Compulsive Sexual Behavior in Adolescents: The Roles of Personality, Attachment Orientations, Cognitive Mechanisms, and Psychopathology

Background: The roots of compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) may be traced to a person’s history of interactions with others, background measures (gender, religiosity, personality dispositions, and attachment orientations), cognitive mechanisms (rumination, reflection, and emotion regulation), and psychopathology (depression and anxiety). While research has indicated that personality dispositions combined with an individual’s habitual cognitive strategies are associated with a general vulnerability to mental disorders, the mechanisms leading to CSB among adolescence are not yet been understood. In the present study, I present a model of CSB in adolescence using a transdiagnostic approach aimed at revealing the possible processes linking a person’s background measures to this behavior. Methods: The sample included 350 Israeli high school students (148 males, 202 females) aged 16–18-years-old (M = 17.20, SD = 0.96). Results: Findings indicated that there are direct and indirect effects via cognitive mechanisms and/or psychopathology that are predictors of a disposition toward CSB among adolescents. Conclusion: The findings are discussed in the context of the theoretical model and the development of CSB.