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The impact of digital media on sexuality: a descriptive and qualitative study

International Journal of Impotence Research (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

The beliefs about Digital Information and Communication Media (DM) impact on sexuality by people from the community are an essential field to understanding people’s sexual behaviours and their response to others’ sexuality. This cross-sectional, online, descriptive, qualitative study, developed in the context of the celebration of National Sexual Health Day in Portugal, intended to identify the reasons and the activities using DM related to sexuality and explore participant’s beliefs about the impact of DM on sexuality. In August 2021, a convenience sample of 167 people (M = 40.01; SD = 14.67; range 19–75 years old) completed an online survey that was disseminated through social networks and that included two closed questions about internet use and an open question about their personal beliefs about the impact of DM on sexual health. The results showed that most participants were motivated to use DM to search for erotic content (51.5%). DMs are also regularly used for educational purposes, such as seeking information about sexual pleasure and satisfaction (46.1%). Regarding qualitative data, three themes were identified concerning the impact of DM on sexuality: YES, IT’S SEX, SO WHAT?, I’M MORE VULNERABLE NOW! and SEXUAL EXPANSION. DM is an indisputable resource in sexual health, like in other dimensions of health. Still, it may facilitate exposure to contexts of aggression with a harmful impact on mental health, especially for younger people. Taken together, our results reveal that sexuality is part of DM use, and people share beliefs that indicate they may be actively involved in diminishing its hazards and benefiting from its potential.

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The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Andreia Manão for her support throughout the reviewing process. We thank Marta Crawford (sex therapist) and Isabel Moreira (Deputy in the Portuguese Parliament) for their fundamental role in collaboration with Paulo Côrte-Real and Bernardo Mendonça who, together with the involvement of the Portuguese Society of Clinical Sexology led by Patrícia M. Pascoal, and the support of the World Association for Sexual Health, presided by Pedro Nobre, made the National Sexual Health Day possible in Portugal.

Funding

This work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) under HEI-Lab R&D Unit (UIDB/05380/2020, was partially funded by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within the scope of the project 2022.09087.PTDC, and it was partially funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P, through the Research Center for Psychological Science of the Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon (UIDB/04527/2020) that made the first review of the English language of the article possible.

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Author notes

  1. These authors share first authorship because they have contributed equally: Ana Filipa Beato, Patrícia M. Pascoal.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lusófona University, HEI‐Lab: Digital Human‐Environment Interaction Labs, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ana Filipa Beato & Patrícia M. Pascoal

  2. Sociedade Portuguesa de Sexologia Clínica, Bragança, Portugal

    Patrícia M. Pascoal

  3. School of Psychology and Life Sciences, Lusofona University, Lisbon, Portugal

    Joana Rodrigues

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  1. Ana Filipa Beato
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Contributions

Conception and design: PMP and AFB. Acquisition of data: PMP. Analysis and interpretation of data: PMP, AFB and JR. Drafting of manuscript: PMP, AFB and JR. Critical revision of the manuscript: PMP and AFB. Data analysis: PMP, AFB and JR. Material and technical support: N/A. Supervision: PMP.

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Correspondence to Patrícia M. Pascoal.

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The Ethics and Deontological Committee for Scientific Research of the School of Psychology and Life Sciences at Universidade Lusófona in Lisbon approved the study.

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Beato, A.F., Pascoal, P.M. & Rodrigues, J. The impact of digital media on sexuality: a descriptive and qualitative study. Int J Impot Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-024-00865-y

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