Compulsive Sexual Behavior and Changes in Solitary Sexual Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The aim of with this brief report is to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic differentially impacted solitary sexual behaviors in those with and without clinically significant compulsive sexual behavior (CSB). A total of 944 individuals in the United States completed an online cross-sectional survey in October 2020. Participants were asked to retrospectively report their frequency of masturbation and pornography use during the pandemic and prior to the pandemic. Participants also completed assessments of CSB, depression symptoms, and experiences of financial stress caused by the pandemic. Individuals who screened positive for clinically significant CSB reported statistically significant increases in masturbation and pornography use during the pandemic. Those who screened negative for CSB reported no significant increase in masturbation and a very small, statistically significant increase in pornography use. Those screening positive for CSB also reported significantly higher levels of depression symptoms but did not report increased likelihood of experiencing financial distress due to the pandemic. This suggests that increases in masturbation and pornography use reported by some, but not all, recent studies on sexual behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic may be driven by individuals with CSB. Future research on sexual behaviors during the pandemic should assess CSB to further clarify its relationship with sexual behavior changes.

"Sex Seems Less Important When You Are Worried About a Deadly Virus." A Content Analysis of Reported Reasons for Changes in Sexual Behavior and Satisfaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The purpose of this study is to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted various sexual behaviors and levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction by performing a content analysis of participants' (N = 1051 American adults) responses to open-ended survey questions. Results revealed a variety of impacts that increased, decreased, or otherwise qualitatively changed sexual behavior and satisfaction. Major themes included emotions and mental health, changes in routines, social distancing and fears related to COVID-19, and changes in romantic relationships. These findings are contextualized within the emerging quantitative research on COVID-19 and sexuality, and areas for future research based on these findings are discussed.