{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02564102564102564, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 4.659420289855072, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Pollyanna or Fright Night? Over-optimism versus negativity in the sexual health setting

Yes, I admit it. The title of this article does lay me open to accusations of trivialisation. But when I was doing my research, I kept coming back to the metaphor the title reflects. My brief was to comment on how sexual health should be approached in society in general, and in the medico-sexual setting in particular. In short, what balance of positivity and negativity should we be using, both in health campaigns and in our interactions with clients? Is soft-pedalling on potential problems – a la Pollyanna – a sound emotional strategy or harmful in its naivety? Is stressing doom and gloom – the Fright Night approach – a useful preventative tool or counterproductive in its pessimism?