Exploring the Relationships Between Sexual Arousal and Subjective Orgasm Experience on Masturbation in LGB Young Adults

ABSTRACT Background/Objective: Current evidence on the Multidimensional Model of the Subjective Orgasm Experience in the context of solitary masturbation is limited to heterosexual samples. This study explores the model’s validity in LGB individuals by analyzing the relationship between its dimensions (affective, sensory, intimacy, and rewards) and different sexual arousal measures. Method: Seventy-six LGB young adults (38 men, 38 women; aged 18-32) participated in a lab task involving content-neutral and sexually explicit films showing same-sex actors engaged in self-exploration and solitary masturbation. The assessment included subjective orgasm experience (SOE), propensity for sexual excitation, ratings of sexual arousal (RSA) and genital sensations (RGS), and genital response (penile circumference or vaginal pulse amplitude). Regression analyses explored the links between sexual arousal measures and the SOE dimensions. Results: In men, genital response was key: it positively explained affective (β = .34) and rewards (β = .36) dimensions. In women, subjective sexual arousal was more influential: the RSA positively explained sensory (β = .34) and intimacy (β = .66) dimensions, while the RGS negatively explained intimacy (β = -.43). Conclusions: Findings support the model’s validity in LGB populations, revealing gender-specific patterns.