Publication Cover
Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity
The Journal of Treatment & Prevention
Volume 14, 2007 - Issue 1
556
Views
27
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

The Ultimate High: Sexual Addiction and the Bug Chasing Phenomenon

&
Pages 21-40 | Published online: 22 Mar 2007
 

This study sought to explain the existence of a controversial subculture of gay men, a group whose main attribute is an active desire to voluntarily contract HIV. The following research reasons “bug chasing” as being symptomatic of sexual addiction. A quasi-randomized survey of personal advertisements of HIV-negative bug chasers and barebackers—gay men who intentionally eschew condom use without the desire to seroconvert—revealed that chasers were: (a) considerably different from their barebacker counterparts regarding paraphiliac activities, and (b) significantly more likely than barebackers to rank higher on behavioral and psychological measures of sexual addiction.

The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Gerulf Rieger, without which this study could not have been possible.

Notes

∗p < .001. Very passive = 1. Very aggressive = 5. Independent sample t-test for self-aggressiveness: (M diff = −.392, SD pooled = 1.015), t(262) = −3.129, d = −.386, p < .001. Independent sample t-test for partner-aggressiveness: (M diff = .419, SD pooled = .82), t(252) = 4.048, d = .511, p < .001.

∗∗Different at p < .001. ∗Different at p < .005. For principle components of these factors, see .

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.