TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - Motives and manifestations of sex as self-injury
JO  - Journal of sex research
A1  - Fredlund, Cecilia
A1  - Wadsby, Marie
A1  - Jonsson, Linda S.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - To view destructive sexual behaviors as a form of self-injury is a new concept in the research field that needs further exploration and conceptualization. The aim of this study was to explore experiences of sex as self-injury to identify motives and manifestations of the behavior. An anonymous self-selected open-ended questionnaire was used for the study, and qualitative content analysis was used to identify patterns and themes in the text. A total of 199 informants participated in the study (<i>M = </i>27.9, <i>SD</i> = 9.3 years), all of whom were recruited via a range of websites of Swedish nongovernmental organizations. Sex as self-injury was described as voluntary exposure to sexual situations including psychological and/or physical harm. Affect regulation and receiving positive or negative confirmation emerged as important motives for the behavior. Respondents described sex as self-injury as difficult to stop when it felt compulsive and addictive, with ever-higher risk-taking and self-harming described. Our findings indicate that sex as self-injury often includes deliberate sexual violence, and is similar to other self-injurious behaviors, including non-suicidal self-injury. Sex as self-injury needs to be addressed in healthcare, such as in psychiatry and gynecology departments, to prevent further traumatization.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-4499
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1689377
ID  - ref1
ER  -