92. Association Between Religiosity, Erotophobia and Sexual Subjectivity in Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Background From a young age, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) are taught the importance of gender roles, traditional families, sexual purity and are frequently exposed to public consequences of sexual misconduct. We hypothesize that sexual development in this educational environment leads to high levels of erotophobia (inclination to avoid sexual stimuli) and low levels of sexual subjectivity (SS, seeing oneself as a sexual being and the subject, rather than object, of desire) in emerging adults. We aim to describe the relationship between religiosity, erotophobia and SS in LDS members. Methods Members of the LDS church aged 18-50 were recruited on electronic platforms for an anonymous, IRB-approved survey. Co-primary outcomes were scores on the Sexual Subjectivity Inventory (SSI) and the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS), which measures erotophobia. The main exposure was strong religiosity, as defined by scoring at or above the median on both the Dimensions of Religiosity scale and the Religious Cultural Affiliation scale. We used bivariate analyses to assess differences in demographic and sexual experiences by religiosity. Separate multivariate linear regression was used for the relationship between religiosity and SS. Results 1229 individuals met inclusion criteria; 459 (37.4%) were classified as strongly religious. Table 1 provides demographic characteristics and sexual experiences by religiosity. Table 2 shows the results of the regression models for SSI and SOS outcomes. Lower SOS scores signify higher erotophobia. Strong religiosity was associated with a statistically significant reduction in SSI and SOS scores (-0.1 and -10 points, respectively) after adjusting for covariates. Non-heterosexuality is associated with a 16-point increase in SOS scores (16.8; 95% CI 12.6 - 21.0), and cis-male gender is associated with a 7-point increase in SOS scores (7.7; 95% CI: 4.6,10.9). Conclusions Strong religiosity amongst members of the LDS church is associated with decreased SS and higher erotophobia. Of note, lower religiosity in non-heterosexual respondents may be a strategy to reconcile their ongoing membership in a church with strong rhetoric against homosexuality. Our findings are relevant to adolescent health because erotophobia has been associated with sexual dysfunction, contraceptive selection and lower healthcare utilization. Furthermore, SS is essential for healthy sexual development and associated with overall well-being amongst adolescents. Strengths of this hypothesis-generating study include large sample size and use of standardized instruments. These conclusions can direct future studies evaluating the impact of specific religious rhetoric on sexual development and education.