Abstract

1. Caucasian East Asian % agreed to Phase 2 22% 37% % declined Phase 2 78% 63% Abstract Results Recent studies have revealed the importance of considering acculturation when investigating sexuality in East Asian individuals. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential role of acculturation, sexual attitudes, and sexual behaviours in predicting whether or not Canadian East Asian women might participate in physiological sexual arousal testing using the vaginal photoplethysmograph (VPP). Overall, this study replicates our prior finding of ethnicity differences in sexual behaviour and response. However, a novel finding in this study was the lack of a significant difference between Asian women who did versus those who did not participate in psychophysiological sexual testing, which may have implications when considering barriers to cancer screening measures such as the Papinicolau (Pap) test. Ethnic Composition of Those who Chose to Participate in Phase 2 Figure 1 Figure 2 Introduction Conclusion • Recent studies have shown that Caucasians are more sexually permissive than East Asians, and that higher mainstream acculturation in East Asian women was associated with greater sexual knowledge, greater sexual desire, greater sexual satisfaction and less sexual pain. • It has also been shown that East Asian women have significantly lower rates of Pap testing than Caucasian women, and that Pap testing is associated with sexual permissiveness in East Asian women. • Because of the similar personal nature of cancer screening measures such as the Pap test and sexual arousal testing using the VPP, the role of the relationship between ethnicity and acculturation with sexual attitudes and behaviours is explored as potential predictors of participation in sexual psychophysiology research. • Overall, there were no significant group differences between those who did and did not participate in Phase 2 • Contrary to our hypothesis, East Asian women were more likely than Caucasian women to participate in the psychophysiological phase of the study. Similarly, we expected women with higher sexual knowledge and sexual functioning to be more likely to go on to Phase 2, which was not the case • These unexpected results may be due to small sample size, or possibly to the tendency of Asian culture to place more meaning into context than Western culture. This may mean that East Asian subjects might have interpreted the introduction of Phase 2 as a request or demand, and felt a higher obligation to participate than did Caucasian subjects * ** ** ^ Method Implications • 28 female university students participated. 9 were Caucasian, 19 were of East Asian descent (Chinese, Japanese or Korean). • Participants filled out a battery of questionnaires in exchange for course credit, including: Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA) Sexual Beliefs and Information Questionnaire (SBIQ) Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI) Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) • Participants were then informed of the opportunity to participate in a second phase of the study, in which they would view neutral and erotic audiovisual films while their vaginal blood flow patterns were monitored. • Those choosing to participate in Phase 2 also filled out a film scale before and after the erotic film measuring their physical and subjective arousal, and a $10 honorarium was provided. • These findings suggest that East Asian women are not less likely to participate in sexual psychophysiological research, despite, perhaps, having less permissive sexual attitudes and behaviours compared to their Caucasian counterparts. • Because of the similarity in the personal nature of Pap smear testing and VPP sexual arousal testing, the data have implications for educating East Asian women on the importance of Pap smear testing, despite attitudes towards sexuality that might be acting as a barrier to such reproductive health behaviours. • There may be other barriers preventing East Asian women from performing Pap smear testing that do not involve discomfort with the physical aspects of the procedure. References • Brotto, L. A., et al. (2005). Acculturation and Sexual Function in Asian • Women. Arch Sex Beh 34, 613-626. • Woo, J.S.T. & Brotto, L.A. Unpublished data Does Acculturation Influence Participation in Sexual Psychophysiology Testing Among Canadian Asian Women? Morag A. Yule, BSc, BA, Jane S.T. Woo1, MA, & Lori A. Brotto2, PhD Departments of Psychology1 and Obstetrics & Gynaecology2, University of British Columbia, Canada East Asians Only • There was no significant difference between East Asian women who did, versus those who did not participate in phase 2 on any measure • Acculturation to Western culture was not related to participation in phase 2, nor was it correlated with level of physiological arousal. Caucasian and East Asian group differences on Sexual Beliefs (Fig 1), Sexual Function (Figs 2 & 3), and Sexual Activity (Fig 4) ***p < .001, **p < .01, *p < .05, ^p = .06 (approaching significance, and likely to become significant with a larger sample size) Figure 3 Figure 4 Supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research