What factors are associated with subjective orgasm experience in heterosexual relationships? Study – “Factors Associated with Subjective Orgasm Experience in Heterosexual Relationships”

In today’s study, Arcos-Romero and Sierra (2020) use an ecological lens to look at factors associated with subjective orgasm experience in heterosexual relationships (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31914865/). In a previous post, I discussed the usefulness of ecology to conceptualize the orgasm experience and its many interdependencies (https://www.reddit.com/r/MultipleOs/comments/100sjbb/complexity_of_orgasm_from_an_ecological/). It is rare to find a study that uses an ecological lens.

The authors have a repertoire of over 100 studies on masturbation and orgasm. Most have looked at heteronormative relationships and orgasm (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Sierra%20JC&cauthor_id=32081623&page=2 and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Arcos-Romero%20AI&cauthor_id=31914865), but a few (e.g., https://www.academia.edu/45307882/An_Explanatory_Model_of_Sexual_Satisfaction_in_Adults_with_a_Same_Sex_Partner_An_Analysis_Based_on_Gender_Differences) have included same-sex partners. I’m not aware of any inclusion of trans people and the kink community in their studies.

Today’s study is significant because it is one of the first to apply an ecological model in an orgasmology study. The researchers believed that the ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1994) can help facilitate the understanding of the complexity of subjective orgasm experience in heterosexual relationships. While the researchers started well by selecting an ecological complexity model, they paired it with a reductionist survey methodology, reducing what could have been a very detailed, profound, and elaborate model down to a handful of items for each level of the model (https://images.app.goo.gl/ifVCQhEiKfGai74KAor https://images.app.goo.gl/37MwUXeJNrfMw3uY9).

This reduction of a complexity model is common when complexity models are used alongside a linear methodology like a survey, a heuristic, or statistics. The way the information was presented could have been a requirement of one of the stakeholders, such as the publisher, so it might not have been the decision of the authors. Despite the reduction of a multi-dimensional model from its full potential, the authors categorized the selected ideological variables well. 

HIGHLIGHTS OF STUDY      

• “Starting from the classification of personal, interpersonal, social, and ideological variables based on the Ecological theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1994), subjective orgasm experience could be jointly explained by: (1) personal variables (e.g., propensity for sexual excitation/inhibition, erotophilia, and sexual sensations seeking); (2) interpersonal variables (e.g., dyadic sexual desire, sexual assertiveness,sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction); (3) social variables(e.g., social support and socioeconomic level); and (4) ideological variables (e.g., religious practices)” (p. 2) 
• “The Ecological theory suggests that personal development is the result of the interaction between individuals and the environmental contexts with which they interact. In general, results showed high scores for both men and women in subjective orgasm experience, erotophilia, partner-focused dyadic sexual desire, sexual satisfaction,relationship satisfaction, and social support” (1).       
• Penis-owners “showed higher scores for sexual excitation, erotophilia, sexual sensations seeking, partner-focused dyadic sexual desire, and dyadic sexual desire for an attractive person”(p. 7) 
• Clitoris-owners “showed higher scores for subjective orgasm experience, sexual inhibition, sexual assertiveness to initiate and to refuse sexual activity, and social support” (p. 7) 

DISCUSSION TOPIC

What factors are part of your subjective orgasm experience? 

ABSTRACT 

The main objective of this study was to determine the predictive capacity of different variables, organized based on Ecological theory (i.e., personal, interpersonal, social, and ideological), in the intensity of the subjective orgasm experience within the context of heterosexual relationships. The sample was composed of 1,300 adults (547 men,753 women). The proposed model for men showed that more intense subjective orgasm experience was predicted by age, sexual sensations seeking, sexual satisfaction, and partner-focused sexual desire. The model for women showed that more intense subjective orgasm experience was predicted by age, erotophilia, sexual sensation seeking, partner-focused sexual desire, and sexual satisfaction.