Predicting sexual variety based on sensation seeking by mediating cognitive schemas activated among married men referring to counseling centers: a study on the structural equation model

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between sexual variety, activated cognitive schemas and sensation seeking among men. However, research on the development of a structural model for predicting sexual variety based on sensation seeking by mediating cognitive schemas activated among married men has been neglected.

The present study aimed to investigate the structural equation model for predicting sexual variety based on sensation seeking by mediating cognitive schemas activated among married men in Shiraz.

The research method was descriptive-correlational based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all married men referring to counseling centers in Shiraz. Of this number, 240 men were selected by using availability sampling method. For collecting data, sexual variety Questionnaire (Glass & Wright, 1992), Sensation seeking scale (Arnett, 1994), and Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Context Questionnaire (Nobre & Pinto-Gouveia, 2009) were used.The fitness of the proposed model was estimated through structural equation modeling.

The results of the research showed that the research model has a good fit. The results of Pearson 's correlation coefficient test showed that there is a significant relationship between sensation seeking variables, cognitive activated schemas and sexual variety (P<0. 001). The results of path analysis showed that sensation seeking has a direct and indirect effect on cognitive schemas activated in sexual context and sexual variety (P <0.001). The results of regression analysis showed that activated schemas in sexual context have significant effects on sexual variety in married men (P<0.001).

Therefore, it can be concluded that sensation seeking has a direct and indirect significant effect on sexual variety in married men. Activated schemas had a mediating role between sensation seeking components and sexual variety.