Click on the tabs below to read about our previous studies:
DIALS
Desire & Immunity Across the Life Span (DIALS) Study
In the DIALS study are aim was to understand more about how inflammation is related to women’s sexual desire and arousal. There has been some research showing that inflammation can causes changes in the brain, and in hormones levels, that result in changes in mood and motivation. However, we tested if women who do or do not report problems with sexual desire and/or arousal differ in terms of inflammation.
We are also interested in understanding differences between pre- and post-menopausal women’s sexual desire and arousal, and how these may relate to their hormones and inflammation. Although all women who go through menopause have a significant decrease in estrogens and other female hormones, only some post-menopausal women experience changes in their sexual function. We are curious if changes in inflammation also play a role in post-menopausal women’s sexual desire and arousal, in addition to changes in hormones.
Finally, we are testing if low sexual desire could be used as a warning sign for detecting women at risk for heart disease. Men’s sexual functioning is known to be associated with chronic inflammation, which makes asking about sexual function a good way to identify which men might be at risk for inflammation-related disorders such as heart disease. However, we do not know if this is also true for women. This study is testing if sexual function (or dysfunction) is related to women’s inflammation levels.
HASH
Heteroflexibility, Arousal, and Substance use Habits (HASH) Study
The HASH study we examined the relationships between heterosexual and sexual minority women’s substance use habits, trauma history, and sexual wellness. During the experimental protocol, we measured both biological and behavioral data while participants are exposed to sex-related material. During the behavioral task, participants would press keys on a keyboard to increase or decrease their viewing time of still sexual images or images of food. During the video task, participants watched a short erotic film while researchers measured their pulse and vaginal arousal via ECG pads attached to the chest and ankle, and a vaginal photoplethysmograph. Participants also answered a survey battery including measures of substance use as well as their sexual, mental, and physical health.
The HASH study was able to explore unique characteristics of mostly heterosexual women. We are curious if most heterosexual women have different expectancies and/or experiences of substance use in sexual situations than exclusively heterosexual and bisexual women.
SWELL
Sexual Wellbeing (SWELL) Study
The SWELL study examined a broad range of predictors of sexual functioning and wellbeing among young adults. This study recently wrapped up data collection but was provided as an online survey to UNL SONA participants. We've been able to explore many topics and questions among sexual, mental and physical health like...
- What factors drive sexual functioning and sexual health disparities in sexual minority populations?
- What is the effect of mental health symptoms on different aspects of sexual functioning and wellbeing (solitary desire, partnered desire, arousal)?
- How do different cultural factors moderate associations between mental and sexual wellbeing?
- What is the effect of unwanted sexual activity on sexual functioning and wellbeing?
Click on the tabs below to read about our graduate students studies:
CyMBIoTS Study
Cycle Effects on Mood, Behaviors, and Inflammation in Trauma Survivors
The CYMBIOTS Study was created and conducted by Kirstin Clephane, a nueroscience graduate student in the WISH Lab.
Kirstin explored the differences between women with and without trauma histories in how inflammation changes over the cycle. Additionally, they examined if inflammation also contributes to cycle-related symptoms. The reason they tested this theory is because survivors of sexual trauma have significantly higher risk for cycle-related mental and physical health symptoms. While there is some research showing survivors of sexual trauma have hormone imbalances that can contribute to their higher rates of menstrual cycle-related health problems, other research fails to find any hormonal effects, suggesting hormones are not the only factor.
They are also hoping to gain knowledge from this research that will identify factors that lead to individual differences in risk for cycle-related mood disorders, and contribute to biopsychosocial models of sex/gender differences in mental health that contribute to women’s disproportionately higher risk for mood disorders.
DARWEN Study
Disgust & ARousal in WomEN with unwanted sexual activity history
DARWEN was designed and conducted by Harper Jones, a clinical PhD student in the WISH Lab.
In this study Harper analyzed how disgust responses are related to sexual desire and sexual behavior and how prior medical history and experiences with sexuality influence how disgust impacts sexual desire and sexual behavior. We conducting two sessions that were scheduled 1-3 days apart, during each session, participants completed two computer tasks involving viewing images with varying sexual content, as well as disgust eliciting images. After the tasks, they then completed a survey about their stress levels, mood, mental health, demographics, and sexuality (including your history of unwanted sexual activity).
TRACE Study
TRauma, Approach-Avoidance Conflict, and Endocrine Moderators
The TRACE study was created and conducted by Anneliis Sartin-Tarm, one of our clinical PhD students in the WISH lab.
Anneliis conducted this study due to the reason that women often report fluctuations in sexual desire throughout different points in their menstrual cycle. These dynamic changes are likely related to biological factors, like hormone levels, as well as social factors, like learning. Therefore, sexual patterns related to hormonal cycling may be different among women with varying sexual experiences. This research is designed to (1) better understand how women’s sexual motivation varies a function of hormone levels, and (2) determine how these tendencies differ among women with various positive and negative sexual experiences.
She is hoping to gain a better understanding of how hormone levels (through menstrual cycling or contraceptive use) may affect sexual desire and sexual functioning in women with varying sexual experiences.