(387) STIGMA TOWARDS ANAL SEX: A STUDY ON THE ITALIAN POPULATION

Most research on anal sex is focused on the risks and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections. Anal sex behavior is also often under-reported, likely due to stigma. The present study aimed at understanding the correlation between attitude and stigma towards anal sex and sexual habits of people who engage in anal sex. Furthermore, it included a validation of the Italian version of the questionnaire “The Anal Sex Stigma Scales”.

The study was carried out as an online questionnaire (N = 1061, age 16-73), it included questions to investigate attitude and behavior around anal sex, the “The Anal Sex Stigma Scales”, questionnaires on social desirability, disgust propensity, attitudes towards homosexuality and sex wellbeing. Data analysis consisted of the computation of descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), as well as of post hoc analyses for the latter.

3 out of 4 participants had tried anal sex at least once. Women of any sexual orientation were mostly worried about pain (F = 7.370; p < .001; η² = .156) and getting dirty (F = 3.948; p < .001; η² =.090) during anal stimulation. Heterosexual men, on the other hand, were apprehensive about receiving anal penetration because of the social stigma around it (F = 15.743; p < .001; η² = .282). The hypothesis that fear of pain, disgust and negative attitudes towards homosexuality would be higher in participants who have never tried anal sex was partially supported by the data: this was only true for men.

The study showed significant gender differences in terms of the attitude and the habits: a significant association of fear of pain, disgust and refusal of trying anal sex in men, but not in women. It also revealed that the reasons for engaging in anal sex are different across genders, regardless of the sexual orientation.

Donatella Fiacchino, Gioele Salvatori, Lorenzo Borrello, Daniel Giunti and Paolo Antonelli declare that they have no conflict of interest.