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Gender/Sex Preferences May Moderate the Relationship between Cohabitation and Sibling Incest.
Kelly M Babchishin1, Emma J Holmes2, Rainer Banse3
1Department of Psychology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON, K1S 2B6, Canada. Kelly.Babchishin@carleton.ca.
Sibling cohabitation reduces incestuous interest, but sexual preference significantly influences this effect, especially in males. Understanding sexual orientation is key to explaining incest avoidance mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Human Sexuality
Background:
- Incest avoidance is a complex phenomenon.
- Previous research suggests cohabitation with siblings reduces sexual interest.
- The role of sexual preference in this dynamic is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how gender/sex preference moderates the effect of sibling cohabitation on incest avoidance.
- To explore the relationship between sexual attraction, disgust, and reported sibling sexual contact.
Main Methods:
- Online survey of 1,623 adults with at least one opposite-sex sibling.
- Analysis of cohabitation duration, sexual interest, disgust, and reported sexual contact.
- Examination of gender/sex preference as a moderating variable.
Main Results:
- Longer sibling cohabitation correlated with decreased sexual interest in hypothetical sibling incest.
- For females, higher attraction to males was linked to greater disgust and less sexual interest/contact.
- For males, sexual preference significantly moderated cohabitation's effect on reported sexual contact.
Conclusions:
- Gender/sex preference is a significant factor in understanding incest avoidance.
- Sexual orientation influences the relationship between sibling cohabitation and sexual behavior.
- Future research should incorporate sexual preference to fully explain incest avoidance.
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