Research Projects, 1995-2004

Male-Female Comparison Study
Sexual Well-being (and distress) in Women
Relationship between Mood and Sexuality
Sexual Risk-taking Project (NIMH)
Sexual Compulsivity
Sexual Dysfunction
Film Clip Study
Women's Health Survey
Childhood Sexual Play: A Study of Adults' Recollections
Viagra (Sildenafil) Study
Effects of Evista (Raloxifene) on Sexuality and Well-Being of Women
Olfactory Study
Oral Contraceptive Study
Sexual Health and Well-Being of Students at Indiana University
Ejaculation Study
Female Instrument Comparision Study
Psychophysiological Response Patterns in Men
Rural Adolescents' Attitudes about HIV
Pornographic Studies: Structures and Functions
Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus
Research workshops

See also, Affiliated Scholars and Researchers for information on collaborative projects.

Childhood Sexual Play: A Study of Adults' Recollections    Slide Presentation

The aim of this project was to study the characteristics and effects of childhood sexual play experiences and to explore how they may relate to later adolescent sexual behaviors and adult sexuality. Two complementary studies provided data:

• a survey of a random sample of male and female students, aged 18-24, at Indiana University, covering recall of childhood sexual play experiences and current sexual adjustment;
• secondary analyses of original Kinsey Institute interview data, identifying adult subjects with and without histories of childhood sexual play, and comparing the groups for subsequent patterns of adolescent and adult sexuality and marital happiness.

Principal Investigator: Meredith A. Reynolds, Ph.D., SSRC Fellow
Research Advisor/Associate: John Bancroft, M.D.
Research Collaborator: John M. Kennedy, Ph.D., Center for Survey Research, IU
Funded by: Social Science Research Council

Effects of Evista (Raloxifene) on Sexuality and Well-Being of Women    Slide Presentation

Evista (raloxifene) is an estrogen-like drug that is used in the prevention of osteoporosis. The objective of this study is to assess the effects of this drug on the well-being and sexuality of 60 post-menopausal women. The primary study consists of questionnaire and interview assessments. A secondary study will assess psychophysiological responses to erotic stimulation.

Investigators: John Bancroft, M.D.;Daniel Rozenman, M.D.; Cynthia Graham, Ph.D., and Erick Janssen, Ph.D.
Funded by: Eli Lilly and Co., Indianapolis, IN

Viagra Study: Predictors of Drug Utilization and Outcomes in the Treatment of Male Erectile Dysfunction (Pilot Study)   Slide Presentation

This is a one-year, multi-center, collaborative study designed to assess the factors that predict a good response to sildenafil (Viagra), including continued use and a positive effect on the sexual relationship. A total of 200 couples (200 men aged 21 and older and their partners) are being recruited at five study sites. The men will receive free Viagra therapy for a period of six months in the context of a process-of-care treatment model.

Kinsey Institute Investigators: John Bancroft, M.D., Erick Janssen, Ph.D., and Daniel Rozenman, M.D.
Investigators at other centers: Stanley Althof (Ctr. for Marital & Sexual Health, Beachwood, OH); David H. Barlow (Ctr. for Anxiety & Related Disorders, Boston U., MA); Raymond C. Rosen (Dept. of Psychiatry, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ); Kathleen Segraves and Robert T. Segraves (MetroHealth Medical System, Cleveland, OH); and John P. Wincze (Dept. of Psychology, Brown U., Providence, RI).
Funded by: Pfizer Inc.

Olfactory Study   Slide Presentation

This collaborative research project with Cynthia Graham, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, Indiana University, investigated the influence of fragrance on sexual arousal and mood in women at different stages of the menstrual cycle. The theoretical assumption was that fragrance, while not necessarily intrinsically erotic, can be an effective modulator of sexual arousal induced by other types of sensory stimulation. The study consisted of a laboratory-based experiment:

• to provide insight into the role of fragrance, if any, in sexual arousal;
• to provide a comparison of both subjective and physiological processes of sexual arousal under experimental conditions at two phases of the menstrual cycle; and
• to provide an assessment of whether any modulating effect of fragrance on these processes is dependent on cycle phase.

See the Olfactory Fund News Release for information on study results.

Principal Investigator: Cynthia Graham, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, IU
Co-Investigators: Erick Janssen, Ph.D. and Stephanie Sanders, Ph.D.
Funded by: Olfactory Research Fund, Ltd., New York, NY

Oral Contraceptive Study   Slide Presentation

The primary objective of this research was to assess the psychological, sexual and menstrual cycle characteristics of women before they start on combined oral contraceptives, and to reassess the women at intervals during the first year of use, in order to assess the extent to which initial characteristics predict:

• negative and positive effects of the combined oral contraceptive on well-being and sexuality;
• the acceptance or discontinuation of this contraceptive method.

Principal Investigator: John Bancroft, M.D.
Co-Investigators: Cynthia Graham, Ph.D. and Stephanie Sanders, Ph.D.
Research Associate: Jennifer Bass, M.P.H.

For further details, see "Working for Women's Well-Being" in Indiana University's online publication, Research and Creative Activity.

Sexual Health and Well-Being of Students at Indiana University Bloomington   Slide Presentation

The goal of this three-year project (1997-2000) is to establish on the Indiana University Bloomington campus an integrated and coordinated approach for helping students with their sexual lives.

• During the first year of the project, a needs assessement was conducted to identify existing campus and off-campus providers of sexual health services and information, and to identify the health needs of students.
• Surveys and focus groups identified an information and education gap in sexuality.
• This led in November 1998 to the creation of a new Web site, The Kinsey Institute Sexuality Information Service for Students (KISISS), a question-and-answer service geared towards Indiana University students.
• The Institute is also coordinating training and workshops for residence hall advisors, and continuing to network with other campus providers to improve services and information for students.
• This project continues as a service to the Indiana University community.

Principal Investigator: John Bancroft, M.D.
Co-Investigators: Carol McCord, M.S.W., Office of Women's Affairs, IU; Anne Reese, M.S., Health Center, IU
Project Coordinator: Jennifer Bass, M.P.H.
Funded by: Mary B. Orvis Fund, Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine

Ejaculation Study

Investigators: John Bancroft, M.D., Erick Janssen, Ph.D., and Jerome Cerny, Ph.D., Dept. of Psychology, Indiana State University.

Female Instrument Comparison Study

Investigators: Erick Janssen, Ph.D., and Jerome Cerny, Ph.D., Dept. of Psychology, Indiana State University.

Psychophysiological Response Patterns in Men

Rural Adolescents' Attitudes about HIV

This study, conducted by the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention and The Kinsey Institute, showed that rural adolescents feel a sense of invulnerability to HIV. Data were collected using focus group interviews from 38 adolescents, ages 11 - 17, in two 4-H clubs in rural counties in southern Indiana.

Principal Investigators: William Yarber, H.S.D., Senior Director, Rural Center, and Stephanie Sanders, Ph.D.
Funded by: The Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention

Pornographic Studies: Structures and Functions   Slide Presentation

This project is part of Jakob Pastoetter, M.A.'s doctoral thesis in Human Ontogenetics/Philosophy of Science, Humboldt Unversity, GERMANY. Mr. Pastoetter was doing research in the Institute's film/video collection for this doctoral thesis, "Structures and Functions of Pornographic Films". His focus is on changes in films from the early 1970s to today and what they tell us about fantasies and fears connected with sexuality.

RESEARCH WORKSHOPS/SYMPOSIA

Methodology of Sex Research:
This is a basic theme in the Institute's ongoing research program. The Institute is currently developing methods of measurement for:

• quality of sexual life;
• menstrual health; and
• high and low inhibition of sexual response (SIS/SES Scales)
• the effects of mood on sexual desire and sexual response (MSQ Questionnaire)

In April 1996, an international symposium on methodology was hosted by The Kinsey Institute.

Symposium on the role of theory in sex research, May, 1998.

Symposium on midlife sexuality, May 1999.

Sexual Development Workshop, May 2001.

Other research interests:

Stephanie Sanders, Ph.D., is involved in a continuing project of collaborative work examining long-term effects of prenatal exposure to drugs, and in research on sexual behavior related to risk for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

During her sabbatical leave in 1999, Liana Zhou, Head of The Kinsey Institute Library, received funding from the Indiana University Librarians' Association to carry out research on "Sexual Repression during the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a project that will be added to the Web Online Culture Revolution Center, co-sponsored by Pittsburgh University and Ohio State University.