Amanda N. Gesselman’s research while affiliated with Indiana University East and other places

Assessing the relationships between emoji use and traits related to communication and interpersonal skills can provide insights into who employs emojis and the psychological mechanisms underlying computer-mediated communications. This online study investigated associations between emoji use frequency, attachment style, and emotional intelligence across genders and relationship types in a Mechanical Turk sample of 320 adults (≥18y; 191 women, 123 men, and 4 transgender individuals). Correlational analyses showed that emotional intelligence was positively related to emoji use with friends, while avoidant attachment was negatively related to emoji use with friends and dating or romantic partners. This pattern of associations varied across genders and relationship types, with women using emojis more frequently than men with friends and family. Such findings suggest that individuals higher on emotional intelligence with secure attachment may employ emojis more frequently across contexts where more conventional non-verbal cues are lacking. These findings are important given the prevalence of virtual communications in our everyday lives.

Undetectable 5 Untransmittable (U5U) is a key message emphasizing that antiretroviral therapy suppresses HIV and prevents its sexual transmission. However, dissemination of U5U varies among health care providers, potentially leading to knowledge gaps among patients. Little research exists on the understanding of U5U among active duty men who have sex with men (MSM) in the U.S. military. Our cross-sectional, online study examines 222 active duty MSM to determine prevalence of accurate knowledge of U5U and demographic predictors of misinformation. Participants received a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) overview and were asked to indicate if the statement "Undetectable equals Untransmittable" was true or false. Although the majority accurately understood U5U (70%; n 5 156), approximately 30% did not (n 5 66); a binary logistic regression revealed lower U5U understanding among White, bisexual, unmarried, and Marines/Navy participants. Standardized education on U5U is crucial for resolving knowledge gaps and combating stigmas surrounding HIV treatment.

While early uses of technology in the sex industry centered on increasing accessibility to pornography or expanding advertising opportunities for direct service sex workers, the growing prevalence of personalized, platform-based sexual technologies reflects the postindustrial paradigm of sexual labor in which "authentic" emotional and physical connection is increasingly prioritized. In this study, we explored how erotic webcam modeling platforms (e.g. LiveJasmin) exemplify "bounded authenticity" by offering clients an experience of "genuine" intimacy that is nevertheless constrained by both its transactional nature and technological reality. We conducted a web-based survey of LiveJasmin clients (N = 2,047) in 2020. We assessed participants' perceptions of the authenticity of their emotional bonds with models - and the boundaries that potentially constrain these relationships - via quantitative and qualitative measures. Quantitative results revealed that 65% of participants reported having ever experienced an emotional bond with a model, with over half of participants (51.6%) reporting that they believed the models cared about their lives outside the platform. Providing nuance to these findings, qualitative results illustrated the ways in which participants' perceptions of the emotional authenticity and boundaries of these relationships varied, with participants reporting a range of experiences that extended from perceived "real" connections to those that feel transactional and hollow, but nevertheless shaped by the platform. Our findings ultimately underscore how camsite clients' perceptions of these relationships mirror the tension between desiring genuine feelings of emotional intimacy from the models and the market and technological constraints of these experiences.

Understanding sexual consent is essential for the promotion of healthy sexual relationships and the prevention of sexual violence. Emerging sexual technologies can provide opportunities for users to learn about and potentially practice navigating sexual consent with partners, but this field of research is still nascent. In this study, we surveyed 5,828 erotic camsite users to determine whether they learned something new about sexual consent from their use of the site. Participants mostly identified as heterosexual white men, aged 18 to 99. Our results showed that 12% (n = 699) reported learning something new about sexual consent from their camsite use. Those who reported learning something new were prompted to provide a qualitative report of what they had learned; 36% (n = 252) did so. Users reported learning about the importance of respecting boundaries; how consent can change or differ based on the person, context, or time; the implicit and explicit forms of sexual consent, and the need to explicitly communicate about sexual consent; and how consent norms apply to commercial sexual contexts. Our findings show that people are learning about sexual consent from camsites, but the obtained knowledge is complex and sometimes negative. This study sheds light on the potential of emerging sexual technologies as sources for sexual education, and highlights the need for further research exploring the ways in which understandings of digital sexual consent translate to broader contexts.

Background Research demonstrates significant gender- and sexual orientation–based differences in orgasm rates from sexual intercourse; however, this “orgasm gap” has not been studied with respect to age. Aim The study sought to examine age-related disparities in orgasm rates from sexual intercourse by gender and sexual orientation. Methods A survey sample of 24 752 adults from the United States, ranging in age from 18 to 100 years. Data were collected across 8 cross-sectional surveys between 2015 and 2023. Outcomes Participants reported their average rate of orgasm during sexual intercourse, from 0% to 100%. Results Orgasm rate was associated with age but with minimal effect size. In all age groups, men reported higher rates of orgasm than did women. Men’s orgasm rates ranged from 70% to 85%, while women’s ranged from 46% to 58%. Men reported orgasm rates between 22% and 30% higher than women’s rates. Sexual orientation impacted orgasm rates by gender but not uniformly across age groups. Clinical Translation The persistence of the orgasm gap across ages necessitates a tailored approach in clinical practice and education, focusing on inclusive sexual health discussions, addressing the unique challenges of sexual minorities and aging, and emphasizing mutual satisfaction to promote sexual well-being for all. Strengths and Limitations This study is the first to examine the orgasm gap with respect to age, and does so in a large, diverse sample. Findings are limited by methodology, including single-item assessments of orgasm and a sample of single adults. Conclusion This study revealed enduring disparities in orgasm rates from sexual intercourse, likely resulting from many factors, including sociocultural norms and inadequate sex education.

Background: Black and white women describe their chronic vulvar pain (CVVP) symptoms differently, indicating a patient–provider communication deficit. This may contribute to the diagnostic delay commonly reported by patients with CVVP and/or pelvic pain. Methods: A pilot study demonstrated CVVP terminology differences between women of color and white women. The present study (N = 488) includes a sample of predominantly cisgender women who identified their race/ethnicity as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian, and/or Asian. Participants reported how they describe their CVVP, their healthcare experiences, and characteristics of their diagnostic journey. Results: Descriptions of CVVP were not uniform. Instead, there was great variability in how women described their pain across racial/ethnic identities and pain contexts (e.g., sexual activity, menstrual product use, and pelvic exam). Some pain experiences and descriptors were associated with healthcare outcomes related to diagnostic delay. Conclusions: This study sheds light on the pain communication experiences of women of color with CVVP, an understudied population within the broader CVVP literature. By resisting white and non-white comparative methodologies, this study demonstrates the applicability of intersectionality principles to the study of CVVP and contributes to the existing literature regarding pain communication, race, and ethnicity.

Objective The objective of this study is to examine mental health treatment utilization and interest among the large and growing demographic of single adults in the United States, who face unique societal stressors and pressures that may contribute to their heightened need for mental healthcare. Method We analyzed data from 3,453 single adults, focusing on those with possible mental health treatment needs by excluding those with positive self-assessments. We assessed prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of mental health treatment, including psychotherapy and psychiatric medication use, and interest in attending psychotherapy among participants who had never attended. Results 26% were in mental health treatment; 17% were attending psychotherapy, 16% were taking psychiatric medications, and 7% were doing both. Further, 64% had never attended psychotherapy, of which 35% expressed interest in future attendance. There were differences in current psychotherapy attendance and psychiatric medication use by gender and sexual orientation, with women and gay/lesbian individuals more likely to engage in both forms of mental health treatment. Additionally, interest in future psychotherapy among those who had never attended varied significantly by age, gender, and race. Younger individuals, women, and Black/African-American participants showed higher likelihoods of interest in psychotherapy. Conclusion Our research highlights a critical gap in mental health treatment utilization among single adults who may be experiencing a need for those services. Despite a seemingly higher likelihood of engagement in mental health treatment compared to the general population, only a minority of single adults in our sample were utilizing mental health treatment. This underutilization and the observed demographic disparities in mental health treatment underscore the need for targeted outreach, personalized treatment plans, enhanced provider training, and policy advocacy to ensure equitable access to mental healthcare for single adults across sociodemographic backgrounds.

Affectionate touch (e.g. hugging, handholding) is an essential component of many intimate relationships and is a primary contributor to overall relationship satisfaction as well as sexual satisfaction. Affectionate touch is understood to be a form of non-verbal communication in which the giver is expressing positive feelings toward the receiver. Here, we propose that affectionate touch also positively impacts receivers' body satisfaction, because affectionate touch is a positive message communicated toward the receiver's body. In a cross-sectional sample of romantically partnered women (N = 1,156), we assessed the association between affectionate touch frequency and body satisfaction. We also investigated whether affectionate touch is associated with relationship/sexual satisfaction in part because touch helps to improve women's evaluations of their own bodies. Our results showed that body satisfaction was a significant, partial mediator and a valid path through which affectionate touch shapes relationship quality. Receiving affectionate touch could bolster relationship satisfaction and self-perceptions among women. Given the prevalence of body dissatisfaction amongst women, these results suggest that the underexplored associations between affectionate touch and body satisfaction may have significant impacts on a wide array of future empirical and applied research trajectories.