Compulsive Sexual Behavior and HIV/STI Risk: a Review of Current Literature

Purpose of Review: The current literature consistently links compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) to sexual risk behaviors among diverse populations. Controversy over the conceptualization of CSB has led to challenges in formulating standardized treatment options and health promotion/prevention strategies. However, the increase in empirical research on this topic has led to a greater understanding of CSB and evidence for subtypes including the consumption of sexually explicit media (SEM) via the Internet. Recent Findings: While the etiology of CSB is under debate, the absence of standard criteria and measures supports the heterogeneity of the condition and emphasizes the importance of other factors (e.g., developmental stage, personality characteristics, cultural background, and gender concepts) in making a comprehensive clinical assessment. Moreover, there is growing empirical support that CSB contributes to a syndemics model of HIV risk, which suggests the importance of additive and complex effects of co-occurring factors in sexual risk taking. While much scientific progress has been made on CSB in the past few years, it remains a pliable topic. Summary: Further exploration on varying levels of CSB severity and the determination of clinically and contextually appropriate cutoff points using existing measures of CSB could provide a greater understanding of this condition, leading to more effective treatment and prevention options.