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Buczel KA, Szyszka PD, Mara I. Exploring Compersion: A Study on Polish Consensually Non-Monogamous Individuals and Adaptation of the COMPERSe Questionnaire. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024:10.1007/s10508-024-02930-5. [PMID: 38951409 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02930-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
Compersion is a positive emotion experienced in relation to one's partner's relationship(s) with other partner(s). Experiencing it is highly desired in communities practicing consensual non-monogamy (CNM), especially polyamory. This article presents the results of a study on compersion on Polish CNM individuals. The main goal of the study was to adapt to the Polish-speaking population the COMPERSe (Classifying Our Metamour/Partner Emotional Response Scale; Flicker et al., 2021), the first standardized quantitative scale designed to measure compersion. The analyses were performed on data obtained from 211 individuals in CNM relationships and on a comparative group of 169 people in monogamous relationships. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the three-factor model of the original COMPERSe version did not fit well, leading to further revisions that resulted in a 7-item, two-factor solution with excellent fit, excellent internal consistency, strong divergent and convergent validity, and excellent test-retest stability. The CNM individuals were found to have higher scores on compersion and cognitive empathy and were also less jealous than the monogamous participants. Furthermore, polyamorous individuals experienced more compersion and less aversion to partner's autonomy than people in open relationships. It was also revealed that compersion indirectly predicted relationship satisfaction by decreasing jealousy and that compersion was, in turn, predicted by cognitive empathy. However, when polyamorous and open relationships were analyzed separately, compersion predicted relationship satisfaction directly, but only in polyamorous relationships; meanwhile, in open relationships, satisfaction was directly predicted by cognitive empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Austeja Buczel
- Doctoral School in the Social Sciences, Jagiellonian University, 34 Rynek Główny, 31-010, Kraków, Poland.
| | | | - Izu Mara
- Psychology Department, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Katowice, Poland
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Gray J, Prestage G, Jin F, Phanuphak N, Friedman RK, Fairley CK, Kelleher A, Templeton DJ, Zablotska-Manos I, Hoy J, McNulty A, Baker D, Brown G, Grulich A, Bavinton B. Agreements, Behaviour, and Change: Sex Outside the Relationship in Male HIV-negative Partners in HIV Serodiscordant Relationships in Australia, Brazil, and Thailand. AIDS Behav 2023:10.1007/s10461-023-04030-2. [PMID: 36917425 PMCID: PMC10386966 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-023-04030-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Male HIV serodiscordant couples have diverse relationship agreements regarding sex outside the relationship. We examined the relationship agreements as described by 343 male HIV-negative partners in HIV serodiscordant relationships in Australia, Brazil and Thailand participating in a multi-year cohort study. At baseline, 125 (34.1%) HIV-negative partners reported no agreement, 115 (33.5%) had a monogamous agreement, and 103 (37.9%) had an open agreement allowing sex outside the relationship. Relationship agreements were largely stable over time, with 76% of HIV-negative men reporting the same agreement across follow up, while changes were predominantly towards having an open agreement. Behaviour largely matched relationship agreements, and the predictors of breaking an agreement by having condomless anal intercourse (CLAI) with an outside partner were CLAI within the relationship (OR = 3.17, 95%CI: 1.64-6.14, p < 0.001) and PrEP use in the last three months (OR = 3.42, 95%CI: 1.48-7.92, p = 0.004). When considering HIV transmission risk for HIV-negative men in serodiscordant relationships, greater focus needs to be placed on sex that is occurring outside the relationship and the agreements that facilitate this.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Gray
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | | | - Fengyi Jin
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | | | - Ruth K Friedman
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Christopher K Fairley
- Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Melbourne, Australia
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | | | - David J Templeton
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- Department of Sexual Health Medicine and Sexual Assault Medical Service, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Australia
- Discipline of Medicine, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Iryna Zablotska-Manos
- Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Western Sydney Sexual Health, Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jennifer Hoy
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Hospital, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anna McNulty
- Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Sydney and Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney, Australia
- School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Graham Brown
- Centre for Social Impact, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Andrew Grulich
- The Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
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Șerban I, Salvati M, Enea V. Sexual Orientation and Infidelity-Related Behaviors on Social Media Sites. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:15659. [PMID: 36497734 PMCID: PMC9740560 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192315659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Little research has been focused on offline or online infidelity in GL dating relationships, especially in a post-communist socio-cultural context. Infidelity-related (IR) behaviors on social media sites might be as hurtful to relationships as offline infidelity, both in gay, lesbian (GL) and heterosexual romantic monogamous relationships. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to examine the associations between dyadic satisfaction, attitudes toward infidelity, and problematic internet usage, with IR behaviors on social media sites among GL and heterosexual unmarried individuals in Romanian sexual minority communities. Results showed that GL respondents did not significantly differ from heterosexual participants regarding IR behaviors. Furthermore, we found the main effect of attitudes toward infidelity and problematic internet use on IR behaviors. Sexual orientation highlights the main effect of IR behaviors when analyzed with dyadic satisfaction. The current study may be a precursor to further research investigating correlations in online IR behavior among lesbian and gay individuals engaging in consensual nonmonogamy. Implications of the findings are discussed in the social context of a post-communist country where GL individuals may face discrimination and stigma because of their sexual orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ionela Șerban
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 700554 Iaşi, Romania
| | - Marco Salvati
- Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, 37126 Verona, Italy
| | - Violeta Enea
- Department of Psychology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, 700554 Iaşi, Romania
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Valentova JV, Fernandez AM, Pereira M, Varella MAC. Jealousy Is Influenced by Sex of the Individual, Their Partner, and Their Rival. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:2867-2877. [PMID: 35859261 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02341-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Jealousy is an affective state activated by a perceived threat to a valued relationship by a third party. On average, males report higher distress about their partner's sexual extra-pair involvement, while females show higher emotional jealousy. These sex differences are specific to heterosexuals and to contexts with potential reproductive costs. We tested the effect of sex and sexual orientation of the individual, and sex of the partner and potential rival on sexual versus emotional jealousy. Sexual orientation was operationalized as a willingness to form long-term relationships with men, women, or both. Heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual males (N = 416) and females (N = 1328) from Brazil, Chile, and Portugal responded to the Sexual vs. Emotional Jealousy Scale and then ranked their distress to four hypothetical scenarios: sexual or emotional involvement of their partner with a male or a female rival. This is the first study to simultaneously test for an effect of self, partner, and rival sex on jealousy: bisexual individuals responded twice, about a hypothetical female and about a male partner. Individuals were most preoccupied with their partner's emotional relationship with a rival of the same sex as the respondent. Heterosexual males reported higher sexual jealousy than the other groups, but did not differ from bisexual men responding about female partners. Bisexual females were more upset by sexual extra-pair involvement of their female (versus male) partners with a male rival. Thus, jealousy was influenced by sex and sexual orientation of the individuals, sex of the partners, and also by sex of the rivals: same-sex rivals were perceived as most threatening. This suggests that besides being a strategy to maintain a primary relationship, jealousy is particularly sensitive to same-sex competitors, being an intra-sexual competition strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaroslava Varella Valentova
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Professor Mello de Morais, 1721 - Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-030, Brazil.
| | - Ana Maria Fernandez
- School of Psychology, University of Santiago de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Marco Pereira
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Marco Antonio Correa Varella
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Sao Paulo, Av. Professor Mello de Morais, 1721 - Butantã, São Paulo, SP, 05508-030, Brazil
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Attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy predicted by sociosexual behavior and avoidant attachment. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-00941-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Richter M, Schlegel K, Thomas P, Troche SJ. Adult Attachment and Personality as Predictors of Jealousy in Romantic Relationships. Front Psychol 2022; 13:861481. [PMID: 35496148 PMCID: PMC9039013 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.861481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional relationships between romantic jealousy and traits, such as neuroticism or adult attachment styles, are well-known. For the first time, we conducted a joint analysis of the Big Five traits and attachment dimensions as predictors of jealousy, which considered gender differences as well as differences in infidelity experiences and relationship status. In 847 participants, path modeling showed that higher neuroticism, lower agreeableness, and lower openness predicted higher romantic jealousy. The attachment dimensions “anxiety” and “depend” partly mediated the effect of neuroticism and fully mediated the effect of agreeableness on romantic jealousy. The direct and indirect relationships did not differ as a function of gender, relationship status, and infidelity experiences. These findings contribute to a better understanding of individual differences in romantic jealousy from a personality perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Richter
- Department of Psychology and Psychotherapy, Witten/Herdecke University, Witten, Germany
| | - Katja Schlegel
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Thomas
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Biological sex and psychological gender differences in the experience and expression of romantic jealousy. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2022. [DOI: 10.32872/spb.4161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Romantic jealousy is a multidimensional response to a perceived threat to one’s relationship or self-esteem and the specific emotions experienced in the process are complex and interrelated, affecting one another. Many researchers focus on jealousy-related sex differences, however there are few studies exploring gender-specific jealousy. The current study investigated whether individuals representing various types of biological sex and psychological gender differ in their experience and expression of romantic jealousy. The study involved 367 subjects (213 women, 154 men) ranging in age from 18 to 40 years. The assessments were carried out using the Psychological Gender Inventory based on gender schema theory, proposed by Bem, and the author’s own Questionnaire on the Emotion of Romantic Jealousy. The results of MANOVA showed associations between romantic jealousy and both biological sex and psychological gender, however efforts to save the relationship appear to be the only gender-differentiated response to jealousy. Those with a high level of feminine traits are more likely to take action to preserve their relationships. Overall negative emotions elicited by a partner’s infidelity are stronger in women and in feminine individuals. The results confirm it is necessary to take psychological gender into account in research focusing on jealousy. The findings, however, do not support claims suggesting that men and masculine individuals tend to respond with stronger aggression to a partner’s infidelity, as proposed in the literature.
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Women's Reaction to Opposite- and Same-Sex Infidelity in Three Cultures : Data from Canada, Samoa, and the Istmo Zapotec. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2021; 32:450-469. [PMID: 34191231 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-021-09405-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous research indicates that Euro-American women are more upset by imagining their male partners committing homosexual infidelities than heterosexual ones. The present studies sought to replicate these findings and extend them to two non-Western cultures wherein masculine men frequently engage in sexual interactions with feminine third-gender males. Across six studies in three cultural locales (Canada, Samoa, and the Istmo Zapotec), women were asked to rate their degree of upset when imagining that their partner committed infidelity that was heterosexual in nature, as well as infidelity that was homosexual. In two Canadian undergraduate samples, women reported greater upset at imagining partner infidelity with a female, whereas a community sample of middle-aged women reported equal upset across infidelity types. Samoan women reported substantially less upset at the thought of partner infidelity with a third-gender male (fa'afafine) than with a female. Istmo Zapotec women reported equal upset toward infidelity with a female or a third-gender male (muxe), whereas a second Zapotec sample reported slightly greater upset at the thought of infidelity with a muxe. Results illustrate how cultural contexts moderate the degree to which same-sex infidelity scenarios are upsetting to women.
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