Body image and sexual satisfaction of adolescents: The role of lifetime number of sex partners and gender

Abstract

Body image and sexual satisfaction are important aspects of adolescence, since sexual satisfaction is important to become a sexually healthy adult, and body image dissatisfaction is a common and rising problem among adolescents. However, only a few studies assessed the direct link between body image and sexual satisfaction. The current study examined the role of number of lifetime sex partners and gender on the association between body image and sexual satisfaction among adolescents. Data from a digital survey of the cross-sectional study ‘Seks onder je 25ste, 2012’ were used, where 1,442 participants were selected if they were single, heterosexual, sexually active and 15 to 25 years old. Linear regression analyses revealed a positive association between body image and sexual satisfaction, which was partially mediated by number of lifetime sex partners. There was a positive association between body image and number of lifetime sex partners, which was moderated by gender. There was a positive association between number of lifetime sex partners and sexual satisfaction, which was not moderated by gender. In conclusion, it seems that men have more sex partners when they score high on body image, and men and women are more sexually satisfied when they had more sex partners.