Emerging Adult Sexual Behavior

By emerging adulthood, the majority of individuals have engaged in some types of sexual behavior. However, during this period there is considerable variability and change in the prevalence of recent sexual behaviors and their relationship contexts. This chapter reviews the literature on the prevalence of multiple sexual behaviors, focusing on data from nationally representative studies where possible. Findings suggest that most emerging adults engage in behaviors such as kissing, oral sex, and vaginal intercourse during emerging adulthood, with peak prevalence of these behaviors in the late twenties or early thirties. Other behaviors, such as partnered masturbation, anal sex, and kink behaviors are also practiced by a sizeable minority of individuals. Although many individuals engage in casual sex during emerging adulthood, most instances of sexual behavior occur in relationships. Differences in sexual behavior across several subgroups are discussed, with a particular focus on gender and sexual orientation.

The Influence of Types of Stimulation and Attitudes to Clitoral Self-stimulation on Female Sexual and Orgasm Satisfaction: a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction Societal assumptions and individual myths that define vaginal penetration as normal sexuality can affect the sexual pleasure of varied sexual activities. Although women orgasm much more easily through direct clitoral stimulation than through vaginal intercourse, many couples desire the latter. The purpose of this study is to investigate how orgasms from different types of stimulation with a partner affect sexual satisfaction and orgasm satisfaction in cisgender women. Also, the attitude of women to stimulate their clitoris themselves to reach orgasm during sex with their partner will be included. Methods Two independent surveys (N = 388 and N = 555) were conducted online in 2016 and 2020. Results Regression analyses showed that orgasm consistency through sexual intercourse had a stronger influence on orgasm satisfaction and sexual satisfaction than orgasm consistency through oral sex, stimulation by the partner’s hand, or self-stimulation. Positive thoughts and feelings about self-stimulation of the clitoris during sex with the partner showed only little effect, but in some cases, they were even negatively related to the reported satisfaction. Conclusions The results indicate that the common misconception about sexuality, that it is normal for women to experience orgasms during penile-vaginal intercourse, influences the subjective evaluation of one’s own sexuality. Orgasms from clitoral stimulation seem to have a second-class quality for some women, although there is no evidence that these orgasms feel like less pleasureable. Policy Implication Rigid assumptions about what normal sexuality should look like should be publicly addressed and discussed in sex education classes.

Influence of Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate on Early Ejaculation—Results from a Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Among male sexual dysfunctions, erectile dysfunction and early ejaculation have the highest prevalence rates. Here, we tested the influence of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyas®) on early ejaculation. To this end, we performed a double-blind randomized clinical trial among males with early ejaculation. Methods: A total of 46 males with early ejaculation (mean age: 35.23 years) and in stable marital relationships with regular weekly penile–vaginal intercourse were randomly assigned either to the lisdexamfetamine dimesylate condition (30 mg) or to the placebo condition. Compounds were taken about six hours before intended penile–vaginal intercourse. At baseline and four weeks later at the end of the study, participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires covering early ejaculation. Female partners also rated participants’ early ejaculation profile. Results: Compared to the placebo condition, dimensions of early ejaculation improved over time in the lisdexamfetamine condition, though improvements were also observed in the placebo condition. Conclusions: Among male adults in stable marital relationships with regular weekly penile–vaginal intercourse, lisdexamfetamine dimesylate improved dimensions of early ejaculation. Given that improvements were also observed in the placebo condition, psychological factors such as increased attention to early ejaculation and favorable expectations of the compound should be considered.

The good, the bad, and the unwanted: women’s talk of desire and (dis)pleasure In heterosex

Critical and feminist sexuality scholarship contends that many key sexuality concepts are taken-for-granted definitions that have accrued common sense status but are missing an exploration of what these concepts mean to women. For example, sex is treated as synonymous with penile-vaginal intercourse, ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sex have implicit meanings in media representations, and consent is often seen as the dividing line between sex and sexual violence. This thesis explores and challenges these dominant constructions of female sexuality through one-on-one in-depth interviews with twenty-four women. Key findings explore how participants resist and recapitulate dominant accounts of what ‘counts’ as sex, what makes for good and bad sex, and how consent and desire are negotiated in sexual relationships. Given the considerable disparity between mainstream media representations of female sexuality and women’s embodied sexual experiences, this research aims to explore women’s discursive constructions of their sexual experiences as they elect to define them.