Symptoms of depression (not anxiety) mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors in men

Objective: Childhood sexual abuse is associated with compulsive sexual behavior, depression, and anxiety in men. Furthermore, both depression and anxiety have been linked to compulsive sexual behaviors. However, whether anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors has yet to be tested. We investigated whether symptoms of depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors in 222 men seeking treatment for such behaviors. Methods: Participants completed the Sexual Compulsivity Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. A cross-sectional parallel mediation analysis was conducted. Results: The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in our sample was 57%. Significant correlations were found between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors, depression, and anxiety. The results of the mediation analyses suggested that depression (B = 0.07, standard error [SE] = 0.03, 95%CI 0.02 to 0.15), but not anxiety (B = 0.02, SE = 0.02, 95%CI -0.2 to 0.07), mediated the link between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors. The pattern of our results remained the same when controlling for other types of childhood trauma. Conclusions: Depression, not anxiety, appears to mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors in men. Future research that tests our mediation analyses using a prospective longitudinal study would be highly informative.

Symptoms of depression (not anxiety) mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors in men.

OBJECTIVE: Childhood sexual abuse is associated with compulsive sexual behavior, depression, and anxiety in men. Furthermore, both depression and anxiety have been linked to compulsive sexual behaviors. However, whether anxiety and depression mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors has yet to be tested. We investigated whether symptoms of depression and anxiety mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors in 222 men seeking treatment for such behaviors. METHODS: Participants completed the Sexual Compulsivity Scale, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. A cross-sectional parallel mediation analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in our sample was 57%. Significant correlations were found between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors, depression, and anxiety. The results of the mediation analyses suggested that depression (B = 0.07, standard error [SE] = 0.03, 95%CI 0.02 to 0.15), but not anxiety (B = 0.02, SE = 0.02, 95%CI -0.2 to 0.07), mediated the link between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors. The pattern of our results remained the same when controlling for other types of childhood trauma. CONCLUSIONS: Depression, not anxiety, appears to mediate the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behaviors in men. Future research that tests our mediation analyses using a prospective longitudinal study would be highly informative.

Sexual compulsivity, anxiety, depression, and sexual risk behavior among treatment-seeking men in São Paulo, Brazil

Objective: There is a lack of studies on negative mood states and sexual risk behavior in men of all sexual orientations who seek treatment for excessive sexual behavior (ESB). We aim to examine sexual compulsivity (SC), anxiety, depression, and sexual risk behavior in a treatment-seeking sample of men and controls. Methods: We enrolled 88 (37 [42%] gay or bisexual and 51 [58%] heterosexual) ESB outpatients and 64 controls. Assessments included the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and sexual risk behaviors. Results: Compared to controls, ESB outpatients showed increased SC, anxiety, and depression, which were correlated. Regarding sex with casual partners, ESB outpatients reported more sexual intercourse, a greater number of partners, more anal intercourse, and unprotected anal intercourse. Anxiety, depression, and SC were associated with protected vaginal intercourse with a main partner, whereas they were associated with unprotected anal intercourse with a casual partner. Depression was associated with unprotected vaginal intercourse with a casual partner. Condomless anal intercourse was predicted by SC and was also reported by the heterosexual ESB outpatients (36%). Conclusion: The data contribute to the field by providing information on men of all sexual orientations who are searching for mental healthcare. The connections among these psychopathological factors and sexual risk behavior have implications for public health, clinicians, and research.

Sexual compulsivity, anxiety, depression, and sexual risk behavior among treatment-seeking men in São Paulo, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: There is a lack of studies on negative mood states and sexual risk behavior in men of all sexual orientations who seek treatment for excessive sexual behavior (ESB). We aim to examine sexual compulsivity (SC), anxiety, depression, and sexual risk behavior in a treatment-seeking sample of men and controls. METHODS: We enrolled 88 (37 [42%] gay or bisexual and 51 [58%] heterosexual) ESB outpatients and 64 controls. Assessments included the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and sexual risk behaviors. RESULTS: Compared to controls, ESB outpatients showed increased SC, anxiety, and depression, which were correlated. Regarding sex with casual partners, ESB outpatients reported more sexual intercourse, a greater number of partners, more anal intercourse, and unprotected anal intercourse. Anxiety, depression, and SC were associated with protected vaginal intercourse with a main partner, whereas they were associated with unprotected anal intercourse with a casual partner. Depression was associated with unprotected vaginal intercourse with a casual partner. Condomless anal intercourse was predicted by SC and was also reported by the heterosexual ESB outpatients (36%). CONCLUSION: The data contribute to the field by providing information on men of all sexual orientations who are searching for mental healthcare. The connections among these psychopathological factors and sexual risk behavior have implications for public health, clinicians, and research.

Sexual Compulsivity Scale, Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory, and Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory: Translation, Adaptation, and Validation for Use in Brazil.

Epidemiological, behavioral, and clinical data on sexual compulsivity in Brazil are very limited. This study sought to adapt and validate the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS), the 22-item version of the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI-22), and the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory (HDSI) for use in Brazil. A total of 153 participants underwent psychiatric assessment and completed self-reported measures. The adaptation process of the instruments from English to Portuguese followed the guidelines of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. The reliability and validity of the HDSI criteria were evaluated and the construct validity of all measures was examined. For the SCS and HDSI, factor analysis revealed one factor for each measure. For the CSBI-22, four factors were retained although we only calculated the scores of two factors (control and violence). All scores had good internal consistency (alpha >.75), presented high temporal stability (>.76), discriminated between patients and controls, and presented strong (ρ > .81) correlations with the Sexual Addiction Screening Test (except for the violence domain = .40) and moderate correlations with the Impulsive Sensation Seeking domain of the Zuckerman Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ρ between .43 and .55). The sensitivity of the HDSI was 71.93 % and the specificity was 100 %. All measures showed very good psychometric properties. The SCS, the HDSI, and the control domain of the CSBI-22 seemed to measure theoretically similar constructs, as they were highly correlated (ρ > .85). The findings support the conceptualization of hypersexuality as a cluster of problematic symptoms that are highly consistent across a variety of measures.