Soap Opera Portrayals of Sex, Contraception, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Abstract

A rephkatim o f a 2373 study o f sextd behaviors olt ifbe soaps Jincis a s u b s t u d increase in sex behueen unmarried persons and a mrm of promiscuous sex, witb few attendant consequences.

Entertainment Media and Sexual Health: A Content Analysis of Sexual Talk, Behavior, and Risks in a Popular Television Series

“…Of course, quantifying depictions of sex on television is not a novel idea (e.g., Fisher, Hill, Grube, & Gruber, 2004;Gorham, 1994;Greenberg & D'Alessio, 1985;Larson, 1991;Lowry & Towles, 1989;Olson, 1995;Sapolsky & Tabarlet, 1991;Signorielli, 2000;Silverman, Sprafkin, & Rubinstein, 1979); however, a series of recent landmark studies have notably altered the research environment and created unique opportunities for further work (Kunkel et al, 1999;. Funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Sex on TV studies (henceforth the SOTV studies) are three large-scale content analyses designed to "enhance the level of knowledge that exists about the nature and extent of sexual messages on American television" (Kunkel et al, 2003, p. 2).…”

Sexual Socialization Messages in Mainstream Entertainment Mass Media: A Review and Synthesis

“…For example, the soaps in a study of 1970s programs by Lowry et al (1981) contained 6.5 references to or depictions of sexual behavior per hour, Lowry and Towles' (1989b) sample of soaps contained 7.4 references to or depictions of sexual behavior per hour, the soaps in HeintzKnowles' (1996) study contained 6.1 references to or depictions of sexual behavior per hour, and Kunkel et al (2005) sample of soaps contained 6.8 scenes per hour featuring references to or depictions of sexual behavior. Another finding consistent across studies is that sex on the soaps overwhelmingly occurs between unmarried partners (Greenberg et al 1981;Greenberg and Busselle 1996;Greenberg and D'Alessio 1985;Heintz-Knowles 1996;Lowry et al 1981;Lowry and Towles 1989b) and almost one of every ten extramarital encounters occurs between a married and an unmarried individual (Greenberg and Busselle 1996). Studies also indicate that depictions and references to unmarried intercourse have increased since the 1980s (Greenberg and Busselle 1996;Greenberg and Woods 1999).…”

Prosocial effects of entertainment television in India

“…The harmful effects of television violence (Andison, 1980;Cornstock, 1977;Donnerstein, 1980;Donnerstein and Berkowitz, 1981;Malamuth and Donnerstein, 1982;Malamuth, 1984;Phillips, 1982;Phillips and Hensley, 1984;Thomas et al, 1977;Zillmann and Bryant, 1982), 2. The effects of promoting inaccurate health-related information on television (Barnum, 1975;Cassata, Skill, and Boadu, 1979;Long, 1978;Lowry and Towles, 1989;Smith, 1972;Tan and Tan, 1986), 3. The portrayal of inaccurate and negative images of women and children on television (Cassata and Skill, 1983;Downing, 1974;Goldsen, 1975;Liebert, Neale, and Davidson, 1973;Noble, 1975;Tuchman, Daniels, and Benet, 1978), and 4.…”