Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37256214›Full record

ReviewSexual medicine2023

Use of sexual stimuli in research and clinical settings: expert opinion and recommendations.

Maddie A Katz, Trinda L Penniston, Caitlin Barry, Nina Micanovic, Michael C Seto, Meredith L Chivers

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Sexual medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Maddie A KatzDepartment of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3C5, Canada.
Trinda L PennistonDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Caitlin BarryDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Nina MicanovicDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Michael C SetoRoyal Ottawa Health Care Group, Brockville Mental Health Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, K1Z 7K4, Canada.
Meredith L ChiversDepartment of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Queen's University · CARoyal Ottawa Mental Health Centre · CAWilfrid Laurier University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Sexual stimuli, such as sexual videos, images, and narratives describing sexual interactions, are one of many tools used by clinicians and researchers to elicit or augment sexual response. Given the wide variability within sexual stimuli and their effects on sexual response, we provide guidance on when and how to use sexual stimuli, selecting sexual stimuli, and standardizing the use and reporting of sexual stimuli in research and clinical practice. Aim: This expert opinion review article discusses standard operating procedures when using sexual stimuli in clinical and research applications, addressing 3 broad areas: settings in which sexual stimuli are used, characteristics and contexts of the stimuli, and practical and ethical considerations when using the stimuli. Methods: This article is based on an expert opinion review of the sexual psychophysiology literature. Results: First, we discuss the settings in which sexual stimuli are typically used and evaluate the ecological validity of each setting. Second, we review the types of sexual stimuli used in sexual response research, including physical characteristics, depicted sexual activity, and context, and the impacts of these characteristics on sexual response. Last, we discuss the practical and ethical considerations that come with the choice and use of sexual stimuli in clinical and research settings. We address potential limitations of certain sexual stimuli, including practical and ethical considerations such as participant vs experimenter choice, diversity and representation, and proper sourcing of sexual stimuli for use in clinical and research applications. Discussions on the future applications of sexual stimuli, such as the use of virtual reality, and ethical considerations in terms of user-generated Internet sexual stimuli are also explored. Conclusion: We provide an expert opinion review of the literature regarding use of sexual stimuli for clinical and research applications and offer best use practices and recommendations.

Indexed as

audiovisual sexual stimuliethicspornographysexual arousalsexuality sciencesexual response

Identifiers

PMID37256214
PMCPMC10225467
OpenAlexW4378627812

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.