Current Research Projects

All Gender Health Online
Walter Bockting, PhD, is the principle investigator of a study that will examine the sexual health among men who have sex with transgender people. The results of this study will be used to develop effective interventions to prevent the spread of HIV and promote the sexual health of transgender people as well as the population at large. This study is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is being carried out by researchers at the University of Minnesota. Researchers include Bean Robinson, PhD, Jamie Feldman, MD, PhD, Michael Miner, PhD, Eli Coleman, PhD, Alex Iantaffi, PhD, Jeremy Grey, Rebecca Swinburne Romine, MA, Laura Gurak, PhD (Writing Studies), Joe Konstan, PhD (Computer Science), and Keith Horvath, PhD (Epidemiology).

Compulsive Sexual Behavior Survey
Eli Coleman, PhD, is conducting a research study to gather information on compulsive sexual behaviors. The goal of this research is to provide comparison groups for the groups on which we have comparable data. Previous groups have included men seen at our clinic for concerns related to compulsive sexual behavior and Hispanic men who have sex with men (MSM) involved in an online study of HIV risk. The research can help determine if online and offline data collection techniques are equivalent, and get a sense of what degree of compulsive sexual behavior is seen in the Minnesota community at large, with a special focus on MSM. One critique of previous research with MSM is that high scores were indicative of high degrees of internalized homophobia. The inclusion of a sample recruited from the community should answer that critique. Additional researchers on this grant include Michael Miner, PhD, Jon Grant, MD, Nancy Raymond, MD, and Rebecca Romine Swinburne, MA.

GLBT Twin Cities Cancer Screening Survey
Eli Coleman, PhD, is advising third-year medical students in a research study that looks at the rate of cancer screening in the GLBT community, specifically at the rates of cervical, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer screening among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender adults living in Minnesota. This information will be used to identify barriers to screening in the GLBT community, in order to overcome these barriers. 

30-Year Sexual Offender Recidivism Study
Over 900 people were eligible for sex offender treatment and interviewed at PHS for acceptance into the program. Thirty years after the first of these individuals entered the sex offender treatment program, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension records are being reviewed. Participants include over 800 men and roughly 75 women; a mixture of court-ordered and voluntary participants, and those convicted of both contact and non-contact offenses. The size of the sample allows for descriptive analysis not generally possible for community-based treatment programs. This study will examine the characteristics of the individuals seen at this program, and explore survival rates with respect to time in treatment and offense characteristics. Michael Miner, PhD, Rebecca Swinburne Romine, MA, and S. Margretta Dwyer, MA, are working on this project.

Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV
Nancy Raymond, MD, and others at the Center for Sexual Health are currently involved in a project to validate a structured clinical interview for the diagnosis of compulsive sexual behavior. This project involves administering the interview to individuals both with and without compulsive sexual behavior.

Double-Blind Naltrexone in Compulsive Sexual Behavior
Jon Grant, MD, is the principle investigator on this clinical trial. The goal of the proposed study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of naltrexone in compulsive sexual behavior. Twenty subjects with compulsive sexual behavior will receive eight weeks of naltrexone or placebo. The hypothesis to be tested is that naltrexone will be effective in reducing the urges to act out sexually in patients with compulsive sexual behavior. The proposed study will provide needed data on the treatment of a disabling disorder that currently lacks a clearly effective treatment.

Roots of Sexual Abuse
Mike Miner, PhD, is the lead investigator of this CDC-funded study. The study will apply attachment theory to identify the unique and shared risk factors for adolescents perpetrating child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and delinquent behavior. It is a multi-method, cross-sectional study of 300 adolescent males who have sexually abused children, sexually assaulted peers or adults, and/or committed other types of criminally delinquent behavior. Participants are recruited from agencies in both urban and rural Minnesota. Data is collected through available records, interviews, and a computer-administered questionnaire. Additional researchers on the grant include Dianne Berg, PhD, Bean Robinson, PhD, Jason Netland, MA, Charles Helm, MA, Morgan Paldron, MA, and Rebecca Romine Swinburne, MA.