Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Psychophysiological Response Patterns and Risky Sexual Behavior in Heterosexual and Homosexual Men

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The past few years have seen an increased awareness of the relevance of studying the role of sexual response, emotion, and traits such as sensation seeking and the propensity for sexual inhibition in risky sexual behavior. The current study examined the association between self-reported sexual risk taking and psychophysiological response patterns in 76 heterosexual and homosexual men. Measures included genital, electrodermal, startle eyeblink, and cardiovascular responses, and stimuli included threatening (depicting coercive sexual interactions) and nonthreatening (depicting consensual sexual interactions) sexual film excerpts. Sexual risk taking was hypothesized to be associated with decreased inhibition of sexual arousal and hyporeactive affective and autonomic responses to threatening sexual stimuli. Controlling for age and number of sexual partners in the past year, sexual risk taking (number of partners during the past 3 years with whom no condoms were used) was found to be associated with stronger genital responses and smaller eyeblink responses to both threatening and nonthreatening sexual stimuli. Correlations between genital and subjective sexual arousal were relatively low. Sexual risk taking was related to sensation seeking but not to the propensity for sexual inhibition. The findings suggest that risky sexual behavior may involve a role for psychophysiological mechanisms that are specific to sex as well as for ones that are associated with more general approach/avoidance response tendencies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Startle eyeblink responses (most commonly generated by presenting participants with sudden loud sound bursts) index the disposition of a person to react with either appetitive (approach) or aversive (avoidance) responses (Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 1990). Startle responses are typically enhanced (i.e., stronger eyeblinks, measured using facial EMG) during the presentation of stimuli that induce negative emotional states and reduced (weaker eyeblinks) during the presentation of stimuli that induce positive emotional states. An attractive characteristic of this paradigm, as compared to the use of self-report measures, is that the startle reaction is a reflexive response and thus not subject to intentional processes (e.g., social desirability).

  2. We initially planned to use, in unmodified form, the design described by Janssen et al. (2002b). However, of the first 25 participants (M age = 29 years) who were run using that design, 12, or almost 50%, did not respond to the sexual stimuli (i.e., penile rigidity of less than 5% to the nonthreatening sexual clips). We therefore redesigned the study and eliminated the distraction and performance demand manipulations used by Janssen et al. (2002b) to include newer and more varied film clips and had the new sample of 76 participants select two clips themselves.

  3. The films used in the final design were generally effective in inducing genital responses. However, about one-quarter of the sample (20 participants) responded with penile rigidity of <10% to the long self-selected film. A hierarchical cluster analysis (Ward, 1963), using the average of the erectile responses to the four nonthreatening sexual films, revealed two distinct clusters, a low and a high response cluster, which differed in genital responses to all of the nonthreatening and the second threatening sexual film. The clusters did not differ in subjective sexual arousal to any of the films. High responders, however, were younger and higher in SES.

References

  • Babcock, J. C., Green, C. E., Webb, S. A., & Yerington, T. P. (2005). Psychophysiological profiles of batterers: Autonomic emotional reactivity as it predicts the antisocial spectrum of behavior among intimate partner abusers. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 114, 444–455.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J. (1989). Human sexuality and its problems. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J. (2000). Individual differences in sexual risk-taking: A biopsychosocial theoretical approach. In J. Bancroft (Ed.), The role of theory in sex research (pp. 177–212). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J., & Janssen, E. (2000). The dual control model of male sexual response: A theoretical approach to centrally mediated erectile dysfunction. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 24, 571–579.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J., & Janssen, E. (2001). Psychogenic erectile dysfunction in the era of pharmacotherapy: A theoretical approach. In J. Mulcahy (Ed.), Male sexual function: A guide to clinical management (pp. 79–89). Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J., Janssen, E., Carnes, L., Goodrich, D., Strong, D., & Long, J. S. (2004). Sexual risk taking in young heterosexual men: The relevance of sexual arousability, mood and sensation seeking. Journal of Sex Research, 41, 181–192.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bancroft, J., Janssen, E., Strong, D., Carnes, L., Vukadinovic, Z., & Long, J. S. (2003). Sexual risk taking in gay men: The relevance of sexual arousability, mood and sensation seeking. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32, 555–572.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Basson, R., & Brotto, L. A. (2003). Sexual psychophysiology and effects of sildenafil citrate in oestrogenised women with acquired genital arousal disorder and impaired orgasm: A randomised controlled trial. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 110, 1014–1024.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benning, S., Patrick, C. J., & Iacono, W. G. (2005). Psychopathy, startle blink modulation, and electrodermal reactivity in twin men. Psychophysiology, 6, 753–762.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1994). Measuring emotion: The self-assessment Manikin and the semantic differential. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25, 49–59.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brenner, S. L., Beauchaine, T. P., & Sylvers, P. D. (2005). A comparison of psychophysiological and self-report measures of BAS and BIS activation. Psychophysiology, 42, 108–115.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Canin, L., Dolcini, M. M., & Adler, N. E. (1999). Barriers to and facilitators of HIV-STD behavior change: Intrapersonal and relationship-based factors. Review of General Psychology, 3, 338–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, D., Janssen, E., Graham, C. A., Vorst, H., & Wicherts, J. (2008). Women’s scores on the sexual inhibition/sexual excitation scales (SIS/SES): Gender similarities and differences. Journal of Sex Research, 45, 36–48.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chivers, M. L., Rieger, G., Latty, E., & Bailey, J. M. (2004). A sex difference in the specificity of sexual arousal. Psychological Science, 15, 736–744.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, M. E., Schell, A. M., & Filion, D. L. (2007). The electrodermal system. In J. T. Cacioppo, L. G. Tassinary, & G. G. Berntson (Eds.), Handbook of psychophysiology (3rd ed., pp. 159–181). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eckert, S. (2002). Comparison of Portapres non-invasive blood pressure measurement in the finger with intra-aortic pressure measurement during incremental bicycle exercise. Blood Pressure Monitoring, 7, 179–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Everaerd, W. (1988). Commentary on sex research: Sex as an emotion. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 2, 3–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finn, P. R., Zeitouni, N. C., & Pihl, R. O. (1990). Effects of alcohol on psychophysiological hyperreactivity to nonaversive and aversive stimuli in men at high risk for alcoholism. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 79–85.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, W. A., Byrne, D., White, L. A., & Kelley, K. (1988). Erotophobia-erotophilia as a dimension of personality. Journal of Sex Research, 25, 123–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, W. A., & Fisher, J. D. (1999). Understanding and promoting sexual and reproductive health behavior. Annual Review of Sex Research, 9, 39–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fowles, D. C. (2000). Electrodermal hyporeactivity and antisocial behavior: Does anxiety mediate the relationship? Journal of Affective Disorders, 61, 177–189.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frijda, N. (2006). The laws of emotion. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gil, S. (2005). Personality traits and coping styles as mediators in risky sexual behavior: A comparison of male and female undergraduate students. Social Behavior and Personality, 33, 149–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, C. A., Janssen, E., & Sanders, S. A. (2000). Effects of fragrance on female sexual arousal and mood across the menstrual cycle. Psychophysiology, 37, 76–84.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J. A. (1982). The neurophysiology of anxiety: An enquiry into the functions of the septo-hippocampal system. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grillon, C., & Ameli, R. (2001). Conditioned inhibition of fear-potentiated startle and skin conductance in humans. Psychophysiology, 38, 807–815.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hare, R. D. (1991). The hare psychopathy checklist—Revised. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoyle, R. H., Rejfar, M. C., & Miller, J. D. (2000). Personality and sexual risk taking: A quantitative review. Journal of Personality, 68, 1203–1231.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iacono, W. G., Carlson, S. R., & Malone, S. M. (2000). Identifying a multivariate endophenotype for substance use disorders using psychophysiological measures. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 38, 81–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jaccard, J., & Wilson, T. (1991). Personality factors influencing risk behaviors. In J. N. Wasserheit, S. O. Aral, & K. K. Holmes (Eds.), Research issues in human behavior and sexually transmitted diseases in the AIDS era (pp. 177–200). Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, E. (2002). Psychophysiological measures of sexual response. In M. W. Wiederman & B. E. Whitley (Eds.), Handbook for conducting research on human sexuality (pp. 139–171). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, E., & Bancroft, J. (2007). The dual-control model: The role of sexual inhibition and excitation in sexual arousal and behavior. In E. Janssen (Ed.), The psychophysiology of sex (pp. 197–222). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, E., Prause, N., & Geer, J. (2007). The sexual response. In J. T. Cacioppo, L. G. Tassinary, & G. G. Berntson (Eds.), Handbook of psychophysiology (3rd ed., pp. 245–266). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, E., Vorst, H., Finn, P., & Bancroft, J. (2002a). The Sexual Inhibition (SIS) and Sexual Excitation (SES) scales: I. Measuring sexual inhibition and excitation proneness in men. Journal of Sex Research, 39, 114–126.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, E., Vorst, H., Finn, P., & Bancroft, J. (2002b). The Sexual Inhibition (SIS) and Sexual Excitation (SES) scales: II. Predicting psychophysiological response patterns. Journal of Sex Research, 39, 127–132.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C., & Weinhardt, L. (2001). Negative affect and sexual risk behavior: Comment on Crepaz and Marks (2001). Health Psychology, 20, 300–301.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, R. E. (1968). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences. New York: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laan, E., Everaerd, W., & Evers, A. (1995). Assessment of female sexual arousal: Response specificity and construct validity. Psychophysiology, 32, 476–485.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lang, P. J., Bradley, M. M., & Cuthbert, B. N. (1990). Emotion, attention, and the startle reflex. Psychological Review, 97, 377–395.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Langewouters, G. J., Settels, J. J., Roelandt, R., & Wesseling, K. H. (1998). Why use Finapres or Portapres rather than intra-arterial or intermittent non-invasive techniques of blood pressure measurement? Journal of Medical Engineering and Technology, 22, 37–43.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lejueza, C., Bornovalovaa, M., Daughtersa, S., & Curtin, J. (2005). Differences in impulsivity and sexual risk behavior among inner-city crack/cocaine users and heroin users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 77, 169–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohr, B. A., Adams, H. E., & Davis, J. M. (1997). Sexual arousal to erotic and aggressive stimuli in sexually coercive and noncoercive men. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 106, 230–242.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lorber, M. F. (2004). Psychophysiology of aggression, psychopathy, and conduct problems: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 531–552.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, W. L., & Marshall, L. E. (2000). The origins of sexual offending. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 1, 250–263.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mustanski, B. S., Chivers, M. L., & Bailey, J. M. (2002). A critical review of recent biological research on human sexual orientation. Annual Review of Sex Research, 12, 89–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Noar, S. M., Cole, C., & Carlyle, K. (2006). Condom use measurement in 56 studies of sexual risk behavior: Review and recommendations. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 327–345.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, C. J., Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1993). Emotion in the criminal psychopath: Startle reflex modulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 82–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, C. J., Cuthbert, B. N., & Lang, P. J. (1994). Emotion in the criminal psychopath: Fear image processing. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 523–534.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Patrick, C. J., & Lang, A. R. (1999). Psychopathic traits and intoxicated states: Affective concomitants and conceptual links. In M. Dawson & A. Schell (Eds.), Startle modification: Implications for neuroscience, cognitive science, and clinical science (pp. 209–230). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quay, H. C. (1997). Inhibition and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 25, 7–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raine, A. (1993). Violence and biology: Theory and findings. In L. Klose (Ed.), Proceedings of the fourth symposium on violence and aggression (pp. 1–28). Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rieger, G., Chivers, M. L., & Bailey, J. M. (2005). Sexual arousal patterns of bisexual men. Psychological Science, 16, 579–584.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ross, M., & Schönnesson, L. (2000). HIV/AIDS and sexuality. In L. Szuchman & F. Muscarella (Eds.), Psychological perspectives on human sexuality (pp. 383–415). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowland, D. L., Tai, W., & Brummett, K. (2007). Interactive processes in ejaculatory disorders: Psychophysiological considerations. In E. Janssen (Ed.), The psychophysiology of sex (pp. 227–243). Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakheim, D. K., Barlow, D. H., Beck, J. G., & Abrahamson, D. J. (1985). A comparison of male heterosexual and male homosexual patterns of sexual arousal. Journal of Sex Research, 21, 183–198.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seal, D. W., & Agostinelli, G. (1994). Individual differences associated with high-risk sexual behaviour: Implications for intervention programmes. AIDS Care, 6, 393–397.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seto, M. C. (2004). Pedophilia and sexual offenses against children. Annual Review of Sex Research, 15, 321–361.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, J. A., & Gangestad, S. W. (1991). Individual differences in sociosexuality: Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 870–883.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, J. (2004). Electrodermal reactivity and its association to substance use disorders. Psychophysiology, 41, 982–989.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Turchik, J. A., & Garske, J. P. (2008). Measurement of sexual risk taking among college students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, in press. doi:10.1007/s10508-008-9388-z

  • van der Velde, J., Laan, E., & Everaerd, W. (2001). Vaginismus, a component of a general defensive reaction: An investigation of pelvic floor muscle activity during exposure to emotion-inducing film excerpts in women with and without vaginismus. International Urogynecology Journal, 12, 328–331.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Goozen, S., Snoek, H., Matthys, W., van Rossum, I., & van Engeland, H. (2004). Evidence of fearlessness in behaviourally disordered children: A study on startle reflex modulation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 884–892.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vasey, M. W., & Thayer, J. F. (1987). The continuing problem of false positives in repeated measures ANOVA in psychophysiology: A multivariate solution. Psychophysiology, 24, 479–486.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verschuere, B., Crombez, G., De Clercq, A., & Koster, E. (2005). Psychopathic traits and autonomic responding to concealed information in a prison sample. Psychophysiology, 42, 239–245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, J. H. (1963). Hierarchical grouping to optimize an objective function. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 58, 236–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wesseling, K. H., Jansen, J. R., Settels, J. J., & Schreuder, J. J. (1993). Computation of aortic flow from pressure in humans using a nonlinear, three-element model. Journal of Applied Physiology, 74, 2566–2573.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, C. C., Porter, M. P., & Penson, D. F. (2006). Comparison of the International Index of Erectile Function erectile domain scores and nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity measurements: Does one predict the other? British Journal of Urology, 98, 105–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, M. (1971). Physiological measures of sexual arousal in the human. Psychological Bulletin, 75, 297–329.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zuckerman, M. (1994). Behavioral expressions and biosocial bases of sensation seeking. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was made possible by NIMH Grant R01-MH60519-02. We wish to thank the various organizations and venues who helped us recruit study participants, the many men who assisted us in the selection of the films, and Todd Agee, Kevin Bogart, and Ken McKinley for their help in collecting the data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Indiana University, Morrison Hall 313, 1165 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN, 47405-2501, USA

    Erick Janssen, David Goodrich & John Bancroft

  2. Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    John V. Petrocelli

Authors
  1. Erick Janssen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Goodrich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. John V. Petrocelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. John Bancroft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erick Janssen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Janssen, E., Goodrich, D., Petrocelli, J.V. et al. Psychophysiological Response Patterns and Risky Sexual Behavior in Heterosexual and Homosexual Men. Arch Sex Behav 38, 538–550 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9432-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9432-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation