title: Online sexual activity experience of heterosexual students: gender similarities and differences.
abstract: This study compared male and female university students' experiences with online sexual activity (OSA) and tested a model explaining gender differences in OSA. OSAs were categorized as non-arousal (e.g., seeking sexuality information), solitary-arousal (e.g., viewing sexually explicit materials), or partnered-arousal (e.g., sharing sexual fantasies). Participants (N = 217) completed measures of OSA experience, sexual attitudes, and sexual experience. Significantly more men than women reported engaging in solitary-arousal and partnered-arousal OSA and doing so more often. However, the men and women who reported having engaged in partnered-arousal activities reported equal frequencies of experience. There were no significant gender differences for engaging in non-arousal OSA experience. These results support the importance of grouping OSAs in terms of the proposed non-arousal, solitary-arousal, and partnered-arousal categories. Attitude toward OSA but not general attitudes toward or experiences with sexuality partially mediated the relationship between gender and frequency of engaging in arousal-oriented OSA (solitary and partnered OSA). This suggests that attitude toward OSA specifically and not gender socialization more generally account for gender differences in OSA experience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada.
authors.forename: Krystelle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shaughnessy
authors.forename: E Sandra
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Byers
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Walsh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires