Research published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy finds that compulsive sexual behavior is related to religious practices requiring intense commitment and inflexible expectations for belief and behavior. The study found that when moral disapproval is utilized to maintain religious commitment and behaviors, there seems to be a connection between religiosity and compulsive sexual behaviors.
Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) is a recent addition to the International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision (ICD-11). The ICD-11 identifies the symptoms of compulsive sexual behaviors as “as a persistent pattern of failure to control intense sexual impulses or urges resulting in repetitive sexual behavior that causes marked distress or social impairment (WHO, 2018).” Previous studies have found relationships between compulsive sexual behaviors and strong religious belief or religiosity.
An important caveat to the ICD-11 diagnosis of compulsive sexual behaviors is on cannot receive the diagnosis if their distress comes only from the moral disapproval of others. When working with patients who may have compulsive sexual behaviors, it can be hard to determine if religious beliefs increase the distress associated with compulsive sexual behaviors or cause misinterpretation of normal sexual behavior as disordered or compulsive.
In order to provide appropriate and beneficial therapeutic interventions, Eli Coleman and colleagues sought to determine the role religiosity and moral disapproval play in compulsive sexual behaviors.
Participants were found using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform. The 804 individuals whose responses were accepted were between 18 and 77. They were paid five dollars for their participation. Participants filled out a survey of demographic variables and sexual behavior frequency.
Then they each completed the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory-13 and the Circumplex Religious Orientation Inventory, a tool intended to assess religious orientations. Finally, they completed an assessment of “moral disapproval of sexual behaviors.”
The results indicate a positive relationship between compulsive sexual behaviors, religiosity, and moral disapproval. In other words, as religiosity increases, so do symptoms of compulsive sexual behaviors and moral disapproval. Specific aspects of religiosity were identified as strongly related to compulsive sexual activities: commitment and unreflective.
According to the researchers, “religious individuals who are heavily committed to their beliefs and exhibit a rigid adherence to those beliefs are more likely to report greater CSB.” This supports previous research that indicated that not every religious behavior contributes to compulsive sexual behaviors. Statistical analysis of the data also indicated that moral disapproval mediated or caused the relationship between compulsive sexual behaviors and religiosity.
These findings can help practitioners navigate the myriad of factors that may play a role in the development and persistence of compulsive sexual behavior symptoms.
The research team identified some potential limitations to their work. The sample was relatively small, and the study design was cross-sectional. Consequently, one should be cautious with assuming cause and effect. Second, the assessment tool used to identify those with compulsive sexual behaviors asked individuals to reflect on their behavior, which can result in biased interpretations.
Despite these limitations, Coleman and colleagues feel their study is a meaningful addition to what is known about compulsive sexual behaviors. They conclude, “While treatment of CSB often involves a number of treatment modalities, the clinician needs to continue to untangle any conflicts related to an individual’s erotic desires, religious beliefs, or moral values. If partnered, these issues must also be explored within the couples relationship. Given the fact that religiosity predicts moral disapproval of certain sexual behaviors, it is likely to be relevant to treatment of many patients with CSBD or CSBD-like behaviors.”
The study, “The relationship between compulsive sexual behavior, religiosity, and moral disapproval”, was authored by Eli Coleman, Todd Jennings, Neil Gleason, Samuel Danielson, Katja H. Nielsen , Michael H. Miner, and Ryan L. Rahm-Knigge.