Mónika Koós, Beáta Bőthe, Gábor Orosz, Marc N. Potenza, Rory C. Reid, Zsolt Demetrovics,
Addictive Behaviors Reports, 2020, 100321, ISSN 2352-8532,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100321.
Highlights
- Four factors relating to the negative consequences of hypersexuality were identified.
- The four-factor model did not differ between genders and sexual orientations.
- The HBCS is a valid and reliable scale to assess negative hypersexuality outcomes.
- Some sexual behaviors were more closely linked to hypersexuality consequences than others.
Abstract
Introduction
Despite the growing literature about hypersexuality and its negative consequences, most studies have focused on the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), resulting in relatively few studies about the nature and the measurement of a broader spectrum of adverse consequences.
Methods
The aim of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Hypersexual Behavior Consequence Scale (HBCS) in a large, non-clinical population (N = 16,935 participants; females = 5,854, 34.6%; Mage = 33.6, SDage = 11.1) and identify its factor structure across genders. The dataset was divided into three independent samples, taking into consideration gender ratio. The validity of the HBCS was investigated in relation to sexuality-related questions (e.g., frequency of pornography use) and the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory (Sample 3).
Results
Both the exploratory (Sample 1) and confirmatory (Sample 2) factor analyses (CFI = .954, TLI = .948, RMSEA = .061 [90% CI = .059 – .062]) suggested a first-order, four-factor structure that included work-related problems, personal problems, relationship problems, and risky behavior as a result of hypersexuality. The HBCS showed adequate reliability and demonstrated reasonable associations with the examined theoretically relevant correlates, corroborating the validity of the HBCS.
Conclusion
Findings suggest that the HBCS may be used to assess consequences of hypersexuality. It may also be used in clinical settings to assess the severity of hypersexuality and to map potential areas of impairment, and such information may help guide therapeutic interventions.
Keywords – compulsive sexual behavior disorder, hypersexuality, addictive behaviors, sex addiction, pornography, sexual behavior
1. Introduction
Hypersexual disorder was examined, proposed for inclusion in, and ultimately excluded from the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013). However, approximately half a decade later and following additional research (e.g., Bőthe, Bartók et al., 2018; Bőthe, Tóth-Király et al., 2018b; Kraus, Meshberg-Cohen, Martino, Quinones, & Potenza, 2015; Voon et al., 2014), compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) was included in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11; World Health Organization, 2018) and officially adopted at the May, 2019 World Health Assembly. CSBD is characterized by repetitive, intense, and prolonged sexual fantasies, sexual urges, and sexual behaviors resulting in clinically significant personal distress or other adverse outcomes, such as significant impairment in interpersonal, occupational, or other important domains of functioning.
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