title: Personality traits, gender roles and sexual behaviours of young adult males.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have shown that personality characteristics affect sexual functioning. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess and describe the relationship between global personality traits and the stereotypical femininity and masculinity levels with the broad aspects of sexual behaviours and attitudes in the group of 97 heterosexual young adult men aged 19-39 and living in Poland.
  
  
  METHODS
  The 'Big Five' personality traits were measured with the NEO-FFI questionnaire; stereotypical femininity and masculinity with the Bem sex role inventory (BSRI); sexual disorders with the International index of erectile function (IIEF); socio-epidemiological data, sexual behaviours and attitudes towards sexuality with a self-constructed questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified weak to moderate associations with particular sexual behaviours and attitudes. Neuroticism correlated positively with lower sexual satisfaction, self-acceptance and more negative attitudes towards sexuality; extraversion with higher desire, frequency of sexual intercourses, their diversity, sexual satisfaction, masculinity level and lower report of erectile problems; openness to experience with better quality of partnership, more positive attitudes towards sexual activity and masculinity level; conscientiousness with later sexual initiation age, more frequent and diverse sexual behaviours (but lower interest in masturbation and coitus interruptus), overall sexual satisfaction, satisfaction with one's body and femininity level; agreeableness with a better quality of relationship with a partner, satisfaction from body, lower number of previous partners and more frequent sexual encounters (but less masturbation). Stereotypical masculinity, more so than femininity, was related to a wide range of positive aspects of sexuality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Big Five personality traits and stereotypical femininity/masculinity dimensions were found to have a noticeable, but weak to moderate influence on sexual behaviour in young adult males.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors: Jacek
authors: J
authors: Kurpisz
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors: Monika
authors: M
authors: Mak
authors: Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 3rd Psychiatric Clinic, Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Michał
authors: M
authors: Lew-Starowicz
authors: Department of Sexology and Family Planning, Medical College in Sosnowiec, Sosnowiec, Poland ; Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Specialistic Teaching Hospital, Tychy, Poland.
authors: Krzysztof
authors: K
authors: Nowosielski
authors: Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland.
authors: Przemysław
authors: P
authors: Bieńkowski
authors: Department of Sexology, Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Cracow University, Kraków, Poland.
authors: Robert
authors: R
authors: Kowalczyk
authors: Department of Genetics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
authors: Błażej
authors: B
authors: Misiak
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wrocław, Poland.
authors: Dorota
authors: D
authors: Frydecka
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
authors: Jerzy
authors: J
authors: Samochowiec
keywords: Big Five personality traits; Gender roles; Sexual behaviour