35.9 years). We found the novel implicit rape attitude assessment was significantly associated with the frequency of sexual assault perpetration in both samples and contributed unique variance in explaining sexual assault beyond rape myth acceptance and hostility toward women. We discuss the ways in which future research on automatic rape attitudes may significantly advance measurement and theory aimed at understanding and preventing sexual assault.}, number={5}, journal={Archives of Sexual Behavior}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Widman, Laura and Olson, Michael}, year={2012}, month={May}, pages={813–823} }
 @article{przybyla_golin_widman_grodensky_earp_suchindran_2012, title={Serostatus disclosure to sexual partners among people living with HIV: Examining the roles of partner characteristics and stigma}, volume={25}, ISSN={0954-0121 1360-0451}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2012.722601}, DOI={10.1080/09540121.2012.722601}, abstractNote={Abstract HIV serostatus disclosure among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is an important component of preventing HIV transmission to sexual partners. Due to barriers like stigma, however, many PLWHA do not disclose their serostatus to all sexual partners. This study explored differences in HIV serostatus disclosure based on sexual behavior subgroup (men who have sex with men [MSM]; heterosexual men; and women), characteristics of the sexual relationship (relationship type and HIV serostatus of partner), and perceived stigma. We examined disclosure in a sample of 341 PLWHA: 138 MSM, 87 heterosexual men, and 116 heterosexual women who were enrolled in SafeTalk, a randomized, controlled trial of a safer sex intervention. We found that, overall, 79% of participants disclosed their HIV status to all sexual partners in the past 3 months. However, we found important differences in disclosure by subgroup and relationship characteristics. Heterosexual men and women were more likely to disclose their HIV status than MSM (86%, 85%, and 69%, respectively). Additionally, disclosure was more likely among participants with only primary partners than those with only casual or both casual and primary partners (92%, 54%, and 62%, respectively). Participants with only HIV-positive partners were also more likely to disclose than those with only HIV-negative partners, unknown serostatus partners, or partners of mixed serostatus (96%, 85%, 40%, and 60%, respectively). Finally, people who perceived more HIV-related stigma were less likely to disclose their HIV serostatus to partners, regardless of subgroup or relationship characteristics. These findings suggest that interventions to help PLWHA disclose, particularly to serodiscordant casual partners, are needed and will likely benefit from inclusion of stigma reduction components.}, number={5}, journal={AIDS Care}, publisher={Informa UK Limited}, author={Przybyla, Sarahmona M. and Golin, Carol E. and Widman, Laura and Grodensky, Catherine A. and Earp, Jo Anne and Suchindran, Chirayath}, year={2012}, month={Sep}, pages={566–572} }
 @article{lustyk_olson_gerrish_holder_widman_2010, title={Psychophysiological and neuroendocrine responses to laboratory stressors in women: Implications of menstrual cycle phase and stressor type☆}, volume={83}, ISSN={0301-0511}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.11.003}, DOI={10.1016/j.biopsycho.2009.11.003}, abstractNote={This study assessed stressor and menstrual phase effects on psychophysiological and neuroendocrine responses to laboratory stressors in freely cycling women (N=78, ages 18-45). Participants performed counterbalanced stressors [Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) or cold pressor test (CP)] during their follicular and luteal menstrual cycle phases between 1:00 and 3:00p.m. to control for cortisol rhythm. Participants rested 30-min, performed the stressor, and then recovered 30-min while electrocardiography continuously monitored heart rate (HR). Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), salivary cortisol, and state anxiety were assessed at timed intervals. HR, SBP, and cortisol varied more over the course of luteal than follicular phase testing. A three-way interaction revealed state anxiety reactivity was greater with the PASAT during the follicular phase. DBP showed equal and persistent reactivity with both stressors during both cycle phases. Results extend the stressor-specific HPAA hypothesis and have important methodological implications for women's biopsychology research.}, number={2}, journal={Biological Psychology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Lustyk, M. Kathleen B. and Olson, Karen C. and Gerrish, Winslow G. and Holder, Ashley and Widman, Laura}, year={2010}, month={Feb}, pages={84–92} }
 @inbook{widman_mcnulty_2010, place={New York}, edition={3rd}, title={The sexual narcissism scale}, ISBN={9780415801744 9781315881089 9781134725854}, booktitle={Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures}, publisher={Routledge}, author={Widman, L. and McNulty, J.K.}, editor={Fisher, T.D. and Davis, C.M. and Yarber, W.L. and Davis, S.L.Editors}, year={2010}, pages={496–497} }
 @article{widman_mcnulty_2009, title={Sexual Narcissism and the Perpetration of Sexual Aggression}, volume={39}, ISSN={0004-0002 1573-2800}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/S10508-008-9461-7}, DOI={10.1007/s10508-008-9461-7}, abstractNote={Despite indirect evidence linking narcissism to sexual aggression, studies directly examining this relationship have yielded inconsistent results. Likely contributing to such inconsistencies, prior research has used global measures of narcissism not sensitive to whether the components of narcissism are activated in sexual versus non-sexual domains. The current research avoided such problems by using a measure of sexual narcissism to predict sexual aggression. In a sample of 299 men and women, Study 1 validated the Sexual Narcissism Scale, a new sexuality research instrument with four subscales-Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Entitlement, Low Sexual Empathy, and Sexual Skill. Then, in a sample of 378 men, Study 2 demonstrated that sexual narcissism was associated with reports of the frequency of sexual aggression, three specific types of sexual aggression (unwanted sexual contact, sexual coercion, and attempted/completed rape), and the likelihood of future sexual aggression. Notably, global narcissism was unrelated to all indices of sexual aggression when sexual narcissism was controlled. That sexual narcissism outperformed global assessments of narcissism to account for variance in sexual aggression suggests that future research may benefit by examining whether sexual narcissism and other sexual-situation-specific measurements of personality can similarly provide a more valid test of the association between personality and other sexual behaviors and outcomes (e.g., contraceptive use, infidelity, sexual satisfaction).}, number={4}, journal={Archives of Sexual Behavior}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Widman, Laura and McNulty, James K.}, year={2009}, month={Jan}, pages={926–939} }
 @inbook{hopko_robertson_widman_lejuez_2008, place={New York}, title={Specific phobias}, volume={1}, booktitle={The Handbook of Assessment, Conceptualization, and Treatment (HACT)}, publisher={John Wiley}, author={Hopko, D.R. and Robertson, S.M.C. and Widman, L. and Lejuez, C.W.}, editor={Hersen, M. and Rosqvist, J.Editors}, year={2008}, pages={139–170} }
 @article{lustyk_widman_becker_2007, title={Abuse history and premenstrual symptomatology: Assessing the mediating role of perceived stress}, volume={46}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-46449130718&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1300/J013v46n04_04}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT The present study assessed the interrelationships among abuse history (Abuse), perceived stress (Stress), and premenstrual symptom severity reports (PMSR) among female college students (N = 91, 18–25 years old), and determined if Stress mediated the relationship between Abuse and PMSR. Abuse history was noted by 44% of women in this sample, including sexual (25%), physical (11%), or both sexual and physical (8%) abuse. Importantly, results showed significant positive relationships between Abuse, Stress, and PMSR, suggesting Abuse affects psychological and physical aspects of women's health. Overall, women rated PMSR affect symptoms highest, and abused women rated pain and water retention higher than non-abused women. Stress did not fully mediate the relationship between Abuse and PMSR in this study, but accounted for 24% of the variance between these variables. The health implications of these findings are discussed.}, number={4}, journal={Women and Health}, author={Lustyk, M.K.B. and Widman, L. and Becker, L. de L.}, year={2007}, pages={61–80} }
 @article{widman_welsh_mcnulty_little_2006, title={Sexual Communication and Contraceptive Use in Adolescent Dating Couples}, volume={39}, ISSN={1054-139X}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.06.003}, DOI={10.1016/j.jadohealth.2006.06.003}, abstractNote={Purpose This study had two aims: first, to examine the relationship between general sexual communication and contraceptive use in sexually active adolescent romantic couples, and second, to explore predictors of open communication from characteristics of adolescent couples and individual adolescents. Methods Data were drawn from 209 couples dating a minimum of four weeks who participated in the Study of Tennessee Adolescent Romantic Relationships. Seventy-three adolescent dating couples (ages 14–21 years) that engaged in sexual intercourse and completed a sexual communication questionnaire were included in current analyses. Results Nearly 30% of couples failed to use contraception at first intercourse and almost half of couples did not use contraception every time they had sex. More open communication about sex from both male and female partners was associated with increased contraceptive use. Additionally, adolescents who were more satisfied in their relationships reported more open communication about sex, and adolescent females who self-silenced reported less open communication about sex. Finally, mediation analyses revealed that boys’ and girls’ relationship satisfaction and girls’ self-silencing indirectly predicted contraceptive use through their effects on general sexual communication. Conclusions This is the first known study to address individual and dyadic components of sexual communication using reports from both members of established adolescent dating couples. Findings suggest that open sexual communication between intimate partners is important to sexual decision-making. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.}, number={6}, journal={Journal of Adolescent Health}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Widman, Laura and Welsh, Deborah P. and McNulty, James K. and Little, Katherine C.}, year={2006}, month={Dec}, pages={893–899} }
 @article{widman_lustyk_paschane_2005, title={Body image in sexually assaulted women: Does age at time of assault matter?}, volume={21}, number={2/3}, journal={Family Violence and Sexual Assault Bulletin}, author={Widman, L. and Lustyk, M.K.B. and Paschane, A.A.}, year={2005}, pages={5–10} }
 @article{welsh_haugen_widman_darling_grello_2005, title={Kissing is good: A developmental investigation of sexuality in adolescent romantic couples}, volume={2}, ISSN={1868-9884 1553-6610}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/srsp.2005.2.4.32}, DOI={10.1525/srsp.2005.2.4.32}, abstractNote={This study investigated sexuality as a predictor of the quality of adolescent romantic relationships. Individuals’ sexual feelings (desire for partner) and couples’ sexual behaviors were examined as components of sexuality, with gender and age as potential moderators. Participants included 211 male-female couples aged 14–21 that had been dating a minimum of 4 weeks. Findings revealed important connections between sexuality and relationship quality. Specifically, kissing and desiring a romantic partner correlated positively to relationship satisfaction and commitment. The link between sexual intercourse and relationship qualities, however, varied according to age. In younger adolescents, the frequency of intercourse was negatively correlated with relationship quality, while in older adolescents, the frequency of intercourse correlated positively with relationship commitment and had no connection with relationship satisfaction. Gender did not moderate the link between sexual behavior and relationship quality. Findings are discussed from a normative framework and implications for social policy are explored.}, number={4}, journal={Sexuality Research and Social Policy}, publisher={Springer Science and Business Media LLC}, author={Welsh, Deborah P. and Haugen, Peter T. and Widman, Laura and Darling, Nancy and Grello, Catherine M.}, year={2005}, month={Dec}, pages={32–41} }
 @article{lustyk_widman_paschane_olson_2004, title={Physical activity and quality of life: Assessing the influence of activity frequency, intensity, volume, and motives}, volume={30}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-14944338744&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.3200/BMED.30.3.124-132}, abstractNote={In the present study, the authors investigated the impact of exercise frequency, intensity, and volume along with exercise motives on quality of life (QOL) reports. The authors assessed exercise habits with the Godin Leisure Time Activity Scale and measured exercise motives with the Reasons for Exercise Inventory. The Quality of Life Inventory assessed satisfaction in 16 domains including health, work, and recreation. High-frequency exercisers reported significantly higher health, helping, and community-related QOL than those who exercised less frequently. The authors noted significantly higher healthrelated QOL in the heavy volume group compared with the other volume groups. Multiple regression tests revealed that activity intensity and exercise motives significantly predicted QOL reports. The strongest bivariate correlations with QOL existed for mild activity and exercising for fitness and health reasons. Thus, high-frequency activity of mild intensity that produces high kcal utilization and is performed to improve health and fitness has the strongest influence on QOL reports.}, number={3}, journal={Behavioral Medicine}, author={Lustyk, M.K.B. and Widman, L. and Paschane, A.A.E. and Olson, K.C.}, year={2004}, pages={124–131} }
 @article{lustyk_widman_paschane_ecker_2004, title={Stress, quality of life and physical activity in women with varying degrees of premenstrual symptomatology}, volume={39}, url={http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-11244294680&partnerID=MN8TOARS}, DOI={10.1300/J013v39n03_03}, abstractNote={ABSTRACT Premenstrual symptomatology, stress, quality of life (QOL) and exercise frequency, volume, and intensity were assessed in 114 females (18–33 years). Based on premenstrual symptoms (PMS), women were divided into high and low PMS groups and compared on stress, QOL and exercise variables. Results revealed women with high PMS had significantly more stress and poorer QOL than women with low PMS (p <.05 for both comparisons). Groups did not significantly differ on any of the exercise variables. Further analyses were performed to determine if exercise variables impacted PMS symptoms, stress and QOL reports in the high PMS group. While exercise volume and intensity did not impact any of the variables assessed, women with high PMS who reported exercising “sometimes” had more stress than women who reported exercising “often” or “never.” This nonlinear relationship suggests that women with the worst symptoms may respond by exercising, while women who exercise often or never do not associate exercise with their symptoms.}, number={3}, journal={Women and Health}, author={Lustyk, M.K.B. and Widman, L. and Paschane, A. and Ecker, E.}, year={2004}, pages={35–44} }