Sexual well-being of immigrants : a person-centered analysis revealing distinct sexual well-being experiences

While sexual activity is common across all cultures, it remains unclear whether people from different ethnocultural backgrounds experience sexual well-being—the emotional and physical aspects of a satisfying sex life—universally or heterogeneously. The limited research finds ethnocultural mean differences in sexual well-being but overlooks the possibility of diverse sexual well-being experiences within and similarities between ethnocultural groups. This study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify naturally occurring subgroups of individuals who share similar patterns across four key indicators of sexual well-being: desire, satisfaction, distress, and guilt. In a large, ethnoculturally diverse sample of immigrants to North America (N = 1,751), LPA identified four distinct profiles that reflected both quantitative and qualitative differences in how the facets of sexual well-being co-occurred. The profile with the largest membership, Sexually Flourishing, reflected high sexual well-being, while the profile with the smallest membership, Sexually Frustrated, reflected poor sexual well-being. The other two profiles—Sexually Inhibited and Sexually Discrepant—reflected poorer sexual well-being relative to Sexually Flourishing profile and unique patterns of interrelation among the indicators. Indeed, the Sexually Inhibited profile showed very low desire and high guilt without distress, whereas the Sexually Discrepant profile reflected moderate desire and some satisfaction with elevated distress. Relational and behavioral variables—namely being single and engaging in less partnered sex—were the most consistent predictors of membership into profiles reflecting lower sexual well-being. Fewer years spent in North America also predicted membership into profiles indicative of poorer sexual well-being. In contrast, most demographic and ethnocultural predictors (e.g., age, gender, religiosity, ethnocultural background, migration generational status) did not predict profile membership. Our findings demonstrate that sexual well-being is a multidimensional experience that is heterogenous across individuals, rather than being determined by fixed demographic or cultural characteristics. Access to partnered sexual experiences and the relational contexts that facilitate them seem to be key ingredients for sexual flourishing across diverse populations.