Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40264009›Full record

ArticleBasic and clinical andrology2025

Prevalence of masturbation and masturbation guilt and associations with partnered sex among married heterosexual Chinese males in an outpatient clinical setting: a retrospective single center study.

Zheng Zhang, Nan Zhang

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Article in Basic and clinical andrology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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2citing papers in PubMed
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3 · Its place in the literature

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2 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

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2 authors.

Zheng ZhangDepartment of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310009, China. 2318083@zju.edu.cn.
Nan ZhangDepartment of Urology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310009, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSolo masturbation is not an activity performed exclusively in single males but can also occur among married males, and is often associated with feelings of guilt. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of solo masturbation and associated masturbation guilt and the possible associated factors, including age, residence type (rural or urban), duration of marriage, parental status, income level, education level, body mass index, current smoking and drinking status, anxiety and depression status and their possible associations with the frequency of partnered sex among married heterosexual Chinese males. MATERIALS AND

methodsA series of males attending our outpatient clinic were included and analyzed in the study. Approximately 71.2% (334/469) of these males had engaged in masturbation during the studying period, whereas 76.6% (256/334) of those who reported engaging in masturbation reported at least some sense of guilt.

resultsMasturbation frequency was weakly positively associated with young age (OR 1.11) and education level (OR 1.24), whereas weak positive correlations were found between masturbation guilt and young age, anxiety and depression level (ORs ranged from 1.08 to 1.30). In addition, we found that the frequency of partnered sex was weakly positively associated with a masturbation frequency of less than once a month (adjusted OR 1.50) and once a month (adjusted OR 1.35). A weak positive correlation was observed between the frequency of partnered sex and a little sense of guilt (adjusted OR 1.60). In contrast, a weak negative association was observed between the frequency of partnered sex and a very big sense of guilt, with an adjusted OR of 1.67.

conclusionsIn summary, in married heterosexual Chinese males, masturbation along with its associated guilt is a relatively frequent phenomenon. We obtained evidence supporting both compensatory and complementary relationships between masturbation, masturbation guilt and the frequency of partnered sex. Masturbation and its related guilt should receive more attention in clinical practice, given its high prevalence and possible relationship with partnered sex and couple relationships.

Indexed as

FrequencyMarried malesMasturbationMasturbation guiltPartnered sex

Identifiers

PMID40264009
PMCPMC12013116

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