Favorable attitudes toward diverse sexual practices predict higher sexual well-being in young adults

Young adults who hold open, favorable views toward specific sexual practices tend to experience higher levels of sexual pleasure, satisfaction, self-esteem, and confidence. The research, published in Psychology & Sexuality, suggests that embracing diverse forms of sexual expression acts as a protective factor for overall sexual well-being. These outcomes support a shift away from traditional risk-based sex education toward models that emphasize personal agency and healthy development.

Public health frameworks have historically approached sexual health through a lens of risk reduction, focusing primarily on preventing disease and unintended pregnancies. This perspective often overlooks the emotional and psychological aspects of human sexuality. Contemporary health organizations now advocate for a holistic approach that includes sexual pleasure, autonomy, and mutual respect as core components of well-being.

Global health authorities advise conceptualizing sexual health beyond the mere absence of dysfunction. Comprehensive sexuality education is designed to equip young people with the knowledge and attitudes needed to foster healthy development. Interventions that incorporate positive components, like sexual pleasure, often show better outcomes in promoting safer sexual practices, such as consistent condom use.

In many Latin American countries, sexual education remains heavily influenced by conservative cultural and religious traditions. These environments frequently prioritize abstinence and moral restraint, which can inadvertently foster shame or anxiety surrounding sexual exploration. Seeking to understand how young people navigate these cultural messages, psychologists Ana Chamorro Coneo of Universidad del Norte, along with Dayana Restrepo of Universidad de la Costa and Ailed Marenco of Corporación Universitaria Reformada, initiated a new investigation.

The research team focused on “positive sexuality,” a psychological framework that evaluates how people experience and manage their sexual lives in fulfilling ways. This framework relies on four main pillars: sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual self-esteem. Sexual self-efficacy describes a person’s confidence in their ability to communicate desires and make informed decisions. Sexual self-esteem relates to an individual’s perception of their own worth in intimate settings.

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The researchers aimed to determine if holding favorable attitudes toward specific acts, namely masturbation, oral sex, anal sex, and pornography, predicts higher scores across these four pillars. They sought to identify whether these specific attitudes offer a better indicator of healthy sexual functioning than general demographics or overall psychological well-being.

To explore these associations, the researchers surveyed 475 heterosexual university students in northern Colombia. The participants, who ranged in age from 18 to 35, completed anonymous online questionnaires assessing their demographic backgrounds, religious affiliations, and household income. Over half of the respondents reported being in a romantic relationship, and a similar proportion indicated that they had their first sexual intercourse before the age of 16.

The survey included a widely used metric to evaluate general psychological well-being over the preceding two weeks. This allowed the researchers to account for general mental health as a baseline factor. By establishing this baseline, the team could test whether attitudes toward sexual behaviors explain variations in positive sexuality above and beyond a person’s general emotional state.

The core of the survey asked participants to rate their attitudes toward masturbation, pornography, oral sex, and anal sex. A separate set of questions measured the frequency of their positive sexual experiences across the four domains of pleasure, satisfaction, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. The researchers then used statistical models to separate the influence of general well-being and demographics from the specific impact of sexual attitudes.

The statistical analysis revealed that baseline demographics and general well-being accounted for only a modest portion of the variation in positive sexuality. By contrast, individual attitudes toward specific sexual practices strongly predicted the respondents’ sexual well-being.

Participants who expressed positive views regarding masturbation, oral sex, and anal sex reported higher levels of sexual pleasure and satisfaction. These same individuals also exhibited greater sexual self-efficacy and self-esteem. The researchers noted that accepting attitudes toward masturbation consistently related to better outcomes across all four domains. This supports the idea that solo sexual exploration acts as a developmental tool for building bodily awareness and confidence.

Attitudes toward pornography were not statistically significant predictors of positive sexuality. Favorable views on pornography neither enhanced nor diminished the participants’ reported pleasure, satisfaction, self-efficacy, or self-esteem. The authors suggest that pornography consumption is highly context-dependent, and simply holding a liberal attitude toward it does not automatically translate to changes in personal sexual well-being.

Age emerged as a consistent predictor of positive sexuality. Older participants generally reported higher levels of pleasure, satisfaction, and confidence than their younger peers. The researchers attribute this trend to the natural accumulation of relational experience and emotional maturity that occurs throughout a person’s twenties.

The analysis also highlighted a persistent gender gap in the domain of sexual pleasure. Men reported higher levels of pleasure than women, a pattern that remained even after accounting for the participants’ sexual attitudes. This finding aligns with established research on the “pleasure gap” in heterosexual relationships, where traditional societal scripts prioritize male physical gratification while insufficiently addressing female sexual stimulation.

General psychological well-being was positively associated with sexual satisfaction, self-efficacy, and self-esteem, but it was not linked to sexual pleasure. The researchers suggest that pleasure is often situational and shaped by immediate physical dynamics and partner responsiveness. In contrast, satisfaction and self-esteem involve more reflective evaluations of a person’s overall life and perceived competence.

Contrary to expectations based on regional cultural norms, neither religious affiliation nor socioeconomic status predicted any dimension of positive sexuality. The researchers propose that modern young adults might separate their broader religious identities from their personal sexual values. This separation allows them to maintain religious affiliations without internalizing restrictive sexual morals.

The study relies on a cross-sectional design, meaning the researchers collected all data at a single point in time. This methodology cannot determine a strict cause-and-effect relationship between sexual attitudes and positive sexuality. It is possible that individuals who naturally experience high sexual satisfaction gradually develop more open attitudes as a result of their positive experiences.

The sample consisted entirely of heterosexual university students who had access to digital platforms, and nearly three-quarters of the respondents were women. This demographic profile limits the ability to generalize the results to older adults, sexual minorities, or individuals living in rural areas with less educational access. Future investigations should employ broader sampling techniques to capture a wider array of perspectives and life experiences.

Additionally, the study assessed positive sexuality purely as an individual psychological experience. Future research might explore how these attitudes influence relational dynamics, such as partner communication, mutual consent, and contraceptive negotiation. Expanding the focus to include interpersonal factors could provide a comprehensive view of how sexual attitudes shape intimate relationships.

The study, “Beyond risk: how attitudes towards oral sex, masturbation, and pornography correlate with positive sexuality in emerging adults,” was authored by Ana Chamorro Coneo, Dayana Restrepo, and Ailed Marenco.