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The construct of inclusion of other in the self has been established as one of the most influential measures for relationship closeness in romantic relationships. It is regularly associated with relational well-being, sexual satisfaction, as well as mental health. However, the degree of closeness one desires in the present relationship is person-specific and can differ from the closeness one actually experiences. Exploring these discrepancies, the present study focused on the association between not enough closeness and too much closeness and relationship characteristics, parenting, and extradyadic sexual activity. Data from a population-based sample of 3,161 men and women from the German Health and Sexuality Survey were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Our results confirm closeness discrepancies as prevalent relationship phenomena, while identifying feelings of not enough closeness as much more problematic for the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rough sex refers to consensual sexual activities that incorporate playful aggression, such as hair pulling, spanking, or choking. It is relevant in the context of sexual health as it can enhance sexual arousal, pleasure, and intimacy among consenting partners. However, it can also be associated with consent violations, discomfort, and injuries ranging from mild to severe or even fatal. The prevalence of rough sex in Germany is widely unknown. Our study aims to establish, for the first time, the overall age‐related and gender‐related prevalence rates of active and passive rough sex involvement among adults in Germany. Methods: A national online sample of 1101 adults from Germany, aged 18–69 years (50% men, 49% women, 1% gender‐diverse individuals) gave informed consent and reported on their lifetime engagement in rough sex in active and passive roles. We recruited participants through a professional panel provider for a multi‐themed sexual health survey. Data analysis was conducted using R, with 95% confidence intervals of prevalence rates computed to answer the research questions. Results: Lifetime prevalence of rough sex involvement was 29%. Adults below the age of 40 reported higher rates of involvement (up to 43%) than people over 40 (up to 26%). Men reported predominantly active role involvement and women reported primarily passive role involvement. Discussion: Results show that rough sex is common. Sexual health professionals, educators, and researchers should be prepared to guide current and aspiring practitioners of rough sex, helping them understand potential benefits, risks, and age‐ and gender‐related differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative attitudes and stigmatization toward sexual minorities is a cause of minority stress of non-heterosexual persons on an individual level and has a negative impact on democratic coexistence in postmodern, plural society on a societal level. Derived from clinical research, we developed a short metacognitive training (MCT) intended to induce doubt toward inaccurate beliefs about LGBTIQ+ persons. We expected this MCT to reduce homonegativity, threat perceptions of LGBTIQ+ persons, and to foster extended outgroup tolerance compared to an education and a no-treatment control condition. We tested this hypothesis in U.S. Republican leaners who represent a social group that is likely to hold homonegative attitudes. We randomly assigned 490 U.S. Republican leaners to an MCT condition comprising 16 questions and respective answers (n = 166) vs. an education control condition (n = 164) vs. a no-treatment control condition (n = 160). We found that Republican leaners after receiving MCT (1) had a significant reduction of homonegativity (ds ≥ 0.28), (2) significantly perceived LGBTIQ+ persons as less threatening (ds ≥ 0.30), and (3) were significantly more tolerant of various outgroups such as LGBTIQ+ persons, feminists, liberals, and climate activists (ds ≥ 0.23) relative to both control conditions. The small effects of this short intervention and the possibility of systematically applying MCT in social discourse to reduce homonegativity with its potential significance for LGBTIQ+ individuals' mental health are discussed. Furthermore, we highlight this pilot study's significance toward intervention possibilities regarding political division and polarization in postmodern, democratic societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Broader insights into the life situations of sexually inactive adults in Germany are widely unexplored. Within the nationally-representative survey GeSiD (German Health and Sexuality Survey), undertaken 2018-2019, data of 4,758 participants with lifetime interpersonal sexual experience aged 18-75 years (men: n = 2234; women: n = 2524) were analyzed in regards to partnered sexual inactivity in the past 12 months (PSI; no genital-involving sexual contact with another person). Overall, advanced age, being single and impaired health conditions were associated with PSI. Data showed gender-specific associations with PSI, such as less alcohol, smoking and drug use in women. PSI was associated with lower general life satisfaction throughout different age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although online pornography use appears to be a mainstream activity, there is little information, particularly outside of the USA, about how consumers perceive its impact on their sexuality. Considering increasing concerns about pornography use, this lack of evidence has sociocultural and clinical ramifications – especially because the recently proposed Moral Incongruence model (MI) suggests that some individuals may see their pornography use as problematic independently of the frequency of use. Using data from 4,177 adults from the 2018–2019 national probability-based German Health and Sexuality Survey, we explored self-perceived impact of pornography use on personal sex life and the role of MI. Most participants (61.7%) reported no impact of pornography. Women were characterized by significantly higher odds of reporting positive relative to no impact, while men had higher odds of reporting mixed/negative compared to no impact. Participants in both the positive and the mixed impact group reported a significantly higher frequency of pornography use than participants in the no impact group. In line with the MI model, we observed a significant relationship between participants' religious upbringing and self-perceived negative (relative to mixed) impact of pornography use. Social relevance and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Closeness, in the sense of inclusion of other in the self, has been found to be an important factor for relationship well-being, satisfaction and pair-bonding. In the past ten years, the self-expansion theory has also been incorporated into sex research, although studies are still very scarce and not without limitations. The present research aimed at further elucidating the relevance of relational factors for couple's sexuality, and to clarify the role inclusion of other in the self plays for sexual satisfaction and sexual distress. A broadly representative sample of 3,046 men and women aged 18 to 75 was taken from the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD). Throughout analyses, inclusion of other in the self and love were positively related to sexual satisfaction. Furthermore, inclusion of other in the self was negatively related to how strongly someone was distressed by experiencing sexual problems. Closeness seems to have a compensatory role especially for women with sexual problems, protecting them from experiencing sexual distress. In future research, couple's sexual satisfaction should not be compartmentalized from relational aspects. Results clearly promote the Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale as an interesting tool for both research and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD) was carried out in 2018/2019 to provide up-to-date measures of sexual behavior, sexual attitudes and sexual lifestyles of the adult population. We describe the methods used in GeSiD which surveyed the general population in Germany aged 18–75 years (with oversampling of younger adults aged 18–35 years). This article focuses on study design, recruitment, and response rate and discusses the strategies implemented to enhance the response rate compared to the pilot study. Overall, 4.955 interviews were completed with a response rate of 30.2%. The data were weighted by age, gender, education, nationality, and region to reduce possible bias. Compared to the German 2018 census, the weighted sample provides good representativeness for selected respondent characteristics. The computer-assisted interviews consisted of a combination of face-to-face and self-completion components. They covered a broad perspective on sexual health, which included topics such as online sexual activities, pleasure, sexual dysfunction, and sexual violence. Reliable data on sexual and reproductive health in Germany are urgently needed for evidence-based prevention and health promotion work, to inform sexual health policy and for cross-national comparisons of the development of sexual behavior in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the effect relationship closeness has on couple's sexuality a scoping review was conducted, that focused on the inclusion of other in the self scale (IOS). Authors reviewed quantitative journal articles published between 2000 and 2020 by searching PsychInfo, Medline, and PubMed, resulting in 24 studies. Results suggest positive associations between IOS and sexual well-being, functioning, desire, frequency and satisfaction, and negatively related to sexual distress. Also, the benefits of positive sexual experiences expand well beyond the sexual domain onto different personal and relational factors of health and well-being. Sampling designs considerably limit the generalizability of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) is due to come into force in 2022. The goal of the present partial evaluation of the GeSiD study findings is to provide the first ever estimate of the prevalence of different types of sexual dysfunction in Germany as defined by the diagnostic guidelines that are soon to take effect. Methods: The representative GeSiD study was carried out in 4955 men and women who belonged to a doubly stratified random sample of data from residence registration offices across Germany. The participation rate was 30.2%. Various types of sexual dysfunction were ascertained for the first time by means of a screening i nstrument based on the new ICD-11 guidelines. Results: The reported prevalence of one or more sexual problems, including mild distress, in the previous 12 months was 33.4% in men (95% confidence interval [31.0; 35.9]) and 45.7% in women [43.0; 48.4]. Some 80.4% of men and 72.1% of women stated that they had had at least one sexual contact in the past year. Sexual dysfunction causing marked distress, as per the ICD-11 guidelines, was reported by 13.3% [11.6; 15.1] of the sexually active men (most commonly, erectile dysfunction in 6.6% and early ejaculation in 4.5%), and by 17.5% [15.6; 19.6] of the sexually active women (most commonly, hypoactive sexual desire in 6.9% and orgasmic dysfunction in 5.8%). Orgasmic dysfunction was approximately twice as common in women as delayed ejaculation was in men. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction increased with age, while that of early ejaculation decreased. Women felt particularly impaired by pain associated with sexual activity. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate the importance of sexual dysfunction as an obstacle to sexual health. The study provides the first prevalence estimates for the new ICD-11 guidelines and simultaneously offers a screening instrument for sexual dysfunction that can be used economically in routine practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]