Archives of Sexual Behavior最新文献

Low libido is a common and potentially distressing problem among midlife and older women. We recently reported results from a pilot randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness intervention for midlife and older cisgender women with low libido; the purpose of this qualitative investigation is to illustrate women’s experiences with being recruited for, enrolling in, and participating in the trial. We conducted individual interviews with a subset of trial participants, some of whom attended a group-based mindfulness intervention and some attended an educational control group (N = 25). We also interviewed participants who were enrolled but did not attend any groups (N = 9). A semi-structured interview guide was developed by the study team. A co-investigator with qualitative research expertise and the primary investigator conducted interviews, which were audio recorded and transcribed. We used a thematic analysis approach to analysis, co-coding a subset of interviews to develop and refine a codebook, then assigning codes to all data. Codes were grouped into subthemes and themes and key insights were extracted. Three key themes emerged from women who attended groups. First, women were interested in the intersection of sexuality and mindfulness. Second, women in both groups valued the sense of community they gained from participating; the interactive nature of sessions contributed to this. Third, experiences with attending groups over videoconferencing software were largely positive. Suggestions for improvement included a better explanation of the randomization process and more didactic information about sexuality and aging in both groups. Non-attendees listed time conflicts as their top reason for not attending. We recommend researchers consider utilizing a group format when designing behavioral interventions for midlife and older women, as this design offers many benefits for participants, but ensuring that a qualified professional is present can ensure information exchanges is evidence-based. In addition, healthcare systems can consider building in opportunities for midlife women to gather and exchange information regarding health.

Prior correlational studies have shown that belief in the biological theory of sexual orientation (BTSO) is associated with more positive attitudes toward homosexuality. However, individuals often interpret scientific evidence in ways that align with their pre-existing beliefs and motivations. This research experimentally investigated whether gender and religiosity moderate heterosexual individuals’ responses to scientific evidence either supporting or refuting BTSO. In two studies, heterosexual men (Study 1, N = 118) and both men and women (Study 2, N = 280) reported their religiosity and were exposed to evidence suggesting either biological differences or similarities between heterosexual and gay individuals. Results showed that, in the biological differences condition, heterosexual women and less religious men were more likely to perceive homosexuality as a natural biological variation and expressed more positive attitudes toward it. In contrast, more religious men interpreted the same evidence as indicating a biological anomaly in gay individuals and displayed more negative attitudes toward homosexuality.

Despite the high prevalence of sexual objectification, the understanding of gender differences in its victimization and perpetration remains limited. We bridged victim and perpetrator perspectives, expecting that objectification victimization positively predicts perpetration, and investigated the mediating role of social dominance orientation (SDO), and gender and perceived social mobility as moderators. Participants (valid N = 530) completed measures of sexual objectification victimization, perceived social mobility, SDO, and sexual objectification perpetration. We found that sexual objectification victimization predicted its perpetration, and that this relationship was stronger among men than women. SDO partially mediated the moderation effect of gender, whereby mediation through SDO was significant among men, but not significant among women. Moreover, a three-way interaction between sexual objectification victimization, gender, and perceived social mobility predicted SDO and carried subsequent implications for sexual objectification perpetration. Despite the mediation effect through SDO not achieving significance among women, it was significantly moderated by perceived social mobility. Specifically, the indirect effect among women with high perceived social mobility was significantly different than that among women with low perceived social mobility, but not significantly different than that among men, whose results were not influenced by perceived social mobility. This study provides a more nuanced understanding of gender in sexual objectification—specifically that gender differences may be related to social power and differences in socialization. The findings offer implications for the development of theories and clinical programs for coping with objectification victimization and preventing perpetration.

Emotional labor, the act of suppressing or altering one's feelings to enhance another person's well-being, is predominantly performed by women, especially within intimate relationships. Despite its impact on well-being, research on its role in sexuality remains limited. We developed the Women's Sexual Emotional Labor Assessment (WOSELA), a 12-item scale based on themes identified by past qualitative studies. To ensure its reliability and validity, we conducted three studies with women partnered with men, as well as heterosexual single women from the UK and the USA (N = 831). Drawing on exploratory factor analysis in Study 1, four subscales were identified: faking orgasm, performing desire, tolerating discomfort or pain, and partner-referenced sexual satisfaction. Confirmatory factor analyses in Study 2 (pre-registered) provided support for the WOSELA in its current form. In Study 3 (pre-registered), we demonstrated the validity of the WOSELA by establishing significant negative correlations with sexual agency, sexual communication, and sexual pleasure. Our results further show that the WOSELA was not significantly related to positive-partner-oriented sexual responsiveness. The WOSELA offers a unique tool to explore the role of emotional labor in sustaining the pleasure gap, as well as in broader power dynamics within intimate relationships and its impact on women's well-being.

Amidst the predominantly risk-focused narrative of adolescent sexual health, sexual pleasure is often overlooked. This study examined the association between adolescents’ experienced sexual pleasure and profiles of sexual double standard (SDS) norms, which prescribe divergent expectations of sexuality based on gender. The sample consisted of 209 Dutch adolescents aged 16–20 years (57% female) who have had sexual intercourse. A survey assessed adolescents’ endorsement of SDS norms and perceived SDS norms of parents, peers, and the media, as well as adolescents’ experienced sexual pleasure. Latent profile analysis identified four distinct profiles. Profile 1 involved adolescents who held traditional personal views (e.g., seeing men as sexually dominant, women as sexually passive), but perceived less traditional external norms. Profile 2 included adolescents with egalitarian personal views (e.g., expecting similar sexual behaviors of men and women) and perceptions of less traditional external norms. Adolescents in Profile 3 had traditional personal views and perceived more traditional external messages. Adolescents in Profile 4 had egalitarian personal views coexisting with perceptions of less traditional peer and parent norms, but more traditional media norms. These profiles differed significantly in reported sexual pleasure by adolescents, with the highest levels of sexual pleasure observed in Profiles 2 and 3 and the lowest in Profile 1. Adolescent gender did not significantly moderate these relationships, indicating similar relations between SDS norms and sexual pleasure across genders. The findings underscore the complex interplay between personal norms and perceived social norms about sexuality, emphasizing the need for tailored educational strategies that effectively support adolescents in navigating differing social norms about sexuality during their sexual development.

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, M_age = 16.41, SD_age = 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.

People use cues of facial gender typicality when making sexual orientation judgements, where gender typical faces (masculine men and feminine women) are more likely to be judged as heterosexual and gender atypical faces (feminine men and masculine women) are judged as non-heterosexual. Individual differences in the belief of associated stereotypes have been shown to influence how these stereotypes are used to make social judgments of others; therefore, across two studies, we tested whether the strength of beliefs in gender stereotypes impacted how facial gender typicality cues were used when making sexual orientation judgements. In both Study 1 and 2 (n = 283 and 219, respectively), participants made sexual orientation judgements of 80 faces (40 male, 40 female) that varied in gender typicality and completed a measure of belief in gender stereotypes. In Study 2, participants also completed a sexual prejudice measure. In line with predictions, both studies found that the strength in belief of gender stereotypes significantly moderated the use of facial gender typicality cues when making sexual orientation judgements. Participants with a greater belief in gender stereotypes were more likely to judge a face as heterosexual as gender typicality increased. In Study 2, the association between sexual prejudice and use of gender typicality cues was fully mediated by beliefs in gender role stereotypes. These results highlight the importance of considering individual differences of the perceiver and how they can interact with cues from a target, particularly when making sexual orientation judgements.

Two main ways to enter a marriage are through free choice and through an arrangement between families, known as an arranged marriage. In this study, we compared differences in three dimensions of love (Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment) between spouses in love-based marriages and arranged marriages among five non-Western societies: Bhotiya from the Himalayas, Igbo from Nigeria, Kimeru from Kenya, Meru from Tanzania, and Tsimane' from Bolivia. When considering all data gathered from the five cultures, free choice and arranged marriages did not differ significantly in average love scores. However, within cultures, some differences did emerge between free choice and arranged marriages, such as spouses from free choice marriages from Bhotiya and Tsimane' culture showing higher levels of Intimacy than those from arranged marriages. However, in the Bhotiya, this difference was only evident in marriages lasting longer than 10 years. Moreover, spouses from free choice marriages from Bhotiya reported higher levels of passion, while spouses from free choice marriages from Tsimane' reported higher levels of commitment than individuals from arranged marriages. Conversely, wives from arranged marriages from Meru culture from Tanzania reported higher levels of Intimacy and Passion as compared to wives from free choice marriages. In Kimeru and Igbo, no significant differences were found. These results contribute to the growing body of literature on the relationship between culture, love, and marriage. Our data also challenge the Western perception that arranged marriages lack love.