Demystifying Masturbation: Its Role in the Sexual Arousal of LGB Youth

What is it about?

raditionally, sexology research has focused primarily on heterosexual individuals, leading to a gap in the understanding of sexual health in populations with diverse sexual and gender orientations. Masturbation, a behavior associated with several indicators of sexual health, deserves special attention in these groups. This study has examined how different parameters masturbation parameters are associated with sexual arousal in young people who engage in sexual relationships with individuals of the same sex. This study was not limited only to the masturbation frequency, but also considered other important parameters, such as negative attitudes toward masturbation, solitary sexual desire and solitary subjective orgasm experience. Seventy-two young people (36 men and 36 women), aged 18 to 32 years, who were sexually active in same-sex relationships participated. In the sexuality laboratory, they were presented with a series of videos with neutral and sexual content that included scenes of solitary masturbation performed by persons of the same sex as the participants. During the exposure, different measures of sexual arousal were recorded, both psychophysiological (i.e., penile erection and vaginal pulse amplitude) and self-reported (i.e., ratings of sexual arousal and genital sensations). The results showed that the relationship between masturbation and sexual arousal differed between men and women. In men, the feeling of rewards in masturbation orgasm, was a key factor in explaining their genital response, which could indicate that physical and gratification aspects are more closely linked to their sexual arousal. In contrast, for women, the sense of intimacy experienced in masturbation orgasm and the desire to have moments of solitary sexual exploration were associated with their self-reported sexual arousal, suggesting that the emotional connection to their sexual experience and interest in self-exploration are key aspects of their arousal. In addition to these sex differences, the study highlights that the intensity with which an orgasm is experienced in masturbation is an important factor in sexual arousal for both men and women. Experiencing an intense orgasm in masturbation seems to be related to the ability to become aroused in other situations.

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Photo by Malvestida on Unsplash

Photo by Malvestida on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study validates the masturbation parameters (i. e., solitary sexual desire and subjective orgasm experience) and underscores the importance of considering this sexual behavior as a relevant indicator of people's sexual health. Understanding how different aspects of masturbation relate to sexual arousal, and how these relationships may differ between men and women, may be valuable in developing sex education programs and addressing sexual problems.

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