Individual Differences in the Effects of Mood on Sexuality: The Revised Mood and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ-R)

Abstract

Previous research using the Mood and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ) has revealed substantial variability in how negative mood impacts sexual response and behavior. However, the MSQ does not address differences between desire for solo or partnered sexual activity, examine the effects of sexual activity on mood, or assess the effects of positive mood. This article presents the development and factor structure of the Revised Mood and Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ-R). An exploratory factor analysis in a sample of heterosexual men, homosexual men, and heterosexual women (N = 1,983) produced eight factors. Considerable variability was found in how moods influence sexual desire and arousal, in the effects of mood on sexual behavior, and in the reciprocal effects of sexual activity on mood. Among other findings, heterosexual women were less likely than heterosexual men and homosexual men to experience increased sexual desire and arousal when anxious or stressed, whereas homosexual men and heterosexual women were less likely than heterosexual men to experience increased desire when sad or depressed. Heterosexual men and heterosexual women were more likely than homosexual men to report increased desire when in a positive mood. Intercorrelations and correlations with various sexual behaviors varied by group. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.

Acknowledgments

The research reported in this article was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) grant R01-HD043689 to Erick Janssen. We wish to thank Jaime Cohen and Zoran Vukadinovic for their contributions to the development of the questionnaire described in this article and Sarah Newhouse, Jordan Rullo, and other research assistants for their help in collecting the data in the heterosexual subsample.

Notes

¹The assessment and operationalization of negative emotional states varies substantially across studies—involving the use of composite mood scales or individual emotion items that focus on anxiety, sadness, disgust, etc.—and this complicates generalization and the comparison of research findings.

^a Significantly different from heterosexual men (p < .001).

^b Significantly different from heterosexual women (p < .001).

^c Significantly different from homosexual men (p < .001).

Note. Scores are averages, with a possible range of 1 to 5.

^a Significantly different from heterosexual men (p < .001).

^b Significantly different from heterosexual women (p < .001).

^c Significantly different from homosexual men (p < .001).

²An additional factor analysis with oblique rotation produced an identical eight-factor solution involving the same items and with low intercorrelations.

Note. Only correlations significant at p < .05 are presented.

Note. Only correlations significant at p < .05 are presented.