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<td><span style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:20px;font-weight:bold;">PsyPost – Psychology News Daily Digest (Unofficial)</span></td>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/depressed-individuals-take-less-joy-in-surprising-good-outcomes/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Depressed individuals take less joy in surprising good outcomes</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 30th 2024, 08:00</div>
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<p><p>A study conducted on college students in Florida found that individuals with depression experience less joy from surprising positive outcomes compared to non-depressed individuals. When these students received better grades on a midterm exam than they expected, their positive emotional responses were diminished. However, their negative emotional responses to receiving a lower grade than anticipated were as strong as those of non-depressed students. The study was published in <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/depression-is-associated-with-blunted-affective-responses-to-naturalistic-reward-prediction-errors/2350D5D5F4206FA3339D6E29E3166EE0"><em>Psychological Medicine</em></a>.</p>
<p>Depression is a common and serious mental health disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities. It affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, sometimes leading to physical symptoms such as changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, and fatigue. Depression can impair daily functioning, relationships, and work performance, making even simple tasks feel overwhelming. It is more than a temporary emotional reaction to life events and often requires professional treatment.</p>
<p>Statistics indicate that depression affects approximately 7% of people in the United States annually. It is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. On average, a person has around a 20% chance of developing depression at some point in their life.</p>
<p>Study authors William J. Villano and Aaron S. Heller aimed to explore how individuals with depression emotionally respond to personally significant life events. Since depression is a mood disorder, it was hypothesized that depressed individuals would exhibit dysregulated emotional reactions.</p>
<p>To better understand this phenomenon, the researchers examined students’ reactions to their midterm exam grades in introductory chemistry courses. These grades represent recurring yet highly meaningful events for students, as their final grades primarily depend on midterm performance. Low final grades can potentially hinder students’ academic and career aspirations.</p>
<p>The study involved 724 undergraduate students enrolled in general and organic chemistry courses at the University of Miami, with an average age of 19 years. Of the participants, 539 were women. Students agreed to complete surveys using their phones multiple times throughout the semester, sometimes several times per day. By the study’s conclusion, 687 participants had completed all surveys, with one-third qualifying as depressed.</p>
<p>At the start of the semester and at multiple points between exams, participants completed assessments for depression and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Every two days, they also completed assessments of their current emotional state using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). A messaging app sent SMS notifications with survey links at planned intervals.</p>
<p>After taking the midterm exam, students predicted their grades. Once their grades were released, the app prompted students to complete emotional assessments every 45 minutes over the following eight hours. Researchers calculated the difference between predicted and actual grades to evaluate emotional responses to positive and negative outcomes.</p>
<p>To control the process, students decided when to view their grades. They received SMS notifications indicating their grades were available and could click a provided link to view them. Once a student accessed their grade, the app automatically triggered the corresponding emotional surveys.</p>
<p>On average, each participant completed 81–82 surveys during the study period, responding to 72% of the surveys sent. Overall, students tended to slightly overestimate their grades. Participants with more severe depression symptoms reported lower grade expectations and achieved marginally lower actual grades.</p>
<p>As expected, students who received better grades than anticipated experienced mood improvements, while those who received lower grades reported worsened moods. These emotional changes persisted for seven to eight hours after viewing their grades.</p>
<p>However, among depressed students, the mood improvement in response to better-than-expected grades was significantly less pronounced compared to non-depressed students. Conversely, there was no difference in mood worsening between depressed and non-depressed students when grades were lower than expected. Anxiety levels also showed no significant association with emotional responses to grades.</p>
<p>“Using a high-stakes, personally impactful, real-world event coupled with experience sampling of emotion, we found that individuals with higher levels of depression displayed an attenuated emotional response to positive PEs [positive prediction errors, when students got better grades than they expected]. These effects were highly specific and suggest that anhedonia [reduced ability to feel pleasure and enjoyment] may manifest due to individuals discounting the meaning of positive PEs as a sort of maladaptive cognitive immunization,” the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>While the study provides valuable insights into the emotional reactions of individuals with depression, its findings are limited to a specific group of students in a particular context. Results may differ in other demographic groups or in response to different mood-impacting situations. Further research is needed to understand how depression affects emotional responses across diverse settings.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291724000047">Depression is associated with blunted affective responses to naturalistic reward prediction errors,</a>” was authored by William J. Villano and Aaron S. Heller.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/beware-of-adhdtest-inaccurate-adhd-content-is-dominating-tiktok-study-finds/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Beware of #adhdtest: Inaccurate ADHD content is dominating TikTok, study finds</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 30th 2024, 06:00</div>
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<p><p>A recent analysis published in <em><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562241291956" target="_blank">Australasian Psychiatry</a></em> uncovered alarming trends in ADHD-related content on TikTok. Researchers examined videos tagged with #adhdtest and found that 92% of them contained misleading information. Despite their inaccuracy, these videos significantly outperformed accurate content in terms of viewer engagement, amassing nearly all likes, comments, and favorites.</p>
<p>ADHD, a neurodevelopmental disorder, is typically diagnosed in childhood but often persists into adulthood. Its symptoms—such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity—can profoundly affect daily functioning across environments like school, work, and home. </p>
<p>While tools such as the World Health Organization’s Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) can help screen for potential symptoms, a proper diagnosis requires a comprehensive clinical assessment conducted by qualified professionals. Accurate diagnosis is critical to ensure effective treatment and prevent misdiagnosis, which can lead to inappropriate care and stigmatization.</p>
<p>Since its launch in 2017, TikTok has emerged as a dominant platform for sharing short, engaging videos on a wide range of topics, including mental health. ADHD-related content has gained particular traction among adolescents and young adults, with TikTok’s algorithm amplifying videos that are visually captivating or emotionally resonant. </p>
<p>While this approach maximizes engagement, it often prioritizes sensationalized or oversimplified content over accuracy. The rise of ADHD “self-tests” on TikTok has further complicated the issue. Hashtags like #adhdtest promise users a quick and accessible way to determine if they might have ADHD.</p>
<p>“TikTok has increased in popularity exponentially and carries a lot of information/mis-information about various topics including health, which potentially influences the behavior of its users,” said study author Smita Verma of Waikato Hospital.</p>
<p>“There has been an exponential increase in people seeking assessment for ADHD. Reliable information related to it on social media could help screen out those who don’t need assessment and thus benefit those who actually need assessment and prevent overwhelming the already limited health resources. The study was an exploratory one to quantify how reliable the information related to #ADHDtest on TikTok is and whether it needs to be addressed.”</p>
<p>The researchers conducted their analysis by examining the top 50 TikTok videos tagged with the hashtag #adhdtest. This hashtag is commonly used to group content related to ADHD self-assessment. To minimize algorithmic biases, the search was performed without an account, ensuring the results were not influenced by personalized recommendations.</p>
<p>Videos were selected based on relevance, and only those in English that directly addressed ADHD testing or diagnosis were included. Videos that did not meet these criteria, such as duplicates or non-ADHD-related content, were excluded.</p>
<p>The content of each selected video was thoroughly reviewed by two mental health professionals. The reviewers assessed whether the information provided aligned with validated ADHD screening tools, specifically the World Health Organization’s Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1).</p>
<p>Videos were classified as “useful” if they included at least four of the six questions from the ASRS screener and provided accurate, evidence-based explanations of ADHD symptoms. Misleading videos, by contrast, either failed to align with these criteria or presented scientifically unsupported tests and claims. Viewer engagement was also measured by analyzing likes, comments, and favorites, providing insight into how audiences interacted with the videos.</p>
<p>The analysis revealed a striking disparity between the quality of content and its popularity. Of the 50 videos analyzed, 92% (46 videos) were classified as misleading, while only 8% (4 videos) met the criteria for being useful.</p>
<p>“The very high amount of misinformation and trivializing of ADHD, which is a serious mental illness, was surprising and disrespectful towards people who have this condition,” Verma told PsyPost.</p>
<p>Misleading videos often featured visually captivating or interactive formats, such as autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos and “dot tests,” which claimed to assess ADHD symptoms without any scientific basis. For example, some ASMR videos invited viewers to focus on visual or auditory stimuli, asserting that their responses indicated ADHD. These formats were engaging but had no connection to validated screening or diagnostic criteria.</p>
<p>The engagement metrics underscored the preference for misleading content. Misleading videos accounted for 96% of the total likes, 99% of the comments, and 93% of the favorites across the sample. ASMR videos, in particular, dominated user interaction, drawing nearly half of the total likes and over half of the comments.</p>
<p>In contrast, the four useful videos, which provided evidence-based information aligned with the ASRS screener, received only a fraction of the total engagement. This pattern suggests that while accurate information was present, it struggled to compete with the entertainment-focused and attention-grabbing style of misleading videos.</p>
<p>“There is very high amount of misinformation related to testing or diagnosing ADHD on TikTok,” Verma told PsyPost. “At present, the average person should not use TikTok as a reliable source of information on ADHD. Most information about ADHD tests on Tiktok trivializes ADHD and misguides people. Reliable sources of information should be sought such as from their own health professionals.”</p>
<p>The new findings are <a href="https://www.psypost.org/misleading-videos-about-adhd-are-being-widely-disseminated-on-tiktok-study-finds/" target="_blank">in line with a previous study</a>, published in <em>The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry</em> in 2022, which found that most of TikTok videos about ADHD under the #adhd hashtag contained misleading information, often oversimplifying the disorder or misattributing common experiences as ADHD symptoms. </p>
<p>Future research could explore changes in misinformation trends over time, assess TikTok’s efforts to moderate misleading health content, and evaluate user susceptibility to such misinformation. The researchers are also interested in examining other social media platforms. </p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10398562241291956" target="_blank">How evidence-based is the ‘hashtag ADHD test’ (#adhdtest). A cross-sectional content analysis of TikTok videos on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) screening</a>,” was authored by Smita Verma and Suman Kumar Sinha.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/headspin-hole-explained-how-breakdancing-can-reshape-your-skull/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">“Headspin hole” explained: How breakdancing can reshape your skull</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 29th 2024, 14:00</div>
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<p><p>For those of a certain age, <a href="https://youtu.be/j15rPm4i-t8?feature=shared">Coneheads</a> is an iconic 90s film. But for breakdancers, it seems, developing a cone-shaped head can be an occupational hazard.</p>
<p>According to a 2024 <a href="https://casereports.bmj.com/content/17/9/e261854">medical case report</a>, a breakdancer who’d been performing for 19 years was treated for <a href="https://bmjgroup.com/breakdancers-may-risk-headspin-hole-caused-by-repetitive-headspins-doctors-warn/">“headspin hole”</a>, a condition also known as <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjwdpl212gzo">“breakdancer bulge”</a> that’s unique to breakdancers. It entails a cone shaped mass developing on top of the scalp after repetitive head-spinning. Additional symptoms can include hair loss and sometimes pain around the lump.</p>
<p>Approximately <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19306238/">30%</a> of breakdancers report hair loss and inflammation of their scalp from head-spinning. A <a href="https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0028-1109219">headspin hole</a> is caused by the body trying to protect itself. The repeated trauma from head-spinning causes the <a href="https://radiopaedia.org/articles/galea-aponeurotica?lang=gb">epicranial aponeurosis</a> – a layer of connective tissue similar to a tendon, running from the back of your head to the front – to thicken along with the layer of fat under the skin on top of the head in an attempt to protect the bones of skull from injury.</p>
<p>The body causes a similar protective reaction to friction on the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32009928/">hands</a> and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38112897/">feet</a>, where callouses form to spread the pressure and protect the underlying tissues from damage. Everyday repetitive activities from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6984141/">holding smartphones</a> or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9981353/">heavy weights</a> through to poorly fitting shoes can result in callouses.</p>
<p>But a cone-shaped head isn’t <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0363546508328120">the only injury</a> to which breakdancers are prone, however. Common issues can include wrist, knee, hip, ankle, foot and elbow injuries, and moves such as the <a href="https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/videos/Red-Bull-BC-One-Windmill-World-Record">“windmill”</a> and the <a href="https://thebreaks.org/articles/backspin.html">“backspin”</a> can cause bursitis – inflammation of the fluid filled sacs that protect the <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/396721">vertebrae of the spine</a>. A headspin hole isn’t the worst injury you could sustain from breakdancing either. One dancer broke their neck but thankfully they were lucky enough not to have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4653752/">any major complications</a>.</p>
<p>Others, such as Ukrainian breakdancer <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/breaking-bgirl-stefani-paris-2024-injury-comeback-ukraine">Anna Ponomarenko</a>, have experienced pinched nerves that have left them paralysed. Ponomarenko recovered to represent her country in the Paris 2024 Olympics.</p>
<p>As with other sports, it’s unsurprising to hear that the use of <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0363546508328120">protective equipment</a> results in the reduction of injuries in breakdancing too.</p>
<p>But breakdancers aren’t the only ones to develop cone shaped heads.</p>
<h2>Newborns</h2>
<p>Some babies are born with a conical head after their pliable skull has been squeezed and squashed during the journey through the vaginal canal and the muscular contractions of mother’s uterus.</p>
<p>A misshapen head can also be caused by <em>caput secundum</em>, where fluid collects under the skin, above the skull bones. Usually, this condition resolves itself within a few days. Babies who’ve been delivered using a <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/what-happens/forceps-or-vacuum-delivery/">vacuum assisted cup (known as a Ventouse)</a> – where the cup is applied to the top of the baby’s head to pull them out – can develop a similar fluid lump called <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15590444/">a chignon</a>.</p>
<p>Vacuum assisted delivery can also result in a more significant lump and bruising called a cephalohematoma, where blood vessels in the bones of the skull rupture. This is <a href="http://www.academyofneonatalnursing.org/NNT/Nervous_Caput.pdf">twice as common</a> in boys than in girls and resolves within <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574534/">two weeks to six months</a>.</p>
<p>If you’ve ever seen newborns wearing tiny hats in the first few hours of their life, then one of these conditions may be the reason.</p>
<p>Some children may also present with “cone-head” due to <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/craniosynostosis/">craniosynostosis</a>, which occurs in about one in every <a href="https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/craniosynostosis">2,000-2,500 live births</a>.</p>
<p>Newborn skulls are made up of lots of small bony plates that aren’t fused together, which enables babies’ brains to grow without restriction. Usually, once the brain reaches a slower growth pace that the bones can keep up with, the plates fuse together. In craniosynostosis, the plates fuse together too early creating <a href="https://ufhealth.org/sites/default/files/media/patient_care/Identifying-the-Misshapen%20Head-Craniosynostosis-and-Related-Disorders.pdf">differently shaped</a> heads. <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-54148-4">Surgery</a> can prevent brain growth restriction but is usually unnecessary if the child hasn’t been identified as having an shaped head by <a href="https://www.uclahealth.org/medical-services/neurosurgery/conditions-treated/craniosynostosis">six months of age</a>.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/241182/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1"><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p>
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<p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-breakdancing-can-give-you-a-cone-shaped-head-241182">original article</a>.</em></p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/prenatal-exposure-to-synthetic-cannabinoid-alters-breathing-and-cardiovascular-health-in-rats/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Prenatal exposure to synthetic cannabinoid alters breathing and cardiovascular health in rats</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 29th 2024, 12:00</div>
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<p><p>A series of experiments on rats found that prenatal exposure to a synthetic cannabinoid called WIN altered their breathing control. Male rats showed increased chemosensitivity to carbon dioxide and oxygen, while female rats exhibited decreased chemosensitivity. Males tended to have more fragmented sleep, and both male and female rats were more susceptible to hypertension and tachycardia under adverse environmental conditions. The findings were published in <a href="https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/ajplung.00042.2024"><em>Translational Physiology</em></a>.</p>
<p>Drug-related disorders are a significant public health concern. One of the most widely used drugs is cannabis, which is particularly prevalent among young individuals in their prime reproductive years. Alarmingly, there is an increasing number of people using cannabis during pregnancy. Despite this, there is a global trend toward legalizing cannabis, even though its effects on maternal health and children’s well-being remain inadequately studied.</p>
<p>Cannabis is derived from plants of the genus <em>Cannabis</em>, primarily the species <em>Cannabis sativa</em> and <em>Cannabis indica</em>. It contains chemical compounds called cannabinoids. The two most notable cannabinoids are THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), responsible for the drug’s psychoactive effects, and CBD (cannabidiol), which provides medicinal benefits without intoxication. Cannabis can be consumed in various forms, including smoking dried flowers (marijuana), ingesting edibles, or using oils and extracts. It is used recreationally for its mind-altering effects and medically to treat conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, and anxiety, though its use is still subject to legal and regulatory restrictions in many regions.</p>
<p>Study author Luis Gustavo A. Patrone and his colleagues hypothesized that maternal exposure to a synthetic cannabinoid called WIN (WIN 55,212-2) during pregnancy would affect the cardiorespiratory control and panic-like behaviors of their offspring in adulthood. They noted that epidemiological studies suggest a correlation between prenatal cannabis exposure and increased susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders. However, these studies are correlational and cannot definitively establish whether exposure to cannabinoids directly causes these effects.</p>
<p>To test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted a series of experiments on Wistar rats. Wistar rats are a commonly used laboratory strain known for their docile nature, rapid reproduction, and well-documented genetic and physiological traits. The rats were housed in cages, with up to six individuals per cage, and had free access to food and water.</p>
<p>Pregnant female rats underwent surgery to implant osmotic pumps under the skin on their backs. These pumps were used to deliver the research drugs. The rats were divided into two groups. From the first day of pregnancy until the 21st day of gestation, one group received 0.5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight of the WIN synthetic cannabinoid daily. The other group received a control substance—dimethyl sulfoxide dissolved in water. The osmotic pumps were removed immediately after the rats gave birth.</p>
<p>When the offspring reached adulthood, the researchers conducted a series of experiments on them. The results showed that prenatal exposure to the synthetic cannabinoid influenced ventilatory control (breathing regulation) in a sex-specific manner. Adult male rats exhibited increased ventilatory responses to high concentrations of carbon dioxide and low oxygen during sleep. In contrast, adult female rats showed significantly reduced ventilatory responses to these conditions during both wakefulness and sleep. Neither sex showed changes in basal oxygen consumption or resting ventilation.</p>
<p>Male rats exposed to the cannabinoid also tended to experience more fragmented sleep, characterized by a higher number of shorter sleep episodes compared to unexposed males. Rats of both sexes exposed to the cannabinoid demonstrated increased susceptibility to hypertension (elevated blood pressure) and tachycardia (elevated heart rate) under adverse environmental conditions.</p>
<p>“We observed a long-term and sex-specific divergence in breathing control, where males and females exhibited opposite chemosensitive responses to adverse respiratory conditions. In addition, important cardiovascular changes were observed in adult rats prenatally exposed to cannabinoids. The indiscriminate use of cannabis has increased worldwide, including among pregnant women, driven by increasingly liberal government policies without established scientific knowledge about the medium- and long-term consequences. In this regard, our study serves as a precautionary note that must be taken into account when it comes to medicinal or recreational use of cannabis during pregnancy,” the study authors concluded.</p>
<p>The study sheds light on the effects of prenatal exposure to the WIN synthetic cannabinoid. However, it is important to note that the research was conducted on rats, not humans. While rats and humans share many physiological similarities, they are fundamentally different species, and the effects observed in rats may not necessarily translate to humans.</p>
<p>The paper, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplung.00042.2024">Long-term effects on cardiorespiratory and behavioral responses in male and female rats prenatally exposed to cannabinoid,</a>” was authored by Luis Gustavo A. Patrone, Alana T. Frias, Gabriel T. Fantinatti, Angelita M. Stabile, Wilfried Klein, Kênia C. Bícego, and Luciane H. Gargaglioni.</p></p>
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<td><a href="https://www.psypost.org/women-with-sexual-trauma-histories-more-likely-to-engage-in-duty-sex/" style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing:-1px;margin:0;padding:0 0 2px;font-weight: bold;font-size: 19px;line-height: 20px;color:#222;">Women with sexual trauma histories more likely to engage in “Duty Sex”</a>
<div style="font-family:Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align:left;color:#999;font-size:11px;font-weight:bold;line-height:15px;">Nov 29th 2024, 10:00</div>
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<p><p>Women with a history of nonconsensual sexual experiences are more likely to engage in sex out of feelings of obligation, according to a new study published in <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jsm/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jsxmed/qdae137/7867881"><em>The Journal of Sexual Medicine</em></a>. The study found that these women reported more frequent “Duty Sex,” lower sexual satisfaction, and higher levels of sexual pain compared to women without such histories.</p>
<p>Previous research has identified various reasons why people have sex, including factors related to insecurity and obligation. “Duty Sex” encompasses motivations such as avoiding partner disappointment or fulfilling perceived relational expectations.</p>
<p>Earlier studies have linked Duty Sex to lower sexual satisfaction and greater sexual pain. However, the current study focused on whether histories of nonconsensual sexual experiences predict Duty Sex and whether this relationship is mediated by sexual dysfunction.</p>
<p>“In our research for our book <em><a href="https://amzn.to/3ZaHhFp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Women Have Sex</a></em>, my colleague David Buss and I found a large number of women reported having sex out of a sense of obligation rather than for sexual pleasure. We termed this ‘Duty Sex,'” said study author <a href="http://www.mestonlab.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cindy M. Meston</a>, a professor of clinical psychology at University of Texas at Austin and the director of the Female Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory. “In the current study, we were interested in learning whether there were factors that predicted which women engaged in frequent Duty Sex.”</p>
<p>For the study, researchers surveyed 658 women aged 18 to 68, with an average age of 34.3 years. Participants were primarily heterosexual (79.3%) and predominantly White (76.1%), though individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, including African American (9.3%) and Hispanic (5.8%), were also represented. Most participants were married (43.8%) or in a committed relationship (23.1%), while a smaller proportion reported being single, casually dating, or in non-monogamous relationships.</p>
<p>Participants were required to reside in the United States or Canada, be fluent in English, and have been sexually active within the past month. Nearly half of the participants (44.5%) reported experiencing at least one nonconsensual sexual event, with a variety of trauma types, severities, and timings represented in the group.</p>
<p>To assess sexual function, the researchers used the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), which evaluates six domains: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Lower FSFI scores indicate poorer sexual function, with a total score below 26.55 denoting clinical sexual dysfunction.</p>
<p>Sexual motivations were measured using the Sex Motives Scale, which included items related to various reasons for engaging in sex, such as pleasure, intimacy, self-affirmation, and obligation (referred to as Duty Sex). Participants rated the frequency of engaging in sex for each reason on a scale from “almost never” to “almost always.”</p>
<p>The researchers found that women with a history of nonconsensual sexual experiences reported higher frequencies of Duty Sex compared to those without such histories.</p>
<p>Women with a history of nonconsensual sexual experiences also exhibited lower overall sexual function, particularly in the domains of vaginal lubrication and orgasm. These women reported experiencing more sexual pain and lower sexual satisfaction than those without trauma histories. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the domains of sexual desire or arousal.</p>
<p>Even after controlling for differences in sexual function, however, nonconsensual sexual experiences remained a strong predictor of Duty Sex engagement. Women with trauma histories were 35% more likely to report frequent Duty Sex compared to those without.</p>
<p>Interestingly, a history of nonconsensual sexual experiences did not predict the frequency of other sexual motives, such as intimacy, pleasure, or self-affirmation. This suggests a unique relationship between trauma history and Duty Sex.</p>
<p>The researchers also found that women who engaged more frequently in Duty Sex also reported greater problems with sexual pain.</p>
<p>“It is not uncommon for women to occasionally engage in sex out of a sense of duty or obligation,” Meston told PsyPost. “This does not mean the encounter is necessarily bad or will lead to a sexually dissatisfying relationship. In fact, for some women what begins as a dutiful response to a partner’s sexual advances might end in genuine enjoyment, pleasure, and intimacy.”</p>
<p>“However, given our findings highlight how women who experience sexual pain and women who have a history of nonconsensual sex are more likely to engage in Duty Sex, it may be important for women who fall into these categories to seek help in discovering ways to engage in sex that is more self-determined and pleasure based.”</p>
<p>The study, like all research, has limitations. The reliance on self-reported data may lead to inaccuracies due to recall bias or social desirability. Additionally, the researchers measured motivations for sex retrospectively, rather than capturing context-specific motives for each sexual encounter.</p>
<p>Future research could address these limitations by employing longitudinal designs to better understand how Duty Sex evolves over time and impacts relationships. Exploring the psychological and relational outcomes of engaging in Duty Sex, such as emotional well-being and partner satisfaction, could also provide valuable information for clinical interventions.</p>
<p>“We hope to learn under what conditions does engaging in Duty Sex lead to negative emotions and relationship dissatisfaction and under what conditions does it have neutral or positive consequences for both the individual and the relationship,” Meston said.</p>
<p>The study, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdae137">Predictors of duty sex frequency in women</a>,” was authored by Kate B. Metcalfe, Chelsea D. Kilimnik, and Cindy M. Meston.</p></p>
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<p><strong>Forwarded by:<br />
Michael Reeder LCPC<br />
Baltimore, MD</strong></p>
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