Regression strategies for analyzing the study and pharmacological treatment of sexual response: ANOVA and beyond

As the study of human sexual response becomes increasingly complex to meet the demands of this interdisciplinary field, the need for appropriate analytical tools has grown as well. In this review, we attempt to familiarize sexologists with the wide range of applications of regression analysis to the study of human sexual response. To this end, a typical experiment in human sexual response is described, and the basic regression model for the experiment is provided. Then, depending on the specific question under investigation, the nature of the study variables, and the design of the study, a number of different regression models are suggested, with each describing a specific variation from the basic regression model. Sample outputs are included to enable comparisons across several different models. With this information, researchers may develop a better understanding of the use and flexibility of the regression model in handling the kinds of problems often encountered in the experimental study of human sexual response.