This paper considers the coercive sterilization of Aboriginal women in legislated and non-legislated form in Canada. I provide an historical and materialist critique of coercive sterilization. I argue for coercive sterilization to be understood as one of many policies employed to undermine Aboriginal women, to separate Aboriginal peoples from…

Native Americans have been underrepresented in previous studies of biomedical research participants. This paper reports a qualitative interview study of Native Americans' perspectives on biomedical research. In-depth interviews were conducted with 53 members of a Southwest tribal community. Many interviewees viewed biomedical research studies as a…

As they grow up, young people face important decisions about relationships, sexuality, and sexual behavior. The decisions they make can impact their health and well-being for the rest of their lives. Young people have the right to lead healthy lives, and society has the responsibility to prepare youth by providing them with comprehensive sexual…

This study investigated the mechanisms of risk for urban women at high risk for HIV with and without childhood sexual abuse histories. Childhood sexual abuse survivors reported more unprotected intercourse and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The association of STI locus of control with frequency of unprotected sex was fully mediated by…

Three groups of women who varied in abortion status were formed to investigate the self-concept and locus of control of a total of 90 women. No significant differences in self-concept were found among the three groups, nor was there a relationship between locus of control and repeated abortion. (Author/ABB)

The contraceptive effectiveness of 155 single women between 15 and 25 years of age was found to be significantly and negatively related to a means-end problem-solving ability and a belief in internal control and significantly and positively related to a belief in chance control. (JMB)

This study examined the psychometric properties of a new scale to measure adolescents' worry regarding outcomes of risky sexual behavior (i.e. sexually transmitted infections, including HIV [STI/HIV], and unintended pregnancy). The 10-item worry about sexual outcomes (WASO) scale, resulting in two subscales STI/HIV worry and pregnancy worry, was…

Results from a study of 104 college students generally did not corroborate previous findings. A small, statistically significant correlation between locus of control and birth control knowledge was found, but the practical significance of the relationship was diminished because the correlation was small and other relationships tested were found to…

Preliminary findings are presented to address the issue of the extent to which measures of external locus of control, contraception use, educational achievement, and religiosity discriminate between black unmarried adolescent fathers and nonfathers. Forty-eight unmarried adolescent fathers and 50 unmarried adolescent nonfathers were identified by…

Identification of factors contributing to the timing of first contraceptive use by girls is an important consideration in structuring primary prevention programs to reduce teenage pregnancies. Interviews with 120 girls aged 12-19 in a study of sexual, contraceptive, and pregnancy decision making covered six areas: (1) demographic information; (2)…

This paper reviews the author's research on the role of certain aspects of alienation in education. The first part of the paper discusses similarities between anomie and locus of reinforcement control, as they assess the normlessness and powerlessness aspects of alienation. The second part reports results from studies attempting to modify one's…

Minors were found to be less likely than adults to anticipate consultation with a professional regarding the pregnancy, and more likely than adults to perceive decisions about pregnancy disposition and contraception as being "externally" determined. (Author/DB)

African-American adolescents (n=195) completed measures on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, condoms, health locus of control, vulnerability to human immunodeficiency virus, peer sexual norms, sexual behavior, and contraceptive preferences. Girls were more knowledgeable about AIDS, reported fewer sexual partners, held more…

The high incidence of abortion and pregnancy among college students is indicative of their increasing rate of sexual activity. College students refute the use of contraceptives for reasons which include: (1) difficulty in acknowledging oneself and others as sexual beings; and (2) shame and guilt over sexual activities. (JN)

Little is known about the power strategies adolescents view as effective in influencing an intimate partner to have or avoid having sexual intercourse. These strategies were examined in a pretest survey of 203 adolescents who reported their agreement or disagreement with strategies used to have protected sex or to avoid having sex with a…