Katarina Witting

DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN SEXUAL DESIRE AND SEXUAL ACTIVITY: GENDER DIFFERENCES AND ASSOCIATIONS WITH RELATIONSHIP SATISFACTION

The nature of sexual satisfaction and its relationship with relationship satisfaction was examined in a population-based Finnish sample of men and women between 33 and 43 years. Both men and women wished to experience kissing and petting, sexual fantasies, oral sex, and vaginal intercourse more often. Sexual satisfaction, defined as no discrepancy between desired frequency and actual frequency of sexual behaviors, was associated with relationship satisfaction. In both sexes, sexual satisfaction with vaginal intercourse as well as kissing and petting was positively associated with relationship satisfaction, whereas higher desired and actual frequency of masturbation were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction.

The adult body: how age, gender, and body mass index are related to body image.

Objectives: Body image and perceived attractiveness were examined, and the impact of age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) was analyzed and discussed from an evolutionary and a sociocultural perspective. Method: The population-based sample consisted of 11,468 Finnish men and women aged 18 to 49 years. Results: Both age-related decrease and increase in body satisfaction was detected as well as interactions between age and gender. Some effects were nonlinear. Women were generally less satisfied with their bodies than men. BMI had a stronger influence on women’s body image than men’s. Discussion: It was proposed that it is insufficient to merely study how age affects general body image because adults might become more satisfied with some aspects of their bodies as a function of age and less satisfied with other aspects. Body satisfaction might also fluctuate during different phases of the adult life, and the patterns possibly differ between men and women.

Female Sexual Function and Its Associations with Number of Children, Pregnancy, and Relationship Satisfaction

Associations between number of children, pregnancy, and overall relationship satisfaction were explored in a population-based sample of 2081 women, aged 33–43 years. Multiparous women had less orgasm problems compared to nulliparous women. Nulliparous women had more pain problems and were sexually less satisfied compared to women with children, regardless of the number. Women pregnant with the first child had fewer pain problems compared to a matched nonpregnant control and were sexually more satisfied. Being more satisfied with the overall relationship was related to higher sexual satisfaction and less sexual function problems.

Evidence for a genetic etiology to ejaculatory dysfunction

A number of theoretical approaches to understanding the etiology of ejaculatory dysfunction have been proposed, but no study has yet found conclusive evidence that premature (PE) or delayed (DE) ejaculation is under genetic control. We conducted twin model fitting analyses on different indicator variables of ejaculatory function on a population-based sample of 3946 twins and their siblings (age 18–48; mean=29.9 years) to investigate genetic, shared environmental and unique environmental effects on PE and DE. A significant moderate genetic effect (28%) was found for PE. No clear-cut familial effect could be detected for DE. Significant associations between ejaculatory function and age were detected, but effects of age were generally very weak. The findings from the present study provide useful information regarding the etiology and understanding of ejaculatory dysfunction.

Correlated genetic and non-shared environmental influences account for the co-morbidity between female sexual dysfunctions.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown moderate heritability for female orgasm. So far, however, no study has addressed the pattern of genetic and environmental influences on diverse sexual dysfunctions in women, nor how genetic and environmental factors contribute to the associations between them. METHOD The sample was drawn from the Genetics of Sex and Aggression (GSA) sample and consisted of 6, 446 female twins (aged 18-43 years) and 1994 female siblings (aged 18-49 years). The participants responded to the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), either by post or online. RESULTS Model fitting analyses indicated that individual differences on all six subdomains of the FSFI (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain) were primarily due to non-shared (individual-specific) environmental influences. Genetic influences were modest but significant, whereas shared environmental influences were not significant. A correlated factors model including additive and non-additive genetic and non-shared environmental effects proved to have the best fit and suggested that both correlated additive and non-additive genetic factors and unique environmental factors underlie the co-occurrence of the sexual function problems. CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that female sexual dysfunctions are separate entities with some shared aetiology. They also indicate that there is a genetic susceptibility for sexual dysfunctions. The unique experiences of each individual are, however, the main factors determining if, and which, dysfunction develops.

Psychiatric Symptoms and Same-Sex Sexual Attraction and Behavior in Light of Childhood Gender Atypical Behavior and Parental Relationships

This study explores the relation between the level of current symptoms of depression and anxiety and recalled childhood gender atypical behavior (GAB), and quality of relationships with parents among men and women who reported same-sex sexual attraction or engaged in same-sex sexual behavior and men and women who did not. Matched pairs, 79 men (n = 158) and 148 women (n = 296), with equal levels of GAB were created of Finnish participants with either same-sex sexual attraction or behavior and participants without. The measures used were retrospective questionnaires. Ratings of maternal and paternal over-control and coldness differed as a function of same-sex sexual attraction or behavior. Childhood GAB was correlated with negative ratings of parental relationships. Both same-sex sexual attraction or behavior and a history of childhood GAB affected the reported levels of current depression and anxiety. Only gender typical participants with no same-sex sexual attraction or behavior reported significantly lower levels of symptoms. The findings suggest that childhood GAB is related to later distress both among hetero- and homosexual individuals. The elevated level of psychological distress among homosexual individuals, reported in several studies, might—to some extent—be caused by their generally higher levels of childhood GAB as opposed to a homosexual orientation per se.

Indicators of premature ejaculation and their associations with sexual distress in a population-based sample of young twins and their siblings.

INTRODUCTION Recently, in anticipation of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V, much consideration has been given to the diagnostic criteria for premature ejaculation (PE). The scientific community is yet to agree not only on the etiology of PE, but also on the most suitable diagnosis and forms of treatment. It has been suggested that the diagnostic criteria of PE should be strictly empirical and rely on intravaginal latency time alone, whereas others stress the need to also include psychological and personal factors. AIM To examine different indicators of PE and their relationship with and ability to predict sexual distress. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Statistical analyses of data on sexual distress and different measures of ejaculatory function on a population-based sample of 3,332 Finnish men. METHODS The present study involved a population-based sample of 3,332 males, of which 2,328 were twins aged 18-33, and 1,004 were over 18-year-old siblings to the aforementioned (M = 26.17 years of age). The individual contributions of different PE-indicator variables to experienced sexual distress were investigated by calculating correlations and performing a regression analysis. RESULTS All included indicators of PE were significantly associated with sexual distress, and significant and logical differences in sexual distress were found between intravariable levels for several of the indicator variables. Only variables relating to subjective experience (e.g., worrying about PE) were uniquely related to sexual distress when other indicators were controlled for. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that variables measuring subjective experience may be useful when considering diagnostic criteria if indicators that are related to sexual distress are considered useful. However, overall, the association between PE and sexual distress is not especially strong, emphasizing the fact that more objective indicators of PE may not necessarily be associated with significant distress.

Recreational use of erectile dysfunction medication may decrease confidence in ability to gain and hold erections in young males

We aimed to estimate the frequency of recreational use of erectile dysfunction medication (EDM) and to identify any adverse effects on confidence in gaining and holding erections resulting from such use. In addition, we explored differences in erectile function and sexual behavior between recreational and medicinal users of EDM to control for the possibility of recreational users having but not admitting erectile dysfunction. A subset from the Genetics of Sex and Aggression population-based sample of 4428 males with a mean age of 29.51 (s.d.=6.77) years provided information on their use of EDM, erectile function during first intercourse and currently, sexual behavior and confidence in their ability to gain and hold erections. There were 2.6% (n=115) recreational and 0.9% (n=39) medicinal users of EDM. Recreational users had currently significantly lower confidence in their erectile ability than non-users even though they had significantly better erectile function and significantly more unrestricted sexual behavior as well as had more confidence when initiating sexual activity. More frequent use of EDM was associated with significantly less confidence in erectile ability among the recreational users. We conclude that recreational users of EDM may be vulnerable for becoming psychologically dependent on pharmacologically induced erection.

Genetic and Environmental Effects on Sexual Excitation and Sexual Inhibition in Men

The Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) measure the propensity for sexual inhibition and excitation in men. According to the theoretical model underlying the SIS/SES, sexual response and associated behavior depend on dual control mechanisms in the brain involving the balance of excitatory and inhibitory systems which impinge on sexual response. Previous research with the SIS/SES has indicated one higher-order excitatory factor and two higher-order inhibitory factors affecting sexual response. The present study analyzed the item structure and the psychometric properties of the instrument in a population based sample of Finnish male twins (N = 1,289), and, including 37 out of 45 items of the original scales, estimated the heritability of and the environmental influences on the excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms. The twin correlations and the structural equation modeling suggested modest heritability for both inhibitory mechanisms. Sexual excitation, in contrast, was not influenced by genetic effects and similarities between twins for this mechanism seemed to be caused by the common environment of the twins.

Do the same genetic and environmental effects underlie the covariation of alcohol dependence, smoking, and aggressive behaviour?

We investigated genetic and environmental effects on alcohol dependence, smoking, and aggressive behaviour, as well as sex differences in these effects and whether these effects were the same for the three phenotypes. There were 3141 male (mean age 26.2 [S.E.=0.1]) and 6026 female (mean age 26.1 [S.E.=0.1]) participants in this extended twin study. Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), number of cigarettes smoked, and two subscales of Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) were used to assess the phenotypes. All three were positively interrelated with males exhibiting higher levels on each phenotype. Multivariate model fitting identified genetic effects on all phenotypes for both men and women ranging between 69% (aggressive behaviour in women) and 78% (alcohol dependence in men). The effects were stronger in men for alcohol dependence and smoking. There were no qualitative genetic sex differences. Genetic correlations between all phenotypes were substantial.