Sexual compulsivity among heterosexual college students

Journal of Sex Research, Nov, 2004 by Brian Dodge, Michael Reece, Sara L. Cole, Theo G.M. Sandfort

Differences in compulsivity scores by age resemble differences in human sexual desire across the life course, which we believe may be developmental in nature. Hyde and DeLamater (2000) suggest that roughly between the ages of 13 and 19, "[a] surge of sexual interest occurs around puberty and continues through adolescence ... [H]eightened sexual arousal may be caused by a number of factors, including bodily changes and an awareness of them, rises in levels of sex hormones, and increased cultural emphasis on sex and rehearsal for adult gender roles" (p. 293). The interaction of biological and especially social factors during the early college years (including dormitory living, mass media, and new opportunities in the vast sexual landscape of the university setting) reinforce that age is related to sexual desire.

Thus, the extent to which the SCS captures constructs other than sexual compulsivity, including sexual desire and sexual exploration, is not clear. Heterosexual college students in particular are a population with easy access to multiple sexual partners and a wide array of sexual opportunities. The university atmosphere itself often encourages and promotes a sense of social and sexual exploration among students (Strong, DeVault, Sayad, & Yarber, 2005, p. 191). What may appear to be pathological compulsive sexual behavior to researchers and health professionals may actually be experienced as normal sexual exploration by college students. Recent studies on sexual behaviors of college students, including the college ritual of "hooking up," suggest that researchers must be keenly aware that meanings of various forms of sexual expression may be unique to college students themselves (Sanders & Reinisch, 1999).

Considering this, future studies are needed to determine the practical significance of sexual compulsivity among heterosexual college students and various other populations. These studies should evaluate the presence of actual negative health outcomes in individuals who score higher on measures of sexual compulsivity and who engage in more frequent sexual risk behaviors so that health professionals may develop and tailor HIV/STD education and intervention efforts as needed. Researchers should also design, test, and refine potential therapeutic treatments and interventions for sexual compulsivity, if it is determined to exist as a clinical condition through further sociomedical inquiry. Last, although one of the aims of our study was to focus solely on self-identified heterosexual college students, we acknowledge that further research is needed to explore the significance of sexual compulsivity for diverse samples of bisexual men and women, gay men, lesbians, transgenders, and other individuals to determine if they have different issues and needs than do high risk gay men and men who have sex with men or heterosexual individuals.