Being susceptible to boredom is associated with engaging in compulsive sexual behavior, and this relationship is exacerbated by attachment anxiety, according to new research published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. The new findings provide insight into how self-regulation mechanisms are linked to problematic sexual behaviors.
“We have been interested in understanding what contributes to compulsive sexual behavior – or what some people call ‘sex addiction’ to inform diagnosis and treatment,” said study authors Ryan Rahm-Knigge and Eli Coleman, an assistant professor and professor emeritus, respectively, at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
“As scientists and clinicians, our experience has been that people who struggle with compulsive sexual behavior also have difficulties with how they experience or cope with emotions. In this study, we looked at boredom proneness – or feeling bored frequently and feeling distressed by boredom – because this this is a trait that correlates highly with difficulties with emotion regulation in general.”
“We also looked at attachment difficulties people have, particularly with having a negative view of oneself or of others in relationships. We hope that better understanding how difficulties with emotion regulation and attachment relate to compulsive sexual behavior. This understanding could help clinicians address these issues in treatment and reduce compulsive sexual behavior concerns. We think addressing these and other potential underlying issues is important for long-term treatment success.”
Between November 10, 2020 to March 31, 2021, the researchers recruited a sample of 879 U.S. participants (ages 18–80 years) from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform. The participants completed three psychological assessments: the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory, Short Boredom Proneness Scale, and the Attachment Styles Questionnaire.
The researchers found those with higher levels of boredom proneness tended to also exhibit clinically significant levels of compulsive sexual behavior. In other words, those who agreed with statements such as “It takes more stimulation to get me going than most people” were more likely to reporting having trouble controlling sexual urges, having sexual thoughts or behaviors that interfered with friendships, and engaging in sexual activities that caused financial problems.
In addition, those with clinically significant levels of compulsive sexual behavior tended to have heightened attachment anxiety. Attachment anxiety refers to a pattern of behavior in which an individual experiences heightened levels of anxiety or worry about their relationships with others. People with attachment anxiety tend to be preoccupied with the possibility of rejection or abandonment and may worry excessively about their partner’s feelings towards them.
Importantly, the researchers found evidence that attachment anxiety moderated the relationship between boredom proneness and compulsive sexual behavior. Boredom proneness had a greater impact on compulsive sexual behavior at higher levels of attachment anxiety.
“Some people tend have difficulty regulating emotions in response to stressful situations – such as boredom,” Rahm-Knigge and Coleman told PsyPost. “Some of these people engage in compulsive sexual behavior to cope with their distress. Similarly, some people who have a negative view of themselves in relationships fear rejection and are anxious about their relationships (referred to as anxious attachments).”
“This anxiety can lead to compulsive sexual behavior. Combined, difficulties with emotion regulation are even more difficult at higher levels of anxious attachments. People who have difficulty with emotion regulation and anxious attachments are at more risk for developing or managing compulsive sexual behavior.”
The researchers also found that those with clinically significant levels of compulsive sexual behavior tended to have heightened attachment avoidance compared to those without clinically significant levels of compulsive sexual behavior. But heightened attachment avoidance did not predict heightened compulsive sexual behavior.
Attachment avoidance refers to a pattern of behavior in which an individual actively avoids emotional closeness or intimacy in their relationships with others. People with attachment avoidance tend to keep their distance from others, both physically and emotionally, and may have difficulty expressing their feelings.
Furthermore, unlike attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance did not moderate the relationship between boredom proneness and compulsive sexual behavior.
“We were surprised that attachment avoidance did not significantly predict compulsive sexual behavior,” Rahm-Knigge and Coleman said. “It is not uncommon that individuals with compulsive sexual behavior concerns describe tendencies towards avoidance and withdrawal. Similarly, in another study we conducted, social support (from friends) was associated with lower compulsive sexual behavior concerns.”
“However, previous findings on attachment avoidance and compulsive sexual behavior have been mixed, with some studies suggesting a relationship and other studies finding attachment anxiety but not attachment avoidance is related to compulsive sexual behavior. This study provides more evidence that attachment anxiety but not attachment avoidance predicts compulsive sexual behavior concerns.”
The study, like all research, has some limitations to consider. For example, the sample represented a wide range of demographics in the United States, but was not technically representative of the U.S. population. The sample was somewhat more educated and less religious than the general public.
“One major caveat is our findings are based on a large survey we conducted,” Rahm-Knigge and Coleman told PsyPost. “We used survey measures for compulsive sexual behavior, boredom proneness, and attachment styles that have good research support. While the boredom proneness scale is related to general difficulties with emotion regulation, it only measures one type of stressful situation that people might encounter.”
“Our measure of compulsive sexual behavior (the CSBI-13) also has a clinical cutoff score which distinguishes between those likely to have a compulsive sexual behavior diagnosis and those who do not. However, diagnosing compulsive sexual behavior needs a more comprehensive assessment than we could conduct in the survey (such as a thorough diagnostic interview).”
“Also, the study was cross-sectional, meaning that a participant completed the survey measures one time, all at once,” Rahm-Knigge and Coleman added. “So, we cannot say that boredom proneness or emotion regulation and attachment anxiety cause compulsive sexual behavior – just that they are associated with compulsive sexual behavior.”
“This is one of many studies we are conducting to look at the relationship between emotion regulation and compulsive sexual behavior. Overall, we are seeing that people with compulsive sexual behavior concerns tend to have more difficulties with how they experience, cope with, or express their emotions.”
The study, “The Relationship between Boredom Proneness, Attachment Styles and Compulsive Sexual Behavior“, was authored by Eli Coleman, Ryan L. Rahm-Knigge, Samuel Danielson, Katja H. Nielsen, Neil Gleason, Todd Jennings, and Michael H. Miner.
