Sexual Disorders Flashcards
1
Q
sexual orientation vs identity
A
orientation: preference to have sex with one partner or another, one gender of another, one way or another
identity: the gender to which one identifies
2
Q
gender dysphoria
A
- places emphasis on sense of “gender incongruence
- can take many forms and differences in presentation depend on age
- diagnosis requires clinically significant distress or impairment
- prevalence is v low (estimated to be under 0.014% in amabs and 0.003% in afabs), but likely underestimates since not all adults seeking hormone treatment and surgical reassignment attend specialty clinics
- evidence indicates gender identity is influence by physical disturbances such as hormones
3
Q
hormones in gender dysphoria
A
- humans + other primate offspring of mothers who took sex hormones during pregnancy frequently behave like members of the opposite sex and have anatomical abnormalities
- girls whose mother took synthetic progestins (male sex hormone precursors) to prevent uterine bleeding during pregnancy were more tomboyish in preschool
- young boys whose mothers ingested female hormones when pregnant were less athletic and engaged in less rough-and-tumble play than male peers
- the children weren’t necessarily abnormal in gender identity, but the mothers’ ingestion of prenatal sex hormones seems to have led to higher than usual lvls of cross-gender interests and behaviour
4
Q
body alterations
A
- a person who enters a program that entails alteration of the body is generally required to undergo 6-12 months of psychotherapy (which typically focuses on anxiety, depression and available options for altering the body)
- some have only cosmetic surgery (ex mtf may have electrolysis to remove facial hair and surgery to to reduce size of chin and adam’s apple)
- many take hormones to bring bodies phys closer to beliefs abt their gender (mtf may take female hormones to promote breast growth and soften the skin)
- some may also undergo sex-reassignment surgery
5
Q
sex-reassignment or gender-affirming surgery
A
- the first operation took place in 1930 europe, on an ex-soldier (now christine)
- more frequently exercised by men that by women
- controversy over how beneficial it truly is
- one study that “found no advantage to the individual ‘in terms of social rehabilitation’” led to the termination of the John Hopkins Uni school of medicine sex-reassignment program, which was the largest one in the US
- another study found that 97% of ftm and 87% of mtf surgeries were judged satisfactory (tho that doesn’t necessarily mean they were beneficial)
- preoperative factors that predict favourable post-surgery adjustment: reasonable emotional stability, successful adaptation in the new role for at least one year pre-surgery, adequate understanding of limitations and consequences of the operation, and psychotherapy in the context of an established gender identity program
6
Q
paraphilias
A
- disorders involving sexual attraction to unusual objects or sexual activities unusual in nature (there is a deviation (para) in what the person is attracted to (philia); literally unusual love)
- fantasies, urges or behaviours last at least six month and (for the most part) cause significant distress or impairment
- smn can have the behav, fantasies and urges w/o being diagnosed with a paraphilia if they aren’t recurrent/if they aren’t distressed by them
- most ppl with paraphilias are overwhelmingly male, regardless of sexual orientation (the highest rates of females are in paedophilia and masochism, but still sig more men)
7
Q
DSM-V criteria for paedophilia
A
- over a period of min 6 mo, recurrent, intense sexually arousing fantasies, sexual urges, or behav involving sexual activity with a prepubescent child (gen 13 or younger)
- the indv has acted on these sexual urges OR the urges/fantasies cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty
- the indv is at least 16 and at least five years older than the child/children in Criterion A
8
Q
fetishism
A
- reliance on an inanimate object for sexual arousal
- recurrent and intense sexual urges toward non-living objects, called fetishes (most common are feet, shoes, stockings/sheers, rubber products (raincoats, gloves, etc), toileting articles, fur garments, underpants)
- presence of the fetish is strongly preferred or even necessary for sexual arousal
- almost always impacts males
- attraction felt by fetishist towards the object has compulsive quality (experienced as involuntary and irresistible)
9
Q
transvestic disorder
A
- over a period of at least 6 mo, recurrent and intense sexual arousal from cross-dressing, as manifested by fantasies, urges or behaviours; these cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning
- may have something to do with autogynephilia
- usually begins with partial crossdressing in childhood/adol, in indv that are almost always males and typically hets, most of whom are married; they tend to cross-dress episodically (as opposed to regularly), and the indv tend to be masculine in appearance, demeanor and sexual preference
- the crossdressing usually takes place in private/secret, and is known to few members of the family
10
Q
autogynephilia
A
- a man’s tendency to become sexually aroused at the thought of himself as a woman
- thought to have some association with crossdressing, but not necessarily true
11
Q
voyeurism
A
- involves marked preference for obtaining sexual gratification by watching others in a state of undress or having sexual relations; called electric voyeurism if it occurs by videotaping another person
- a true voyeur, usually a man, doesn’t find it exciting to watch a woman undress for his special benefit; element of risk seems important (they’re excited by the anticipation of how the woman would react if she found out)
- frequency difficult to assess since maj of all illegal activities go unnoticed by police; voyeurs more likely to be charged with loitering rather than peeping
- typ begins in adolescence
- thought that voyeurs are fearful of more direct sexual encounters with others, perhaps bc they lack social skills
- voyeurs often have other paraphilias but don’t seem to be otherwise disturbed
12
Q
exhibitionism
A
- recurrent, marked preference for obtaining sexual gratification by exposing one’s genitals to an unwilling stranger, sometimes a child
- typ begins in adolescence
- as with voyeurism, seldom an attempt to have actual sexual contact with the stranger
- arousal come both from actual exposure as well as simply imagining it
- the exhibitionist masturbates wither while fantasizing or during the actual exposure
- in most cases, desire to shock or embarrass the observer
13
Q
frotteurism
A
- seuxally oriented touching of an unsuspecting person (often rubbing the penis against smn’s thights/buttocks, or fondling of breasts/genitals), with the attacks typically occurring in places that provide easy means of escape, such as crowded buses or sidewalks
- hasn’t been studied extensively, but appears to begin in adolescence and typically occurs along with other paraphilias
14
Q
sadism
A
key characteristic: marked preference for obtaining/increasing sexual gratification by inflicting pain or psychological suffering (ex humiliation) on another
- found in both het and homo relation, and both men and women
- disorder seems to begin in early adulthood
- most sadists are relatively comfortable with their unconventional sexual practices and lead otherwise conventional lives
- often seen as being motivated by control over another and overcoming resistance/non-consent, new research suggests the the overriding motivation is actually the violence/aggression
15
Q
masochism
A
key characteristic: marked preference for obtaining/increasing sexual gratification through subjection oneself to pain/humiliation
- found in both het and homo relationships
- some masochists are women
- disorder seems to begin in early adulthood
- most are rel comfortable with their unconventional sexual practices and lead otherwise conventional lives
- masochists outnumber sadists
