Daily diary study of adult men’s and women’s event-level sexual motivations and sexual behaviour

Abstract

IntroductionAs they move from adolescence into emerging and early adulthood, men and women continue to be at elevated risk for the adverse outcomes associated with sexual activity. 1 Traditional public health prevention approaches to this risk typically focus on changing an individual's behaviors (e.g. reducing sexual activity or consistent condom and contraceptive use). 2 A significant limitation of this focus, however, is that it obscures how the context of a given romantic/sexual relationship precedes and organizes the decisions people make about sex. 3,4 Many public health agencies now recognize that advancing sexual health requires greater attention to the partnership factors that are associated with STI risk and protection behaviors. [3][4][5] Part of this attention includes examination of how personal-and partner-specific affect motivates individuals to choose, exclude and/or combine specific behaviors as part of their sexual repertoire. 9,10 Background Gender Differences in Sexual MotivationsOver the past two decades, literature has documented a wide range different factors men and women cite as motivations for sexual activity. Some of these studies support gender differences in these motivations, suggesting that physical desirability, sexual pleasure or power, such as feeling "horny," wanting physical release or stress relief, are cited by more men as reasons to have sex, whereas the perceived emotional benefits of sex, such as psychological closeness, bonding, intensify commitment, love or affection, factor more prominently for women. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Other work has found gender similarities in sexual motivations for sex, with many young and adult men report enjoying close emotional ties to sexual partners, 13,14 and many women pursuing specific sexual activities in response to sexual desire specific sexual activities 15,16 Additionally, in a sample of young and emerging adults, 17 both men and women endorse satisfying sexual desires as a primary reason, and feeling in love with a boy/girlfriend as secondary reason, to have sex. 17 Emotional motivations for sex are similarly reported by both men and women. 6,18 Linking Sexual Motivations to Sexual BehaviorsLess is known about how specific sexual motivations link to specific sexual behaviors. In general, studies show that having sex for pleasure is typically associated with more penetrative sexual behaviors, such as men's receiving oral sex, or participating in vaginal or anal sex, whereas endorsing love, intimacy or other emotional reasons for sex is associated with lighter behaviors, such as kissing, genital touching, massage or a woman's receiving oral sex. [18][19][20] Other research has suggested that having sex for intimacy reasons may also be associated with more frequent sex. 18,21,22 Gender differences may exist in these patterns. For example, in a sample of college students, women reporting higher levels of emotional motives, including love and commitment, during sexual interactions involving only oral sex only, or during sexual inter...

Sexual Motivation in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: A Controlled Cross-Sectional Study

“…15,16 The study and knowledge of people's sexual motivations are of interest to health and health promotion. 16,20 Eg it has been shown that motives for sex can predict behaviour patterns, that can have negative consequences for health and wellbeing. 21 As to MS, in view of the broad range of symptoms that may interfere with sexual activities, it is expected that what motivates persons with MS to engage in sex may change over time and becomes different from the motivation in persons without MS. Because a change in sexual motives is likely to affect sexual behaviour, it is important to explore in people with MS the reasons for having sex.…”

Motives to Have Sex: Measurement and Correlates With Sociodemographic, Sexual Life, and Psychosexual Characteristics

“…Motives for sex can predict different behavior patterns and some of those patterns can have negative consequences for health and well-being (Cooper et al, 1998 ). Therefore, the study and knowledge of people's sexual motivations are of interest to public health and health promotion (Hensel et al, 2017 ).…”