Factors that Influence Sexual Arousal in Men: A Focus Group Study

Abstract

The goal of this study was to improve our understanding of men's sexual response and its components as well as the factors or types of situations that men describe as facilitating or interfering with sexual arousal. Six focus groups, involving 50 mostly white, heterosexual men (M age = 35.2 years; range, 18-70), were conducted. As it was previously found in women (Graham, Sanders, Milhausen, & McBride, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 33, 527-538, 2004), men described a wide range of physical (genital as well as nongenital) and cognitive/affective cues for sexual arousal. Also, men described the relationship between sexual desire and arousal as being variable and complex, presented a wide range of factors that increased or decreased sexual arousal, and showed substantial variability in both the importance and direction of their effects. The findings may help further development of models of sexual response and inform discussions about gender differences in sexual desire and arousal.

Beyond Sexual Orientation: Integrating Gender/Sex and Diverse Sexualities via Sexual Configurations Theory

“…At nongender/sexed, 12 sexual attractions are based on other factors, like power, intelligence, humor, kindness, etc. (e.g., Janssen, McBride, Yarber, Hill, & Butler, 2008). There are various ways that attractions may be nongender/sexed: for example, gender/sex may be irrelevant to a person's attractions or to the person they are with.…”

Validation of the Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women and Men

“…In a study focusing on the relationship between sexual desire and relationship functioning among community couples, Brezsnyak and Whisman (2004) found that higher levels of marital satisfaction predicted higher levels of sexual desire for husbands as well as for wives. Finally, many men, like women, noted that the context for the sexual interaction (e.g., having sex in a place where they could be seen or heard) and alcohol use could inhibit or enhance their arousal (Janssen et al, 2007).…”

“…Although the SIS/SES questionnaire encompasses a number of these factors (e.g., elements of setting, partner arousal, partner attractiveness), others are not represented. The recent focus group study of men (Janssen et al, 2007) highlighted that partner characteristics and relationship dynamics may be particularly important influences on 7 men's sexual arousal. A scale validated for use with both men and women that would assess propensity for sexual arousal in response to a broader range of stimuli and sexual situations could be useful for future research on gender differences and similarities.…”

DSM-5 Changes in Diagnostic Criteria of Sexual Dysfunctions

“…Researchers who advocated this amalgamation [12] based their recommendations on a large body of research suggesting that the separation may have been artificial. In addition to the increased rejection of a linear model of sexual arousal [8,9], a high comorbidity of disorders of desire and arousal was demonstrated in both men and women [13,14]. However, the response to this alteration was not unanimously positive.…”

“…Likewise, diagnostic categories of female sexual interest as described in the DSM IV 1994 [4] were based on the model of human sexual response proposed by Masters and Johnson [5], and further developed by Kaplan [6]. However, recent research has put into question the validity of that model; both the strict distinction between different phases of arousal and the linear model of sexual response were found to inadequately explain sexual behavior, particularly in women [7][8][9]. This has in turn led to several proposed changes in sexual dysfunction diagnostic criteria [1,10].…”