The Role of Mutual Masturbation within Relationships: Associations with Sexual Satisfaction and Sexual Self-Esteem

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of the study participants (N = 268).

	Total		Total N (%)
Gender N = 268	N (%)	Age n = 258	M = 29.7, SD = 8.1
Women	117 (43.7)
Men	151 (56.3)
Non-binary	0 (0)
Other	0 (0)
Sexual orientation N = 268		Ethnicity N = 268
Heterosexual	217 (81.0)	White British	68 (25.4)
Bisexual	31 (11.6)	Any other White background	136 (50.7)
Lesbian/gay	12 (4.5)	Black British	5 (1.9)
Asexual	2 (0.7)	Any other Black background	23 (8.6)
Pansexual	5 (1.9)	Asian or Asian British	11 (4.1)
Other (‘Queer’)	1 (0.4)	Any other mixed background/Multiracial	19 (7.1)
		Did not state	6 (2.2)
Relationship status N = 268		Do you have biological, adopted, foster or stepchildren? N = 268
Married	101 (37.7)	No	205 (76.5)
In a relationship	161 (60.1)	No, but I am (or my partner is) pregnant	5 (1.9)
In a relationship but seeing others	3 (1.1)	Yes	58 (21.6)
Casually dating
Other (‘domestic’)	2 (0.7)
	1 (0.4)
Partner gender n = 267		Income N = 268
Women	158 (59.0)	Poverty level	4 (1.5)
Men	106 (39.6)	Lower income	31 (11.6)
Non-binary	3 (1.1)	Lower middle income	52(19.4)
		Middle income	107 (39.9)
		Upper middle income	54 (20.1)
		Upper income	16 (6.0)
		I choose not to answer	4 (1.5)
Relationship duration N = 268		Do you have any long-standing illness, disability or infirmity? N = 268
0 to less than 6 months	9 (3.4)	Yes
6 months to less than 1 year	17 (6.3)	No
1 year to less than 5 years	149 (55.6)		55 (20.5)
5 years to less than 10 years	59 (22.0)		213 (79.5)
10 years and more	34 (12.7)
Do you live together with your partner? N = 268		Highest level of education N = 268
Yes	184 (68.7)	Less than high school	2 (0.7)
No	84 (31.3)	High school or equivalent	53 (19.8)
		Technical or vocational college	22 (8.2)
		College/university	116 (43.3)
		Postgraduate university (MSc/PhD)	74 (27.6)
		Other: (‘HND’)	1 (0.4)
When did you first start living with your current partner? (n = 184)		Religious participation N = 268
0 to less than 6 months	30 (11.2)	Once a week or more	24 (9.0)
6 months to less than 1 year	25 (9.3)	Less often but at least once in 2 weeks	12 (4.5)
1 year to less than 5 years	81 (30.2)	Less often but at least once a month	19 (7.1)
5 years to less than 10 years	32 (11.9)	Less often but at least twice a year	29 (10.8)
10 years and more	16 (6.0)	Less often but at least once a year	20 (7.5)
		Less often	22 (8.2)
		Never/practically never	138 (51.5)
		Varies	4 (1.5)
Currently live N = 268
In a city	164 (61.2)
In another metropolitan or suburban area	64 (23.9)	Occupation (please tick all that apply) n = 277
In a small town or rural area	40 (14.9)	Full-time employed	142 (53.0)
		Part-time employed	49 (18.3)
		Full-time student	58 (21.6)
		Part-time student	9 (3.4)
		Other: Freelancer	1 (0.4)
		Other: Housewife	1 (0.4)
		Other: Unemployed	13 (4.8)
		Other: Retired	1 (0.4)
		Other: Self-Employed	3 (1.1)

Table 2. Sexual history background details (N = 268).

		Women n = 117 (43.7)	Men n = 151 (56.3)	Total N = 268
Any sexual activity (solo or partnered)/last 4 weeks	No sexual activity (neither with a partner nor by myself)	5 (4.3)	4 (2.6)	9 (3.4)
	Sexual activity with a partner only	40 (34.2)	47 (31.1)	87 (32.5)
	Sexual activity by myself only	12 (10.3)	14 (9.3)	26 (9.7)
	Sexual activity both with a partner and by myself	60 (51.3)	86 (57.0)	146 (54.5)
	Total (N)	117 (100.0)	151 (100.0)	268 (100.0)
Last time solo masturbation	Today	14 (12.0)	19 (12.6)	33 (12.3)
	Yesterday	24 (20.5)	34 (22.5)	58 (21.6)
	Several days ago	28 (23.9)	42 (27.8)	70 (26.1)
	One week ago	12 (10.3)	15 (9.9)	27 (10.1)
	Two weeks ago	12 (10.3)	12 (7.9)	24 (9.0)
	Almost a month ago	8 (6.8)	8 (5.3)	16 (6.0)
	Couple of months ago	10 (8.5)	9 (6.0)	19 (7.1)
	Over a year ago	8 (6.8)	9 (6.0)	17 (6.3)
	Never	1 (0.9)	3 (2.0)	4 (1.5)
	Total (N)	117 (100.0)	151 (100.0)	268 (100.0)
Last time mutual masturbation	Today	2 (1.7)	4 (2.6)	6 (2.2)
	Yesterday	11 (9.4)	10 (6.6)	21 (7.9)
	Several days ago	20 (17.1)	32 (21.2)	52 (19.5)
	One week ago	22 (18.8)	18 (11.9)	40 (15.0)
	Two weeks ago	8 (6.8)	9 (6.0)	17 (6.4)
	Almost a month ago	10 (8.5)	14 (9.3)	24 (9.0)
	Couple of months ago	16 (13.7)	22 (14.6)	38 (14.2)
	Over a year ago	6 (5.1)	19 (12.6)	25 (9.4)
	Never	21 (17.9)	23 (15.2)	44 (16.5)
	Total (N)	116 (99.1)	151 (100.0)	267 (99.6)

Table 3. Descriptive statistics for key variables in regression models by gender (N = 268).

Variable	Total N = 268		Women n = 117		Men n = 151		Bivariate analysis
	M (or %)	SD	M (or %)	SD	M (or %)	SD	t (or χ^2)	p
Sexual satisfaction	45.35	9.52	44.14	9.71	46.30	9.30	−1.85	.065
Sexual self-esteem	159.61	27.97	154.95	28.59	163.22	27.02	−2.42	.016
Positive feelings composite	29.58	7.17	28.11	7.31	30.71	6.87	−2.92	.003
Negative feelings composite	24.41	12.15	25.40	12.07	23.65	12.20	1.16	.240
Mutual masturbation recency	50.7% (n = 136)		53.8% (n = 63)		48.3% (n = 73)		.93	.334
Solo masturbation recency	79.10% (n = 212)		76.9% (n = 90)		80.8% (n = 122)		.59	.439

Note. Independent samples t-tests between women’s and men’s scores were conducted for continuous variables (the NSSS-S, SSEI-S) and χ² analysis was done for the categorical variables (e.g., mutual masturbation recency). Mutual/solo masturbation recency referred to mutual/solo masturbation in the past two weeks.

Table 4. Results of the multiple regression model for positive feelings about mutual masturbation (satisfaction subscale) among men and women (n = 262).

		Multivariable	Model
	B	95%CI	p	sr	sr^2
Mutual masturbation recency	3.59	1.91, 5.28	<.001	.24	.06
Solo masturbation recency	1.29	−.80, 3.38	.227	.07	.005
Gender	2.24	.55, 3.94	.010	.15	.02
Illness/disability	3.23	1.12, 5.34	.003	.17	.03
Religious participation	1.76	.09, 3.43	.039	.12	.01

Note. Mutual/solo masturbation recency referred to mutual/solo masturbation in the past two weeks.

Table 5. Results of the multiple regression model for sexual satisfaction among men and women (n = 267).

		Multivariable	Model
	B	95%CI	p	sr	sr^2
Mutual masturbation recency	3.90	1.64, 6.16	<.001	.20	.04
Solo masturbation recency	−2.44	−5.22, .34	.086	−.10	.01
Age	−.16	−.33, −.006	.042	−.12	.01
Relationship status	.90	−2.10, 3.91	.554	.03	.0009
Living with partner	1.11	−1.68, 3.91	.434	.05	.002
Illness/disability	3.79	.89, 6.69	.011	.15	.02
Child	−.11	−3.17, 2.94	.941	−.004	.00002

Note. Mutual/solo masturbation recency referred to mutual/solo masturbation in the past two weeks.

Data availability statement

The anonymized data used in this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.