Archives of Sexual Behavior最新文献

{"title":"Beyond the Mirror: Future Orientation Reduces Self-Objectification.","authors":"Qinzi Li Mo, Baoyu Bai, Lei Yang, Chengzhi Bai, Wenqian Lu","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03116-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03116-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Self-objectification is a common phenomenon that has extensive adverse consequences for both women and men. The current research aimed to provide a preliminary test to see whether future orientation, a tendency to plan and consider long-term goals, could reduce people's self-objectification tendencies. In addition, we examined whether perceived meaning in life could account for this effect. These predictions were supported across three studies (N = 837) using multiple methods. In Study 1, participants who were induced to adopt a future orientation (vs. present orientation) assigned less points to attributes focusing on physical appearance. Studies 2 and 3 demonstrated the mediating role of perceived meaning in life in the relationship between future orientation and self-objectification with a correlational study (Study 2) and an experimental study (Study 3). Importantly, the predicted effects emerged among both genders. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143514575","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experiences of Transformation: The Challenges of Gender Transition for Transgender Women in Pakistan.","authors":"Arooj Fatima, Humaira Jami","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03098-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03098-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In a historical development, the Pakistani parliament made significant strides toward recognizing the rights of the third gender by enacting the Transgender Protection of Rights Act in 2018. This legislation represents a pivotal milestone in acknowledging and safeguarding the rights of transgender individuals in Pakistan. The present study sought to investigate the barriers encountered by transgender women in accessing gender-affirmative treatment for the purpose of gender transition. Ten transgender women participated in semi-structured and in-depth interviews, employing the grounded theory method for analysis. Analysis uncovered a spectrum of medical, social, sexual, legal, religious, financial, and psychological barriers that participants faced during the transition process. These findings are contextualized within Pakistan's cultural milieu and examined in relation to existing literature. The outcomes of this research have the potential to enlighten clinicians, academics, policymakers, and other stakeholders about the unique challenges encountered by transgender women, thereby fostering greater awareness and understanding.</p>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143522567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Impact of Heterosexual Scripts on Women’s Sexual Desire in Relationships","authors":"Joëlle Wilhelmine Smets,&nbsp;Sarah Miller,&nbsp;Christophe Leys","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03096-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-025-03096-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Numerous studies have described that women’s sexual desire is lower than men’s desire. Within a heterosexual couple, a sexual desire discrepancy can be associated with sexual and relationship dissatisfaction. The factors that negatively influence women’s sexual desire are biological, psychological, relational, cognitive and sociocultural. The present study aimed to determine the extent to which adherence to sexual norms predicted sexual desire in women engaged in a romantic relationship (min. 6 months). These norms were addressed by Simon and Gagnon’s (1984) notion of sexual scripts, which designate the sociocultural norms governing the sexual behaviors of men and women. A sample of women (<i>N</i> = 829, M age = 32 years, SD = 12.20, range = 18–72) completed a questionnaire about sexual desire and heterosexual scripts. The results showed that the more women in relationships say they felt desire, the less they subscribed to heterosexual scripts and particularly the conception that a man’s sex drive is higher than a woman’s. This conception seems to be the most determinant of women’s sexual desire in relationships. The results attest also to the persistence and strength of heterosexual scripts which, despite greater equality between men and women, continue to negatively influence women’s sexual desire. By becoming aware of these conditionings, women suffering from low sexual desire and sexual desire discrepancy within their couple can break free from them and experience a more fulfilling sexuality. Lastly, some interesting contradictory results are addressed in discussion.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"1023 - 1041"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143514576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Motives for Technology-Mediated Sexual Interactions in Committed Romantic Relationships: Using the Approach-Avoidance Theoretical Framework in a Multi-Grounded Qualitative Examination","authors":"Erin Leigh Courtice, Krystelle Shaughnessy","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03088-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03088-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Technology-mediated sexual interaction (TMSI) is a behavioral domain that captures all interpersonal exchanges of self-created, sexual material via technology (e.g., sexting, cybersex, phone sex). Most people report TMSI with romantic partners. Yet, few researchers have used motivational theory to examine people's motives for TMSI within this context. We conducted semi-structured, in-person interviews with 25 Canadian participants (15 cisgender women and 10 cisgender men; 18–40 years old; <i>M</i> age = 23.84, SD = 5.43), focused on their motivations for engaging in TMSIs with their current romantic partner(s). We used multi-grounded theory to analyze the transcribed interviews; this approach allows researchers to incorporate existing theories into qualitative results. First, we used a general inductive method to identify a variety of TMSI motives that participants discussed. Second, we used the approach-avoidance theoretical framework to organize and label motivational themes and categories. We identified four themes of approach and avoidance motives in participants' responses: self-, partner-, relationship-, and technology-focused motives. We also found that some participants reported motives against using TMSI. Some participants described their TMSI motives as connected to their outcomes: avoidance motives were described alongside negative TMSI experiences, and approach motives alongside positive experiences. We discuss implications for TMSI research and theory and demonstrate the benefits of theory-driven qualitative methods to improve future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"65 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143485766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Possible Differences in Visual Attention to Faces in the Context of Mate Choice and Competition","authors":"Žaneta Pátková,&nbsp;Dominika Grygarová,&nbsp;Petr Adámek,&nbsp;Jitka Třebická Fialová,&nbsp;Jan Havlíček,&nbsp;Vít Třebický","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03086-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-025-03086-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Existing research indicates that the shape of various facial regions is linked to perceived attractiveness and perceived formidability. Interestingly, little evidence shows that people directly focus on these specific facial regions during judgments of attractiveness and formidability, and there is little support for the notion that the levels of attractiveness and formidability affect raters’ visual attention. We employed eye-tracking to examine visual attention (the number of fixations and dwell time) in 40 women and 37 men, while they assessed 45 male faces in life-sized photographs for attractiveness and formidability. The facial photographs were grouped by varying levels of attractiveness and formidability (low, medium, and high). Our results showed that regardless of the characteristics rated, both men and women paid the most visual attention to the eyes, nose, mouth, and forehead regions. We found statistically discernible variation in visual attention in relation to the rater’s sex or target’s attractiveness levels for other facial features (the chin, cheeks, or ears), but these differences may not be substantial enough to have practical implications. We suggest that the eyes, the nose, and the mouth regions play a central role in the evolution of face perception as regions most salient to the acquisition of informative cues about others. Further, during both attractiveness and formidability judgments, men looked longer at the stimuli than women did, which may hint at increased difficulty of this task for men, possibly because they compare themselves with the stimuli. Additionally, irrespective of sex, raters looked marginally longer at faces with a medium level of formidability than at those with a high formidability level, which may reflect ambiguity of these stimuli and uncertainty regarding assessment. We found no other significantly relationships between the target’s attractiveness and formidability levels and the rater's visual attention to whole faces.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"905 - 919"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10508-025-03086-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143485722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sex Therapists and the Problem of Sexual Desire Discrepancy in the Relationship","authors":"Katarzyna Grunt-Mejer,&nbsp;Weronika Chańska","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03104-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-025-03104-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This qualitative study investigated the approaches of 46 Polish sex therapists to treating low sexual desire and desire discrepancy in couples. Utilizing thematic analysis of in-depth interviews, the study revealed that therapists' interventions were significantly shaped by their perspectives on the importance of partnered sex within relationships and the role of non-sexual motivations. Proposed solutions focused mainly on resolving psychological issues related to desire discrepancies, increasing one's desire for sex, and increasing the frequency of couple sex. Psychological and behavioral approaches were notably preferred over medical ways of regulating desire level. Certain theoretical concepts (e.g., responsive desire model and psychological differentiation theory) and normative assumptions about sexual autonomy were particularly popular. The study is the first to identify therapists' actual ways of thinking about goals and methods of approaching differences in desire in couples and, as such, can contribute to better integration of theory and practice by identifying scientific concepts that are particularly useful or problematic for therapists.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"1043 - 1059"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143485725","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Relationship Between Past Condom Use and Condom Use Intention Among Male Construction Worker Clients of Sex Workers in the Western Cape, South Africa: A Parallel Multiple Mediator Model","authors":"Kamal Yakubu,&nbsp;Paul Bowen,&nbsp;Rajen Govender","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03087-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-025-03087-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Male clients of sex workers in South Africa are at high risk for HIV, yet limited research has examined the psychological factors influencing their condom use intentions. This study addressed this gap by assessing the mediating roles of positive attitudes towards condom use, condom use self-efficacy, and perceived norms in the relationship between past condom use and intentions to use condoms. A cross-sectional survey was used to obtain data from male construction workers who reported sexual intercourse with a sex worker in the past three months. Using a parallel multiple mediator model, the analysis revealed that condom use self-efficacy (<i>β</i> = 0.060, 95% CI [0.021, 0.107]) and positive attitudes towards condom use (<i>β</i> = 0.027, 95% CI [0.004, 0.058]) significantly mediated the relationship between past condom use and condom use intention, while perceived norms did not (<i>β</i> = − 0.001, 95% CI [− 0.007, 0.007]). These findings underscore the importance of targeting instrumental and affective attitudes and enhancing self-efficacy to promote consistent condom use in this population. Although perceived norms were not determined to be statistically significant in this study, their potential role as a mediator merits further exploration, particularly in light of the study limitations. This research highlights the need for tailored interventions to reduce HIV risk among male clients of sex workers in South Africa.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"873 - 891"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10508-025-03087-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143485721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“My First Threesome with Them Was a Religious Experience”: A Mixed-Methods Study of Symbiosexual Experiences","authors":"Sally W. Johnston","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03095-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-025-03095-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>People of diverse backgrounds and identities report experiencing attraction to the energy, multidimensionality, and power created by people in relationships (Johnston, 2024a). Due to cultural privileging of monosexuality and monogamy, and stigma specifically within polyamory communities against people interested in sex and relationships with couples, very little is known about this population. Lack of recognition and validation negatively impacts those who experience this attraction, known as symbiosexual attraction (Johnston &amp; Schoenfeld, 2021). I conducted a mixed-methods analysis of secondary data from The Pleasure Study (Harvey et al., 2023) to investigate the sexual and romantic experiences of this population. I found that people who experience symbiosexual attraction engage in a variety non-monogamous, multi-person sexual and relationship dynamics. Those who engage in these dynamics specifically with couples report a variety of unique and heightened experiences, both gratifying and undesirable. These findings fill a gap in the literature on this largely unexamined population and challenge the stigma in the polyamorous community as well as within our broader mononormative culture against sex and relationships with established couples which may be preventing people from engaging in ways that best align with their desires and center their pleasure.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"1061 - 1078"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10508-025-03095-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143470624","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Content Analysis of Lay Definitions of Romantic Chemistry","authors":"Alexandra Liepmann,&nbsp;Eric Tu,&nbsp;Amy Muise","doi":"10.1007/s10508-025-03105-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-025-03105-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Although romantic chemistry is often referred to in popular culture in Western societies, usually to describe an intense connection between two people, it has received limited attention in academic research. One limitation in previous research and a barrier to future research is the lack of a comprehensive definition of romantic chemistry. In the current study (<i>N</i> = 200 single and partnered people [88 women, 110 men, 2 non-binary participants], age range = 21–76), we examined the common categories in laypeople’s definitions of romantic chemistry and assessed if people differed in how they described romantic chemistry based on demographic factors (i.e., gender, relationship status, relationship length, age, parental status). Two coders conducted a content analysis of participants’ open-ended definitions of romantic chemistry using an inductive coding strategy. We found that people described romantic chemistry using nine distinct categories (from most to least common): positive interaction, mutuality, comfort, compatibility, similarity, unexplainable spark, sexual attraction, intense fixation, and physiological response. Largely, participants did not differ in how they defined romantic chemistry based on demographic factors. Our findings provide a comprehensive description of romantic chemistry that can assist the development of a measure of romantic chemistry and ultimately test the role of perceived chemistry in relationship initiation and maintenance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"943 - 956"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143452364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sexual Activity and Mental Health in Higher Education Students in Antwerp, Belgium During the COVID-19 Pandemic","authors":"Nina Van Eekert,&nbsp;Kimberly Jacobs,&nbsp;Veerle Buffel,&nbsp;Sarah Van de Velde","doi":"10.1007/s10508-024-03062-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10508-024-03062-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study mapped self-reported sexual acts among students during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as how they changed compared to the year preceding the pandemic, within the context of Flanders, Belgium. Given the growing literature that has identified students as a risk group for mental health problems, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the importance of sexual development during emerging adulthood, the current study additionally examined whether these (changes in) sexual acts were related to students’ mental health. A representative sample of higher education students from a major Belgian university was used (N = 1580, 41.60% male and 58.40% female). This study showed fewer students engaged in sexual acts with physical contact and more in sexual acts without physical contact, which was shown to be associated with higher and lower sexual satisfaction, respectively. In addition, changes in sexual acts were associated with sexual satisfaction: Students who engaged in sexual acts with physical contact prior to the pandemic, but did not engage in sexual acts during the pandemic, were more likely to experience reduced sexual satisfaction. Students who did not engage in sexual acts before the pandemic, but did engage in sexual acts without physical contact during that time, were more likely to be sexually satisfied. Sexual satisfaction, in turn, indirectly affected depressive feelings. These results contribute to the understanding of how students’ mental health was affected during the COVID-19 pandemic by examining their sexual activity. The results of the study should, however, be interpreted in light of several limitations, such as the use of self-reported and cross-sectional data.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":8327,"journal":{"name":"Archives of Sexual Behavior","volume":"54 3","pages":"929 - 941"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143443348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}