Natural Course of Compulsive Sexual Behavior (CSB): a 1-Year Follow-up Study

Abstract

Despite the recognition of compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) as a diagnostic entity in the ICD-11, few works have reported on its natural course. The aim of this study was to explore the natural course of CSB over a 1-year period, as well as to analyze the predictive power of different risk factors. A convenience sample of 154 young adults were assessed at baseline and after 1 year. Dimensionally, we found that scores on most CSB symptoms significantly decreased at 1 year (d between .20 and .35). On the contrary, severity of problematic use of online sexual activities increased (d = 0.22). Regression analyses revealed that sexual orientation (being bisexual) and religious beliefs (atheist) were significant predictors of the trajectory of CSB. However, after controlling for baseline levels of CSB, only openness to experience (β between − .167 and − .199), sexual sensation seeking (β between .169 and .252), anxiety (β = .363), and depression (β between .163 and .297) predicted an increased risk of CSB over time. Categorically, diagnostic consistency of CSB at 1 year was modest. These findings suggest that the natural course of CSB tends to be highly transient and inconsistent, and that classic risk factors for its occurrence have a limited predictive power over its natural course.