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Associations Between Positive Body Image, Sexual Liberalism, and Unconventional Sexual Practices in U.S. Adults

Swami, V; Weis, L; Barron, D; Furnham, A; (2017) Associations Between Positive Body Image, Sexual Liberalism, and Unconventional Sexual Practices in U.S. Adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior , 46 (8) pp. 2485-2494. 10.1007/s10508-016-0924-y. Green open access

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Abstract

While studies have documented robust relationships between body image and sexual health outcomes, few studies have looked beyond sexual functioning in women. Here, we hypothesized that more positive body image would be associated with greater sexual liberalism and more positive attitudes toward unconventional sexual practices. An online sample of 151 women and 164 men from the U.S. completed measures of sexual liberalism, attitudes toward unconventional sexual practices, and indices of positive body image (i.e., body appreciation, body acceptance by others, body image flexibility, and body pride), and provided their demographic details. Regression analyses indicated that, once the effects of sexual orientation, relationship status, age, and body mass index had been accounted for, higher body appreciation was significantly associated with greater sexual liberalism in women and men. Furthermore, higher body appreciation and body image flexibility were significantly associated with more positive attitudes toward unconventional sexual practices in women and men. These results may have implications for scholars working from a sex-positive perspective, particularly in terms of understanding the role body image plays in sexual attitudes and behaviors.

Type: Article
Title: Associations Between Positive Body Image, Sexual Liberalism, and Unconventional Sexual Practices in U.S. Adults
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1007/s10508-016-0924-y
Publisher version: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0924-y
Language: English
Additional information: © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017. The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-016-0924-y
Keywords: Body appreciation, Erotophilia, Positive body image, Sexual liberalism, Unconventional sex
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1538420
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