Longitudinal associations between sexual regulatory focus and sexual health and well-being

Abstract

Sexual health and well-being (SHWB) encompasses physical and emotional aspects beyond disease absence. Research has shown that sexual decisions and behaviors are informed by predominant motives for pleasure or safety, with some individuals prioritizing health protection and risk avoidance (i.e., predominant focus on prevention) and others sexual pleasure and rewards (i.e., predominant focus on promotion) with casual partners. This longitudinal study with individuals in Spain and Portugal explored how sexual regulatory focus was related to sexual responses, behaviors, and experiences with casual partners at baseline (T1, N = 811) and three months later (T2, N = 527). Results of a latent profile analysis revealed three distinct profiles. Participants predominantly focused on prevention reported higher sexual health outcomes at baseline (e.g., more sexual inhibition due to risk awareness; more condom use in different sexual activities) and three months later (e.g., enacted safer sexual activities) to the detriment of their sexual well-being (e.g., less sexual satisfaction). In contrast, participants predominantly focused on promotion reported higher sexual well-being outcomes at baseline (e.g., more sexual excitation; more sexual communal strength) and three months later (e.g., more sexual satisfaction; more autonomous reasons for having sex) potentially to the detriment of their sexual health (e.g., enacted riskier sexual activities; but were also more likely to have been tested for sexually transmitted infections). A third group of participants with a dual focus managed to protect their sexual health (e.g., enacted safer sexual activities later on) without compromising their sexual well-being (e.g., more sexual excitation; more sexual satisfaction later on). These findings show that sexual regulatory focus is a crucial aspect to consider in efforts aimed at fostering SHWB.