This paper analyzes macro-determinants of negative attitudes toward homosexuality in 31 European societies. Using the European Values Study (EVS) 1999/2000, carried out on national probability samples, we tested the effects of tradition, modernization, and postmodernization on homonegativity. According to the findings, social distance toward homosexual persons was predicted by Eastern Orthodox religion, a greater degree of urbanization, economic development, and immigration. Disapproval of homosexuality was found associated with economic development and urbanization, while immigration had borderline significance. Although the analyses pointed to the central role of the modernization processes in increasing social acceptance of homosexuality in European societies, persisting religious traditions and more recent immigration waves limit the effect of modernization.

In spite of a growing presence of pornography in contemporary life, little is known about its potential effects on young people's sexual socialization and sexual satisfaction. In this article, we present a theoretical model of the effects of sexually explicit materials (SEM) mediated by sexual scripting and moderated by the type of SEM used. An on-line survey dataset that included 650 young Croatian men aged 18-25 years was used to explore empirically the model. Descriptive findings pointed to significant differences between mainstream and paraphilic SEM users in frequency of SEM use at the age of 14, current SEM use, frequency of masturbation, sexual boredom, acceptance of sex myths, and sexual compulsiveness. In testing the model, a novel instrument was used, the Sexual Scripts Overlap Scale, designed to measure the influence of SEM on sexual socialization. Structural equation analyses suggested that negative effects of early exposure to SEM on young men's sexual satisfaction, albeit small, could be stronger than positive effects. Both positive and negative effects-the latter being expressed through suppression of intimacy-were observed only among users of paraphilic SEM. No effect of early exposure to SEM was found among the mainstream SEM users. To counterbalance moral panic but also glamorization of pornography, sex education programs should incorporate contents that would increase media literacy and assist young people in critical interpretation of pornographic imagery.

Among the suggested problems and harms associated with widespread pornography use among young people, risky sexual behaviors have been frequently mentioned. To further explore this public health concern, this article analyzed sexual sensation seeking (SSS) as a potential confounder of the association between pornography use and sexual risks using data collected in 2010 from a population-based sample of young Croatian adults aged 18 to 25 (n = 1,005). Significant, but small, correlations were found between the indicators of pornography use (age at first exposure, frequency of use in the past 12 months, and personal importance of pornography) and sexual risk taking. However, in a multivariate analysis, only age at first exposure to pornography remained a significant, albeit weak, predictor of sexual risk taking among both women and men. SSS, defined as the dispositional tendency toward the impulsive pursuit of sexual arousal and stimulation, neither confounded nor moderated this association. Overall, the findings do not support the notion that pornography use is substantially associated with sexual risk taking among young adults, but suggest that early exposure to sexually explicit material and high SSS are additive risk factors for sexual risk taking.

Aim: the aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the literature published 2005-2015 on sexual satisfaction and body image in older adults. Method:A narrative literature search using the PsycINFO database was conducted.Results: Although women in general seem less satisfied with their bodies than men, particularly in sexual contexts, older women appear to be less vulnerable to body-related dissatisfaction than younger women. Despite the age-specific dynamics of sexual satisfaction and sexual well-being, which parallel age-related decrease in the frequency of sexual activity, research findings from ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPT 3 different countries show that substantial proportions of aging men and women are satisfied with their sex life. There is some limited evidence that this proportion may be increasing across cohorts. Gender differences in factors that influence sexual satisfaction among older adults appear marginal. Conclusion:Older age can affect sexual satisfaction on individual, interpersonal, and culturerelated levels. Future research in older adults' sexuality should focus on sexual well-being in women who are without partners, sexual satisfaction among aging LGBT individuals and couples, the relationship between religiosity and sexual satisfaction, and employ a comparative, cross-cultural approach.

Aim: The aim of the current paper was to provide an overview of literature on sexual function and sexual difficulties in older adults. Method:We conducted a narrative review of papers published in English between January 2005 and July 2015 based on an extensive search in PsycINFO. Results:The review showed that while common biological changes may adversely affect sexual function in old age, sexual experience seems to also be affected by psychological and interpersonal factors. Conclusions:Greater life expectancy and better medical care will result in older individuals with chronic diseases living longer. The need for help to cope with changes in sexual health is likely to increase in older adults, as sexuality may be negatively affected through several pathways.

This study examined the associations among the frequency of viewing Internet pornography, beliefs about how realistically pornography portrays sex, self-perceived effects of one’s pornography use, genital appearance satisfaction, and sexual self-esteem in young adults. Online data were collected from four convenience samples of university students from Norway and Sweden, members of a queer youth organization, and readers of an erotic magazine. Because of cultural similarities and the comparable magnitude and patterns of the bivariate correlations among the samples on the study variables, they were pooled into a single sample (N = 1,274). The majority of men (81.1%) and a minority of women (18.1%) reported at least weekly use of Internet pornography on their personal computers, whereas using a mobile phone or tablet was less common. Most of the participants had sought mainstream pornographic content. Those with a stronger belief in pornographic realism were more likely to perceive the effect of pornography use positively. A hypothesized relationship between self-perceived positive effects of pornography use and a higher level of sexual self-esteem was found for men but not for women. This result was partially due to higher satisfaction with genital appearance among the men who mainly watched mainstream pornography. Genital appearance satisfaction was linked to higher sexual self-esteem for women, but it was not related to the self-perceived effect of pornography use. The results indicate that pornography may expand personal sexual scripts for both men and women, and may have a positive, although modest, influence on the sexual self-esteem of young male adults.

Background In spite of a growing interest in research on hypersexuality, consensus about its etiology and best treatment strategy has not been achieved. Aim To further the empirical and clinical understanding of hypersexuality by exploring the structure of its symptoms using a network analytic approach. Methods In 2014, an online survey advertised as focusing on Internet pornography, sexual health, and relationships was carried out among Croatian men and women aged 18–60 years (Mage = 31.1 years, SD = 9.67). In a sample of 3,028 participants, we applied a network analytic approach to explore the structure of hypersexuality symptoms. In the network, nodes represented hypersexuality symptoms and associated sexual behaviors, while their connections were operationalized as partial correlations. 4 Research questions were addressed: (1) does the hypersexuality network differ between genders; (2) which symptoms are centrally positioned; (3) what is the topological location of pornography use; and (4) are there distinct clusters (“communities”) of symptoms in the network? Outcomes We estimated and plotted hypersexuality networks by gender using items from the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory and the Hypersexual Behavioral Consequences Scale, as well as indicators of sexual desire, pornography use, sexual intercourse, and masturbation frequency. Results The structure of the hypersexuality network was surprisingly similar in women and men, both in terms of symptom centrality and the clustering of symptoms. Psychological distress and negative emotions triggered by sexual fantasies and/or behaviors, together with a loss of control over sexual feelings, occupied central positions in the networks. Pornography use was located peripherally in both the men’s and women’s hypersexuality networks. Clinical Translation Psychological distress and negative emotions triggered by sexual fantasies and/or behaviors constituted the core of the hypersexuality network, which makes them potential prime targets for clinical intervention and calls for normalization of (presumably self-stigmatized) sexual expression through affirmative therapy and interventions that enhance self-care, self-compassion, and adaptive coping mechanisms. Strengths & Limitations This is the first network analytic approach to hypersexuality. Apart from its novel insights about the structure of hypersexuality, the study employed several methods to assure reliability and robustness of findings. Considering that networks were estimated in a convenience-based community sample, the findings might not generalize to clinically distressed individuals. Conclusion Our results demonstrate the usefulness of network analytics to hypersexuality in a non-clinical sample and we encourage future clinical and longitudinal explorations of hypersexuality using this novel approach.

In most industrialized societies, including Denmark where the current study was conducted, the divorce rate exceeds 40% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016; European Commission, 2015; Statistics Denmark, 2017). Divorce has consistently been found to be among the most stressful life events and is often perceived as a prolonged stressful situation by divorcees (