Are Men More Affected By Sexual Addiction Than Women, Research Proposal Example

Out of control sexual behavior or sexual acting out is seen as taboo within today’s society. While it is acceptable to be open and explore sexuality, most Americans draw the line at “out of the ordinary behavior” or what seems to be outrageous. For those individuals that engage in excessive masturbation, numerous sexual partners or have disrupted their lives by what they contend is an uncontrollable urge to engage in risky sexual behavior, society labels them as sex addicts. There have been a number of studies that have addressed the topic, while most focus on the potential causes or the differences between behaviors, few have addressed whether or not sexual addiction is more prevalent with men or women. While most would quickly assume that men are more prone to sexual addiction, there have been some mental health professionals that suggest that much of their sexually addicted clients are women. The purpose of this research proposal is to formulate and design a quantitative study that will explore whether sexual addiction is more prevalent in men than women.

Introduction

Addiction has become a fundamental problem within society. There are numerous programs to address individuals and their dependence on a variety of substances and chemicals. One addictive issue that has come to public scrutiny within the last several years is what is termed as a sexual addiction. Most people believe that in order to be a true addiction the afflicted individual must have some type of chemical that they simply cannot live without. What remains a mystery to many and is even denounced by some professionals is the belief that individuals can be addicted to sexual activity or sexual type behaviors that interfere with their life.

To further complicate the situation, diagnosis and reliability the DSM-IV-TR which is the diagnostic criteria for mental disorders removed sexual addiction all together in their newer versions (DSM-IV-TR). In order to understand the difficulty of understanding sexual addiction, one must first learn more about criteria, behavior and the differences between the many variables/behaviors that surround the issue.

The term sexual addiction can evoke many emotions, thoughts, beliefs and assumptions by well-meaning individuals. Like other disorders, people typically do not understand the true criteria or disease, but rather tend to believe what they see on television or read in a magazine. According to Goodman, “sexual addiction is defined as a condition in which some form of sexual behavior is employed in a pattern that is characterized by two key factors: 1) recurrent failure to control the sexual behavior, and 2) continuation of the sexual behavior despite significant harmful consequences” (1). The ability to diagnose or better understand sexual addiction encompasses the realization that the actual sexual behavior itself does not constitute the addiction. It is the ritualistic behavior, disruption of life, harmful consequences and behavior in relation to the individual’s life that allows for a diagnosable disorder. The DSM, prior to 2000, defined sexual addiction as sexually related behaviors that an individual was not able to control and caused harmful consequences to their lives (Briken & Habermann 133).  This is important to consider when conducting research because the mere act of sexually related behavior, even in excess does not necessarily constitute sexual addiction. What one person may consider out of control behavior may be another individual’s normal but high sex drive. This is the reason that the research and experimental design must address methods that are consistent with existing literature, reliable testing measures and standards.

Problem Statement

While it appears to be commonly accepted by society and noted, the truth of the matter may be that women are just as likely to suffer from a sexual addiction as men are. Recent literature and professionals have suggested that women are presenting to their practices with clear symptomology of sexual addiction (Chaudhuri). The stigma and assumptions that men are more sexually active and become obsessed with sexual thoughts, fantasies and actions may be an incorrect assumption by society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of sexual addiction between males and females.

Hypothesis

H¹: There is little to no significant difference in the occurrence of sexual addiction between males and females

H⁰: There is a significant difference in the occurrence of sexual addiction between males and females.

Literature Review

Much of the literature to date has examined the interaction and relationship of the many variables that are typically present in individuals with a sexual addiction. While this does not necessary or completely answers the difference between the rate of occurrence between men and women, it does provide some indication as to the severity of the disorder between the genders.  A recent study used the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS) to examine the compulsivity of participant’s sexual thoughts, fantasies, desires, recurrent actions that had become an interference with their daily lives (Winters, Christoff & Gorzalka 1030). The researchers found that women had a higher prevalence of engaging in partnered sexual activity within the past 3 months when compared to male participants; women had a 49.2% incidence, while male participants had a 44.4% incidence rate. When questioned about the hours spent viewing pornographic materials, male participants had a much higher incidence rate; males had an average of 6.83 hours, while the female participants averaged 1.69 hours (Winters, Christoff & Gorzalka 1037). Another study found that men engage in in compulsive masturbation at a rate of 34.6%, while the percentage for females is 15.8% (Briken, Habermann, Gerner & Hill 133). While this clearly shows that men and women differ in their sexual preoccupation, habits or behaviors it remains unspoken about the prevalence between the two genders.

It seems that the literature depicts differences in the rate of the behavioral action between men and women, however does not define the prevalence. Most of the studies have addressed individuals that had previously or were presently in treatment for sexual addiction. While that is an effective measure at determining the severity and prevalence of depth of the sexual addiction, it simply does not answer the question at hand. In order to answer the research question a study will be conducted of the general population to gather information relevant to sexual addiction and the differences in rate of occurrence between males and females.

Methods

This study will collect data to determine the prevalence of sexual addiction between males and females in the Western United States. Within the recent past the term sexual addiction has created much controversy and misunderstanding about the prevalence between the two genders. While there is a great deal of research on the topic, there are limited studies that have addressed only the area of gender in relation to the “excessive sexual preoccupation or behavior”.

Participants

A random sample will be drawn from the Southwestern region of the United States; Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Utah. In order to draw a random sample, a national database provider will be contacted to gain a randomized mailing list. The list will be separated by males and females, since the aims of the study are to determine the difference in sexual addiction by gender.

A total of 10,000 surveys will be mailed being an equal and proportionate amount; 5000 to males and 5000 to females. It is expected that the return rate will be consistent with the average statistical expectation of approximately 20% of the original sample (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister & Zechmeister).  It is expected that approximately 2000 questionnaires will be returned and this will allow researchers to generalize the results to the general population. With that number of surveys and through data analysis the results can likely be generalized to the general public. While generalization is possible there are some variables that could lead to result differences, such as geographical location, cultural differences as well as religious/moral convictions that vary throughout geographical location. In order to address this issue, additional studies could be conducted to determine the variation of statistical significance between cultures.

Research Design

A quantitative study will be conducted based on a cross-sectional design that will allow the determination of the prevalence of sexual addiction in the given population. A cross-sectional design is considered as a descriptive study that assists in the identification of patterns and trends within a given population or sample (Shaughnessy, Zechmeister & Zechmeister).   This will create statistical data that will enable researchers to replicate and fostering the reliability of the findings.  This design will allow researchers to determine the statistical differences between men and women regarding sexual addiction.

Instruments

A questionnaire will be used to collect information from the participants. It will be mailed to a random sample of both males and females. Detailed instructions will be given, as well as a statement based on respondent personal information, responses and confidentiality. The questionnaire will be completed without collecting any personal information from the participant. While questions assessing demographics will be addressed, this will not identify the individual personally. This will provide participants the ability to feel comfortable answering questions and participating, knowing that their information and answers are confidential. Each questionnaire will be numbered and a website will be printed so that participants can view the results or outcome of the study at the conclusion.

The questionnaire will consist of 30 questions and will include appropriate questions to answer the proposed research question. According to Bork and Francis, the purpose of a questionnaire should be to elicit information from the respondent in a consistent and standardized manner (909). This suggests that each question should be constructed after a careful review of the literature and rooted in the scientific method. The Sexual Addiction Screening Test, also known as the SAST-2 will be used for the questionnaire. The SAST-2 consists of 45 questions that range from addressing risky sexual behavior to relationship difficulties, prostitution, as well as difficulty or a preoccupation with sexually related behavior (Carnes). Participants will answer each of the questions truthfully and return the survey for data analysis. Individuals that score more than a 7 in questions 1 through 20, is consistent with a possible sexual addiction (Carnes).

Questions 21 through 45 are meant to help the researcher identify the manner by which sexual problems are manifested and will only be used to classify the data and further detail specific statistical information.

Reliability

Reliability is determined by the consistency or repeatability of the testing process to derive the same score or statistical significance. Because of the large sample size it is probable that the reliability would gain the same results if a sample were drawn with the exact same study. Because the questionnaire reduces the potential bias of an individual taking a sample or conducting an interview this increase the reliability of the data gathering task.

According to Carnes, the SAST-2 has represented a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.95, which represents high internal consistency reliability in numerous previous studies (1989). The Cronbach’s alpha is a reliability coefficient that provides the instruments ability to accurately measure the same variables throughout the study. This provides the researcher with the ability to assess the average of correlations between items (behaviors). There are factors to consider that are the limitations of a self-reported questionnaire that will need to be taken into consideration. Participants may feel that they are answering in a truthful manner; however they may have a distorted view of their own sexuality, behaviors or preoccupations regarding sexual activity. Others may have difficulty admitting or believing that they could possibly have a sexual addiction, which could limit the representative nature of the data. Research has shown that individuals suffering from others types of addiction, such as alcohol or drugs, are often in denial and refuse to admit that they have a problem (DSM-IV-TR). In order to combat this limitation, there are questions within the questionnaire that attempt to determine deception or denial factors of the individual.

Analysis of the Data

After the data is collected it will be entered into a SPSS or SAS statistical software program for coding and analysis. A frequency analysis will be run to separate the data into percentages which will provide categorical results or additional meaning to each variable. An ANOVA or univariate analysis of variance will be performed to determine the varying levels of sexual addiction symptomology. The ANOVA will assist in finding the difference in symptoms between the two groups. Cross tabs will be performed to determine the relationship between groups within the sample, such as demographic variables; socio-economic status, race and geographical location.  This will provide researchers with a contingency table that will display a frequency distribution and allow for the determination of differences between participants. Multiple Regressions analysis will be conducted for consideration of the female’s answers in relation to male answers on the questionnaire. This analysis will determine the differences between the individual questions of the questionnaire in conjunction and relation to one another. This will assist the researcher in determining the statistical significance of the answers to each question between males and females, therefore providing the answer to prevalence of sexual addiction between the two genders.

Protection of Subjects

One of the leading priorities with this study is to ensure that participants are well informed and not harmed in any way. While there are no physical attributes to the proposed study there is some concern for breach of confidentiality, family issues as well as other issues that could lead to participant distress. In order to inform participants about the study an insert will be attached in the survey envelope. This letter will explain the overall study, reason for conducting the study, as well as give a general overview of sexual addiction.

Definitions will be included, as well as some background information. In order to explain the professionalism of the study it will also detail the university name, class and researcher information so that they can contact the academic department to ensure that there is an active study being conducted.

There will be no personal information, address or name that is requested on the survey. While demographic information will be requested, this will not identify the participant in any way that could breach their information or responses in any way. They will be notified that participation in the study is purely voluntary and that they can decline participation at any time.

To ensure that they have access to the outcome or findings of the study, each questionnaire will contain a unique number that is also accompanied by a website URL address. Participants will mail back the questionnaire in a postage paid envelope that only contains the mailing address and does not identify the participants return address. The participants can check the outcome or findings of the study in approximately 12-18 weeks after the questionnaire return deadline. If participants are interested in their own scores of their personal questionnaire they can enter the number posted on their questionnaire and it will detail their score. There will also be information as to their likelihood or possibility of having a sexual addiction. Resources and a toll free phone number will be posted on the website, so that individuals can reach out for help if desired.

The letter will detail the confidentiality of the study and also explain how their information will not be attached to their name or contact information in any way. This is important because the results could be skewed if participants felt that their honest response could lead to another person finding out or other people/family members feeling differently about them based on their questionnaire responses.

Conclusion & Future Studies         

In conclusion, sexual addiction or the preoccupation with sexual behavior or actions is clearly a problem within society. Regardless of the ability of an advanced clinician to have a diagnosis protocol, it must still be considered and addressed. With the ease of sexually explicit materials and confidentiality of the internet, some speculate that sexual addictions will only continue to grow. It is easy to come by and most never blink an eye at an individual that has a “high sex drive” or enjoys spending time viewing pornography or masturbating frequently. It is important though to consider those individuals that have come to the realization that they may be addicted to a non-substance phenomenon that has drastically affected their lives.

The reason that it is important to have a good understanding and representation of the number of both females and males is so that appropriate treatments, intervention and programs can be established to meet the need of these individuals. If one sex or the other was seen to be inaccurately higher, this could mistakenly allow the other gender to go unnoticed. This is a high price to pay for both the individual and society as a whole. Future studies should be conducted to determine the gender differences in various other cultures and possibly even religious sectors. Because religion plays a large role in the way that individuals see their sexual behavior, it is important that it is researched and considered for treatment purposes. Other studies could also be completed to replicate or reject the results or generalization that results from this proposed study.

Works Cited

Briken, Peer, Niels Habermann, Wolfgang Berner, and Andreas Hill. “Diagnosis and Treatment of Sexual Addiction: A Survey amoung German Sex Therapists.” Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity 14 (2007): 131-143.

Carnes, P. (1989). Contrary to love: Helping the sexual addict. New York: Bantam.

Chaudhuri, Anita. “Sex addiction: not just for men – Times Online.” The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion. N.p., 26 Oct. 2008. Web. 27 June 2011. <http://women.timesonline.co.uk>

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR.. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 2000.

Goodman A (1998a), Sexual Addiction: An Integrated Approach. Madison, Conn.: International Universities Press.

Kalichman, S. C.,&Rompa, D. (2001). The Sexual Compulsivity Scale: Further development and use with HIV-positive persons. Journal of Personality Assessment, 76, 379–395.

Shaughnessy, John J., Eugene B. Zechmeister, and Jeanne S. Zechmeister. Research methods in psychology . 7th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Winters, Jason, Kalina Christoff, and Boris Gorzalka. “Dysregulated Sexuality and High Sexual Desire: Distinct Constructs?.” Archives of Sexual Behavior 39 (2010): 1029-1043.