Negative urgency moderates the association between compulsive sexual behaviors and sending unsolicited sexts among men in residential treatment for substance use disorders

Abstract

Compulsive sexual behaviors (CSB; i.e., recurrent, excessive, and impairing sexual thoughts and behaviors) is prevalent among populations affected by substance use disorder (SUD) and was linked to harmful sexual behaviors. However, less is known about the association between CSB and potentially harmful sexual behaviors that occur in digital contexts (e.g., unsolicited sexting defined as sending sexually-explicit images or messages without the recipient's permission). The present study reviewed medical records for 253 men in residential treatment for SUD to examine the association between CSB and unsolicited sexting and the moderating effect of negative urgency (i.e., the tendency to act impulsively when negative affect is high) on this association. We conducted hierarchical multiple regression analyses using PROCESS. Results revealed a significant positive association between CSB and unsolicited sexting among men who endorsed high and average, but not low, levels of negative urgency. These results suggest that negative urgency may serve as a point of intervention in the relationship between CSB and unsolicited sexting among male residential SUD patients.