Exploring the Relationship between Sexual Compulsivity and Attentional Bias to Sex-Related Words in a Cohort of Sexually Active Individuals

Albery, Ian P.; Lowry, Jessica; Frings, Daniel; Johnson, Henry Lee; Hogan, Cassandra; Moss, Antony C.

doi:10.1159/000448732

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…An Albery and colleagues’ study 76 using a modified Stroop task did not show gender differences in attentional biases for sex-related words among 55 sexually active individuals (28 male and 27 female aged 20–69). Regardless of gender, among participants with a higher level of sexual compulsivity assessed by the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS), 83 greater attentional bias was linked with lower levels of sexual experience.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…152 Therefore, it is important to investigate other factors, such as a history of exposure for erotic content or recent sexual activity. For example, in Albery and colleagues' investigation, 76 sexually active participants exhibited a greater tendency to preferentially process sex-related words than neutral stimuli. These results support prior findings indicating the existence of a similar pattern for substance-related 153 and non-substance-related behavior.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Our search also revealed three articles describing attentional biases to sex-related stimuli, [75][76][77] which are understood as unconscious processes that lead individuals to focus and sustain attention on addiction-relevant cues in their naturalistic environment. 78,79 According to incentive sensitization theory by Robinson and Berridge, 80 addicted individuals exhibit fast shifts of attention to stimuli related to their addiction (eg, alcohol), because of the cue's incentive salience.…”

Section: Behavioral and Cognitive Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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<p>Spotlight on Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder: A Systematic Review of Research on Women</p>

Kowalewska

Gola

Kraus

et al. 2020

NDT

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Purpose of Review: World Health Organization recently included compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD) to the upcoming 11th edition of International Classification of Diseases (6C72). Despite the potential benefits of this decision (eg, the acceleration of research in the field will allow the development of effective treatments), previous research focused mainly on men, and as a result, we do not have an accurate clinical picture of compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) among women. Therefore, in this systematic review, we aim to present available knowledge on this topical subject. Literature search was conducted in the guideline of PRISMA methodology. Studies were identified from multiple databases including Academic Search Ultimate, SocINDEX, PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, PubMed, and MEDLINE. Out of a total of 10,531 articles identified and screened, 58 were included in this review. Included studies covered the following topics: prevalence and etiology of CSB, behavioral and cognitive processes involved, comorbidities, personality traits, psychosocial and interpersonal difficulties, traumatic experiences, and treatments. Recent Findings: Available studies indicate that CSB symptom severity is lower in women than in men. Overall, women reported consuming pornography less often than men and exhibit lower rates of feeling urges to these materials. CSB symptoms (including problematic pornography use) have been found to be positively related to trait psychopathy, impulsivity, sensation seeking, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorder, pathological buying, sexual dysfunctions, general psychopathology, child sexual abuse, while negatively related to dispositional mindfulness. Summary: Conclusions that can be drawn from prior studies are considerably limited. There are no accurate estimates of the CSB prevalence or severity among women, and studies have been mostly conducted on non-clinical populations, which has limited application for women diagnosed with CSBD.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Behavioral and Cognitive Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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<p>Spotlight on Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder: A Systematic Review of Research on Women</p>

Kowalewska

Gola

Kraus

et al. 2020

NDT

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show abstract

“…This attentional bias to sexual cues is predominant in early hypersexual individuals [110], but a repeated exposure to them shows in turn desensitization [111,112]. This means a downregulation of reward systems, possibly mediated by the greater dorsal cingulate [107,113,114].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t—A Systematic Review

Alarcón

Iglesia

Casado

et al. 2019

JCM

161

122

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In the last few years, there has been a wave of articles related to behavioral addictions; some of them have a focus on online pornography addiction. However, despite all efforts, we are still unable to profile when engaging in this behavior becomes pathological. Common problems include: sample bias, the search for diagnostic instrumentals, opposing approximations to the matter, and the fact that this entity may be encompassed inside a greater pathology (i.e., sex addiction) that may present itself with very diverse symptomatology. Behavioral addictions form a largely unexplored field of study, and usually exhibit a problematic consumption model: loss of control, impairment, and risky use. Hypersexual disorder fits this model and may be composed of several sexual behaviors, like problematic use of online pornography (POPU). Online pornography use is on the rise, with a potential for addiction considering the “triple A” influence (accessibility, affordability, anonymity). This problematic use might have adverse effects in sexual development and sexual functioning, especially among the young population. We aim to gather existing knowledge on problematic online pornography use as a pathological entity. Here we try to summarize what we know about this entity and outline some areas worthy of further research.

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“…The RTs to the colors of addiction-related stimuli have proven to be slower than those to neutral stimuli because the addiction-related content distracts the individual from concentrating on color judgment. The Stroop task, as an accurate measure of attentional bias, is thus widely applied to understand the attentional processing of stimuli linked to various psychopathologies ( Albery et al, 2017 ; Asmaro et al, 2014 ; Field & Cox, 2008 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Electrophysiological evidence of enhanced early attentional bias toward sexual images in individuals with tendencies toward cybersex addiction

2021

JBA

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Background and aims Attentional bias is a key factor in addictive behavior maintenance. However, whether attentional bias has a similar effect on cybersex addiction is unclear. We investigated differences in the attentional processing of sexually explicit images between individuals with high tendencies toward cybersex addiction (TCA) versus low tendencies using behavioral and electrophysiological indices. Methods Twenty-eight individuals with high TCA and 29 with low TCA performed an addiction Stroop task comprising sexual and neutral images in colored frames. Participants were asked to respond to the frame color and not the image contents, and behavioral and event-related potentials were recorded. Results Behaviorally, an addiction Stroop interference effect was found in the high TCA group, as shown by the longer reaction times to judge the frame colors of sexual images. Electrophysiologically, a P200 (150–220 ms) enhancement was present in response to sexual images compared with neutral ones, which was absent in the low TCA group. The event-related potential correlates with the addiction Stroop interference effect, indicating that the attentional bias underlying the addiction Stroop interference operates at an automatic level. A general, sexually related bias was found in the late positive potential (300–700 ms) amplitude, although between-group differences were insignificant. Discussion and conclusions These findings indicate that sexual stimuli grab the attentional resources of individuals with high TCA at early automatic stages of attentional processing. Increased cue reactivity to sexual stimuli may contribute to pornographic consumption and play a crucial role in sustaining problematic excessive use of online pornography.

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Exploring the Relationship between Sexual Compulsivity and Attentional Bias to Sex-Related Words in a Cohort of Sexually Active Individuals

Cited by 13 publications

References 37 publications

<p>Spotlight on Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder: A Systematic Review of Research on Women</p>

<p>Spotlight on Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder: A Systematic Review of Research on Women</p>

Online Porn Addiction: What We Know and What We Don’t—A Systematic Review

Electrophysiological evidence of enhanced early attentional bias toward sexual images in individuals with tendencies toward cybersex addiction

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