Masturbation, paying for sex, and other sexual activities: the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships.
Background This study describes the prevalence of (solo) masturbation, paying for sex and a range of other sexual practices among Australians.


METHODS
A representative sample of 20094 men and women aged 16-69 years (participation rate among eligible people, 66.2%) were recruited by landline and mobile phone random-digit dialling and computer-assisted telephone interviews in 2012-13.


RESULTS
Many respondents (men, 72%; women, 42%) had masturbated in the past year. Half (51%) of the men and 24% of women had masturbated in the past 4 weeks. In the past year, more than two-fifths of respondents (men, 63%; women, 20%) had looked at pornography in any medium. Approximately 15% of men and 21% of women had used a sex toy. Digital-anal stimulation with a partner was practised by 19% of men and 15% of women, and oral-anal stimulation by 7% of men and 4% of women. Sexual role playing or dressing up were engaged in by 7-8%. Online sex, swinging, group sex, BDSM (bondage and discipline, 'sadomasochism' or dominance and submission) and fisting (rectal or vaginal) were each engaged in by less than 3% of the sample. Seventeen per cent of men said they had ever paid for sex; 2% had done so in the past year.


CONCLUSIONS
Most of the solo practices studied were engaged in by more men than women, but women were more likely to have used a sex toy. Autoerotic activities are both substitutes for partnered sex and additional sources of pleasure for people with sexual partners.
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Juliet
J
Richters
School of Psychology, Pevensey 1, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QH, UK.
Richard O
RO
de Visser
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia.
Paul B
PB
Badcock
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia.
Anthony M A
AM
Smith
Sydney School of Public Health, Charles Perkins Centre (D17), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Chris
C
Rissel
Sydney School of Public Health, Edward Ford Building (A27), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Judy M
JM
Simpson
The Kirby Institute, Wallace Wurth Building, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Andrew E
AE
Grulich