Aleksandar Stulhofer

University of Zagreb · Department of Sociology

Studies assessing the relationship between religiosity and sexual behaviors in youth are limited by their use of single-aspect measures of religiosity, assumption of linearity, and focus on coital behaviors. This study assessed how multidimensional latent profiles of religiosity were associated both with sexual risk behaviors and noncoital sex. Dat...

This article explores female sexuality during state-socialist rule in Croatia and Poland. Using life-course framework and qualitative data from individual interviews with 35 women aged 65–93, we investigate a complex interplay of socialist puritanism, officially proclaimed gender equality, and a patriarchal cultural tradition based on a restrictive...

Motivations for pornography use may vary across gender identities, sexual orientations, and geographical regions, warranting examination to promote individual and public health. The aims of this study were to validate the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS) in a diverse, multicultural sample, and develop a short form (PUMS-8) that can assess a...

The construct of inclusion of other in the self has been established as one of the most influential measures for relationship closeness in romantic relationships. It is regularly associated with relational well-being, sexual satisfaction, as well as mental health. However, the degree of closeness one desires in the present relationship is person-sp...

Background and aims Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender‐ and sexual orientation‐related differences in sexual behaviors a...

Background and aims: Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender- and sexual orientation-related differences in sexual behaviors...

Background Existing research on sexual satisfaction has been carried out primarily in Western samples, lacking insights from less sexually permissive cultures such as China, particularly in the case of heterosexual and sexual minority women. Aim This study aimed to culturally adapt and validate the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale–Short Form (NSSS-S)...

Introduction The aim of this study was to determine self-reported human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination status among emerging adults in Croatia, intention to get the HPV vaccine among unvaccinated individuals and correlates of HPV vaccine hesitancy. Methods Data were collected via a cross-sectional survey based on a probabilistic national sample....

To determine the prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia) infection, knowledge about chlamydia and experience of previous testing for chlamydia, we carried out a national probability-based survey in emerging adults aged 18–25 years in Croatia in 2021–2022. Participants (n = 1197), members of a national online panel, completed a web-b...

Experiences of sexual harassment are common among university students. At the same time, research shows that victims and bystanders find it difficult to determine when an incident meets the criteria for sexual harassment. The aim of this study therefore was to obtain a richer and deeper understanding of the obstacles that university students encoun...

Aim: To assess the prevalence and dynamics of risky sexual behaviors among Croatian emerging adults in the 2005-2021 period. Methods: Three surveys were conducted on large-scale national samples of young adults aged 18-24 in 2005 (N=1092) and 18-25 in 2010 and 2021 (N=1005 and N=1210, respectively). The 2005 and 2010 studies were conducted with...

Background and aims: Despite its inclusion in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, there is a virtual paucity of high-quality scientific evidence about compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), especially in underrepresented and underserved populations. Therefore, we comprehensively examined CSBD across 42 countries,...

Introduction Research suggests a linkage between sexual boredom and sexual desire but without a detailed understanding how these are intertwined. Individuals in long-term monogamous relationships seem especially affected by low sexual desire and might present with varying degrees of sexual boredom. Objective This study aimed to identify different...

The “cycle of violence” perspective links the experience of being a victim of violence with later aggressive or violent behavior. While the association between victimization and aggression is relatively established, the mechanisms involved in the cycle of violence are less understood. The current study considered the role of mental health and delin...

Findings since 2000 about the association between the frequency of religious service attendance (formal religiosity) and sexual risk taking in adolescents and emerging adults were explored. A systematic literature search (April 2020) focused on articles with data on religiosity and age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most...

Although a number of studies reported negative associations between young people’s religiosity and risky sexual behavior, psychosocial mechanisms that might underlie these links have not been directly assessed. Utilizing structural equation modeling approach, the current study explored three such mechanisms: (a) internal motivation (internalization...

Background Research suggests a general link between sexual boredom and sexual desire, but its understanding is currently very limited. Aim To identify distinct (latent) groups of women and men in long-term relationships based on their reported levels of sexual boredom and sexual desire. Methods Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in an on...

This qualitative study explores experiences of intimacy and sexuality during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic of 3357 participants from Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, and Turkey. Data were collected through open-ended questions within a survey on sexuality during the pandemic. Based on a ref...

In this chapter, the authors critically review the body of research on adolescents’ and emerging adults’ pornography use and its consequences. We start with a number of theoretical concepts—including social learning and comparison theories, sexual scripting, self-objectification theory, the confluence model, the value congruence model, cultivation...

Background and aims The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of indicators consistent with Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD)—defined and operationalized according to the ICD-11 guidelines—in a large ( n = 4,633; 50.5% male; 49,5% female) probability-based German national sample. Methods Participants were aske...

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, different restrictive measures in terms of physical distancing and lockdowns have been introduced in most European countries, affecting all facets of social life. Currently, little is known about how partnered individuals perceive changes in their sexual life during this complex emergency. This study explored retrospective...

Rationale Although there is some evidence that religious faith may offer protection against sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood, no attempts have been made to systematically quantify the association. Objective Using data from studies conducted in the 2000–2020 period, this meta-analysis aimed to estimate the link between relig...

Background Impulsivity is regarded as a key factor underpinning hypersexuality like-conditions. However, impulsivity is a multifaceted construct, and existing research has not been capturing such complexity, which includes the effects of domain-general and domain-specific impulsivity in hypersexuality. Aim The aim of this study was to test the pre...

Public health efforts to reduce divorce-induced health adversities are gaining momentum and positive interventional outcomes of the online Cooperation After Divorce (CAD) digital platform for divorcees have been documented by previous research. However, it is unknown whether socioeconomic characteristics previously associated with prolonged divorce...

In longitudinal studies of pornography use, selective loss of participants who may be more vulnerable to the effects of pornography than their peers is a serious concern. To explore the potential for such selective dropout, we used data from two independent large-scale panel studies of adolescents’ pornography use. Of the three types of attrition—e...

Objectives: The study explored characteristics associated with the self-assessed effects of pornography use on one’s personal sex life. Methods: Data were collected in a probability-based sample of Norwegian adults (n = 4,160). Results: Most participants (41.3%) did not believe that pornography affected their sex life. More participants reported po...

Although online pornography use appears to be a mainstream activity, there is little information, particularly outside of the USA, about how consumers perceive its impact on their sexuality. Considering increasing concerns about pornography use, this lack of evidence has sociocultural and clinical ramifications - especially because the recently pro...

More frequent internet pornography use is often associated with decreased sexual satisfaction. However, individuals who use internet pornography more often can experience better relationship outcomes, depending on how they use it in the context of their relationship. Indeed, internet pornography use with the partner seems to be positively associate...

Objective: Despite the high prevalence of adolescents’ pornography use and increasing societal concerns about it, the examination of problematic pornography use (PPU) among this population is still scarce, potentially due to the lack of well-validated, reliable measures. The aims of the present study were to validate a short, theory-based measure o...

This study explores the European North-South differences in older partnered individuals' silencing of the sexual self and its links to relational and individual well-being. A web survey was conducted among partnered individuals aged 65 years or above in Norway and Croatia. There were 368 (women: 37.8%, response rate: 22%) and 359 (women: 34.5%, res...

Online sexual harassment (OSH) appears to be a relatively frequent phenomenon, particularly for older adolescents. It is also a gendered experience. Compared to their male peers, female adolescents are more likely to experience OSH and find it upsetting. This study sought to explore the role of resilience in explaining the association between onlin...

According to confluence model theorizing, pornography use contributes to sexual violence, but only among men who are predisposed to sexual aggression. Support for this assertion is limited to cross-sectional research, which cannot speak to the temporal ordering of assumed causes and consequences. To address this issue, we employed generalized linea...

A large number of partnered individuals regularly use or are in a relationship with someone who uses pornography. However, knowledge concerning the association between pornography use and partnered sexual health-sexual satisfaction, distress, and function-is fragmentary. The current study used an event-level dyadic design to examine the association...

Diljem svijeta vjerske zajednice i laička vjerski orijentirana udruženja potiču vjernike, osobito mlade, na aktivan angažman u promicanju i zaštiti religijskih vrijednosti. U Hrvatskoj se vjerski društveni angažman promovira i prakticira već desetljećima, no taj je iskaz religioznosti ostao posve neistraženim. U svrhu stvaranja pretpostavki za izuč...

There has been little comparative, cross-cultural research on sexual difficulties and associated distress, and factors associated with these, among older women. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate prevalence rates of sexual difficulties, distress related to these difficulties, and associated socio-demographic, relational, and health...

Although considerable research has examined the antecedents of adolescents’ pornography use (PU), little data exist on the underlying mechanisms of problematic pornography use (PPU) in adolescence. To bridge this gap, the current longitudinal study examined the long-term associations between adolescent boys’ PU frequency, PPU, and theory-based pred...

There is evidence that emotional intimacy can buffer the distress associated with sexual difficulties. Considering that older adults are at an increased risk of chronic illness, many of which (including their medical treatment) can impact their sexual well-being, the link between intimacy and sexual distress may be particularly relevant for older c...

Even though sexual activity frequently takes place with another person, research rarely focuses on how partners influence each other’s sexual lives. This study used the sexual dyad to compare the concept of actual versus perceived discrepancy in sexual interest and explored how each is related to older partnered individuals’ sexual satisfaction. Fu...

To address growing concerns about the role of pornography use in adolescents’ sexual socialization, we explored the role of callousness, relative to pornography use, in male adolescents’ self-reported sexual aggressiveness. Two competing conceptualizations of this role were tested using data from a larger longitudinal research project on sexualized...

The manner in which individuals report their sexual attraction, self-label their sexual identity, or behave in sexual situations can vary over time, and particularly, adolescents may change their reported sexual attraction or sexual orientation identity over the course of their development. It is important to better understand the social factors th...

Background Pornography use may become problematic for 1–6% of the people and may be associated with adverse consequences leading to treatment-seeking behavior. Although the identification of the central symptoms of problematic pornography use (PPU) may inform treatment strategies, no prior study has applied the network approach to examine the sympt...

Sexting, the digital transmission of sexual messages and images, has become a topic of increased interest and concern. Drawing largely on cross-sectional studies, the literature on associations between sexting and psychosocial outcomes remains inconsistent. The current longitudinal study investigated associations between adolescent girls’ sexting a...

Sexual well-being is an important part of life for many people aged 60 and older. However, older adults often face barriers to seeking and receiving help for sexual difficulties. This study used data from a probability survey (n=3820) on sexuality and ageing to examine help-seeking in 60-75 year-olds in Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Portugal. More...

Research on sex in later life has been concerned with documenting that older people continue to have sex and establishing the links between good health and sexual activity. Although sexual avoidance is common in clinical and nonclinical populations of older adults, little attention has been given to the motives for sexual avoidance. To address gaps...

Body image issues can affect all domains of sexual functioning. The aim of this study was to examine how, in a sociocultural context where physical and sexual attractiveness is equated with young and slim body ideals, appearance dissatisfaction and importance are related to sexual satisfaction in older adults in four European countries. A cross-sec...

The ways in which the discrepancy between one’s own interest in sex and that of one’s partner may affect personal sexual satisfaction has rarely been systematically studied, especially among older adults. Previous research among younger adults indicates that a discrepancy in sexual desire can be detrimental in terms of several relationship outcomes...

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s10433-019-00509-x.].

Objectives: In spite of growing concerns about adolescents’ pornography use, research on problematic pornography use (PPU) in this population is scarce. Method: We examined the structure and prevalence of PPU symptoms across six months in 337 male Croatian adolescents. Results: Network analysis indicated that associations among PPU symptoms were hi...

Although research in older individuals’ sexual health is steadily increasing, the nature of, and predictors related to, their distress about changes in sexual function have not been well studied. Using data from sexually active and partnered 1,047 Norwegian and Danish women and men aged 60-75 years, this study employed network analysis to explore t...

There is growing public concern that sexually explicit material (SEM) negatively affects women, given that, more often than not, SEM promotes women’s sexual objectification, passivity and submission to male desire. Focusing on hyperfemininity and sexual agency, as possible respectively negative and positive outcomes of SEM use, using a sample of 55...

Sexual health research tends to focus on problematic aspects of sexuality. This also applies to research on sexuality in older men and women, where attention has been primarily on the negative impact of aging. To contribute to the emerging interest in positive (successful) sexual aging, we aimed to: (1) further validate a recently developed 5-dimen...

Introduction There is a lack of theoretical and empirical knowledge on how sexual desire functions and interacts in a relationship. Aim To present an overview of the current conceptualization and operationalization of sexual desire discrepancy (SDD), providing clinical recommendations on behalf of the European Society of Sexual Medicine. Methods...

Divorce is associated with a range of negative psychological consequences, including increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatization. The current study presents the results of a 1-year longitudinal randomized controlled trial study of the Cooperation After Divorce online intervention platform for adults going through a divorce. Particip...

Background The ease of access to pornography has made its use common among adolescents. Although sexual and gender minority (SGM) (eg, gay, transgender) adolescents may be more prone to use pornography owing to sexual orientation–related information seeking and/or scarcity of potential romantic or sexual partners, relatively little attention has be...

Although there is now a substantial body of research suggesting a positive association between the exposure to sexualized content in the media and self-objectification/body surveillance, most of the studies have been cross-sectional, conducted in exclusively female samples, focused on the use of traditional media (e.g., printed magazines and TV), a...

Despite increasing concerns that pornography decreases adolescents’ well-being, existing empirical support for this position is largely limited to cross-sectional studies. To explore possible links between adolescent pornography use and psychological well-being more systematically, this study focused on parallel dynamics in pornography use, self-es...

Objectives Given the paucity of studies focusing on testosterone (T) and adolescent sexuality, and their conflicting findings, we aimed to empirically address two competing conceptualizations of the link between T and sexual behavior in adolescence: (1) the T as sexual motivator and (2) the T as competition-sensitive sexual motivator models. Metho...

According to Confluence Model theorizing, pornography use contributes to sexual violence, but only among men who are predisposed to sexual aggression. Support for this assertion is limited to cross-sectional research, which cannot speak to the temporal ordering of assumed causes and consequences. To address this issue we employed generalized linear...

The global popularity of online social networks (OSN) prompted concerns about adverse effects on adolescents' psychological well-being. To further the understanding of the relation between adolescents' use of OSN and life satisfaction, we used data from 701 female and 456 male Croatian high-school students collected over a period of 23 months. Mult...

Different forms of sexual expression can be beneficial to health and quality of life of older adults. While research on sexual well-being and aging has focused primarily on negative dynamics, this approach may not fit well the sexual reality of aging men and women. We used data from a probability-based survey carried out in 2016 among men and women...

The rising prevalence of (online) pornography use among, mostly male, adolescents revived social concerns regarding possible effects of pornography use on sexual aggressiveness. Given the paucity of longitudinal explorations of this link, this study focused on the following two research questions: (Q1) Is pornography use during middle to late adole...

Although communication about sexuality is a significant pathway through which peers influence adolescent sexual development, little research has examined the role of peer networks in the use of sexualized media. We applied a social network approach to assess the role of close peers in adolescent pornography use and sexting in a sample of Croatian h...

Little is known about possible impact of sexually explicit material (SEM) or pornography use on young people’s sexual socialization. The efforts so far have been characteristically brief (one-item measures assessing self-rated influence of pornography on one’s sex life were often used) and direct – thus vulnerable to normative expectations and soci...

The unprecedented accessibility and affordability of online sexually explicit material (SEM) has facilitated widespread use among adolescents and growing concerns over adverse reproductive health outcomes. Although SEM-induced risky sexual behavior is among key concerns, there is a paucity of longitudinal research addressing this issue. This study...

Adolescents are at increased risk for sexual victimization compared to other age groups and sexual abuse in adolescence is associated with negative health outcomes in adulthood. Sexual experiences are often conceptualized as either consensual or coercive so little is known about adolescents who are unsure whether their negative experience constitut...

Although the importance of sexuality and physical intimacy for well-being of older adults has been recognized, the role of sexuality in successful aging (SA) has been largely neglected. Building on our previous work, here we further validated a three-dimensional model of SA and examined its associations with sexual satisfaction and change in sexual...

Viewing sexually explicit materials (SEM) has become a normal sexual experience for many adolescents, and there are those who perceive that SEM has impacted them in a positive manner. There are growing concerns among parents, educators, and medical professionals over adolescents’ use of SEM, however, which include fears that SEM distorts young peop...

Pornography has been theorized to affect sexual satisfaction for decades, yet only two prospective studies, both conducted in the Netherlands, have explored this link among adolescents. Given the unprecedented availability of (online) sexually explicit content and the potential importance of its relationship to sexual satisfaction for young people,...

Background: Among older men, comparable cross-cultural investigations of sexual problems and associated distress that also include a multitude of relevant explanatory variables of these sexual problem and related distress are rare in the research literature. Aims: To investigate prevalence rates of sexual problems and associated distress among o...

The aim of this article was to describe partnered and non-partnered sexual activity and sexual satisfaction in older men and women from Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Portugal, and to explore sociodemographic correlates of sexual activity and satisfaction. Data were collected in 2016 using postal, anonymous questionnaires in probability samples of t...

A recent longitudinal study reported a negative association between the use of sexually explicit materials (SEM) and academic achievement among early adolescent Belgian boys. Given that academic achievement is related to the attainment of future educational and professional goals, these results suggest that SEM use may have long-term adverse outcom...

Nezadovoljstvo tjelesnim izgledom u razdoblju adolescencije rizični je čimbenik za razvoj poremećaja hranjenja, niskog samopouzdanja i depresije. Dosadašnja istraživanja ukazuju na zaštitnu ulogu obiteljske komunikacije i podrške spram nezadovoljstva tjelesnim izgledom. Međutim, manje je poznato kakav je odnos između zadovoljstva tjelesnim izgledom...