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Changes in Penile-Vaginal Intercourse Frequency and Sexual Repertoire from 2009 to 2018: Findings from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior

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Abstract

Solo and partnered sexual behaviors are relevant to health, well-being, and relationships. Recent research shows that sexual frequency has declined in the U.S. and in other countries; however, measurement has been imprecise. We used data from 14- to 49-year-old participants in the 2009 and 2018 waves of the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior (NSSHB), a confidential U.S. nationally representative survey that is conducted online. We aimed to: (1) assess changes in frequency of past-year penile-vaginal intercourse and (2) examine combinations of past-year sexual behaviors for each of the two waves. We hypothesized that we would observe lower frequency of penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) from 2009 to 2018 and that we would observe greater engagement in sexual repertoires involving non-coital partnered behaviors (e.g., partnered masturbation, oral sex) in 2018 as compared to 2009. Participants were 4155 individuals from the 2009 NSSHB (Adolescents: 406 females, 414 males; Adults: 1591 women, 1744 men) and 4547 individuals from the 2018 NSSHB (Adolescents: 416 females, 411 males; Adults: 2007 women, 1713 men). Compared to adult participants in the 2009 NSSHB, adults in the 2018 NSSHB were significantly more likely to report no PVI in the prior year (28% in 2018 vs. 24% in 2009). A similar difference in proportions reporting no PVI in the prior year was observed among 14–17-year-old adolescents (89% in 2018 vs. 79% in 2009). Additionally, for both adolescents and adults, we observed decreases in all modes of partnered sex queried and, for adolescents, decreases in solo masturbation.

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Acknowledgements

The present analyses were funded through support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (R03HD101726-01; MPIs Herbenick and Fu). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. We are grateful to Stephanie Dickinson for her contributions in support of data analysis and interpretation. The 2009 and 2018 NSSHB were supported by grants from Church and Dwight Co., Inc., maker of Trojan brand sexual health products (2009 Co-PIs: Reece and Herbenick; 2018 PI: Herbenick). We wish to acknowledge the valuable contributions of Jonathon Beckmeyer, Brian Dodge, Devon Hensel, Michael Reece, and Stephanie Sanders in the development of the 2009 and/or 2018 waves of the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior.

Funding

The present analyses were funded through support from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (R03HD101726-01; MPIs Herbenick and Fu). The 2009 and 2018 NSSHB were originally supported by grants from Church and Dwight Co., Inc., maker of Trojan brand sexual health products.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Center for Sexual Health Promotion, Indiana University School of Public Health, Room 116, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA

    Debby Herbenick, Molly Rosenberg, J. Dennis Fortenberry & Tsung-chieh Fu

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Molly Rosenberg

  3. Biostatistics Consulting Center, Indiana University School of Public Health Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Lilian Golzarri-Arroyo

  4. Division of Adolescent Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    J. Dennis Fortenberry

Authors
  1. Debby Herbenick
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  2. Molly Rosenberg
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  3. Lilian Golzarri-Arroyo
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  4. J. Dennis Fortenberry
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  5. Tsung-chieh Fu
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Contributions

Herbenick and Fortenberry contributed to the development of the 2009 NSSHB survey; Herbenick and Fu contributed to the development of the 2018 NSSHB survey. Rosenberg and Golzarri-Arroyo analyzed the data. All authors contributed to manuscript preparation, review, and approval.

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Correspondence to Debby Herbenick.

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Ethical approval

The Institutional Review Board at Indiana University reviewed and approved study protocols and questionnaires used in the NSSHB (Protocols 0,812,000,042, 1,408,833,205, and 1,906,506,253).

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Authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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If accepted for publication, a limited data set may be archived at Indiana University.

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Herbenick, D., Rosenberg, M., Golzarri-Arroyo, L. et al. Changes in Penile-Vaginal Intercourse Frequency and Sexual Repertoire from 2009 to 2018: Findings from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. Arch Sex Behav 51, 1419–1433 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02125-2

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