Psychosocial Syndemic Correlates of Sexual Compulsivity Among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Efforts have been made to better understand sexual compulsivity by examining salient psychosocial syndemic correlates, though examination of such factors has yielded inconclusive results. Given that research on sexual compulsivity has predominately involved men who have sex with men (MSM), the aims of the current study were to establish the mean effect sizes of seven psychosocial syndemic indicators with sexual compulsivity, to determine if the effect varied as a function of the type of psychosocial syndemic, and investigate the potential moderating effects using MSM samples. A total of 95 studies were included for analyses among the psychosocial syndemic indicators of interest (i.e., depression, anxiety, alcohol use, drug use, intimate partner violence, childhood sexual abuse, and sexual risk behavior). Results revealed a medium mean effect size of sexual compulsivity, the strength of which was significantly moderated by type of psychosocial syndemic indicator. Significant mean effect sizes for all syndemic indicators on sexual compulsivity were found, with depression and anxiety having the strongest relationships; significant moderating effects were found and are discussed. Findings highlight clinical considerations regarding sexual compulsivity and its role within the HIV syndemic framework among MSM.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In studies of men who have sex with men, self-reported compulsive sexual behaviour has been found to be correlated with depression, anxiety, and minority stress, and to be associated with higher rates of sexual risk-taking behaviours.
“In studies of men who have sex with men, self-reported compulsive sexual behaviour has been found to be correlated with depression 251 , anxiety 252 , and minority stress (i.e., the stress associated with stigma-related social disadvantage that compounds general life stress) 253 , as well as to be associated with higher rates of sexual risk-taking behaviours 254,255 .”
Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
American Psychiatric Association (2013) · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596 · Cited by 116,369 · see citing works
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & for the PRISMA Group (2009) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.b2535 · Cited by 83,823 · see citing works
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement
Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. G., & The PRISMA Group (2009) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097 · Cited by 64,042 · see citing works
Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA Statement.
(2009) · PubMed Central · Cited by 44,859 · see citing works
Maslow, A. H. (1943) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0054346 · Cited by 21,563 · see citing works
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed.
Carter, M. J. (2014) · Therapeutic Recreation Journal · Cited by 15,154 · see citing works
Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
(2018) · Journal of Clinical Psychiatry · doi:10.5505/kpd · Cited by 13,703 · see citing works
Axford, N. (2017) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781315258324-16 · Cited by 11,329 · see citing works
(2000) · Cited by 9,198 · see citing works
Rosenberg, M. S. (2005) · Evolution · doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2005.tb01004.x · Cited by 1,285 · cited 2× · see citing works
“thermore, to investigate the‘‘file-drawer effect’’and its impact on findings, a weighted fixed-effect fail-safe number (N?) was calculated (Rosenberg, 2005).”
BackgroundHypersexual disorder: A proposed diagnosis for DSM-V
Kafka, M. P. (2010) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-009-9574-7 · Cited by 1,095 · see citing works
Measuring multiple minority stress: The LGBT People of Color Microaggressions Scale.
Balsam, K. F., Molina, Y., Beadnell, B. A., Simoni, J. M., & Walters, K. L. (2011) · Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0023244 · Cited by 927 · see citing works
Sexual Sensation Seeking and Sexual Compulsivity Scales: Validity, and Predicting HIV Risk Behavior
Kalichman, S. C., & Rompa, D. (1995) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa6503_16 · Cited by 814 · see citing works
Kalichman, S. C., Johnson, J. R., Adair, V., Rompa, D., Multhauf, K., & Kelly, J. A. (1994) · Journal of Personality Assessment · doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa6203_1 · Cited by 654 · see citing works
Vanable, P. A., Carey, M. P., Blair, D. C., & Littlewood, R. A. (2006) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-006-9099-1 · Cited by 619 · see citing works
Pachankis, J. E., Hatzenbuehler, M. L., Rendina, H. J., Safren, S. A., & Parsons, J. T. (2015) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000037 · Cited by 619 · see citing works
Reid, R. C., Garos, S., & Carpenter, B. N. (2011) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720162.2011.555709 · Cited by 468 · see citing works
Kertzner, R. M., Meyer, I. H., Frost, D. M., & Stirratt, M. J. (2009) · American Journal of Orthopsychiatry · doi:10.1037/a0016848 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Report of Findings in a DSM-5 Field Trial for Hypersexual Disorder
Reid, R. C., Carpenter, B. N., Hook, J. N., Garos, S., Manning, J. C., Gilliland, R., Cooper, E. B., McKittrick, H., Davtian, M., & Fong, T. (2012) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02936.x · Cited by 430 · see citing works
Identity, Stress, and Resilience in Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals of Color
Meyer, I. H. (2010) · The Counseling Psychologist · doi:10.1177/0011000009351601 · Cited by 379 · see citing works
Characteristics of 36 subjects reporting compulsive sexual behavior
(1997) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.154.2.243 · Cited by 375 · see citing works
The Relationship Between Self-Reported Sexual Satisfaction and General Well-Being in Women
Davison, S. L., Bell, R. J., China, M. L., Holden, S. L., & Davis, S. R. (2009) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01406.x · Cited by 373 · see citing works
International Journal of Impotence Research
(2019) · International Journal of Impotence Research · doi:10.1038/41443.1476-5489 · Cited by 351 · see citing works
Parsons, J. T., Grov, C., & Golub, S. A. (2012) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2011.300284 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
The mislabeling of sexual impulsivity
Barth, R. J., & Kinder, B. N. (1987) · Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/00926238708403875 · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Epidemiology, Prevalence, and Natural History of Compulsive Sexual Behavior
Kuzma, J. M., & Black, D. W. (2008) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.psc.2008.06.005 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory: A Preliminary Study of Reliability and Validity
Coleman, M. M. (2001) · Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/009262301317081070 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Changes in American Adults’ Reported Same-Sex Sexual Experiences and Attitudes, 1973–2014
Twenge, J. M., Sherman, R. A., & Wells, B. E. (2016) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-016-0769-4 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Experiences of HIV-Related Stigma Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men
Dowshen, N., Binns, H. J., & Garofalo, R. (2009) · AIDS Patient Care and STDs · doi:10.1089/apc.2008.0256 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Sexual Compulsivity and Sexual Risk in Gay and Bisexual Men
Grov, C., Parsons, J. T., & Bimbi, D. S. (2010) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-009-9483-9 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Measuring Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity: A Critical Review of Instruments
Hook, J. N., Hook, J. P., Davis, D. E., Worthington, E. L., & Penberthy, J. K. (2010) · Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/00926231003719673 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Pachankis, J. E., Rendina, H. J., Restar, A., Ventuneac, A., Grov, C., & Parsons, J. T. (2015) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/hea0000180 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Sexual compulsivity among heterosexual college students
Dodge, B., Reece, M., Cole, S. L., & Sandfort, T. G. M. (2004) · Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224490409552241 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
The Relation Between Mood and Sexuality in Gay Men
Bancroft, J., Janssen, E., Strong, D., & Vukadinovic, Z. (2003) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1023/a:1023461500810 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
The Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory: Psychometric Properties
Miner, M. H., Coleman, E., Ross, M. W., & Rosser, B. R. S. (2006) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-006-9127-2 · Cited by 157 · see citing works
Herrick, A. L., Lim, S. H., Plankey, M. W., Chmiel, J. S., Guadamuz, T. T., Kao, U., Shoptaw, S., Carrico, A., Ostrow, D., & Stall, R. (2013) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2012.300810 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
(1994) · PubMed · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Kraus, S. W., Potenza, M. N., Martino, S., & Grant, J. E. (2015) · Comprehensive Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2015.02.007 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Singer, M. C. (2010) · Virulence · doi:10.4161/viru.1.1.9933 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Wilson, P. A., Nanin, J., Amesty, S., Wallace, S., Cherenack, E. M., & Fullilove, R. (2014) · Journal of Urban Health · doi:10.1007/s11524-014-9895-2 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
O’Leary, A., Purcell, D. W., Remien, R. H., & Gomez, C. A. (2003) · AIDS Care · doi:10.1080/0954012021000039725 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Coleman, E. (1987) · Journal of Chemical Dependency Treatment · doi:10.1300/j034v01n01_11 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Explanations for the Origins of Sexual Compulsivity Among Gay and Bisexual Men
Parsons, J. T., Kelly, B. C., Bimbi, D. S., DiMaria, L., Wainberg, M. L., & Morgenstern, J. (2008) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-007-9218-8 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Black, D. W., Gabel, J., & Schlosser, S. (1997) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/ajp.154.11.1629-b · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Reid, R. C., Dhuffar, M. K., Parhami, I., & FONG, T. W. (2012) · Journal of Psychiatric Practice · doi:10.1097/01.pra.0000416016.37968.eb · Cited by 97 · see citing works
The Epidemiology and Phenomenology of Compulsive Sexual Behavior
Black, D. W. (2000) · CNS Spectrums · doi:10.1017/s1092852900012645 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Risk for Unsafe Sex Among Internet Using Men Who Have Sex with Men
Men’s INTernet Sex (MINTS-II) Team, Coleman, E., Horvath, K. J., Miner, M., Ross, M. W., Oakes, M., & Rosser, B. R. S. (2010) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-009-9507-5 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Implicit Preferences for Straight People over Lesbian Women and Gay Men Weakened from 2006 to 2013
Westgate, E. C., Riskind, R. G., & Nosek, B. A. (2015) · Collabra · doi:10.1525/collabra.18 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Sexual Compulsivity in a Sample of HIV-Positive Methamphetamine-using Gay and Bisexual Men
Semple, S. J., Zians, J., Grant, I., & Patterson, T. L. (2006) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-006-9127-1 · Cited by 82 · see citing works
Walton, M. T., Cantor, J. M., & Lykins, A. D. (2015) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0606-1 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Grov, C., Golub, S. A., Mustanski, B. S., & Parsons, J. T. (2010) · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1037/a0020527 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Mimiaga, M. J., Biello, K. B., Bazzi, A. R., Oldenburg, C. E., Rosenberger, J. G., O’Cleirigh, C. M., Novak, D. S., Mayer, K. H., & Safren, S. A. (2015) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0488-2 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Accounting for the Social Triggers of Sexual Compulsivity
Parsons, J. T., Kelly, B. C., Bimbi, D. S., Muench, F. J., & Morgenstern, J. (2007) · Journal of Addictive Diseases · doi:10.1300/j069v26n03_02 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
The impact of alcohol use on the sexual scripts of HIV‐positive men who have sex with men
Parsons, J. T., Vicioso, K. J., Punzalan, J. C., Halkitis, P. N., Kutnick, A. H., & Velasquez, M. M. (2004) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224490409552224 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Blain, L. M., Muench, F. J., Morgenstern, J., & Parsons, J. T. (2012) · Child Abuse & Neglect · doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.03.003 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Depressive Symptoms Among Immigrant Latino Sexual Minorities
Rhodes, S. D., Martínez, O., Song, E.-Y., Daniel-Ulloa, J. D., Alonzo, J., Eng, E., Duck, S., Downs, M., Bloom, F., Allen, A. B., et al. (2012) · American Journal of Health Behavior · doi:10.5993/ajhb.37.3.13 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Sexual Compulsivity and Sexual Behaviors Among Gay and Bisexual Men and Lesbian and Bisexual Women
Kelly, B. C., Bimbi, D. S., Nanín, J. E., Izienicki, H., & Parsons, J. T. (2009) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224490802666225 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Dodge, B., Reece, M., Herbenick, D., Fisher, C., Satinsky, S., & Stupiansky, N. W. (2007) · Sexually Transmitted Infections · doi:10.1136/sti.2007.028696 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Hypersexuality: psychopathology or normal variant of sexuality?
Rinehart, N. J., & McCabe, M. P. (1997) · Sexual and Marital Therapy · doi:10.1080/02674659708408201 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Noor, S. W. B., Rosser, B. R. S., & Erickson, D. J. (2014) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720162.2014.938849 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Grov, C., Rendina, H. J., Breslow, A. S., Ventuneac, A., Adelson, S., & Parsons, J. T. (2013) · Sexually Transmitted Infections · doi:10.1136/sextrans-2013-051094 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Psychological processes and stimulant use among men who have sex with men
Carrico, A. W., Pollack, L. M., Stall, R. D., Shade, S. B., Neilands, T. B., Rice, T., Woods, W. J., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2011) · Drug and Alcohol Dependence · doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.10.020 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Pitpitan, E. V., Smith, L. R., Goodman‐Meza, D., Torres, K., Semple, S. J., Strathdee, S. A., & Patterson, T. L. (2015) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1172-1 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Parsons, J. T., Rendina, H. J., Moody, R. L., Ventuneac, A., & Grov, C. (2015) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-015-0574-5 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Parsons, J. T., Rendina, H. J., Ventuneac, A., Moody, R. L., & Grov, C. (2015) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1029-7 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Smolenski, D. J., Ross, M. W., Risser, J., & Rosser, B. R. S. (2008) · AIDS Care · doi:10.1080/09540120802068803 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Psychiatric illness and sexual function.
Segraves, R. T. (1998) · PubMed · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Hypersexual Behavior and HIV Sex Risk among Young Gay and Bisexual Men
Yeagley, E. E., Hickok, A., & Bauermeister, J. A. (2013) · The Journal of Sex Research · doi:10.1080/00224499.2013.818615 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Hart, T. A., Stratton, N. L., Coleman, T. A., Wilson, H. A., Simpson, S. H., Julien, R. E., Hoe, D., Leahy, B., Maxwell, J., & Adam, B. D. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152762 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Grov, C., Rendina, H. J., & Parsons, J. T. (2014) · AIDS Education and Prevention · doi:10.1521/aeap.2014.26.4.362 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Starks, T. J., Tuck, A. N., Millar, B. M., & Parsons, J. T. (2015) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1248-y · Cited by 34 · see citing works
The Psychological Context of Sexual Compulsivity Among Men Who Have Sex with Men
Jerome, R. C., Woods, W. J., Moskowitz, J. T., & Carrico, A. W. (2015) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-015-1083-1 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Sexuality and quality of life among young people.
McCabe, M. P., & Cummins, R. A. (1998) · PubMed · Cited by 30 · see citing works
The Role of Classical Conditioning in Sexual Compulsivity: A Pilot Study
Hoffmann, H., Goodrich, D., Wilson, M. R., & Janssen, E. (2014) · Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity The Journal of Treatment and Prevention · doi:10.1080/10720162.2014.895460 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Personality among Sexually Compulsive Men Who Practice Intentional Unsafe Sex in São Paulo, Brazil
do Amaral, M. L. S., Abdo, C. H. N., Tavares, H., & Scanavino, M. D. T. (2014) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1111/jsm.12761 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Rendina, H. J., Breslow, A. S., Grov, C., Ventuneac, A., Starks, T. J., & Parsons, J. T. (2013) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-013-0226-6 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
High-frequency pornography use may not always be problematic
Bőthe, B., Tóth-Király, I., Potenza, M. N., Orosz, G., & Demetrovics, Z. (2020) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.01.007 · Cited by 242 · see citing works
Dickenson, J. A., Gleason, N., Coleman, E., & Miner, M. H. (2018) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.4468 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Reed, G. M., First, M. B., Billieux, J., Cloitre, M., Briken, P., Achab, S., Brewin, C. R., King, D. L., Kraus, S. W., & Bryant, R. A. (2022) · World Psychiatry · doi:10.1002/wps.20960 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Child sexual abuse and compulsive sexual behavior: a systematic literature review
Slavin, M. N., Scoglio, A. A. J., Blycker, G. R., Potenza, M. N., & Kraus, S. W. (2020) · Current Addiction Reports · doi:10.1007/s40429-020-00298-9 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Briken, P., Wiessner, C., Štulhofer, A., Klein, V., Fuß, J., Reed, G. M., & Dekker, A. (2022) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.2022.00060 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
Castro-Calvo, J., Gil-Llario, M. D., Giménez-García, C., Gil-Juliá, B., & Ballester-Arnal, R. (2020) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.2020.00025 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Gleason, N., Finotelli, I., Miner, M. H., Herbenick, D., & Coleman, E. (2021) · The Journal of Sexual Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.jsxm.2021.07.003 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Gleason, N., Smith, G., Canning, J. R., George, W. H., Larimer, M. E., Jennings, T. L., Coleman, E., & Miner, M. H. (2023) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-022-03961-6 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Hypersexuality in mixed-sex couples: a dyadic longitudinal study
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., & Bergeron, S. (2021) · Archives of Sexual Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10508-021-01959-0 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
- Authors
- Rooney, B. M., Tulloch, T. G., & Blashill, A. J.
- Affiliations
- San Diego State University (US)
- Toronto Metropolitan University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Rooney, Benjamin M.
- Venue
- Archives of Sexual Behavior
- Published
- 2017-08-24
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 75-93
- ISSN
- 0004-0002 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-2800
- OpenAlex
- W2748254623
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 76
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 0.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Archives of Sexual Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Gambling Behavior and Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Keywords
- compulsive sexual behavior, men who have sex with men, depression, anxiety, alcohol consumption, drug use, intimate partner violence, child sexual abuse, sexual risk behavior, moderating effect
- MeSH terms
- Intimate Partner Violence, Adult, Anxiety, Mental Disorders, Child, Compulsive Behavior, Depression, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Risk-Taking, Self Concept, Sexual Behavior, HIV Infections, Homosexuality, Male, Substance-Related Disorders, Unsafe Sex, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
