Difficulty: Intermediate | Prerequisites: Women's Health and Social Class/Race material
Big picture: This section covers sexual health (dysfunction, research challenges, sexual violence) and consolidates the specific statistics the exam requires you to know. The exam distinguishes between statistics you need to recall exactly and those where you only need to know the directional relationship (higher/lower, growing/shrinking). This document flags which is which. Sexual violence is treated as a health psychology topic: the focus is on types, frequency, and physical and mental health outcomes.
Sexual health covers dysfunction (for both men and women), the methodological challenges of sex research, and sexual violence as a health outcome. The exam also requires you to know a specific set of statistics, some exactly and others directionally. This document consolidates all the statistics flagged in the exam review, sorted by whether you need the exact number or just the trend.
Sexual dysfunction
Difficulties with sexual response or pleasure that cause distress. Affects both men and women, with different typical presentations (e.g., erectile dysfunction in men, low desire or pain disorders in women). In simple terms, persistent problems with sex that bother the person experiencing them.
Reproductive coercion
Behaviour that interferes with a person's autonomy over their own reproduction. This can include pressuring a partner to become pregnant, sabotaging contraception, or controlling decisions about pregnancy. Think of it as using reproductive decisions as a tool of control within a relationship.
Intersex
A general term for conditions in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not fit typical definitions of male or female. Estimated to occur in roughly 1-2% of the population (know the approximate prevalence for the exam).
Sexual violence
Any sexual act committed against someone without their freely given consent. Includes sexual assault, rape, unwanted sexual contact, and non-contact acts such as harassment and voyeurism. The course focuses on types, frequency, and health outcomes (both physical and mental).
Affects both men and women, with different typical presentations
Men: erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation
Women: low sexual desire, arousal difficulties, pain disorders (dyspareunia, vaginismus)
Sexual dysfunction has both biological and psychological components
Treatment approaches vary by cause and presentation
Sex research faces unique methodological challenges: social desirability bias, difficulty obtaining representative samples, ethical constraints, and the sensitivity of the topic
Participants in sex research are often not representative of the general population (volunteer bias)
Self-report data on sexual behaviour is particularly susceptible to under- or over-reporting
Types include sexual assault, rape, unwanted sexual contact, and non-contact acts (harassment, voyeurism)
Health outcomes are both physical (injury, STIs, unintended pregnancy) and mental (PTSD, depression, anxiety, substance use)
Know the general trends: who is most affected, how frequently it occurs, and the direction of trends over time
The exam review specifically flags these for recall:
Miscarriage rates, due date accuracy, and the proportion of midwife vs. doctor births in the US compared to Europe
Body dissatisfaction and obesity statistics, including cultural differences in these patterns
Older Americans' level of satisfaction with their sex life
Number of sexual partners for today's college students vs. the perception of how many partners their peers have (perception tends to exceed reality)
Prevalence of reproductive coercion
Estimated percentage of intersex people in the population
African American birth statistics (maternal and infant mortality disparities)
Violence against transgender people
Breastfeeding statistics
Relationship between homelessness and LGBTQ youth
Medical programmes' level of training on transgender health issues
Health disparity statistics for Native American/First Nations peoples, Hispanics, and African Americans
The exam review says you should know whether these are growing, shrinking, higher, or lower:
Birth and pregnancy outcomes: US vs. other nations (US is worse on most measures)
College students and sex: trends in number of partners (often lower than perceived)
Homelessness and transgender people (disproportionately high)
Sexual assault trends: who is most affected and when (know the demographic patterns)
Students often think sexual dysfunction is purely physical. The course material emphasises that psychological, relational, and cultural factors all contribute. An exam question framed as "what causes sexual dysfunction" expects a biopsychosocial answer.
Students sometimes assume that college students today have more sexual partners than previous generations. The data shows the opposite: actual numbers of partners have decreased, but students perceive their peers as having more partners than they do.
Students occasionally confuse reproductive coercion with sexual violence. Reproductive coercion specifically involves control over reproductive decisions (sabotaging contraception, pressuring pregnancy). It can co-occur with sexual violence but is a distinct concept.
Students may overlook the methodological issues in sex research. If an exam question asks about limitations, the answer includes volunteer bias, social desirability, and non-representative samples.
The statistics section is explicitly flagged: review the list of "Statistics to Know" carefully and make sure you can recall the specific ones
Sexual violence questions will focus on types, frequency, and health outcomes (physical and mental), not on legal definitions
The perception vs. reality gap in college students' sexual behaviour is a classic exam question
Reproductive coercion prevalence is a specific statistic to know
The intersex population estimate (approximately 1-2%) is flagged
Know the directional health disparity statistics for Native Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans
True or False: Today's college students have more sexual partners than previous generations. (False: actual numbers have decreased; perception of peers' behaviour exceeds reality.)
Fill in the blank: ______ ______ involves behaviour that interferes with a person's autonomy over their own reproduction. (Reproductive coercion)
True or False: The estimated percentage of intersex people in the population is roughly 1-2%. (True)
Fill in the blank: A major methodological problem in sex research is ______ bias, where participants who volunteer are not representative of the general population. (Volunteer)
True or False: Sexual violence outcomes include only physical health consequences. (False: both physical and mental health outcomes, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety.)
Q: What are the main types of sexual dysfunction discussed in the course, and how do they differ between men and women?
A: For men, the main types include erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and delayed ejaculation. For women, they include low sexual desire, arousal difficulties, and pain disorders (dyspareunia, vaginismus). Both can have biological, psychological, and relational causes.
Q: What are three major methodological challenges in sex research?
A: (1) Volunteer bias: people who participate in sex research are not representative of the general population. (2) Social desirability bias: participants may over- or under-report sexual behaviours to appear more socially acceptable. (3) Difficulty obtaining representative samples because many people decline to participate in studies about sex.
Q: How do college students' actual number of sexual partners compare to their perception of their peers' behaviour?
A: College students tend to overestimate how many sexual partners their peers have. The actual number of partners has decreased compared to previous generations, but students perceive their peers as more sexually active than they are.
Q: What are the physical and mental health outcomes of sexual violence?
A: Physical outcomes include injury, sexually transmitted infections, and unintended pregnancy. Mental health outcomes include PTSD, depression, anxiety, and increased substance use. Both types of outcomes can be long-lasting.
Q: What is reproductive coercion and how does it differ from sexual violence?
A: Reproductive coercion is behaviour that interferes with a person's autonomy over their reproduction, such as sabotaging contraception or pressuring a partner to become pregnant. It differs from sexual violence in that it targets reproductive decisions specifically, though the two can co-occur.
Sexual health connects to Women's Health (reproductive coercion, sexual violence, pregnancy outcomes) and to Social Class, Race, and Health (disparities in sexual violence rates, access to sexual healthcare). The statistics section draws from every other topic on Exam 2, so use this as a consolidated checklist after reviewing the other three study notes documents.
Sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, dyspareunia, vaginismus, sex research, volunteer bias, social desirability, sexual violence, sexual assault, rape, PTSD, reproductive coercion, intersex, body dissatisfaction, college students sexual behaviour, older Americans sex life, miscarriage statistics, midwife vs doctor births, African American birth statistics, breastfeeding rates, transgender violence, LGBTQ youth homelessness, Native American health disparities, Hispanic health disparities, African American health disparities, PSY 320, health psychology, Michigan State University, Exam 2