Exploring Attitudes Toward “Sugar Relationships” Across 87 Countries : A Global Perspective on Exchanges of Resources for Sex and Companionship
(2023) In Archives of Sexual Behavior- Abstract
The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the... (More)
The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR. Both measures showed adequate psychometric properties in all languages (except the Persian version of ASR-YWMS). Results partially supported our hypotheses and were consistent with previous theoretical considerations and empirical evidence on human mating. For example, at the individual level, sociosexual orientation, traditional gender roles, and pathogen prevalence were significant predictors of both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS. At the country level, gender inequality and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. However, being a woman negatively predicted the ASR-OMWS, but positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. At country-level, ingroup favoritism and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-OMWS. Furthermore, significant cross-subregional differences were found in the openness to sugar relationships (both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS scores) across subregions. Finally, significant differences were found between ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS when compared in each subregion. The ASR-YWMS was significantly higher than the ASR-OMWS in all subregions, except for Northern Africa and Western Asia.
(Less)
- author
- author collaboration
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Cross-cultural comparison, Human mating, Resources for sex, Sugar relationships
- in
- Archives of Sexual Behavior
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:38127113
- scopus:85180167357
- ISSN
- 0004-0002
- DOI
- 10.1007/s10508-023-02724-1
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s).
- id
- bacecd2c-d0cb-4f7c-9e7e-6f9b1898acca
- date added to LUP
- 2024-01-17 13:54:09
- date last changed
- 2024-04-18 03:00:02
@article{bacecd2c-d0cb-4f7c-9e7e-6f9b1898acca,
abstract = {{<p>The current study investigates attitudes toward one form of sex for resources: the so-called sugar relationships, which often involve exchanges of resources for sex and/or companionship. The present study examined associations among attitudes toward sugar relationships and relevant variables (e.g., sex, sociosexuality, gender inequality, parasitic exposure) in 69,924 participants across 87 countries. Two self-report measures of Acceptance of Sugar Relationships (ASR) developed for younger companion providers (ASR-YWMS) and older resource providers (ASR-OMWS) were translated into 37 languages. We tested cross-sex and cross-linguistic construct equivalence, cross-cultural invariance in sex differences, and the importance of the hypothetical predictors of ASR. Both measures showed adequate psychometric properties in all languages (except the Persian version of ASR-YWMS). Results partially supported our hypotheses and were consistent with previous theoretical considerations and empirical evidence on human mating. For example, at the individual level, sociosexual orientation, traditional gender roles, and pathogen prevalence were significant predictors of both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS. At the country level, gender inequality and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. However, being a woman negatively predicted the ASR-OMWS, but positively predicted the ASR-YWMS. At country-level, ingroup favoritism and parasite stress positively predicted the ASR-OMWS. Furthermore, significant cross-subregional differences were found in the openness to sugar relationships (both ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS scores) across subregions. Finally, significant differences were found between ASR-YWMS and ASR-OMWS when compared in each subregion. The ASR-YWMS was significantly higher than the ASR-OMWS in all subregions, except for Northern Africa and Western Asia.</p>}},
author = {{Meskó, Norbert and Kowal, Marta and Láng, András and Kocsor, Ferenc and Bandi, Szabolcs A. and Putz, Adam and Sorokowski, Piotr and Frederick, David A. and García, Felipe E. and Aguilar, Leonardo A. and Studzinska, Anna and Tan, Chee Seng and Gjoneska, Biljana and Milfont, Taciano L. and Topcu Bulut, Merve and Grigoryev, Dmitry and Aavik, Toivo and Boussena, Mahmoud and Mattiassi, Alan D.A. and Afhami, Reza and Amin, Rizwana and Baiocco, Roberto and Brahim, Hamdaoui and Can, Ali R. and Carneiro, Joao and Çetinkaya, Hakan and Chubinidze, Dimitri and Deschrijver, Eliane and Don, Yahya and Dubrov, Dmitrii and Duyar, Izzet and Jovic, Marija and Kamburidis, Julia A. and Khan, Farah and Khun-Inkeeree, Hareesol and Koso-Drljevic, Maida and Lacko, David and Massar, Karlijn and Morelli, Mara and Natividade, Jean C. and Nyhus, Ellen K. and Park, Ju Hee and Pazhoohi, Farid and Pirtskhalava, Ekaterine and Ponnet, Koen and Prokop, Pavol and Šakan, Dušana and Tulyakul, Singha and Wang, Austin H. and Aquino, Sibele D.}},
issn = {{0004-0002}},
keywords = {{Cross-cultural comparison; Human mating; Resources for sex; Sugar relationships}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{Archives of Sexual Behavior}},
title = {{Exploring Attitudes Toward “Sugar Relationships” Across 87 Countries : A Global Perspective on Exchanges of Resources for Sex and Companionship}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02724-1}},
doi = {{10.1007/s10508-023-02724-1}},
year = {{2023}},
}