As populations in the Western world age, interest in the sexual health and well-being of older adults has grown substantially, yet positive models of sexual aging remain underexplored-especially across diverse relational contexts. To address this gap, the Successful Sexual Aging (SSA) model was recently proposed. This model conceptualizes positive sexual aging as a dynamic process involving three interrelated psychosocial domains: acceptance of physical and sexual changes, adaptation to those changes, and the presence of opportunities for sexual expression. These domains were operationalized as a latent construct, which was validated and explored for culture-specific elements in partnered older adults. Given the importance of a close partnership for older adults' sexuality, but also the fact that many older adults, women in particular, are non-partnered, the current study focused on the assessment of differences in positive sexual aging between partnered and non-partnered older German (N = 1,328, Mage = 69.2) and Croatian adults (N = 301, Mage = 68.8). Using measurement invariance testing and a network analytic approach, we identified important differences in reported obstacles to sexual expression between partnered and non-partnered older adults, and the robustness (connectivity) of the network of SSA-indicating items. Overall, SSA seemed to be somewhat more difficult for older non-partnered adults compared to their partnered peers. Although the 9-item measure of SSA can be used to reliably assess the process of sexual aging in both partnered and non-partnered older individuals, direct comparisons should be avoided due to partnership-specific properties of positive sexual aging.

BACKGROUND:Despite the findings that older adults in post-industrial countries value sexual vitality and sexual expression more than previous generations, cross-cultural research in positive sexual aging has been very limited. Building on a new (non-normative) process-based concept, the Successful Sexual Aging Model, and its recent three-dimensional operationalization, the current study aimed to provide systematic evidence about cultural differences in positive sexual aging. METHODS:Using data from four countries - Croatia (n = 201), Germany (n = 895), Portugal (n = 191) and Japan (n = 391) - collected from older partnered individuals aged ≥65 years in quota-based national online panels (the Portuguese convenience-based community sample was an exception), we used a novel social network analytic approach to assess similarities and differences in the structure of successful sexual aging (SSA). RESULTS:Although the basic composition of SSA was confirmed across the countries, most structural links connecting the three psychosocial processes (acceptance, adaptation and opportunities) that were proposed to underlie SSA were culture specific. Emerging patterns of differences did not indicate a marked distinctiveness of SSA in Japan, when compared with the European countries. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings represent an initial step toward exploring cultural differences in positive sexual aging.

Objectives:A novel process-based conceptual model of positive sexual aging, the Successful Sexual Aging Model, was recently proposed. Given the developmental, epidemiological, and sexological literature on gendered aspects of human sexuality, the current study explored gender differences in successful sexual aging (SSA) among partnered older adults who participated in a cross-cultural research project on aging and sexuality. The assessment was also important for the model's conceptualization of the gendered micro, meso, and macro factors that were assumed to affect SSA. Method:Three analytical approaches were employed-(a) latent construct measurement invariance testing, (b) latent profile analysis, and (c) network analysis-to tackle the gender-specificity question from distinct analytical perspectives. In total, 773 older women (M age = 69.9, SD = 4.2) and 1054 older men (M age = 70.4, SD = 4.4) from Croatia, Germany, Portugal, and Japan participated in the survey. The data was collected between June 2024 and May 2025. The 9-item Successful Sexual Aging Scale was used as the latent outcome. Results:Overall, marked similarities in SSA among older partnered female and male adults were observed in the overall latent structure of SSA, the pattern and size of participants' latent SSA profiles, and the general topology of the network of SSA items. However, at a fine-grain level, several gender-specific differences emerged-most notably women's lower latent means on two of the three SSA facets, somewhat different configuration of latent profiles, and gender-specificity in the SSA network connectivity. Conclusions:The recently introduced measure of SSA can be reliably used for direct gender comparisons. More research is needed to clarify if the observed (dis)similarities may be related to perceived quality of relationship, education, internalization of sexual ageism, or a combination of these factors. Dyadic studies might assist in illuminating some of the subtle gender differences that emerged in this study.

The increasing importance of sexual expression among older Europeans calls for a more comprehensive understanding of the process of sexual aging. Combining social gerontological and sexological theories, the current study aimed to conceptualize and operationalize a process-focused model of successful sexual aging (the SSAM). Using a Croatian sample of older partnered individuals (n = 200; Mage = 71.2) and a large-scale German sample of both partnered (n = 442; Mage = 69.2) and non-partnered individuals (n = 971; Mage = 69.2), we developed and validated a 9-item measure of successful sexual aging. The 3-dimensional Successful Sexual Aging Scale (SSAS) reflects two internal processes (acceptance of and adaptation to aging-related changes) and an external one (opportunities for sexual expression). The measure was age, gender, and (to a large extent) culture invariant in older partnered individuals. With a minor adjustment (re-wording of a single item), the SSAS assessed positive sexual aging comparably well in non-partnered individuals. As hypothesized, the measure was significantly related to positive attitudes about older people’s sexuality, life and relationship satisfaction, subjective age, and self-reported health. SSAS scores, which were lower among Croatian than German participants, were also linked to lower levels of social isolation, as well as depression and anxiety symptoms. The new measure can be useful in a range of quantitative assessments of older people’s sexuality and well-being. Furthermore, the concept of successful sexual aging may assist in challenging ageism and in interventions focusing on positive sexual aging. Not applicable.

Studies assessing the relationship between religiosity and sexual behaviors in youth are limited by their use of single-aspect measures of religiosity, assumption of linearity, and focus on coital behaviors. This study assessed how multidimensional latent profiles of religiosity were associated both with sexual risk behaviors and noncoital sex. Data were gathered using a national sample of emerging adults in Croatia (N = 1,210; Mage = 21.74, 48.0 percent female). Latent profile analysis provided a three-profile model as the most robust solution, differentiating among the low, moderate, and high religiosity groups. The gradient pattern (differences among all profiles) was observed only in the association between religiosity and the frequency of masturbation and experiencing oral sex. The relationship between religiosity and other sexual behaviors either was nonlinear or not found. Overall, religiosity was associated with a more limited sexual repertoire. Its protective effect in sexual risk taking was small but relevant for the most religious youth.

Findings since 2000 about the association between the frequency of religious service attendance (formal religiosity) and sexual risk taking in adolescents and emerging adults were explored. A systematic literature search (April 2020) focused on articles with data on religiosity and age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use. A total of 27 studies with 37,430 participants (M-age = 18.4, range: 12-25, 43.5% male) were included. In random-effects meta-analysis, the link between formal religiosity and sexual risk taking was significant only for age at sexual debut (r = 0.09, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.13) and the number of sexual partners (r = -0.14, 95% CI = -0.19, -0.09). Weak associations between the constructs of interest indicate that formal religiosity is not sufficient to protect young people's sexual health.

AIM:To assess the prevalence and dynamics of risky sexual behaviors among Croatian emerging adults in the 2005-2021 period.METHODS:Three surveys were conducted on large-scale national samples of young adults aged 18-24 in 2005 (N=1092) and 18-25 in 2010 and 2021 (N=1005 and N=1210, respectively). The 2005 and 2010 studies were conducted with face-to-face interviews on stratified probabilistic samples. The 2021 study was conducted by computer-assisted web-interviewing on a quota-based random sample from the largest national online panel.RESULTS:Compared with 2005 and 2010, the age at coital debut increased for both genders in 2021 (by a median of one year, to 18 years, and by a mean of half a year, to 17.5 years, in men and to 17.9 in women). In the 2005-2021 period, condom use increased by about 15% both at first intercourse (to 80%) and in consistent use (to 40% in women and 50% in men). When we controlled for basic socio-demographics, Cox and logistic regressions indicated that, for both genders, in 2005 and 2010 compared with 2021, the risks/odds were significantly higher for reporting an earlier sexual debut (adjusted hazard ratio 1.25-1.37), multiple sexual partners (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.62-3.31), and concurrent relationships (AOR 3.36-4.64), while the odds were lower for condom use at first sexual intercourse (AOR 0.24-0.46) and consistently (AOR 0.51-0.64).CONCLUSION:Risky sexual behaviors decreased in the 2021 survey compared with the previous two waves, in both genders. Nonetheless, sexual risk-taking is still frequent among young Croatian adults. The introduction of sexuality education and other national-level public health interventions to reduce sexual risk-taking thus remains a public health imperative.

The study examined whether recent changes in the expression of religiosity among youth in Croatia affected its association with sexuality. Two waves of a cross-sectional national survey of participants aged 18-25 years from 2010 (n = 1,005) and 2021 (n = 1,210) were used for analyses. Two data harmonisation procedures - required due to dif-ferent sampling strategies and recent changes in the expres-sion of religiosity in the country - are presented first. Taking into account the non-linearity of the relationship between religiosity and emerging adults' sexual behaviour, a sub-stantial decrease in the contribution of religiosity to delayed sexual initiation was observed. Associations between religio-sity on the one hand, and age at first sexual intercourse and the number of sexual partners on the other hand, were found almost exclusively among the most religious youth. In addition, this relationship remained stable and marginal in the observed period. Although a significant decrease in sexual risk-taking among emerging Croatian adults over the observed period was recently reported, this change should not be attributed to the effect of religiosity.

Although there is some evidence that religious faith may offer protection against sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood, no attempts have been made to systematically quantify the association.Using data from studies conducted in the 2000-2020 period, this meta-analysis aimed to estimate the link between religious faith and four sexual risk-taking behaviors in samples of adolescents and emerging adults.Five different search systems were used to conduct a systematic literature search in April 2020. Studies that contained quantitative data on religious faith and at least one indicator of sexual risk taking (age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use) were searched for. In total, 35 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, in English, were identified. Random-effects meta-analytic approach was used to assess target associations among 41,758 adolescents and emerging adults (Mage = 18.9 years, 37% male). To estimate the effect across the four risk indicators, we employed robust variance estimation (RVE) method.We found small associations between religious faith on the one hand and age at sexual debut (r = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.12) and the number of sexual partners on the other hand (r = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.21, -0.09). No association with condom use was observed. With all studies included, the overall effect size was 0.11 (95% CI = 0.06, 0.16), indicating a small (protective) role of religious faith in young people's sexual risk taking.Considering the limited role of religious faith in young people's sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education remains essential for risk-reduction, even among more religious young people.

In longitudinal studies of pornography use, selective loss of participants who may be more vulnerable to the effects of pornography than their peers is a serious concern. To explore the potential for such selective dropout, we used data from two independent large-scale panel studies of adolescents' pornography use. Of the three types of attrition-early attrition, later attrition, and gaps in participation-only the first was substantially higher among more vulnerable adolescents, compared with other participants. Panel type (online vs. classroom-based) moderated only the association between vulnerability and participation gaps, which was significant in the classroom-based but not the online panel. Overall, this study's findings point to the importance of delaying selective dropout by developing a comprehensive plan of action, for which we offer some guidelines.

Rationale: Although there is some evidence that religious faith may offer protection against sexual risk taking in adolescence and emerging adulthood, no attempts have been made to systematically quantify the association. Objective: Using data from studies conducted in the 2000-2020 period, this meta-analysis aimed to estimate the link between religious faith and four sexual risk-taking behaviors in samples of adolescents and emerging adults. Methods: Five different search systems were used to conduct a systematic literature search in April 2020. Studies that contained quantitative data on religious faith and at least one indicator of sexual risk taking (age at sexual debut, number of sexual partners, condom use at most recent sexual intercourse, and consistent condom use) were searched for. In total, 35 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, in English, were identified. Random effects meta-analytic approach was used to assess target associations among 41,758 adolescents and emerging adults (M-age = 18.9 years, 37% male). To estimate the effect across the four risk indicators, we employed robust variance estimation (RVE) method. Results: We found small associations between religious faith on the one hand and age at sexual debut (r = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.03, 0.12) and the number of sexual partners on the other hand (r = -0.15, 95% CI = -0.21,-0.09). No association with condom use was observed. With all studies included, the overall effect size was 0.11 (95% CI = 0.06, 0.16), indicating a small (protective) role of religious faith in young people's sexual risk taking. Conclusions: Considering the limited role of religious faith in young people's sexual and reproductive health, comprehensive sexuality education remains essential for risk-reduction, even among more religious young people.

Little is known about possible impact of sexually explicit material (SEM) or pornography use on young people’s sexual socialization. The efforts so far have been characteristically brief (one-item measures assessing self-rated influence of pornography on one’s sex life were often used) and direct – thus vulnerable to normative expectations and socially desirable answers. According to our conceptualization, pornographic imagery competes with other socially available sexual narratives in the process of sexual scripting, particularly in the formation of personal sexual scripts. It should be, therefore, possible to retrospectively assess the impact of SEM on sexual socialization by measuring the overlap between a pornographic and personal depiction of sex, which is what the Sexual Scripts Overlap Scale (SSOS) does. The SSOS has been recently found a useful tool in modeling mediated effects of early SEM use on sexual satisfaction of young adults. To facilitate wider application of this composite measure, a brief but more robust version of the scale (SSOS-S ; k=20) has been developed and validated using two online surveys. The paper includes description of the scale, including scale items and scoring procedure, as well as the results of reliability and validity tests (construct, convergent, and divergent validity were assessed).

Diljem svijeta vjerske zajednice i laička vjerski orijentirana udruženja potiču vjernike, osobito mlade, na aktivan angažman u promicanju i zaštiti religijskih vrijednosti. U Hrvatskoj se vjerski društveni angažman promovira i prakticira već desetljećima, no taj je iskaz religioznosti ostao posve neistraženim. U svrhu stvaranja pretpostavki za izučavanje raširenosti, oblika, pozadine i učinaka takve vjerske prakse, u radu se predstavlja izrada i metrijska provjera Skale vjerom inspiriranoga društvenog angažmana (VIDA). U kvalitativnome dijelu istraživanja kreirano je 16 indikatora konceptualno predviđenih dimenzija humanitarnoga, evangelizacijskog, građanskog i političkoga društvenog angažmana. Anketni, evaluacijski, dio istraživanja proveden je na slučajnom uzorku mladih u dobi od 18 do 25 godina (N = 552), selektiranih iz velikoga nacionalnog internetskog panela. Struktura i spolna invarijatnost VIDA-e provjerena je konfirmacijskom faktorskom analizom, a valjanost njezinim povezivanjem s drugim mjerama religioznosti te srodnim stavovskim i vrijednosnim obilježjima. Za cjelinu i podskale VIDA-e analizama je demonstrirana kriterijska, konstruktna i diskriminacijska valjanost, visoka interna konzistentnost, dobro pristajanje latentne strukture podacima te podjednaka primjenjivost na mlade muškarce i žene u Hrvatskoj. Na kraju rada kratko se raspravlja o ograničenjima i mogućnostima uporabe nove mjere.

According to Confluence Model theorizing, pornography use contributes to sexual violence, but only among men who are predisposed to sexual aggression. Support for this assertion is limited to cross-sectional research, which cannot speak to the temporal ordering of assumed causes and consequences. To address this issue we employed generalized linear mixed modeling to determine if hostile masculinity, impersonal sexuality, and pornography, and their interactions, predicted change in the odds of subsequently reported sexual aggression in two independent panel samples of male Croatian adolescents. While we observed the link between hostile masculinity and self-reported sexual aggression in both panels, we found no evidence that impersonal sexuality and pornography use increased the odds of subsequently reporting sexual aggression—regardless of participants’ predisposed risk. This study’s findings are difficult to reconcile with view that pornography use plays a causal role in male sexual violence.

Content progression thesis (CPT), a direct application of conditioning theories to conceptualizing exposure to pornography, proposes that pornography use leads to viewing increasingly more extreme material due to the effect of satiation. To test this assumption, association between the frequency of pornography use and the preference for violent and coercive content were examined over a 24-month period using an online panel sample of male adolescents. Participants were 248 high school students who took part in at least three of five waves of the PROBIOPS study. The average baseline age was 16.1. Dual-domain latent growth curve modeling was used to test the CPT. The preference for violent/coercive pornography was found to decrease over time. Moreover, its dynamics was unrelated to latent growth in pornography use. In this first longitudinal assessment, the CPT was not found to be a useful model for understanding the patterns and potential consequences of adolescent pornography use.