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Identifying Relationships Between Difficulties with Emotion Regulation and Compulsive Sexual Behavior

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Abstract

Emotion dysregulation is an associated feature of compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), now recognized by the World Health Organization. Previous studies have identified associations between trait emotion dysregulation and CSBD. Given that difficulties with emotion regulation (DERS) is comprised of several facets (e.g., difficulty with impulse control and lacking awareness of one’s feelings when upset), and that these facets differentially relate to other mental health concerns, the present study aimed to examine how DERS facets relate to compulsive sexual behavior (CSB). The present study also considered interpersonal emotion regulation via attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. Hierarchical regression was conducted, first accounting for demographic covariates, then adding attachment styles, and finally all DERS subscales. Results indicated that, among a large, diverse, online U.S. sample (N = 915; Mage = 39.21, SD = 0.81; 54.3% men), difficulty controlling impulses when upset, difficulty with clarity of emotions, and non-acceptance of emotions were significantly positively associated with CSB (small to moderate effects). Attachment anxiety and avoidance were also significantly positively associated with CSB, although their effects were minimal when adding DERS facets. Overall, this study supports the theorized impact of emotion dysregulation on CSB. Assessment of individual differences in DERS and intervening on these concerns are important for treating CSB.

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Data Availability

The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.

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This study was funded by internal funds from the Institute.

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  1. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Eli Coleman Institute for Sexual and Gender Health, University of Minnesota Medical School, 1300 South 2nd Street, Suite 180, Minneapolis, MN, 55415, USA

    Ryan L. Rahm-Knigge, Kristen Mark & Eli Coleman

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Neil Gleason

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by RR-K, NG, KM, and EC. The first draft of the manuscript was written by RR-K, NG, and EC. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Rahm-Knigge, R.L., Gleason, N., Mark, K. et al. Identifying Relationships Between Difficulties with Emotion Regulation and Compulsive Sexual Behavior. Arch Sex Behav 52, 3443–3455 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02690-8

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