Is High Sexual Desire a Facet of Male Hypersexuality? Results from an Online Study

Abstract

Despite a growing number of studies, hypersexuality remains controversial and empirically elusive. Using a group comparison approach, this study revisited the claim that hypersexuality cannot be reliably distinguished from high sexual desire. An online survey, advertised as focusing on pornography use and sexual health, was carried out in 2014 among 1,998 Croatian men aged 18 to 60 years (Mage = 34.7, SD = 9.83). Membership in the hypersexuality group (HYP; n = 57) was determined using the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory and the Hypersexual Behavior Consequences Scale. The highest values on two indicators of sexual desire/interest set membership in the high sexual desire group (HSD; n = 70). The overlap between the groups was negligible (n = 4). Compared to the rest of the sample, men in the HYP group had significantly higher odds of being single, not exclusively heterosexual, religious, depressed, prone to sexual boredom, experiencing substance abuse consequences, holding negative attitudes toward pornography use, and evaluating one's sexual morality more negatively. In contrast, the HSD group differed from controls only in reporting more positive attitudes toward pornography use. The study findings point to a distinct phenomenology of HSD and HYP in men. Clinical implications of the findings are briefly discussed.