Abstract
Sexual discounting is a growing area of research aimed at identifying factors that reduce people's reported willingness to have safe sex. One commonly reported reason for condom non-use is that a condom reduces sexual arousal. However, researchers have yet to isolate the specific role of sexual arousal using a sexual discounting framework. We extended past research by measuring how sexual arousal reduced people's willingness to have condom-protected sex ("sexual arousal discounting": SAD). College students (n = 379; 67.5% females) selected partners they most wanted and least wanted to have sex with and were randomized to one of two groups. In one group, participants rated their willingness to have sex with a condom if their own arousal decreased (from 100 to 10%) from condom use. The other group completed the same task except their partner's arousal decreased from condom use instead of their own. We observed a three-way interaction between arousal levels, most versus least desirable partners, and self versus partner groups. Participants' willingness to have condom-protected sex systematically reduced as a function of sexual arousal. This was observed more with the most (vs. least) desirable partner and in the self-arousal (vs. partner-arousal) group but only when the partner was their least desirable. Men (vs. women) displayed more arousal discounting but only with the most desirable partner. Finally, higher arousal discounting was associated with lower safe-sex self-efficacy and higher reported frequency of unprotected sex in the past 3months. This study demonstrates how reduced sexual arousal from condom use can be measured as a factor influencing sexual risk-taking.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.