Understanding the Personality and Behavioral Mechanisms Defining Hypersexuality in Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract

<div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S1"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d6419863e177">Objective</h5> <p id="P1">The purpose of this study was to investigate personality factors and behavioral mechanisms that are relevant to hypersexuality in men who have sex with men. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S2"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d6419863e182">Method</h5> <p id="P2">A sample of 242 men who have sex with men were recruited from various sites in a moderate size mid-western city. Participants were assigned to hypersexuality or control group using a SCID-type interview. Self-report inventories were administered that measured the broad band personality constructs of positive emotionality, negative emotionality and constraint, and more narrow constructs related to sexual behavioral control, behavioral activation, behavioral inhibition, sexual excitation, sexual inhibition, impulsivity, ADHD, and sexual behavior. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between these personality and behavioral variables and group membership. </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S3"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d6419863e187">Results</h5> <p id="P3">A hierarchical logistic regression, controlling for age, revealed a significant positive relationship between hypersexuality and negative emotionality and a negative relationship with constraint. None of the behavioral mechanism variables entered this equation. However, a hierarchical multiple regression predicting sexual behavioral control indicated that lack of such control was positively related to sexual excitation and sexual inhibition due to the threat of performance failure and negatively related to sexual inhibition due to the threat of performance consequences and general behavioral inhibition </p> </div><div class="section"> <a class="named-anchor" id="S4"> <!-- named anchor --> </a> <h5 class="section-title" id="d6419863e192">Conclusions</h5> <p id="P4">Hypersexuality was found to be related to two broad personality factors that are characterized by emotional reactivity, risk-taking, and impulsivity. The associated lack of sexual behavior control is influenced by both sexual excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms, but not general behavioral activation and inhibitory mechanisms. </p> </div>