Sexual Cognitions of Dominance and Submission: Effects of Gender and Sexual Orientation

Background/Aim: Sexual cognitions may differ depending on gender and sexual orientation. This study aimed to examine the effect of gender, sexual orientation, and their interaction on the frequency of positive sexual cognitions (PSC) and negative sexual cognitions (NSC) of dominance and submission. This is a seminal study to differentiate between PSC and NSC across diverse sexual orientations. Method: Participated in the study a total of 1,308 cisgender Spanish adults aged 18 to 79 years (M = 31.66, SD = 11.42), divided into four groups: heterosexual men (n = 394), heterosexual women (n = 397), gay men (n = 355), and lesbian women (n = 162). Results: Regarding gender, men reported higher frequencies of both dominance and submission PSC, whereas women reported higher frequencies of submission NSC. Concerning sexual orientation, significant differences emerged only for submission NSC, with lesbian and gay participants reporting higher frequencies. The gender x sexual orientation interactions revealed several counterintuitive patterns across dominance and submission PSC as well as dominance NSC. Lesbian women and heterosexual men resembled each other, and gay men resembled heterosexual women, more than their gender counterparts. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of considering gender and sexual orientation differences when examining sexual cognitions concerning dominance and submission.