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A Learning Experience? Enjoyment at Sexual Debut and the Gender Gap in Sexual Desire among Emerging Adults
The Journal of Sex Research
Abstract
Gender differences in experience of first intercourse are among the largest in sexuality research, with women recalling less pleasure and satisfaction than men. This "enjoyment gap" has not been considered in explanations of gender differences in sexual desire. Yet, reinforcement and incentive learning features prominently in recent models of women's sexual desire, and nonhuman animal models demonstrate their impact at sexual debut. We examined whether women's lower sexual desire is explained by their gender or by gendered experience of enjoyment at sexual debut. Emerging adults (N = 838) provided retrospective accounts of physical (orgasm) and affective (satisfaction) enjoyment at (hetero)sexual debut. We replicated gender differences across behavioral, general, and multidimensional measures of trait sexual desire; however, they were contingent on experience and measurement method. When its cognitive multidimensional properties were appreciated, women's sexual desire varied with experience of orgasm at sexual debut and diverged from men's only when orgasm did not occur. Such effects were not observed for satisfaction, nor for men. Nor did effects of a control event - masturbatory debut - extend beyond solitary sexual desire. Findings underscore the importance of orgasm equality, and suggest its absence at sexual debut may play an unacknowledged role in differentiating sexual desire.
... As seen in Figure 7, sexual debut may hold the largest orgasm gap of any partnered context. In studies that asked young adults (primarily university students in Canada and the US) to recall their first intercourse event, 7-8% of young women reported that they had an orgasm in contrast to 70-79% of young men (Peragine et al., 2022(Peragine et al., , 2023Sprecher et al., 1995). Among initial experiences, Sprecher et al. (1995) found when young women did orgasm at debut, there was no significant gender difference in reported pleasure. ...
... The much lower numbers shown in Archer's study relative to Frederick et al. and Garcia et al. may be due in part to the different measurement and reporting style (apparently reporting only the top category on an ordinal scale) as well as sample differences (hookups among university students vs. sexual encounters among adults). As noted earlier in Figure 7, Peragine et al. (2022) found a stark gap between heterosexual young men and women in retrospective reports of orgasm during Figure 10. Differences in women's orgasm occurrence or frequency by partner gender. ...
... Longitudinal data collection efforts on orgasm patterns would be useful since there may be long-term gendered consequences for sexual dynamics from disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic (McElroy et al., 2023). Additionally, initial sexual experiences can shape trajectories for future experiences (Peragine et al., 2022(Peragine et al., , 2023Sprecher et al., 1995), but we did not identify any studies that followed people before and after their partnered sexual debut. In the analysis by Peragine et al. (2022), they argued that a person's first sexual interaction with a partner may represent a critical learning acquisition moment, laying the foundation for personal expectations about what can be experienced from a partner. ...
This article provides a review and visualization of findings over the last 30 years related to the orgasm gap between men and women in heterosexual encounters. We describe and compare techniques commonly used for measuring orgasm occurrence and frequency patterns, and we summarize the contrast in orgasm rates shown in these studies across different behavior sets and social contexts. Of central importance, women’s orgasm rates increase dramatically with the inclusion of behaviors that provide specific stimulation to the clitoris, revealing this gap is largely driven by social dynamics rather than strictly biological mechanisms. Disparities between men and women are especially pronounced in
contexts with low levels of partnered sexual experience, partner familiarity, and relationship commitment. Women are also more likely to experience orgasm when masturbating or partnered with women than when partnered with men. Ultimately, we echo calls for a biopsychosocial approach to sexual enjoyment and well-being, and we provide recommendations for future research, including increased precision in measurement and reporting, diversifying sampling concentrations, and assessing life course
trajectories.
... Other studies have also found positive correlations between sexual desire measures and subjective orgasm experience [41,42]. A recent study examined if the gender gap in sexual desire (i.e., men report more frequent desire than women) can be explained by orgasm experience at sexual debut [43]. Results provide evidence that women's sexual desire varied based on experiencing orgasm at sexual debut and diverged from men's desire only when orgasm did not occur. ...
... Importantly, queer scripts (compared to conventional heterosexual scripts) are more likely to value egalitarianism or equality of experience between partners [57]. Queer sexual scripts also prioritize reciprocity and variety in bodily stimulation techniques (e.g., oral and manual stimulation), which are more likely to lead to orgasm in women than PVI [43]. This helps explain the higher orgasm rates observed in lesbian couples as compared to women in relationships with men [43,58,59]. ...
... Queer sexual scripts also prioritize reciprocity and variety in bodily stimulation techniques (e.g., oral and manual stimulation), which are more likely to lead to orgasm in women than PVI [43]. This helps explain the higher orgasm rates observed in lesbian couples as compared to women in relationships with men [43,58,59]. In sum, women in queer sexual contexts are more likely to have both relational intimacy and mutual orgasmic pleasure than women in heterosexual contexts. ...
Purpose of review: Women's orgasms have been subject to controversial discussions among scholars throughout history. Even today, narratives of women's orgasm being complicated or less important (cp. to men's) for their sexual functioning and satisfaction are prevailing and reflected in gendered sexual scripts. This review aims to compile evidence for the relationship between orgasm and sexual well-being in women. We consider orgasm's role in women's sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, and desire in the context of both casual and committed sexual encounters.
Recent findings: Substantial evidence supports a significant link between orgasm and sexual pleasure, satisfaction, and desire in women. Orgasm has been identified as an important factor in predicting relational satisfaction as well as positive outcomes of casual sex. For instance, orgasming during casual sex completely accounts for the persistent gender differences researchers have observed in emotional and evaluative responses to casual encounters.
Summary: As we cover in this review, there is no shortage of research demonstrating the myriad of favorable physical, psychological, and interpersonal associations with women's orgasms across relational and sexual contexts. Because orgasm has continually surfaced as such a critical component of women's positive sexual experiences, we argue the female orgasm should be taken seriously as a meaningful site of research on women's well-being, and orgasm equality should be taken seriously in the pursuit of gender equality.
... Youth's first sexual experiences are significant, holding crucial associations with later sexual beliefs and conduct (Coleman & Testa, 2006;Heywood et al., 2015;Hoehn et al., 2016;Peragine et al., 2022;Reissing et al., 2012;Sprecher et al., 2019). While orgasms are linked to numerous health and wellbeing benefits in adulthood (Gianotten et al., 2021;Piemonte et al., 2019; and considered as a central component of adult sexuality, there is limited research on the topic for adolescents. ...
... Reports from late adolescents and young adults, while limited, suggest that there are gender differences in providing and receiving manual as well as oral stimulation (Lewis & Marston, 2016), with boys receiving it more often than girls (Chambers, 2007;Herbenick et al., 2010;Jozkowski & Satinsky, 2013;Vannier & O'Sullivan, 2012;Wood et al., 2016). However, most studies looking at youth's first sexual experiences used retrospective designs or young cisgender adult samples (Peragine et al., 2022), leaving key questions unanswered regarding middle adolescents (i.e., 14-16 years old). ...
Despite recurring calls for diversity and inclusion in adolescent sexuality research, our understanding of adolescents’ sexual experiences beyond heteronormative vaginal intercourse remains limited. The current study examined orgasm (during masturbation and with a partner) and sexual behaviors (providing and receiving manual and oral stimulation) in middle adolescents. We conducted logistic regression and path analyses separately for cisgender (n = 2738) and transgender/non-binary (TNB) youth (n = 62) to explore gender and dyad type (intersection between gender and partner gender) differences among 2800 Canadian adolescents (51.4% cisgender girls, Mage = 16.41, SDage = 0.55). With cisgender boys as reference, cisgender girls had lower odds of experiencing orgasm during masturbation, reported more difficulties with orgasm during partnered sex, received more manual sex, and less oral sex. TNB individuals assigned male at birth received more manual stimulation, and TNB assigned female at birth received less oral sex. For dyad type, compared to cisgender boys partnered with a girl, cisgender girls partnered with a boy and cisgender girls with a gender diverse partner (i.e., non-binary, trans, genderfluid or agender) had lower odds of having ever experienced orgasm during masturbation, reported more difficulties experiencing orgasm during partnered sex, and received oral stimulation less often. Cisgender girls who were partnered with a girl did not differ from cisgender boys who were partnered with a girl. Findings may inform programs that promote sexual wellbeing among youth.
... Since sexual satisfaction can be conceived in many different ways [88], and since its quantification is not straightforward, inconsistent results are not unexpected. For example, whereas physical satisfaction (orgasm) at sexual debut has consequences for future sexual desire, affective satisfaction does not [209]. Moreover, orgasm consistency is only a marginal predictor of genital arousal and is unrelated to conscious sexual arousal according to recent data [210]. ...
In self-report questionnaires, men report higher scores than women on variables such as desire for sex, frequency of sexual thoughts, number of sex partners, etc. Based on this, men are considered to have a higher level of sexual motivation than women. However, retrospective self-reports may be unsuitable for estimations of the inherent level of sexual motivation. We review data on automatic (unconsciously controlled) responses and measures of implicit motivation during exposure to sexual stimuli. These responses and measures are inaccessible to willful manipulations and make it possible to determine whether the sex difference in answers to questionnaires is replicated when volitional response manipulations are unlikely. We complement the human data with observations from some rodent and non-human primate species. The attentional resources allotted to stimuli with sexual relevance as well as genital responses to such stimuli are similar in men and women. Measures of implicit motivation also fail to detect any sex difference. Finally, the frequency of masturbation is superior in female infants before the age at which social expectations begin to determine behavior. Neither in rodents nor in non-human primates is there any clear-cut evidence for sex differences in motivation. It seems that males and females are similar with regard to the intensity of sexual motivation. The responses to questionnaires may be affected by social learning of sexual scripts and/or the inferior quality of sexual experiences in women, among other things.
... Certainly, people whose sexual partners are more attentive to their wants and desires would be expected to like "sex" more than those whose partners have been repulsed by their bodies, failed to be concerned about their pleasure, etc. Of course, the group more likely to have encountered the latter set of experiences are women (Armstrong et al., 2012;Conley & Klein, 2022;Peragine et al., 2022). We doubt that measures of a partner's respectfulness were readily available for Frankenbach et al.'s (2022) meta-analysis, but close consideration of these factors should be employed in future meta-analyses addressing this topic. ...
Most theories predict, and most studies demonstrate, that men have a higher sex drive than women do. A spirited debate has emerged surrounding the origins of gender differences in sex drive; Frankenbach et al. (2022) commented on this controversy in the context of their impressive meta-analysis. We provide a different interpretation of these findings: Specifically, women get worse sex than men do. We argue that if the differences between the sex that women get and the sex that men get were accounted for, gender differences in sex drive would be reduced or eliminated completely. We focus more specifically on two factors that should be accounted for in future meta-analyses—narrow definitions of “sex” as penile–vaginal intercourse, and gender disparities in sexual violence—and additional factors that should be acknowledged when interpreting meta-analytic results—gendered cultural messages, respect from heterosexual partners, and sexual stigmatization.
... If sexual satisfaction is a human right (Kismödi et al., 2017), sex education must strive toward full and equal realisation of this right, including equal opportunities for satisfaction at sexual debut. Understanding why this event is (or is not) a satisfying one for young people is of growing importance given mounting evidence that a satisfying sexual debut is itself a source of sex education-and one with ties to sexual beliefs (Reissing et al., 2012), desires (Peragine et al., 2022b), and satisfaction years later (Smith & Shaffer, 2013). First experiences are powerful lessons, and first intercourse is no exception (Pfaus et al., 2012). ...
Gender differences in appraisals of first intercourse are among the largest in sexuality research, with women indicating less satisfying “sexual debuts” than men. Dispositional or “actor-level” explanations for this gender gap are pervasive, yet research has largely examined heterosexual debuts in which actor gender and partner gender are confounded. We assessed whether women’s less satisfying sexual debuts are better explained by actor gender or partner gender, comparing experiences of women who debuted with men (WDM) with those of men and women who debuted with women (MDW, WDW). Retrospective accounts of sexual debut were collected from 3033 adults. At first intercourse, we found that WDW had equal physical and emotional satisfaction to MDW, and more satisfaction than WDM, suggesting satisfaction gaps owing to partner gender, not actor gender. This pattern did not extend to a comparison event (first masturbation), where WDW and WDM had similar satisfaction, but less satisfaction than MDW, suggesting an actor gender gap. To identify sources of satisfaction gaps, we probed for corresponding differences in the circumstances of sexual debut. Sexual circumstances were more strongly implicated than nonsexual ones, with relative deprivation of glans stimulation explaining relative dissatisfaction at first intercourse, but not first masturbation, and orgasm explaining it at both. Findings challenge the view that the satisfaction gap at first intercourse reflects an inherent difference between genders. Indeed, they demonstrate similarities when partner gender does not differ and suggest strategies for ensuring equal sexual satisfaction—and equal sexual rights realization—at (hetero) sexual debut.
... Some see these numbers and appeal to arguments about biological differences between men and women making it harder for women to achieve orgasm (e.g., Emhardt et al., 2016;Frith, 2015). More recent research, however, suggests there is more to it than this, as studies have shown that women are more likely to orgasm when they masturbate, or have sex with a woman, than when they have sex with a man (Frederick et al., 2018;Peragine et al., 2022). ...
The potential link between orgasm consistency (i.e., the percentage of time an individual experiences orgasm during sexual interactions with a partner) and sexual satisfaction in mixed-gender sexual relationships remains underexamined in the literature. We combined two dyadic samples (N = 725 couples) and utilized Dyadic Response Surface Analysis (DRSA) to examine how both partners’ orgasm consistency and their discrepancy of orgasm consistency predict both partners’ sexual satisfaction. We found that partners’ discrepancy in orgasm consistency was not uniquely connected to higher sexual satisfaction for either women or men; rather, the overall consistency of orgasm was connected to better sexual satisfaction for both partners. In addition, there was some evidence tentatively suggesting that men were more likely than women to report lower sexual satisfaction if his partner was orgasming more consistently than he was, as opposed to her reporting lower sexual satisfaction from him orgasming more consistently than she was; though this appears to be a rare scenario as only 5.9% of couples had women who orgasmed more consistently than men. This study may assist educators and clinicians as they help couples consider the sexual scripts surrounding orgasm consistency, and how they can attend to each others’ desires in a way that maximizes sexual satisfaction for both partners.
... This result might seem to contradict reports that women's sexual functioning is more attuned to early sexual abuse 67 and enjoyment than men's. 68 However, only the timing of sexual experience was varied in the current study, with little regard for whether it was wanted or enjoyable. Others have shown that the timing of sexual debut is largely only significant to sexual functioning insomuch as it approximates it quality, 14,15,18 with gendered associations being more pervasive when the quality of first sexual intercourse is assessed rather than its timing. ...
Background:
A younger age at sexual intercourse has frequently been linked to adverse sexual health outcomes. Yet, little is known about its associations with healthy sexual function, and less still about the timing of pre-coital sexual debuts and adult sexual health.
Aim:
We examined associations between an earlier sexual debut and subsequent sexual health, using broad operationalizations of each that capture pre-coital experiences and positive outcomes. Connections to sexual health risk and healthy sexual function were assessed through the lens of the dual-control model of sexual response.
Methods:
Data on age at first sexual intercourse, first sexual contact, first sexual stimulation, and first orgasm, as well as sexual health risk and healthy sexual function were gathered from 3,139 adults.
Outcomes:
Adverse sexual events (reproductive illness, infection, or injury affecting sexual activity; pregnancy termination and/or loss; non-volitional sex) and current sexual difficulties (Female [FSFI] and/or Male Sexual Function Index [MSFI] scores; Sexual Excitation and/or Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women and Men [SESII-W/M] scores).
Results:
When defined narrowly as first sexual intercourse, earlier sexual debut was associated with adverse sexual events, including non-volitional sex, pregnancy termination and/or loss, and reproductive illness, infection, or injury affecting sexual activity. However, it was also related to healthier sexual function, including less pain during vaginal penetration, better orgasmic functioning, and lower sexual inhibition. When sexual debut was broadened to include pre-coital experiences, earlier sexual contact, like earlier sexual intercourse, was associated with non-volitional sex. However, earlier sexual stimulation and orgasm were unrelated to adverse outcomes. Rather, these related to fewer sexual desire difficulties, and greater sexual excitation. Exploratory mediation analyses revealed later sexual intercourse and orgasm were connected to sexual difficulties through higher sexual inhibition and lower sexual excitation, respectively.
Clinical implications:
When sexual functioning is impaired, delay of both coital and noncoital debuts may warrant assessment, and sexual excitation and inhibition may be targets for intervention. To facilitate healthy sexual development of young people, non-coital debuts with and without a partner may warrant inclusion in risk management and health promotion strategies, respectively.
Strengths & limitations:
Although this research operationalized sexual debut and sexual health broadly, and examined associations between them, it is limited by its cross-sectional retrospective design and non-clinical convenience sample.
Conclusion:
From a risk-based perspective, earlier sexual intercourse is adversely related to sexual health. Yet, it is also associated with healthy sexual function. Indeed, earlier sexual initiation may confer more benefits than risks when sexual debuts beyond intercourse are considered. Peragine DE, Skorska MN, Maxwell JA, et al. The Risks and Benefits of Being "Early to Bed": Toward a Broader Understanding of Age at Sexual Debut and Sexual Health in Adulthood. J Sex Med 2022;XX:XXX-XXX.
Orgasm is considered by many to be an essential part of women's ideal sexual experiences. As a result, sexual liberation narratives have often advocated for the prioritization of women's orgasms - particularly during heterosex - framing them as a central indicator of "good," healthy, liberated sex. However, scholars have increasingly critiqued these narratives, arguing that they result in an orgasm imperative that has negatively impacted women's sexual lives. Perspectives that promote the prioritization of women's orgasm and those that warn against the negative repercussions strive for the same thing - to draw attention to women's sexuality in ways that will lead to more pleasurable, enjoyable, and equitable sex for women overall. Yet, together, they offer contradictory messages about the role that women's orgasms can or should play in women's sexual liberation. For example, one could argue that it perhaps makes sense to prioritize women's orgasms given that they often are highly pleasurable for women, center a unique form of embodied pleasure, and offer a supposedly clear objective for women and their men partners. On the other hand, such narratives frame women's orgasm absence as abnormal, concede to men's sexuality in problematic ways, and constrain more comprehensive possibilities for women's sexual pleasure. In this critical feminist review, I offer a summative outline of these and other contradictions, focusing on how narratives prioritizing women's orgasms can have simultaneous benefits and negative repercussions when it comes to (1) women's sexual pleasure, (2) the medicalization/pathologization of women's orgasms, and (3) heterosex norms.
Introduction: Since the 1960 s, there has been debate in academia, the women’s movement, and the general public about the fact that women experience orgasms less frequently than men during heterosex as well as why, and additionally about if and how to close this gender orgasm gap. Within a bio-psycho-social model of sexuality, gender orgasm gaps are explained theoretically in very different ways.
Objectives: The aim of this research review is to report the empirical findings to date on the size of the gender orgasm gap as well as to present and critically discuss the proposed practice measures intended to close it.
Methods: In the course of a systematic literature search n = 20 empirical publications on the orgasm gap and an additional n = 16 original research papers promoting its closure were identified and coded (1982–2021).
Results: The surveys included are based on the self-reports of N = 49 940 women and N = 48 329 men, and show that typically 30 % to 60 % of women report reaching orgasm during heterosex in contrast to 70 % to 100 % of men. Depending on the context of heterosex, the size of the orgasm gap varies from –20 % to –72 % to the disadvantage of women. The ten population-representative surveys presented yield a weighted mean orgasm gap of –30 % [95 % confidence interval: –31; –30]. The measures proposed in previous literature for closing the orgasm gap relate to personal factors, relationship factors, sexual interaction factors, and societal factors: Women are advised to strive more consciously for their own orgasm and to talk more openly about their sexual wishes in the relationship. In addition, women and men are advised to integrate more direct clitoral stimulation into heterosex and to demarginalize women’s orgasms socially.
Conclusion: Based on the current state of research, there is a need to continue addressing issues around the gender orgasm gap in both research and practice. However, given the limited successes of recent decades, it also seems imperative to critically examine the approaches taken so far in the “battle for orgasm equality”. Open Access Full Text:
https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/pdf/10.1055/a-1832-4771.pdf
This study examined self-reported changes in young adults' sexual desire and behaviors during the most significant social restrictions imposed to deal with COVID-19. Drawing on a survey of 565 British adults aged 18-32 collected at the peak of social lockdown restrictions, we document an overall decrease in sexual behaviors consistent with abiding by social restrictions. We found that the levels of sexual desire reported by women (but not men) decreased compared with reports of pre-lockdown levels. Participants in serious relationships reported more increases in sexual activity than people who were single or dating casually, and there were significant differences according to gender and sexual orientation. The perceived impact of subjective wellbeing of people with high sociosexuality scores was disproportionately associated with social lockdown but there was no effect for general health. Thus, the impact on sexuality and general wellbeing should be considered by policymakers when considering future social restrictions related to COVID-19 or other public health emergencies.
A diverse U.S. sample comprising 1437 men and 1474 women was assessed on sexual orientation, masculinity–femininity of occupational preferences (MF-Occ), self-ascribed masculinity–femininity (Self-MF), Big Five personality traits, sex drive, and sociosexuality (positive attitudes toward uncommitted sex). Discriminant analyses explored which traits best distinguished self-identified heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual individuals within each sex. These analyses correctly classified the sexual orientation of 55% of men and 60% of women, which was substantially better than a chance rate (33%) of assigning participants to one of three groups. For men, MF-Occ and Self-MF distinguished heterosexual, bisexual, and gay men, with heterosexual men most gender typical, gay men most gender atypical, and bisexual men intermediate. Independently, higher sex drive, sociosexuality, and neuroticism and lower conscientiousness distinguished bisexual men from other groups. For women, gender-related interests and Self-MF distinguished lesbians from other groups, with lesbians most gender atypical. Independently, higher sociosexuality, sex drive, and Self-MF distinguished non-heterosexual from heterosexual women. These findings suggest that variations in self-reported sexual orientation may be conceptualized in terms of two broad underlying individual difference dimensions, which differ somewhat for men and women: one linked to gender typicality versus gender atypicality and the other linked to sex drive, sociosexuality, and various personality traits.
Introduction:
Although antidepressants are well known to cause sexual side effects in adults, the long-term effects of antidepressant use during development on adult sexual function is unknown.
Aim:
To explore differences in sexual desire and sexual behavior between adults who did vs did not use antidepressants during childhood or adolescence.
Methods:
An online survey of 610 young adults (66% women) assessed childhood and current mental health and use of antidepressants and other psychiatric medications before the age of 16 years and currently, partnered and solitary sexual desire, and frequency of masturbation and partnered sexual activity. Antidepressants were coded into either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or non-SSRI antidepressants.
Main outcome measure:
Scores on the Sexual Desire Inventory, and self-reported frequency of masturbation and partnered sexual activity.
Results:
For women, childhood SSRI use was associated with significantly lower solitary sexual desire, desire for an attractive other, and frequency of masturbation. This was true even when controlling for childhood mental health concerns, current mental health, and current antidepressant use. However, there was no effect of childhood SSRI use on women's partnered sexual desire or partnered sexual activity. There was no significant effect of childhood antidepressant use on men's sexual desire or masturbation. However, in men, childhood use of non-SSRI antidepressants was associated with significantly higher frequency of partnered sexual activity. Childhood use of non-SSRI antidepressants, or nonantidepressant psychiatric medication, was not associated with adult sexual desire or behavior in either women or men.
Clinical implications:
It is possible that SSRI use during childhood interrupts the normal development of sexual reward systems, which may be a risk factor for sexual desire dysfunction in adult women.
Strengths & limitations:
Strengths include a large sample, use of attention checks and validated measures, and careful assessment of childhood mental health history; however, generalizability is limited by a predominantly white, young adult sample. These data are cross-sectional, and therefore, causal explanations for the association between childhood SSRI use and adult sexual well-being should be considered preliminary, warranting replication.
Conclusion:
These findings point to a critical need for well-controlled, prospective research on possible long-term effects of antidepressant use, particularly SSRI use, on the development of adult sexual well-being. Lorenz TK. Antidepressant Use During Development May Impair Women's Sexual Desire in Adulthood. J Sex Med 2020;xx:xx-xx.
To gain a better understanding of the dynamics surrounding the initial coital experience of young women and men, this study examined gender differences in affective reactions to first coitus through a two dimension approach (i.e., positive and negative affect) using subscales of the First Coital Affective Reaction Scale. The sample population consisted of 266 university students (women n = 163; men n = 103). T tests, χ² tests, and regression analyses were used to evaluate the study’s three hypotheses. The findings indicated: (1) a greater percentage of women than men experienced first coitus at an age younger than they perceived to be culturally acceptable for their gender (i.e., perceived norm-behavior discrepancy-PNBD), (2) among women, a positive relationship was found between PNBD and negative affect, and (3) positive affective reactions to first coitus were associated with circumstances surrounding the event and not cultural/societal sex norms. A salient finding of this study was that negative and positive affective reactions to initial coitus can be experienced simultaneously with each dimension of affect responding to different factors. Specifically, negative affect was influenced by a somewhat distant influence of perceived cultural/societal sex norms while positive affect was influenced by the immediate circumstances surrounding the event.
Purpose of Review
For decades, researchers have been examining the correlates, outcomes, and contexts related to sexual debut. Early inquiries employed mostly retrospective methods with convenience samples, focusing on the negative correlates of early sexual debut. However, recent research has been more nuanced, using longitudinal methods with nationally representative samples around the globe, accounting for relevant covariates, and examining the correlates of early, later, and nonexistent sexual debut. In this review, we discuss the significance of the timing and context of sexual debut for women’s sexual lives, focusing especially on the new conceptualizations and insights gained from research in the past five years.
Findings
Although early sexual debut relative to one’s peers typically has been considered problematic in terms of later sexual health and psychological well-being, more recent research has demonstrated that other factors, including individual characteristics and family and peer influences, are co-occurring risk factors that may better explain these significant relationships. More recent research has demonstrated that sexual competence at debut (i.e., maturity and preparedness) has greater predictive utility of later sexual health and wellness, including positive affect and appraisals of sexual desirability.
Summary and Future Directions
From both a sociocultural and a methodological perspective, the framing of sexual debut has changed considerably in the past few decades. Accordingly, it is time to reconsider the framing of sexual debut to account for the wide range of sexual activities and relationship configurations that exist. Moreover, the study of sexual debut needs to include the individual, sociocultural, and contextual factors that might influence the way that the event is interpreted in an individual’s lifelong sexual trajectory.
The presented data are part of a longitudinal within-subject study designed to examine ovulatory shifts in human sexuality in a diverse German sample using validated questionnaires. The final sample consists of 78 individuals (76 female, 2 agender) who declared to be mainly or exclusively attracted to males. Questionnaires were completed anonymously online at three cycle phases. Following the gold standard, the fertile window was calculated through the reverse cycle day method and confirmed via urinary tests detecting luteinizing hormone. The questionnaire included the Sexual Desire Inventory, Dresdner Body Image Inventory, the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory, and an adjective list to measure mate preferences. One hundred eighty-four questionnaires were included in the data analysis using linear mixed models. Findings support previous research reporting heightened sexual desire and an improved body image during the fertile window. No shifts were found for mate preference or sociosexual orientation, thus adding to a growing body of literature contesting parts of the ovulatory shift hypothesis.
Many individuals who experience nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) do not identify their experiences with common sexual violence labels (e.g., sexual assault, rape, or abuse), and cognitive mechanisms of identification have yet to be examined. Identification may involve the integration of the experience into sexual self-schemas, which would have implications for sexual well-being. Women were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (N = 818) to take part in an anonymous online study of sexual experiences. The current study assessed the relationship between textually derived sexual self-schemas and sexual function (measured by the Female Sexual Function Index) in women (M = 35.37 years, SD = 11.27) with NSEs who both did (identifiers, n = 305) and did not (non-identifiers, n = 176) identify with common sexual violence labels, in comparison with those with no NSEs (n = 337). Text analyses revealed nine sexual self-schema themes in participants’ essays: Virginity, Openness, Erotophilia, NSEs, Romantic, Sexual Activity, Warmth, Relationships, and Reflection. Analyses demonstrated that identifiers reported significantly poorer sexual functioning and less use of both the Warmth and Openness themes than those with no NSEs. Identifiers also invoked the NSE theme more frequently than both those with no NSE histories and non-identifiers. While greater prominence of the Warmth theme was predictive of greater sexual functioning for both non-identifiers and those with no NSEs, this was not true for identifiers. Instead, the NSE theme was significantly predictive of lower sexual functioning in identifiers. The results suggest that NSE identification may result in greater internalization of the NSE into one’s sexual self-schema and, in turn, predict decrements in sexual functioning. The results are discussed in relation to identification interpretation and clinical intervention.
Introduction:
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been identified as a potent risk factor for sexual dysfunction. Certain characteristics of the abuse experience, such as repeated abuse, appear to affect the risk of developing sexual dysfunction. Despite the robust findings that CSA can be detrimental to sexual function, there is little consensus on the exact mechanisms that lead to these difficulties.
Aim:
To summarize the most up-to-date research on the relation between CSA and women's sexual function.
Methods:
The published literature examining the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women with CSA histories, various types of sexual dysfunctions, and mechanisms proposed to explain the relation between CSA and later sexual difficulties was reviewed.
Main outcome measures:
Review of peer-reviewed literature.
Results:
Women with abuse histories report higher rates of sexual dysfunction compared with their non-abused peers. The sexual concerns most commonly reported by women with abuse histories include problems with sexual desire and sexual arousal. Mechanisms that have been proposed to explain the relation between CSA and sexual dysfunction include cognitive associations with sexuality, sexual self-schemas, sympathetic nervous system activation, body image and esteem, and shame and guilt.
Conclusion:
Women with CSA histories represent a unique population in the sexual health literature. Review of mechanisms proposed to account for the relation between CSA and sexual health suggests that a lack of positive emotions related to sexuality, rather than greater negative emotions, appears to be more relevant to the sexual health of women with CSA histories. Treatment research has indicated that mindfulness-based sex therapy and expressive writing treatments are particularly effective for this group. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms that lead to sexual dysfunction for women with abuse histories to provide more targeted treatments for sexual dysfunction among women with abuse histories. Pulverman CS, Kilimnik CD, Meston CM. The Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Women's Sexual Health: A Comprehensive Review. Sex Med Rev 2018;X:XXX-XXX.
Data from 965 female and 661 male study participants were used to evaluate the effect of an orgasm experienced during oral sex prior to the age of 18. Both men and women who had experienced an orgasm before 18 were significantly more likely (than controls) to have experienced an orgasm during oral sex after the age of 18 after adjustment for innate differences in individual's ability to reach orgasm during oral sex. Women who had experienced an orgasm before 18 were significantly more likely to report that oral sex was the easiest way to reach orgasm as an adult.
Category-specific sexual response describes a pattern wherein the individual shows significantly greater responses to preferred versus nonpreferred categories of sexual stimuli; this pattern is described as gender specific for sexual orientation to gender, or gender nonspecific if lacking response differentiation by gender cues. Research on the gender specificity of women's sexual response has consistently produced sexual orientation effects, such that androphilic women (sexually attracted to adult males) typically show gender-nonspecific patterns of genital response and gynephilic women (sexually attracted to adult females) show more gender-specific responses. As research on the category specificity of sexual response has grown, this pattern has also been observed for other measures of sexual response. In this review, I use the Incentive Motivation and Information Processing Models as complementary frameworks to organize the empirical literature examining the gender specificity of women's sexual response at each stage of sexual stimulus processing and response. Collectively, these data disconfirm models of sexual orientation that equate androphilic women's sexual attractions with their sexual responses to sexual stimuli. I then discuss 10 hypotheses that might explain variability in the specificity of sexual response among androphilic and gynephilic women, and conclude with recommendations for future research on the (non)specificity of sexual response.
Sexual fluidity has been defined as a capacity for situation-dependent flexibility in sexual responsiveness, which allows individuals to experience changes in same-sex or other-sex desire across both short-term and long-term time periods. I review recent evidence for sexual fluidity and consider the extent of gender differences in sexual fluidity by examining the prevalence of three phenomena: nonexclusive (bisexual) patterns of attraction, longitudinal change in sexual attractions, and inconsistencies among sexual attraction, behavior, and identity. All three of these phenomena appear to be widespread across a large body of independent, representative studies conducted in numerous countries, supporting an emerging understanding of sexuality as fluid rather than rigid and categorical. These studies also provide evidence for gender differences in sexual fluidity, but the extent and cause of these gender differences remain unclear and are an important topic for future research.
Background:
The pursuit of sexual pleasure is a key motivating factor in sexual activity. Many things can stand in the way of sexual orgasms and enjoyment, particularly among women. These are essential issues of sexual well-being and gender equality.
Objective:
This study presents long-term trends and determinants of female orgasms in Finland. The aim is to analyze the roles of factors such as the personal importance of orgasms, sexual desire, masturbation, clitoral and vaginal stimulation, sexual self-esteem, communication with partner, and partner's sexual techniques.
Design:
In Finland, five national sex surveys that are based on random samples from the central population register have been conducted. They are representative of the total population within the age range of 18-54 years in 1971 (N=2,152), 18-74 years in 1992 (N=2,250), 18-81 years in 1999 (N=1,496), 18-74 years in 2007 (N=2,590), and 18-79 years in 2015 (N=2,150). Another dataset of 2,049 women in the age group of 18-70 years was collected in 2015 via a national Internet panel.
Results:
Contrary to expectations, women did not have orgasms that are more frequent by increasing their experience and practice of masturbation, or by experimenting with different partners in their lifetime. The keys to their more frequent orgasms lay in mental and relationship factors. These factors and capacities included orgasm importance, sexual desire, sexual self-esteem, and openness of sexual communication with partners. Women valued their partner's orgasm more than their own. In addition, positive determinants were the ability to concentrate, mutual sexual initiations, and partner's good sexual techniques. A relationship that felt good and worked well emotionally, and where sex was approached openly and appreciatively, promoted orgasms.
Conclusion:
The findings indicate that women differ greatly from one another in terms of their tendency and capacity to experience orgasms. The improvements in gender equality and sexual education since the 1970s have not helped women to become more orgasmic. Neither has the major increase in masturbation habits (among women in general). One challenge for future studies is to understand why women value their partner's orgasms more than their own.
Background
The effect of orgasm on the development and shaping of partner preferences may involve a catalysis of the neurochemical mechanisms of bonding. Therefore, understanding such process is relevant for neuroscience and psychology.
Methods
A systematic review was carried out using the terms Orgasm, Sexual Reward, Partner Preference, Pair Bonding, Brain, Learning, Sex, Copulation.
Results
In humans, concentrations of arousing neurotransmitters and potential bonding neurotransmitters increase during orgasm in the cerebrospinal fluid and the bloodstream. Similarly, studies in animals indicate that those neurotransmitters (noradrenaline, oxytocin, prolactin) and others (e.g. dopamine, opioids, serotonin) modulate the appetitive and consummatory phases of sexual behavior and reward. This suggests a link between the experience of orgasm/sexual reward and the neurochemical mechanisms of pair bonding. Orgasm/reward functions as an unconditioned stimulus (UCS). Some areas in the nervous system function as UCS-detection centers, which become activated during orgasm. Partner-related cues function as conditioned stimuli (CS) and are processed in CS-detector centers.
Conclusions
Throughout the article, we discuss how UCS- and CS-detection centers must interact to facilitate memory consolidation and produce recognition and motivation during future social encounters.
The onset of adolescence is a time of profound changes in motivation, cognition, behavior, and social relationships. Existing neurodevelopmental models have integrated our current understanding of adolescent brain development; however, there has been surprisingly little focus on the importance of adolescence as a sensitive period for romantic and sexual development. As young people enter adolescence, one of their primary tasks is to gain knowledge and experience that will allow them to take on the social roles of adults, including engaging in romantic and sexual relationships. By reviewing the relevant human and animal neurodevelopmental literature, this paper highlights how we should move beyond thinking of puberty as simply a set of somatic changes that are critical for physical reproductive maturation. Rather, puberty also involves a set of neurobiological changes that are critical for the social, emotional, and cognitive maturation necessary for reproductive success. The primary goal of this paper is to broaden the research base and dialogue about adolescent romantic and sexual development, in hopes of advancing understanding of sex and romance as important developmental dimensions of health and well-being in adolescence.
The timing of first sexual intercourse is often defined in terms of chronological age, with particular focus on "early" first sex. Arguments can be made for a more nuanced concept of readiness and appropriateness of timing of first intercourse. Using data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3), conducted in 2010-2012, this study examined whether a context-based measure of first intercourse-termed sexual competence-was associated with subsequent sexual health in a population-based sample of 17-to 24-year-olds residing in Britain (n = 2,784). Participants were classified as "sexually competent" at first intercourse if they reported the following four criteria: contraceptive protection, autonomy of decision (not due to external influences), that both partners were "equally willing," and that it happened at the "right time." A lack of sexual competence at first intercourse was independently associated with testing positive for human papillomavirus (HPV) at interview; low sexual function in the past year; and among women only, reported sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis ever; unplanned pregnancy in the past year; and having ever experienced nonvolitional sex. These findings provide empirical support for defining the nature of first intercourse with reference to contextual aspects of the experience, as opposed to a sole focus on chronological age at occurrence.
Introduction: Emotion regulation research has shown successful altering of unwanted aversive emotional reactions. Cognitive strategies can also downregulate expectations of reward arising from conditioned stimuli, including sexual stimuli. However, little is known about whether such strategies can also efficiently upregulate expectations of sexual reward arising from conditioned stimuli, and possible gender differences therein. Aim: The present study examined whether a cognitive upregulatory strategy could successfully upregulate sexual arousal elicited by sexual reward-conditioned cues in men and women. Methods: Men (n ¼ 40) and women (n ¼ 53) participated in a study using a differential conditioning paradigm, with genital vibrostimulation as unconditioned stimulus (US) and sexually relevant pictures as conditional stimuli. Main Outcome Measures: Penile circumference and vaginal pulse amplitude were assessed and ratings of US expectancy, affective value, and sexual arousal value were obtained. Also a stimulus response compatibility task was included to assess automatic approach and avoidance tendencies. Results: Evidence was found for emotion upregulation to increase genital arousal response in the acquisition phase in both sexes, and to enhance resistance to extinction of conditioned genital responding in women. In men, the emotion upregulatory strategy resulted in increased conditioned positive affect. Conclusion: The findings support that top-down modulation may indeed influence conditioned sexual responses. This knowledge may have implications for treating disturbances in sexual appetitive responses, such as low sexual arousal and desire.
This article examines individual variability in sexual desire and sexual satisfaction by exploring the relation between these sexual aspects and sexual attitudes (implicit and explicit) and by taking gender into account, as this has been shown to be an influential factor. A total of 28 men and 33 women living in heterosexual relationships completed questionnaires assessing sexual desire (dyadic, solitary), sexual satisfaction, and explicit sexual attitudes. An adapted version of the Affect Misattribution Procedure was used to assess implicit sexual attitudes. Results showed higher levels of dyadic and solitary sexual desire in men than in women. No gender differences were found regarding sexual satisfaction or sexual attitudes. High dyadic sexual desire was associated with positive implicit and explicit sexual attitudes, regardless of gender. However, solitary sexual desire was significantly higher in men than women and was associated, in women only, with positive implicit sexual attitudes, suggesting that solitary sexual desire may fulfill different functions in men and women. Finally, sexual satisfaction depended on the combination of explicit and implicit sexual attitudes in both men and women. This study highlights the importance of considering both implicit and explicit sexual attitudes to better understand the mechanisms underlying individual variability in sexual desire and satisfaction.
Emotion regulation research has shown successful altering of unwanted aversive emotional reactions. Cognitive strategies can also regulate expectations of reward arising from conditioned stimuli. However, less is known about the efficacy of such strategies with expectations elicited by conditioned appetitive sexual stimuli, and possible sex differences therein. In the present study it was examined whether a cognitive strategy (attentional deployment) could successfully down-regulate sexual arousal elicited by sexual reward-conditioned cues in men and women. A differential conditioning paradigm was applied, with genital vibrostimulation as unconditioned stimulus (US) and sexually relevant pictures as conditional stimuli (CSs). Evidence was found for emotion down-regulation to effect extinction of conditioned sexual responding in men. In women, the emotion down-regulatory strategy resulted in attenuated conditioned approach tendencies towards the CSs. The findings support that top-down modulation may indeed influence conditioned sexual responses. This knowledge may have implications for treating disturbances in sexual appetitive responses.
Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Introduction:
Research has shown that acquired subjective likes and dislikes are quite resistant to extinction. Moreover, studies on female sexual response demonstrated that diminished genital arousal and positive affect toward erotic stimuli due to aversive classical conditioning did not extinguish during an extinction phase. Possible resistance to extinction of aversive conditioned sexual responses may have important clinical implications. However, resistance to extinction of aversive conditioned human sexual response has not been studied using extensive extinction trials.
Aim:
This article aims to study resistance to extinction of aversive conditioned sexual responses in sexually functional men and women.
Methods:
A differential conditioning experiment was conducted, with two erotic pictures as conditioned stimulus (CSs) and a painful stimulus as unconditioned stimuli (USs). Only one CS (the CS+) was followed by the US during the acquisition phase. Conditioned responses were assessed during the extinction phase.
Main outcome measure:
Penile circumference and vaginal pulse amplitude were assessed, and ratings of affective value and subjective sexual arousal were obtained. Also, a stimulus response compatibility task was included to assess automatic approach and avoidance tendencies.
Results:
Men and women rated the CS+ more negative as compared with the CS-. During the first trials of the extinction phase, vaginal pulse amplitude was lower in response to the CS+ than in response to the CS-, and on the first extinction trial women rated the CS+ as less sexually arousing. Intriguingly, men did not demonstrate attenuated genital and subjective sexual response.
Conclusions:
Aversive conditioning, by means of painful stimuli, only affects sexual responses in women, whereas it does not in men. Although conditioned sexual likes and dislikes are relatively persistent, conditioned affect eventually does extinguish.
The assumption that early sexual debut leads to adverse outcomes has been used as justification for sexual health interventions and policies aimed at delaying sexual initiation, yet research in the area has been limited. This review identified and synthesized published literature on the association between early first sexual intercourse and later sexual/reproductive outcomes. Literature searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Current Contents. In all, 65 citations met the selection criteria (industrialized, population-based studies). By far the most common sexual behavior to have been investigated has been sexual partners. Studies consistently reported early first intercourse to be associated with more recent, lifetime, and concurrent sexual partners. Early initiators were also more likely to participate in a wider range of sexual practices and report increased sexual satisfaction (among men). Furthermore, early first intercourse, in some studies, was shown to increase the risk of teen pregnancies, teen births, and having an abortion, while findings on STIs and contraceptive use have been mixed. These findings, however, must be interpreted with caution due to methodological problems and limitations present in the research, including a lack of consensus on what constitutes early sexual intercourse and inconsistencies and problems with analyses.
Sexual desire can be operationalized as the motivation to seek out solitary or partnered sexual experiences. A large body of evidence suggests that men experience sexual desire more strongly and more frequently than do women; however, it is not clear whether sexual desire is truly gendered or if gender differences are influenced by how sexual desire is operationalized and assessed. Moreover, little research has examined similarities and differences in trait versus state sexual desire in women and men. Recent changes to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) reflect the movement away from situating desire as the onset of the traditional linear model to framing desire as a state emerging from sexual excitement. We examine evidence for gender differences and similarities in trait and state sexual desire in both clinical and nonclinical populations. We conclude that sexual desire emerges similarly in women and men and that other factors may influence the observed gender difference in sexual desire. We then discuss the implications of conceptualizing desire as responsive for sexual medicine practitioners.
We investigated the impact of sexual stimuli and the influence of sexual motivation on the performance in a dot-probe task and a line-orientation task in a large sample of males and females. All pictures (neutral, erotic) were rated on the dimensions of valence, arousal, disgust, and sexual arousal. Additionally, questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation were employed. The ratings of the sexual stimuli point to a successful picture selection because sexual arousal did not differ between the sexes. The stimuli were equally arousing for men and women. Higher scores in the employed questionnaires measuring sexual interest/desire/motivation led to higher sexual arousal ratings of the sex pictures. Attentional bias towards sex pictures was observed in both experimental tasks. The attentional biases measured by the dot-probe and the line-orientation task were moderately intercorrelated suggesting attentional bias as a possible marker for a sex-attention trait. Finally, only the sexual sensation seeking score correlated with the attentional biases of the two tasks. Future research is needed to increase the predictive power of these indirect measures of sexual interest.
Introduction
Extinction involves an inhibitory form of new learning that is highly dependent on the context for expression. This is supported by phenomena such as renewal and spontaneous recovery, which may help explain the persistence of appetitive behavior, and related problems such as addictions. Research on these phenomena in the sexual domain is lacking, where it may help to explain the persistence of learned sexual responses.
Method
Men (n = 40) and women (n = 62) participated in a differential conditioning paradigm, with genital vibrotactile stimulation as US and neutral pictures as conditional stimuli (CSs). Dependent variables were genital and subjective sexual arousal, affect, US expectancy, and approach and avoid tendencies towards the CSs. Extinction and renewal of conditioned sexual responses were studied by context manipulation (AAA vs. ABA condition).
Results
No renewal effect of genital conditioned responding could be detected, but an obvious recovery of US expectancy following a context change after extinction (ABA) was demonstrated. Additionally, women demonstrated recovery of subjective affect and subjective sexual arousal. Participants in the ABA demonstrated more approach biases towards stimuli.
Conclusions
The findings support the context dependency of extinction and renewal of conditioned sexual responses in humans. This knowledge may have implications for the treatment of disturbances in sexual appetitive responses such as hypo- and hypersexuality.
Past research has typically used clinical samples to evaluate the validity of sexual function measures. As normal variations in sexually healthy individuals are of important research and clinical interest, evaluating the applicability of common sexual function measures to these populations is important. Factor structures of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Male Sexual Function Index (MSFI) (adapted for this investigation), and Profile of Female Sexual Function (PFSF) were examined in young, healthy men and women. We predicted the factor structures to be consistent with past evaluations. In a cross-sectional study, 1,258 participants (M age = 19.56 years; 59 % women) completed these measures. Confirmatory factor analyses did not initially support the factor structures. However, factor loadings showed marked differences between positively and negatively worded items. As such, each measure's factor structure was tested using multi-trait multi-method confirmatory factor analysis which accounted for variance due to item valence. These models supported the predicted structures of the FSFI and MSFI, whereas the PFSF's Responsiveness scale required modification, resulting in an Avoidance scale for both genders. This study was one of few to validate the FSFI in young, healthy adults and the first to examine the MSFI and PFSF in these populations. Additionally, this investigation was the first to propose a reconceptualization of the PFSF Responsiveness scale into an Avoidance scale. Lastly, our study highlights the significant impact of item valence on how individuals respond to questions regarding their sexual functioning.
Not enough is understood about the role of gender norms and sexual stigma in shaping individuals' definitions of sexual satisfaction. The current study aimed to investigate the heterogeneity of definitions of sexual satisfaction in a sample of young adults, ages 18-28 (M = 22.6; SD = 4.78). Forty US participants (50% females; 45% LGBTQ; 53% white) sorted 63 statements about sexual satisfaction using a Q methodology design (Watts and Stenner, 2005), followed by semi-structured interviews. This mixed methods procedure enabled both a systematic and in-depth examination of the dimensions participants prioritized when determining their sexual satisfaction. Analysis of participants' Q sorts indicated four distinct perspectives on sexual satisfaction: emotional and masculine; relational and feminine; partner focused; and orgasm focused. These four factors were further explored using participants' interview data. Findings indicated that individuals interpreted sexual satisfaction using several key dimensions not regularly included in survey research. Existing survey items do not regularly attend to the gendered and heteronormative components of sexual satisfaction appraisals and as a result, important interpretive patterns may be overlooked. © The Author(s) 2013 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.
Human sexual classical conditioning effects are less robust compared with those obtained in other animals. The artificiality of the laboratory environment and/or the unconditioned stimulus (US) used (e.g. watching erotic film clips as opposed to participating in sexual activity) may contribute to this discrepancy. The present experiment used a field study design to explore the conditioning of human sexual arousal.
Seven heterosexual couples were instructed to include a novel, neutrally preferred scent as the conditioned stimulus (CS + ) during sexual interaction and another novel scent during non-sexual coupled-interaction (e.g. watching a movie, studying together). Seven control couples used both scents during non-sexual interaction. Conducted over a 2-week period, both experimental and control couples had three sexual interactions (oral sex and/or intercourse). In addition, experimental couples had three, while the controls had six, non-sexual interactions. Genital responding to and affective preference for the odors were assessed in the laboratory before and after the experience in the men.
We observed significantly increased genital responding to the CS+ in the experimental relative to the control group; however, conditioned responses were not much stronger than those obtained during laboratory conditioning. Experimental males also showed a trend for decreased preference for the CS- odor. They may have learned that this odor predicted that sexual interaction with their partner would not occur.
The present study provides another demonstration of conditioned sexual arousal in men, specifically an instance of such learning that happened in a real-world setting. It also suggests that inhibitory learning may occur, at least with the affective measure.
Nearly twenty years after the publication of Michelle Fine's essay "Sexuality, Schooling, and Adolescent Females: The Missing Discourse of Desire," the question of how sexuality education influences the development and health of adolescents remains just as relevant as it was in 1988. In this article, Michelle Fine and Sara McClelland examine the federal promotion of curricula advocating abstinence only until marriage in public schools and, in particular, how these policies constrict the development of "thick desire" in young women. Their findings highlight the fact that national policies have an uneven impact on young people and disproportionately place the burden on girls, youth of color, teens with disabilities, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender youth. With these findings in mind, the authors provide a set of research guidelines to encourage researchers, policymakers, and advocates as they collect data on, develop curricula for, and change the contexts in which young people are educated about sexuality and health.
What makes women experience sexual desire? According to Kaplan, normal sexual response starts with desire, progresses through excitement or arousal, and ends with orgasm (Kaplan, 1974). This model implies that sexual desire is something you either have or don't have, and, if you don't have it, there may be no sex in your future. This drive model of sexual desire, a biomedical model, assumes that lack of desire represents a deviation from a physiological norm. In contrast, the biopsychosocial model promoted by the New View emphasizes that a woman's sexuality is largely produced by her social context and rejects the idea of desire norms rooted in physiology. The incentive motivation model of sexual desire that we will present here is based on new findings suggesting that the experience of desire may follow rather than precede sexual excitement, and suggests that desire emerges following sexual arousal initiated by a sexually meaningful stimulus.
The sex drive refers to the strength of sexual motivation. Across many different studies and measures, men have been shown to have more frequent and more intense sexual desires than women, as reflected in spontaneous thoughts about sex, frequency and variety of sexual fantasies, desired frequency of intercourse, desired number of part - ners, masturbation, liking for various sexual practices, willingness to forego sex, initi - ating versus refusing sex, making sacrifices for sex, and other measures. No contrary findings (indicating stronger sexual motivation among women) were found. Hence we conclude that the male sex drive is stronger than the female sex drive. The gender dif - ference in sex drive should not be generalized to other constructs such as sexual or or - gasmic capacity, enjoyment of sex, or extrinsically motivated sex. If the world were designed for the primary goal of maximizing human happiness, the sexual tastes of men and women would match up very closely. What could be more ideal than perfect attunement with one's mate, so that both people feel sexual desire at the same times, to the same degrees, and in the same ways? Yet there is ample evidence that romantic partners are sometimes out of synchrony with each other's sexual wishes and feelings. The continuing market for sexual advice, sex therapy, couple counseling, and similar offerings is a testimony to the fact that many people are not perfectly satisfied with their sex lives even within committed re- lationships. Infidelity and divorce may also sometimes reflect sexual dissatisfaction. The focus of this article is on one potential source of
Sexual desire is a state of motivation that can induce to participate in sexual
activity. Physical activity is related to the well-being in both social and sexual
relationships. The aim of this study was to analyze sexual desire in relation to
physical activity and its impact on sexual excitation and inhibition in a population of
young adults. The total sample consisted of 485 participants (327 women and 158
men), aged between 18 and 35 years. This study required the fulfillment of a
sociodemographic questionnaire, the Sexual Desire Inventory (dyadic and solitary),
the Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and the Sexual Inhibition and Sexual
Excitation Scales (SES-SIS). The main results showed that there is a relationship
between desire and physical activity with excitement and sexual inhibition,
concluding that medium and high activity levels contribute positively in people's
sexual behavior. Future research could propose exercise as an intervention in
problems of desire.
Pleasure is critically important to the experience of sexual behavior, yet few studies have examined factors that influence it. We explored orgasmic pleasure during masturbation and partnered sex in women with and without orgasmic difficulty, as well the mutual influence of each type of activity on the other. Data were collected from 2059 women through online surveys and paper-and-pencil tests in both the USA and Hungary. Among women who both masturbated and had partnered sex, orgasmic pleasure was higher during partnered sex. Although women with orgasmic difficulty exhibited a similar pattern of greater pleasure during partnered sex, they reported lower pleasure during partnered sex than women without orgasmic difficulty. Women struggling most to reach orgasm were likely to view masturbation as equally or more satisfying than partnered sex. Several covariates were relevant to pleasure during partnered sex, including the importance of sex, the frequency of partnered sex, and the relationship quality, affirming the idea that relational factors play a critical role in orgasmic pleasure in women. Pleasure during masturbation was associated with higher age, frequency of masturbation, and shorter latencies to orgasm, suggesting that pleasure during masturbation was related to greater experience with masturbation and greater efficiency in reaching orgasm.
Introduction:
Women diagnosed with female sexual interest/arousal disorder (FSIAD) report lower health-related quality of life, more depressive symptoms, and lower sexual and relationship satisfaction compared with healthy control subjects. Despite the impact of FSIAD on women's sexuality and the inherently interpersonal nature of the sexual problem, it remains unclear whether the partners of women with FSIAD also face negative consequences, as seen in other sexual dysfunctions.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to compare the sexual, relational, and psychological functioning of partners of women with FSIAD (as well as the women themselves) to their control counterparts. We also compared women with their partners within the FSIAD and control groups.
Methods:
Woman diagnosed with FSIAD and their partners (n = 97) and control couples (n = 108) independently completed measures of sexual desire, sexual distress, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, sexual communication, relationship satisfaction, depression, and anxiety.
Main outcome measure:
Main outcomes included: Sexual Desire Inventory-2; Female Sexual Distress Scale; Female Sexual Functioning Index; International Index of Erectile Functioning (IIEF), Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction; Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale; Couple Satisfaction Index; Beck Depression Inventory-II; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Short Form.
Results:
Partners of women with FSIAD reported lower sexual satisfaction, poorer sexual communication, and higher sexual distress compared with control partners. Male partners of women with FSIAD reported more difficulties with orgasmic and erectile functioning and lower overall satisfaction and intercourse satisfaction on the IIEF compared with control partners. Women with FSIAD reported lower sexual desire and satisfaction, and higher sexual distress and depressive and anxiety symptoms, in comparison to both control women and their own partners, and they reported poorer sexual communication compared with control women. Women with FSIAD also reported lower sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, and satisfaction, and greater pain during intercourse on the Female Sexual Function Index compared with control women.
Clinical implications:
The partners of women with FSIAD also experience negative consequences-primarily in the domain of sexuality. Partners should be included in treatment and future research.
Strength & limitations:
This is the first study, to our knowledge, to document consequences for partners of women with FSIAD in comparison to control subjects. This study is cross-sectional, and causation cannot be inferred. Most couples were in mixed-sex relationships and identified as straight and cis-gendered; results may not generalize.
Conclusion:
Findings suggest that partners of women with FSIAD experience disruptions to many aspects of their sexual functioning, as well as lower overall sexual satisfaction and heightened sexual distress. Rosen NO, Dubé JP, Corsini-Munt S, et al. Partners Experience Consequences, Too: A Comparison of the Sexual, Relational, and Psychological Adjustment of Women with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder and Their Partners to Control Couples. J Sex Med 2019;16:83-95.
Sexual desire is a complex construct that comprises psychological, physiological, and contextual dimensions, which have been broadly studied in both research and clinical contexts. The Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (SDI-2) is a self-report measure extensively used for assessing both dyadic and solitary sexual desire. More recently, empirical studies have suggested that SDI-2 allows to assessing, in addition to solitary sexual desire, both partner-and attractive person-related dyadic sexual desire. Current study aims to translate and validate the SDI-2 for the Portuguese population, and test the availability of assessing both partner and attractive person-related dyadic sexual desire. An online sample constituted by 422 participants (211 women and 211 men) completed the SDI-2, and a set of sex-related self-report measures. According to confirmatory factor analysis, a three-factor model best fit the Portuguese version, supporting the factorial structure proposed recently, namely solitary sexual desire, partner-related, and attractive person-related dyadic sexual desire dimensions. Reliability and validity findings also revealed good to excellent values. Overall, the Portuguese version of the SDI-2 presented good psychometric properties and appears to be a valid and reliable measure for assessing both solitary and dyadic sexual desire.
Resumen
El orgasmo constituye un componente fundamental de la respuesta sexual. Su investigación ha generado resultados que señalan su importancia en la sexualidad humana. El objetivo del presente estudio fue realizar una revisión bibliográfica sobre la experiencia subjetiva del orgasmo, su evaluación y su asociación con variables personales, interpersonales y psicosociales. Tras la búsqueda en diferentes bases de datos, se obtienen 121 artículos científicos publicados entre 2000 y 2016, en los cuales la experiencia subjetiva del orgasmo es la variable principal. El análisis de las variables asociadas indica que las personales (por ejemplo, el estado de salud o factores demográficos) y las interpersonales (por ejemplo, el funcionamiento sexual) son las más consideradas. En conclusión, se puede señalar la necesidad de desarrollar instrumentos estandarizados para evaluar específicamente la experiencia subjetiva del orgasmo y estudiar de forma conjunta las variables asociadas de cara a proponer modelos explicativos del orgasmo que sean útiles para la práctica clínica.
Several recent longitudinal studies have investigated the hormonal correlates of both young adult women's general sexual desire and, more specifically, their desire for uncommitted sexual relationships. Findings across these studies have been mixed, potentially because each study tested only small samples of women (Ns = 43, 33, and 14). Here we report results from a much larger (N = 375) longitudinal study of hormonal correlates of young adult women's general sexual desire and their desire for uncommitted sexual relationships. Our analyses suggest that within-woman changes in general sexual desire are negatively related to progesterone, but are not related to testosterone or cortisol. We observed some positive relationships for estradiol, but these were generally only significant for solitary sexual desire. By contrast with our results for general sexual desire, analyses showed no evidence that changes in women's desire for uncommitted sexual relationships are related to their hormonal status. Together, these results suggest that changes in hormonal status contribute to changes in women's general sexual desire, but do not influence women's desire for uncommitted sexual relationships.
Introduction
The incidence and prevalence of various sexual dysfunctions in women and men are important to understand to designate priorities for epidemiologic and clinical research.
Aim
This manuscript was designed to conduct a review of the literature to determine the incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women and men.
Methods
Members of Committee 1 of the Fourth International Consultation on Sexual Medicine (2015) searched and reviewed epidemiologic literature on the incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunctions. Key older studies and most studies published after 2009 were included in the text of this article.
Main Outcome Measures
The outcome measures were the reports in the various studies of the incidence and prevalence of sexual dysfunction among women and men.
Results
There are more studies on incidence and prevalence for men than for women and many more studies on prevalence than incidence for women and men. The data indicate that the most frequent sexual dysfunctions for women are desire and arousal dysfunctions. In addition, there is a large proportion of women who experience multiple sexual dysfunctions. For men, premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction are the most common sexual dysfunctions, with less comorbidity across sexual dysfunctions for men compared with women.
Conclusion
These data need to be treated with caution, because there is a high level of variability across studies caused by methodologic differences in the instruments used to assess presence of sexual dysfunction, ages of samples, nature of samples, methodology used to gather the data, and cultural differences. Future research needs to use well-validated tools to gather data and ensure that the data collection strategy is clearly described.
Objectives:
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and adolescents account for a disproportionate number of new cases. We aimed to assess knowledge of HIV in relation to sexual risk behaviors among adolescents seeking care in our pediatric emergency department and to assess sources of HIV knowledge among this population.
Methods:
Adolescents aged 14 to 21 years who presented to the pediatric emergency department participated in a questionnaire assessing HIV knowledge, sexual risk behaviors, and sources of HIV knowledge. For purposes of statistical analysis, patients were divided into a high-score (greater than or equal to the median score) or low-score (less than the median score) group based on the HIV-Knowledge Questionnaire 18 portion of the survey.
Results:
A total of 240 adolescents were enrolled. Of those, 112 patients scored higher than or equal to the median HIV-Knowledge Questionnaire 18 score of 11. High-scoring knowledge was independently associated with patients 18 years or older (P = 0.001), any lifetime sexual activity (odds ratio [OR], 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30-3.67; P = 0.003), previous testing for HIV (OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.40-4.11; P = 0.002), and an "expert" source (school-based or medical professionals) as their primary source of knowledge (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.05-3.41; P = 0.034). Age of first sexual encounter, number of partners, and condom use were not significantly associated with knowledge score.
Conclusions:
Education from "expert" sources is important in providing adolescents with accurate information. However, education alone is unlikely to change sexual practices. A more comprehensive approach to HIV prevention is needed to decrease HIV transmission among this patient population.
The present studies investigated whether men and women differ in cognitive-motivational processing of sexual stimuli in order to better understand the commonly observed gender differences in sexual outcome variables. Because these processes often operate without conscious control, we focused specifically on automatic stimulus processing. Using a series of implicit tasks, we measured inhibition, attentional orientation, appraisal and approach-avoidance motivation regarding sexually explicit stimuli in male and female students. Results showed that men were more strongly motivated to approach sexual stimuli than women and were better able to inhibit sexual information as to prevent activation of the sexual response. With regard to attentional orientation, men were more easily drawn by sexual cues than women, yet only when the cues were presented long enough to allow more elaborative processing. No gender differences were found in the implicit evaluation of sexual information, although men and women did differ at the level of self-reported sexual evaluations. Our results indicate the importance of incorporating information-processing mechanisms and emotion regulation strategies into the conceptualization of the sexual response and promote further research on the specificity, robustness, predictive validity and malleability of the cognitive-motivational processes underlying sexual arousal.
Michelle Fine argues that the anti-sex rhetoric surrounding sex education and school-based health clinics does little to enhance the development of sexual responsibility and subjectivity in adolescents. Despite substantial evidence on the success of both school-based health clinics and access to sexuality information, the majority of public schools do not sanction or provide such information. As a result, female students, particularly low-income ones, suffer most from the inadequacies of present sex education policies. Current practices and language lead to increased experiences of victimization, teenage pregnancy, and increased dropout rates, and consequently, ". . . combine to exacerbate the vulnerability of young women whom schools, and the critics of sex education and school-based health clinics, claim to protect." The author combines a thorough review of the literature with her research in public schools to make a compelling argument for "sexuality education" that fosters not only the full developmen...
The term hypersexuality was introduced to describe excessive sexual behavior associated with a person’s inability to control his or her sexual behavior. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of different personality traits on the degree of hypersexual behavior as measured by the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory (HBI). A further aim was to evaluate the association between sexual inhibition and excitation [as described in the Dual Control Model (DCM)] and hypersexual behavior. A sample of 1,749 participants completed an internet-based survey comprised the HBI, the short form of the Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES-SF) as well as more general personality measures: the Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System-scales (BIS/BAS-scales) and a short version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10). Using the recommended HBI cut-off, 6.0 % (n = 105) of the present sample could be categorized as hypersexual, which is comparable to the results of previous studies about the prevalence of hypersexual behavior in the general population. The results provided strong support for the components of the DCM—sexual excitation and inhibition—to explain hypersexual behavior, irrespective of gender and sexual orientation. Some of the general personality traits also showed significant relationships with hypersexual behavior. Taken together, the results of the present study provide further support for the relevance of research about the relationships between sexual problems and disorders, the DCM, and personality variables.
IntroductionResearch consistently indicates an association between a younger age at first sex and poorer sexual health outcomes. However, research addressing associations between age at first sex and sexual difficulties has produced mixed findings. Moreover, little is known about links between the context and quality of first sex and subsequent sexual difficulties.AimsThe aims of this study are to examine whether (i) age and (ii) context and quality at first sex are associated with sexual difficulties; (iii) examine whether age at first sex and context and quality variables are independently associated (after mutual adjustment) with sexual difficulties; and (iv) examine whether age at first sex has an indirect effect on sexual difficulties through an effect on context or quality.Methods
Data from 388 questionnaires were gathered from students aged 17–21 living in accommodation halls and by postal invitation to adults aged 25–35.Main Outcome MeasuresThe main outcome measure was the Golombok–Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), which assesses sexual difficulties via an overall score and seven subscales.ResultsAppraising first sex as emotionally negative was associated with the majority of sexual difficulties. A less stable relationship at first sex was associated with sexual communication problems and dissatisfaction. Greater enjoyment and using substances were associated with a lower likelihood of anorgasmia for women. Age at first sex was directly associated with reduced sexual frequency only. A younger age at first sex was associated with a greater likelihood of negative appraisal and lower likelihood of a stable relationship and thereby indirectly associated with several sexual difficulties.Conclusions
Experiencing first sex as emotionally negative was consistently associated with later sexual difficulties. When attending to sexual difficulties, understanding the quality and context of first sex may be more useful than knowing the age at first sex. This research is limited by the retrospective nature of the reports of first sex. Rapsey C. Age, quality, and context of first sex: Associations with sexual difficulties. J Sex Med **;**:**–**.
This chapter is organized around the question "How do adolescents learn to have healthy sex?" The chapter assumes that sexual learning derives from a broad range of both informal and formal sources that contribute to learning within the context of neurocognitive brain systems that modulate sexual motivations and self-regulation. The overall objective is to consider how adolescents become sexually functional and healthy and to provide a conceptual basis for expansion of sexual learning to better support healthy sexual functioning. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A novel orientation-neutral Hypersexuality and Risky Sexual Behaviors Scale provided evidence consistent with the idea that both sexual addiction and a low interest in sex as an adult have their origins during childhood and adolescence. Adult interest in sex and the likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviors tended to be increased if participant's first experiences with masturbation and partner sex had occurred early in life. Conversely, adult interest in sex tended to be lowest when neither masturbation nor sex with a partner had occurred prior to 18 years of age. Both findings were consistent with critical period learning.
With a large sample (N = 5,769) of university students obtained over a 23-year period (1990–2012), which represented three decades of first sexual intercourse experiences, the present study examined gender differences in pleasure, anxiety, and guilt in response to first intercourse. Men reported more pleasure and anxiety than women, and women reported more guilt than men. Anxiety decreased over the three decades for men; pleasure increased and guilt decreased for women. As a result of these changes, the differences between men and women in emotional reactions decreased slightly over time. The magnitude of the gender differences overall and in the most recent years of data collection, however, suggests that emotional responses to first sexual intercourse should be included in a small list of sexuality variables that are exceptions to Hyde's (200512.
Hyde , J. S. ( 2005 ). The gender similarities hypothesis . American Psychologist , 60 , 581 – 592 . [CrossRef], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®]View all references) gender similarities hypothesis.
Despite increasing interest in gendered sexuality over the life course, a comprehensive conceptual model, applicable to all aspects of sexual life and incorporating recent developments in life course sociology, feminist theory, and sexuality studies, has yet to be elaborated. The model presented here posits that sexual beliefs and behaviors result from individuals' lifelong accumulation of advantageous and disadvantageous experiences, and adoption/rejection of sexual scripts, within socio-historical contexts. Women and men follow distinctive sexual trajectories insofar as they accrue gender-specifc experiences and scripts and as their sexuality and gender trajectories intertwine. Empirical examples include virginity loss and involuntary celibacy, (de)coupling, and chronic illness/disability. The proposed framework helps explain the coexistence of differences and similarities among individuals and cohorts and holds particular promise for studying lifelong aspects of sexuality like agency and interest. It also suggests improvements on interactionist theory, conventional life course models, and the sexual scripting approach.
Although research continues to highlight significant gender differences in first coital experiences, developmental approaches suggest that some of these patterns may be age-related. Therefore, this study investigated both gender and age differences in first intercourse experiences. Open-ended responses regarding reasons for, and descriptions of, first vaginal intercourse were provided by 323 sexually active undergraduate students (65.3% female; 75.7% White; M age = 19.87) and coded into a range of categories. Several gender and age differences emerged, such that women’s descriptions were generally less positive than men’s, and women’s reasons were more likely than men’s to emphasize relationships and emotions. However, there were also a number of similarities in women’s and men’s experiences. Those who first experienced coitus during early adolescence were more likely to describe it as awkward, were less likely to describe it as positive, and differed in their reasons from those whose first coitus occurred later. Importantly, gender differences were less pronounced among older versus younger initiates, suggesting that commonly-identified gender differences may be developmentally specific. Future research focusing on subjective aspects of first intercourse experiences should carefully attend both to age or developmental stage and to gender similarities.
In a study designed to investigate the role of conditioning starting before age 18 on adult sexual behavior and urges, retrospective data were provided by 911 women using an anonymous computerized survey. Using objects inserted into their vaginas or urethras during masturbation before age 18 increased by 7.2 fold and 3.1 fold, respectively, the likelihood that they would use objects similarly after age 18. Using an inserted object during masturbation also increased the likelihood of experiencing urges to use objects in relation to the individual's own genitals and/or anus. And, using an inserted object during masturbation increased the likelihood of experiencing urges to use objects in relation to the partner's genitals and/or anus.
This article draws on in-depth case studies of 61 women and men of diverse sexual identities to show how gender, while apparently diminishing in significance, continues to shape interpretations and experiences of virginity loss in complex ways. Although women and men tended to assign different meanings to virginity, those who shared an interpretation reported similar virginity-loss encounters. Each interpretation of virginity—as a gift, stigma, or process—featured unequal roles for virgin and partner, which interacted with gender differences in power to produce interpretation-specific patterns of gender subordination, only one of which consistently gave men power over women.
First intercourse is often viewed as a pivotal behavior. The present study was designed to examine the relationship of factors from the first inter course experience to later sexual functioning concerns of adolescents. The sample was composed of college-aged women (N = 412) and men (N = 261) who completed a comprehensive, self-report questionnaire. Chi-square analysis indicated that trends in adolescent sexual behavior identified in the 1960s and 1970s were continuing, if not accelerating, in the 1980s. Gender convergence was found for many aspects of first coitus. An increase in reported sexual functioning concerns of young people was also found. Analysis of covariance indicated that factors representing the affective dimensions of first intercourse (i.e., relation ship with partner, major reason for engaging in coitus, and evaluation of experience) were significantly related to more sexual functioning con cerns than the structural factor of age at first coitus.
The rise in adolescent coitus in the late 1970s and early 1980s provoked many studies of teenage contraceptive practice. Drawing on 400 in‐depth interviews with teenage girls, this article considers the quality of teenage girls’ sexual initiations, comparing the family and sexual histories of girls who describe sexual initiation as painful, boring, or disappointing with those of girls who emphasize sexual curiosity, desire, and pleasure. In conclusion, the article draws several recommendations for sexual education.