What Is Rough Sex, Who Does It, and Who Likes It? Findings from a Probability Sample of U.S. Undergraduate Students

“It Was Scary, But Then It Was Kind of Exciting”: Young Women’s Experiences with Choking During Sex

“…Further, just as recent research has examined mechanisms in which pain can be interpreted in pleasurable ways (Dunkley et al, 2020), subsequent research might examine the characteristics of those who enjoy being choked and whyaside from headrush associated with reoxygenation following hypoxia (Linkletter et al, 2010). It may be that the enjoyment of choking is associated with feelings of empowerment, submission or surrendering to someone else's power (e.g., Hargons et al, 2020), love (Herbenick, Fu, et al, 2021a), trust and intimacy (e.g., Fortenberry, 2019;Goldey et al, 2016), or sexual identity exploration.…”

“…Clinicians, sexuality educators, and those with policy interests for college campuses or adolescent health need to grapple with contemporary sexual repertoires, which appear to often include choking during sex. Sex educators, for example, need to become knowledgeable about choking/strangulation, reasons for engaging in choking, relevant health sequelae, ways that consent may be negotiated, and then create and evaluate educational curricula related to choking and other rough sex behaviors that are prevalent among young adults (e.g., Burch & Salmon, 2019;Herbenick, Fu, et al, 2021a;Vogels & O'Sullivan, 2019). This is particularly important in light of the fact that choking/strangulation appears to be increasing as part of sexual assaults (Cannon et al, 2020;Patch et al, 2021).…”

Chronic elevation of serum S100B but not neurofilament-light due to frequent choking/strangulation during sex in young adult women

“…However, it is important to recognize that although S100B showed group differences and elevation in the choking group, S100B elevation was not dependent on choking frequency. The lack of such correlations may be because (1) the relationship between S100B and choking effects may not be linear, (2) there are unknown mediating/moderating factors to the relationship, and/or (3) the recent instances of choking might have influenced the S100B level. In order to address these questions, a follow-up study with a much larger sample size is required.…”

“…In a campus-representative survey in 2020 of 4,989 undergraduate students, a high percentage of respondents (77.2%) considered choking as a form of "rough sex" and 80% of college students who engage in rough sex reported enjoying such sexual behaviors. 1 On the contrary, some survey respondents have described being choked by a sexual partner as . CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license It is made available under a is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity.…”

The Heteronormativity Theory of Low Sexual Desire in Women Partnered with Men

“…It is not surprising, then, that women are subject to higher rates of sexual abuse and assault (Muehlenhard et al, 2017 ). Even within consensual sex, sexual scripts increasingly, and disproportionately, involve women on the receiving end of rough sex behaviors such as choking, slapping, and aggressive fellatio (Herbenick et al, 2019 , 2021 ; Sun et al, 2008 ) (which some experience as pleasurable but many or most do not) as well as sex that moves beyond unpleasurable and into frightening territory (Herbenick et al, 2019 ). Even when women’s pleasure is on the table, it can be in the service of men: some men see women’s orgasms as trophies signaling the men’s sexual ability rather than experiences of the women’s pleasure (Chadwick & van Anders, 2017 ; Salisbury & Fisher, 2014 ).…”