The Impact of Parenting Style on Attitudes toward Masturbation: A Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract

Parents play a vital role in the development of their children’s sexual attitudes and behaviors; however, little is known about the impact of parenting on masturbation attitudes. The present study aimed to explore the role of discussions with parents about attitudes toward masturbation. Additionally, latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to determine whether subgroups of exposure to distinct parenting styles exist, and if so, the extent to which they are related to the formation of masturbation attitudes. A convenience sample of 279 university students aged 18–21 completed an anonymous self-report survey. Participants who had not discussed masturbation with their parents reported significantly more negative attitudes than those who had discussed it. In general, participants who perceived their parents to be high in both rejection and control reported more negative attitudes toward masturbation than participants whose parents were lower in rejection and lower in control. The LPA revealed three parenting profiles that were differentially related to young adults’ masturbation attitudes: Permissive Parenting, Typical Parenting, and Authoritarian Parenting. An exploratory analysis found that female participants endorsed fewer negative attitudes toward masturbation than their male counterparts. Bayesian statistics were used to improve the interpretation of the data, allow for more meaningful and accurate conclusions, and provide converging evidence with the null hypothesis significance testing results. Implications and limitations are discussed within the context of current masturbation and parenting style research.

Keywords:

• Masturbation
• parenting style
• psychosexual development
• latent profile analysis
• Bayesian statistics

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Evanya Musolino and Dr. Brian O’Connor for their assistance with this project.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ethan Klukas

Ethan Klukas holds a B.A. (Hons) in Psychology from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. His previous research has primarily been focused on human sexuality and parenting style.

Emily Draper

Emily Draper holds a B.A. (Hons) in Psychology from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Her previous research has focused on human sexuality, parenting style, and social conformity.

Kimberley Kaseweter

Kimberley Kaseweter, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She has extensive research experience in the areas of pain, prosocial behavior, emotional expression, affect perception, facial coding, criminal behavior, and psychophysiological activity.

Nina Gregoire

Nina Gregoire, B.Sc. (Hons), is a Master’s Student at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Her primary interests involve social psychology, communication, evidence-based practice models, and healthcare.

Jan Cioe

Jan Cioe, Ph.D., R.Psych., is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. His two broad areas of research interests are recovery of function after brain damage and human sexuality. His clinical work involves co-facilitating the Kelowna Sex Offender Programme for the Provincial Ministry of Health.