Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42510297›Full record

ArticleBehavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)2026

Associations Between Solitary Masturbation Parameters and Sexual Arousal in Partnered Sexual Activity.

Gracia M Sánchez-Pérez, Juan Carlos Sierra

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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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

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

2 authors.

Gracia M Sánchez-PérezMind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-2578-0560
Juan Carlos SierraMind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-5593-9803

Funding

Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Business and University PREDOC_00289Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and UCE-PP2023-11/ UGR
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Given the limited empirical evidence regarding the relationship between masturbation and sexual functioning, this study aimed to examine the association between multiple masturbation parameters-age of first masturbation, negative attitudes toward masturbation, solitary sexual desire, current frequency, and the intensity of the subjective orgasm experience-and self-reported sexual arousal within partnered sexual activity. Drawing on complementary and compensatory models, gender differences in these associations were also explored. A total of 1028 Spanish cisgender adults (469 men and 559 women; aged 18-70 years) who had engaged in heterosexual sexual activity and reported prior masturbation experience completed standardized measures assessing masturbation-related variables and sexual functioning. Separate multiple regression analyses were conducted for men and women, including self-reported overall sexual arousal and self-reported genital responses (penile erection and vaginal lubrication) as outcome variables. In men, the regression models explained a small proportion of the variance. Solitary sexual desire emerged as a positive predictor of self-reported sexual arousal, whereas no masturbation parameters were associated with self-reported penile erection, which was negatively predicted by age. In women, the models showed greater explanatory power. Self-reported sexual arousal was positively predicted by solitary sexual desire and the sensory dimension of the subjective orgasm experience. Self-reported vaginal lubrication was positively associated with these same variables and negatively associated with negative attitudes toward masturbation. Overall, the findings suggest gender-differentiated patterns in the relationship between masturbation and sexual arousal. In men, results are partially consistent with a compensatory framework, whereas in women they support a complementary model, highlighting the role of subjective and attitudinal factors in sexual functioning. These results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of masturbation and its relevance to sexual health, emphasizing the importance of considering multiple dimensions of sexual experience.

Indexed as

complementary and compensatory modelsmasturbation parameterspartnered sexual activitysexual arousalsexual functioning

Identifiers

PMID42510297
PMCPMC13404198

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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.