The Effects of Alcohol on Self-Regulation of Sexual Arousal in Sexually Compulsive Men Who Have Sex with Men

ABSTRACT

Individuals who meet criteria for sexual compulsivity tend to be more likely to engage in sexual behaviors that may have negative consequences. Despite the clear public health relevance, however, little is known about the determinants of sexual compulsivity. This psychophysiological study examined self-regulation of sexual arousal in men high and low in sexual compulsivity, when sober and after alcohol consumption. A total of 43 men who have sex with men (MSM) participated and were presented with a series of erotic film clips. Two clips were presented after alcohol consumption (BAL .06); two other film clips were viewed when sober. Within alcohol conditions, one of the two films was combined with a suppression, the other with a no-suppression instruction. Genital responses were lower in the high sexual compulsivity group and higher during no-suppression conditions. The suppression instruction was not effective under sober conditions, but impacted responses after alcohol consumption. This effect was more pronounced for the low compulsivity group. The findings suggest that sexually compulsive men are less successful in inhibiting their sexual responses, but only after alcohol consumption. The findings also suggest that sexually compulsive men may be less responsive to (researcher-selected) erotic stimuli.

Funding

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R21 AA018260, H. Hoffmann and E. Janssen (PIs). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Notes

1. Uncertainties and controversies extend beyond terminology (e.g., sexual compulsivity, sex addiction, sexual impulsivity, hypersexuality) to questions of nosology and the possibility of relevant behaviors (e.g., high levels of masturbation, partnered sex, use of erotic/pornographic imagery) simply representing a more extreme end of the continuum of normal sexual behavior. The present work uses the term “sexual compulsivity” as it is widely used in the research literature and may best capture the experience of “underregulated” sexual urges and behaviors.

2. The authors used Formula 14 from Brick (2006) after correcting for two errors in the equations presented in the original formula: time should be in hours instead of minutes (e.g., 2.5 hours instead of 150 minutes) and the final multiplication should include the variable “BAC_target” on the left side of the equation.