Erick Janssen

Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies · Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven/University of Leuven, Belgium

Background: Although sexual arousal is commonly experienced in the daily context of relationships, most of what we know about sexual arousal comes from studies on individuals, often conducted in a laboratory context. Aim: To explore to what extent similarity in levels of sexual arousal during nongenital physical intimacy (ie, cuddling and kissin...

The Dual Control Model proposes that sexual arousal and related processes are dependent on the balance between sexual excitation and sexual inhibition, and that individuals vary in their propensity for these processes. This scoping review provides an overview and discussion of the questionnaires used to measure the propensities for sexual excitatio...

Objective: Despite alarming evidence on sexual violence against women, little is known about men’s emotional responses to rape and how these may be involved in sexual violence dynamics. Accordingly, our aim was to capture how rape scenarios are emotionally appraised. Methods: The current study evaluated men’s (N = 30) self-reported and psychophysio...

Although researchers are increasingly paying attention to the dyadic nature of sexual desire and its relevance to sexual and relational outcomes, our understanding of how sexual desire operates on a couple level and how it may influence the occurrence of sexual activity in relationships remains limited. This study used ecological momentary assessme...

The predominant approach to understand dynamic risk factors of sexual reoffending has been referred to as the Propensities Model (Thornton, 2016). According to this model, dynamic risk factors can be conceptualized as latent constructs whose change alters the risk of sexual reoffending. Despite its strengths and contributions to research, this mode...

Objective: Risk of sexual reoffending of adult men who committed sexual offenses can be understood as involving a network of causally connected dynamic risk factors. This study examined to what degree findings from previous network analyses, estimated using data from the Dynamic Supervision Project (N = 803; van den Berg et al., 2020), could be rep...

Objectives Intimate behaviors, including cuddling, kissing, and genital touch, are interpersonal phenomena that are dependent on characteristics of the relationship as well as partners’ responses. Yet research on this topic typically relies on individual reports and does not account for interpersonal processes. In this study, we investigated how ma...

Objectives Intimate behaviors, including cuddling, kissing, and genital touch, are interpersonal phenomena that are dependent on characteristics of the relationship as well as partners’ responses. Yet research on this topic typically relies on individual reports and does not account for interpersonal processes. In this study, we investigated how ma...

Background Previous studies report vast mental health problems in sexual minority people. Representative national proportion estimates on self-identifying LGB+ persons are missing in Belgium. Lacking data collection regarding sexual orientation in either census or governmental survey data limits our understanding of the true population sizes of dif...

Background: Previous studies report vast mental health problems in sexual minorities. Representative national proportion estimates on self-identifying LGB+ persons are missing in Belgium. Lacking data collection regarding sexual orientation in either census or governmental survey data limits our understanding of the true population sizes of differe...

The quality of communication between romantic partners has consistently been found to be associated with relationship well-being and stability. Studies on sexual and nonsexual communication, however, have typically assessed communication skills and behaviors using self-report measures. The use of observational methods has several advantages, includ...

Previous studies suggest there is a complex relationship between sexual and general affective stimulus processing, which varies across individuals and situations. We examined whether sexual and general affective processing can be distinguished at the brain level. In addition, we explored to what degree possible distinctions are generalizable across...

Objectives : To investigate sexual excitation (SE) and sexual inhibition (SI) profiles in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) and to examine how these dimensions discriminate between men with and without ED. Methods : A clinical sample of 37 men with situational (psychogenic) ED and a control group of 40 sexually healthy men (matching the clinical...

We examined if and to what degree attachment orientations of both partners moderate the link between different behavioral characteristics of the sexual relationship and relationship satisfaction in the early stages of romantic attachment. A sample of 126 young, mixed-sex couples (N = 252, mean age = 23.3, SD = 2.4; average relationship duration = 1...

Objective: Various sources of evidence suggest that men and women differ in their experience of sexual pleasure. Such gender differences have been attributed to men’s higher innate sex drive, supported by evolutionary psychology perspectives and gender differences in reproductive strategies. Method: This paper presents biopsychosocial evidence for...

The role of oxytocin (OT) in close relationships is complex, as both positive and negative associations have been found between OT and relationship processes. Also, with most research focusing on the effects of exogenous OT administration on communication and couple behaviors, our knowledge about the association between endogenous OT and couple dyn...

Abstract Several studies highlighted the role of insula on several functions and in sexual behavior. This exploratory study examines the relationships among genital responses, brain responses, and eye movements, to disentangle the role played by the anterior and posterior insula during different stages of male sexual response and during visual atte...

This study addressed three goals related to better understanding the factors that contribute to female sexual satisfaction: (a) exploring differences in factors that contribute to perceptions of sexual satisfaction among women with varying sexual identities, (b) evaluating an existing measure of sexual satisfaction among women with diverse sexual i...

Introduction Emotions are theorized to contain the components of affect and action readiness. Affect guides behavior by causing an approach or withdrawal orientation. Action readiness is the individual's degree of willingness to interact with the environment. Emotions contribute to changes in behavior and physiological responses. Aim The present s...

Background A number of studies have found that hypersexuality is associated with a high propensity for sexual excitation. In comparison, less is known about the relationship between hypersexuality and sexual arousal at the state level. Also, previous research has revealed a relationship between hypersexuality and negative mood. However, the possibi...

Background Although their individual contributions to sexual and relational outcomes are well-established, there has been a lack of research on the importance of sexual frequency and sexual communication to sexual and relationship satisfaction. Aim To examine the contribution of sexual frequency and sexual communication to sexual and relationship...

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...

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...

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

Although dynamic risk factors are considered important in the assessment and treatment of adult male sex offenders, little is known about their interrelationships. We apply network analysis to assess their associations and to provide an analysis of their shortest pathways to sexual and violent (including sexual contact) recidivism. Analyses reveale...

Extant literature supports a relationship between sexual arousal and increased likelihood of sexually coercive behavior in men. The present study investigated the impact of sexual arousal on sexual coercion proclivity and the degree to which emotion regulation moderated this relationship in the context of two separate affect inductions. We predicte...

Aim: What is the prevalence of using lubricants and medication to enhance erectile function among older adults, and what predicts such use? Methods: Survey data were collected in probability samples among 60–75 year olds in Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and Portugal. Results: In men, the use of medication was highest in Norway (26%) and lowest in Portu...

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...

Background Although the clitoris is more sensitive to stimulation and its innervation more conducive to sensory feedback than the vagina, the field of sexual psychophysiology, which uses psychophysiological methods including genital response measures to study sexual arousal, relies heavily on the measurement of vaginal, rather than clitoral, pulse...

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...

Recent studies show that sexual approach (SA) motives, i.e., having sex to achieve a positive state such as sexual pleasure, are associated with higher sexual and relationship satisfaction. However, mechanisms linking SA motives to these outcomes are poorly understood, and the important distinction between SA motives that are self-directed (e.g., s...

While the interactive nature of sexual desire in women is increasingly recognized, dyadic factors affecting it, including partner interactions, have as yet received little research attention. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the associations among intimacy, celebrated otherness, and object-of-desire affirmation and explored how they compl...

Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-contact technique that permits mapping and analysis of the temperature of the body's skin surface. This method has been applied to sexual psychophysiology since the 1980s and its use has been expanding ever since, mainly because it provides several advantages over existing genital response measures. This article...

Introduction: Many sexual difficulties encountered by couples in their day-to-day lives, although of insufficient intensity and persistence to warrant a clinical diagnosis of sexual disorder, are nevertheless frequent and a source of individual and relational distress. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the event-level associations between...

The Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) were developed to assess individual propensities for sexual excitation and sexual inhibition in men and women. The objective of the present study was to validate the Portuguese version of the SIS/SES and to investigate the degree to which SIS/SES scores predict different dimensions of Por...

This meta-analysis is the first to our knowledge to evaluate the predictive properties of dynamic sex offender risk assessment instruments, which are designed to assess factors associated with recidivism that are amenable to change. Based on 52 studies (N 13,446), we found that dynamic risk assessment instruments have small-to-moderate predictive p...

Previous research has suggested that sexually aggressive behavior and sexual HIV risk behavior are associated. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a well-established risk factor for both types of problematic sexual behavior. Negative affect (i.e., anxiety, depression, and anger) is a less well-studied risk factor, but it has been theorized to relate to...

Marc Potenza and colleagues1 advocated classifying “excessive sexual behaviour” as an addictive disorder in ICD-11. Sex has components of liking and wanting that share neural systems with many other motivated behaviours.2 However, experimental studies do not support key elements of addiction such as escalation of use, difficulty regulating urges, n...

Background: Although the clitoris is more sensitive to stimulation than the vagina, and its innervation more conducive to sensory feedback, the field of sexual psychophysiology relies heavily on the measurement of vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA). This is most likely due to the availability of an instrument, the vaginal photoplethysmograph, that is ea...

Introduction & objectives: Little is known about the brain mechanisms underlying cognitive-affective processing in erectile dysfunction (ED). This study compared brain networks involved in different emotional or cognitive functions in men with psychogenic ED (EDp) and healthy men (HC) during the presentation of sexual and neutral video clips. Popu...

Introduction & objectives: Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor with higher incidence in men after 50 years worldwide. The burden of a cancer diagnosis and related treatments has considerable emotional and psychological conse- quences and may negatively impact the patient’s level of sexual functioning and satisfaction. The objective of the present...

Despite increased attention to understanding risk factors for sexual aggression, knowledge regarding the emotional and sexual arousal patterns of sexually aggressive men remains limited. The current study examined whether sexually aggressive men exhibit unique profiles of affective responsivity, in particular to negatively valenced stimuli, as well...

Introducing a new and improved vulvagesiometer.

Messages that frame a target behavior in terms of its benefits (gain frame) or costs (loss frame) have been widely and successfully used for health promotion and risk reduction. However, the impact of framed messages on decisions to have sex and sexual risk, as well as moderators of these effects, has remained largely unexplored. We used a computer...

Introduction Although impaired sexual function is relatively common, not all sexual impairments are associated with distress. To date, most studies on protective and risk factors for sexual distress have asked about distress in a more general manner and have failed to distinguish different dimensions of sexual distress. Aim To examine the associat...

Aim: The aim of the current paper was to provide an overview of literature on sexual function and sexual difficulties in older adults. Method: We conducted a narrative review of papers published in English between January 2005 and July 2015 based on an extensive search in PsycINFO. Results: The review showed that while common biological changes may...

Aim: the aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the literature published 2005–2015 on sexual satisfaction and body image in older adults. Method: A narrative literature search using the PsycINFO database was conducted. Results: Although women in general seem less satisfied with their bodies than men, particularly in sexual contexts, older wo...

Individuals who meet criteria for sexual compulsivity tend to be more likely to engage in behaviors that may have negative consequences. Despite the clear public health relevance, however, little is known about the determinants of sexual compulsivity. This psychophysiological study examined self-regulation of sexual arousal in men high and low in s...

Introduction Hypersexuality has been conceptualized as sexual addiction, compulsivity, and impulsivity, among others, in the absence of strong empirical data in support of any specific conceptualization. Aim To investigate personality factors and behavioral mechanisms that are relevant to hypersexuality in men who have sex with men. Methods A sam...

Poster IASR

Objective: The objective of the present study is to test the effect of psychological trait dimensions (e.g., personality dimensions, sexual beliefs, sexual inhibition and sexual excitation), along with medical dimensions, in sexual function recovery in men with prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy. Design and Method: Over a 12 month period,...

Research about masturbation tends to be limited to the assessment of masturbation incidence and frequency. Consequently, little is known about what people experience connected to masturbation. This might be one reason why theoretical approaches that specifically address the persistent gender gap in masturbation frequency are lacking. The aim of the...

Kinsey Reporter is a global mobile app to share, explore, and visualize anonymous data about sex. Reports are submitted via smartphone, then visualized on a website or downloaded for offline analysis. In this paper we present the major features of the Kinsey Reporter citizen science platform designed to preserve the anonymity of its contributors, a...

PROLOGUE The first reports of the measurement of physiological responses during sexual activity date back to the late 1800s. For example, Mendelsohn (1896) described “pulse curves” (EKGs) during sexual intercourse. Such early explorations were followed by more systematic attempts to understand the physiology of sexual response, as exemplified by th...

condom-associated erection problems (CAEP) are an underestimated factor related to inconsistent or incomplete male condom use. The underlying mechanisms of CAEP are not understood, and whether men who report these difficulties are also likely to experience erectile problems in situations when condoms are not used has not been studied. Aim: the aim...

Unlabelled: Background Previous studies have associated men who experience condom-associated erection problems (CAEP) with incomplete condom use and/or foregoing using condoms altogether. However, how men respond to CAEP and what they attribute CAEP to, remains unclear. Understanding young men's CAEP responses and attributions could help improve s...