Gender-specific genital and subjective sexual arousal to prepotent sexual features in heterosexual women and men

Marked differences have been found in men’s and women’s sexual response patterns, contingent upon their sexual orientation; androphilic (attracted to men) and gynephilic (attracted to women) men demonstrate greatest genital and self-reported arousal to their preferred stimulus type (a “gender-specific” response), whereas androphilic women do not, and findings for gynephilic women have been mixed. While there have been many investigations into gynephilic men’s and androphilic women’s (i.e., heterosexual men/women) sexual response, there has been less investigation into the specificity of sexual response of androphilic men and gynephilic women. Given the complex nature of sexual stimuli that are used in sexual response research, it is often unclear to what extent contextual cues (e.g., cues other than the sexual actor’s primary and secondary sex characteristics, such as physical attractiveness, sexual activity, etc.) influence participants’ sexual response patterns. As such, the current study examined genital, discrete self-reported, and continuous self-reported responses of androphilic men ( n = 22) and gynephilic women ( n = 10) to prepotent sexual features (stimuli thought to elicit automatic sexual arousal: erect penises and exposed vulvas), non-prepotent sexual features (flaccid penises and pubic triangles) and neutral stimuli (clothed men and women). Both samples exhibited a gender-specific pattern of genital, self-reported, and continuous self-reported sexual arousal. Similarly, all measures of sexual arousal were generally found to be greatest to “prepotent” sexual cues. Implications for understanding gender specificity of sexual response are discussed.

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Ready or Not: Exploring Sexual Arousal with Women who Report Sexual Arousal Difficulties

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.9831 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Erin Zadorozny

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Sexual Arousal ◽

Self Report ◽

Doppler Imaging ◽

Erotic Stimuli ◽

Heterosexual Women ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

First Time ◽

Subjective Arousal ◽

Report Measure

The purpose of this study is to examine possible differences in genital and subjective components of sexual arousal between women with and without sexual arousal/desire difficulties (SADD). Previous research has focused on physiological differences with women who have SADD, in particular, genital response to erotic stimuli. The pattern of results in the literature indicates that women with SADD exhibit similar genital responses to controls (Meston, Rellini, & McCall, 2010), yet women with SADD typically report a decrease in intensity of genital sensation in sexual situations (Laan, van Driel, & van Lunsen, 2008; Giraldi, Rellini, Pfaus, & Laan, 2013), calling into question the method of measurement employed to assess genitalresponse. In the current study, genital and subjective arousal, along with genital-subjective agreement (i.e., sexual concordance), will be investigated to determine if there is a difference between women with SADD and controls. Participants will include 30 self-identified heterosexual women who will complete a validated self-report measure of sexual function and a session in which they rate their subjective sexual arousal while their genital blood flow is measured in response to various films. Laser Doppler Imaging will be used to measure genital blood flow for the first time in this population. This study could lead to a better understanding of sexual arousal in women with SADD, which will assist with diagnosis, as well as identify areas to focus on when trying to develop treatments for sexual dysfunction.

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Reliability and Validity of a Set of Sexual Stimuli in a Sample of Young Colombian Heterosexual Women

Klinička psihologija ◽

10.21465/2016-kp-op-0074 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 107-107

Author(s):

M. Gómez-Lugo ◽

◽

D. Saavedra-Roa ◽

C. P. Pérez-Durán ◽

J. Marchal-Bertrand ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Arousal ◽

External Validity ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Affective Responses ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Sexual Stimuli ◽

Heterosexual Women ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

Film Clips ◽

Colombian Women

Objective: The aim of this research is to validate a set of sexual stimuli in young heterosexual Colombian women. Present study examined women’s sexual and affective responses to sexual film clips. Design and Method: Six videos of 6:00 minute-long were used. A total of 24 women were assessed. Objective (photoplethysmograph) and subjective (Multidimensional Scale to Assess Subjective Sexual Arousal) sexual arousal were measured. Also the Self-Assessment Manikin, and some socio-psycho-sexual questions were used. Results: The results showed three sexual excerpts which were clearly superior to the others. These three sexual excerpts generated internally consistent measurements; moreover, good indicators of external validity have been observed with statistically significant differences as expected. Conclusions: It has been shown that with healthy young women these three stimuli produce objective sexual arousal.

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PL-29 Mapping What Increases Sexual Arousal in Heterosexual Women

Journal of Sexual Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.04.100 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (5) ◽

pp. e219

Author(s):

Jaqueline Brendler

Keyword(s):

Sexual Arousal ◽

Heterosexual Women

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Does Menstrual Cycle Phase Influence the Gender Specificity of Heterosexual Women’s Genital and Subjective Sexual Arousal?

Archives of Sexual Behavior ◽

10.1007/s10508-013-0233-7 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 43 (5) ◽

pp. 941-952 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Jennifer A. Bossio ◽

Kelly D. Suschinsky ◽

David A. Puts ◽

Meredith L. Chivers

Keyword(s):

Menstrual Cycle ◽

Sexual Arousal ◽

Cycle Phase ◽

Menstrual Cycle Phase ◽

Gender Specificity ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal

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The Perceived Need To Be Hot: An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Belief In Sexual Stereotypes And Erectile Dysfunction In Gay Men Using Thermal Imaging

10.32920/ryerson.14657061 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marie Faaborg-Andersen

Keyword(s):

Gay Men ◽

Sexual Arousal ◽

Thermal Imaging ◽

Risky Sex ◽

Automatic Thoughts ◽

Group Differences ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Sexual Stereotypes ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

The Relationship

Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been associated with considerable mental health and interpersonal problems, an increase in risky sex, and is particularly prevalent among gay and bisexual men. Psychological treatment protocols for sexual dysfunctions often aim at challenging beliefs and cognitions about the importance of a “perfect sexual performance,” known as sexual stereotypes. However, to date, little empirical evidence exists for the relationship between ED and belief in sexual stereotypes (BSS). To address this gap, 70 gay men were recruited; 30 with ED and 40 healthy controls. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, including a measure of BSS, followed by having their genital temperature measured using a thermal imaging camera, while viewing a sexually explicit film. The study had four main objectives: (1) to evaluate between group differences in subjective sexual arousal and physiological arousal; (2) to examine within group differences in the effects of BSS on physiological and self-reported sexual arousal; (3) to evaluate the relationship between BSS, negative automatic thoughts during sex, and ED; and (4) to evaluate the relationship between ED and risky sex among gay men. Results revealed significant between-group differences in physiological arousal, but not in subjective sexual arousal. While between-group differences were found in BSS, no within-group differences were found in the relation of BSS on physiological and self-reported sexual arousal. No significant relationships were found between BSS, negative automatic thoughts, and ED. Participants with ED were found to be significantly more likely to use erectile enhancing drugs, but no significant differences in condom removal were found between groups; however, substantially more individuals with ED (23.3%) reported removing condoms prior to the completion of sexual activity, as compared to healthy controls (5%). Findings of this study contribute to improving psychological treatments for gay men with ED, as well as better understanding pathways leading to risky sex in gay men.

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Preliminary Evidence on How the Dual Control Model Predicts Female Sexual Response to a Bogus Negative Feedback

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294120907310 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 003329412090731

Author(s):

Reina Granados ◽

Joana Carvalho ◽

Juan Carlos Sierra

Keyword(s):

Sexual Arousal ◽

Negative Feedback ◽

Control Model ◽

Sexual Response ◽

Dual Control ◽

Sexual Performance ◽

Sexual Excitation ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

Sexual Responses ◽

Dual Control Model

The Dual Control Model of sexual response has been mostly tested with men. As such, there is a lack of evidence on how such model applies to women’s experience of sexual arousal, particularly when they face a threatening situation such as the threat of sexual performance failure. The aim of the current study was to test whether the Dual Control Model dimensions predict women’s sexual responses to a bogus negative feedback about their sexual performance. In addition, 22 women were exposed to a sexually explicit film clip, while their genital arousal was being measured. During this presentation, a bogus negative feedback, aimed at increasing women’s anxiety about their sexual performance, was provided. Vaginal photopletismography and self-report questions were used as means to evaluate women’s genital and subjective sexual arousal, respectively. The Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women was further used to capture women’s sexual dynamics. Regression analysis on the high-order factors revealed that sexual excitation proneness was the only predictor of the subjective sexual responses, while none of the factors has predicted genital arousal. “Arousability” and “Concerns about sexual function” dimensions predicted subjective sexual arousal. Sexual arousability may prevent women of lowering their subjective sexual responses in a sexually demanding situation, while “Concerns about sexual function” may have the opposite role, thus being a target of clinical interest. This work provides new data on the Dual Control Model of sexual response, and particularly on its role in women’s sexual functioning.

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