Influence of psychological inflexibility and mindfulness on hypersexuality and sexual satisfaction in a Spanish sample
Marta Ortega-Otero, Francisco Montesinos, Luka Charrabe
Frontiers in Psychology July 21, 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1182222 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 530 |
| Population | Spanish adults aged 18 to 67 years |
| Measures | AAQ-II, CFQ, SBC, MAAS, NSSS-S, HBI |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Body awareness Bodily dissociation Cognitive fusion Hypersexuality Psychological flexibility |
| Key findings | About 5.5% of the sample displayed hypersexuality, more likely among males, lesbians and gay men, singles, and students. Hypersexuality correlated moderately with greater psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, and bodily dissociation, and with lower mindfulness skills; sexual dissatisfaction correlated moderately with greater bodily dissociation. Psychological inflexibility was the strongest predictor of hypersexuality, and bodily dissociation the strongest predictor of sexual dissatisfaction. |
Abstract
Sexual satisfaction is tremendously relevant to wellbeing and quality of life. Inversely, hypersexuality may increase the risk of psychological distress, unprotected sex, and marital problems. This study attempts to explore the sociodemographic variables related to hypersexuality and the relationship between hypersexuality and sexual dissatisfaction with psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, body awareness, bodily dissociation, and mindfulness skills in the Spanish population. The sample was made up of 530 participants between 18 and 67 years of age. In total, 5.5% displayed hypersexuality, more likely in males, lesbians and gay men, singles, and students. An online survey was conducted including standardized questionnaires as follows: AAQ-II, CFQ, SBC, MAAS, NSSS-S, and HBI. Significant moderate positive correlations were found between hypersexuality and psychological inflexibility, cognitive fusion, and bodily dissociation, and an inverse moderate correlation with mindfulness skills. Moderate negative correlations were found between sexual satisfaction and bodily dissociation. Linear regression showed psychological inflexibility was the variable with the most weight on hypersexuality, while bodily dissociation was the variable with the most influence on sexual dissatisfaction. This study suggests lesbians and gay men, males, and singles may show an increased vulnerability toward engaging in hypersexual behavior and provides justification for interventions focused on psychological inflexibility and mindfulness skills to treat hypersexuality and improve sexual satisfaction.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |