Coping strategies used by hypersexual patients to defend against the painful effects of shame

Abstract

This article reports the fi ndings of a study investigating coping strategies used by hypersexual patients (n = 71), compared with a control group (n = 73), in their attempts to defend against shame. Coping strategies were measured using the Compass of Shame Scale (CoSS) and hypersexual behaviour was measured by the Hyper-sexual Behavior Inventory (HBI). A multivariate analysis of variance of between-group differences was signifi cant, and examination of post hoc univariate tests revealed that the sample of hypersexual patients defended against shame with higher levels of withdrawal and higher tendencies to attack self and others when compared with the control group. The effect sizes of these differences were moderate to large. A categorical analysis of the patient group indicated that the greatest percentages of elevated shame scores were clustered on the Withdrawal and Attack Self subscales of the CoSS. Between-group differences on the Avoidance subscale of the CoSS were not signifi-cant. The results of this study are discussed as they pertain to clinica