Sexual & Relationship Health News Post

iRT Researchers Present on the Importance of Media Literacy Education-Based Sex Education Programs for the ECHO@edu Program

2023-09-25T13:52:12+00:00

September 25, 2023, Durham, NC – Research has shown that comprehensive, inclusive, medically-accurate sex education can positively impact youth and young adults’ decisions about their sexual health, beliefs about relationships, and attitudes towards sexual violence. However, some middle school and high school students receive inaccurate or incomplete sex education, and others may not receive sex education at all. The gaps in standardized middle and high school sex education highlight an important opportunity for colleges to offer comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education to students, so young adults can make more informed decisions about their sexual health and foster healthy relationships. This topic was [...]

iRT Researchers Present on the Importance of Media Literacy Education-Based Sex Education Programs for the ECHO@edu Program2023-09-25T13:52:12+00:00

New Research Published on the Protective Influence of Critical Media Attitudes on Adolescent Sexual and Relationship Health

2023-08-30T14:35:45+00:00

August 30, 2023, Durham, NC – As online pornography platforms become more accessible, adolescents are more regularly exposed to sexually explicit material, and at increasingly younger ages. Pornography often depicts male-perpetrated physical aggression paired with sexual activity, and studies have shown that adolescent pornography use is associated with adherence to traditional gender role norms, beliefs in notions of women as sex objects, and acceptance of dating and sexual violence. Given that these harmful beliefs may impact adolescents’ current and future sexual and relationship behaviors, and contribute to dating violence and sexual assault perpetration, it is important to understand how adolescents can [...]

New Research Published on the Protective Influence of Critical Media Attitudes on Adolescent Sexual and Relationship Health2023-08-30T14:35:45+00:00

iRT Researchers to Present for the ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention Program

2023-07-19T12:56:13+00:00

July 19, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientists Drs. Reina Evans-Paulson and Christina Dodson will lead an interactive Zoom session for the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance’s ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention program on August 10, 2023 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The ECHO program is an international evidence-based model for training and peer-to-peer learning. The Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance invites staff at colleges, universities, and community colleges to join to discuss best practices in sexual and intimate partner violence primary prevention and new developments in peer education programs. Evans-Paulson and Dodson will present a session entitled [...]

iRT Researchers to Present for the ECHO@edu: Campus Violence Prevention Program2023-07-19T12:56:13+00:00

iRT Welcomes 2023 Summer Public Health Interns

2023-05-24T18:19:40+00:00

May 24, 2023, Durham, NC – iRT welcomes two new public health summer interns to iRT’s team of world-renowned scientists and creative professionals. Kylia Ahuna and Micaela Brewington bring a wealth of experience to iRT as the newest members of the Community College Health Study team. While community college students make up nearly half of all U.S. undergraduates, they are often overlooked by research and underserved by sexual health education resources. The Community College Health Study intends to change that. iRT’s team has recruited over 2,000 students in collaboration with 30 colleges across the U.S. to better understand the sexual and [...]

iRT Welcomes 2023 Summer Public Health Interns2023-05-24T18:19:40+00:00

iRT Researcher Contributes to Meta-Analysis of Studies on Adolescent Sexual Health

2022-12-30T19:03:09+00:00

December 30, 2022, Durham, NC – iRT Research Scientist Dr. Reina Evans-Paulson is consulting on a grant awarded to North Carolina State University to conduct a meta-analysis on predictors of adolescent condom use. Condoms are the most accessible, cost-effective protection against transmission of STDs and HIV for sexually active adolescents, and they are an effective method of pregnancy prevention for youth. Unfortunately, research has shown that only 54% of U.S. adolescents used a condom the last time they had sex. It is critical that we understand the factors that most strongly predict condom use so that they can be targeted in [...]

iRT Researcher Contributes to Meta-Analysis of Studies on Adolescent Sexual Health2022-12-30T19:03:09+00:00

iRT Scientists Present at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Conference

2022-01-28T15:55:10+00:00

iRT scientists, Drs. Tracy Scull, Christina Dodson, and Reina Evans-Paulson, presented a symposium entitled, Promoting Adolescent Sexual Health In The Digital Age Through Media Literacy And Sexual Communication, at the most recent Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2021. Their symposium featured a review of research on the relationship between media and adolescent sexuality as well as the benefits of media literacy education on adolescent sexual and relationship health. They were joined in the symposium by co-authors Dr. Laura Widman and Hannah Javidi from the Teen Health Lab at NC State [...]

iRT Scientists Present at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Conference2022-01-28T15:55:10+00:00

iRT Publishes New Research on Parent-Gender Differences in Sexual Health Communication

2023-01-11T19:46:30+00:00

July 14, 2021, Durham, NC- Decades of research point to parents having a major influence on their child’s sexual health. High quality parent-child communication has been repeatedly shown to reduce adverse sexual health outcomes. Despite the critical role of parents, research on parent-adolescent sexual health communication (SHC) overwhelming focuses on mothers with little known about the role of fathers.  Furthermore, research on SHC is typically conducted with either parents or adolescents, but not on both simultaneously. New research from iRT scientists investigates both of these blind spots. Authors Scull, Carl, Keefe, and Malik published the results of this research in a [...]

iRT Publishes New Research on Parent-Gender Differences in Sexual Health Communication2023-01-11T19:46:30+00:00

New iRT Parent-Child Communication Program Proven Effective

2023-01-11T21:08:10+00:00

Media Aware Parent – iRT’s new program to help parents talk with their pre-teens and teens about sex, relationships, and media – is an effective way to bolster communication and healthy attitudes in teens, according to an article that was published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.  Media Aware Parent is the latest program in iRT’s Media Aware series, which...

New iRT Parent-Child Communication Program Proven Effective2023-01-11T21:08:10+00:00

iRT’s Prevention Central Team Publishes Chapter on Sexual Socialization in the International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy

2023-01-11T21:13:05+00:00

Media literacy education (MLE) is one of the primary strategies used by Prevention Central research teams at iRT to develop innovative, evidence-based programs. Prevention Central scientists are on the forefront of  researching the influence of media on adolescents’ sexual attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, and have found that MLE is an effective way to promote adolescent sexual health.

iRT’s Prevention Central Team Publishes Chapter on Sexual Socialization in the International Encyclopedia of Media Literacy2023-01-11T21:13:05+00:00

iRT Represents Prevention Central Suite At National Anti-Drug Forum

2023-01-11T21:22:13+00:00

Representing a suite of prevention products hosted on the Prevention Central website (www.PreventionCentral.net), researchers from innovation Research & Training (iRT) attended the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) National Leadership Forum in National Harbor, MD, from February 4th to 7th, 2019. Representing a suite of prevention products hosted on the Prevention Central...

iRT Represents Prevention Central Suite At National Anti-Drug Forum2023-01-11T21:22:13+00:00
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