Study Highlights Need for Sexual Addiction Screening on College Campuses

Why College Campuses May Be an Overlooked Frontline for Sexual Addiction

Most conversations about sexual addiction center on adults who are further along in life, often married or in long-term relationships. Yet many researchers believe the roots of this pattern take hold much earlier. A study published in Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity turns attention to a population that has received far less research focus: college students.

The study, conducted by Craig S. Cashwell, Amanda L. Giordano, Todd F. Lewis, Kate A. Wachtel, and Jodi L. Bartley, explored whether a brief, practical screening tool could help identify college students who may be at risk for sexual addiction and could benefit from further assessment.

A Critical Window in Young Adulthood

The researchers grounded their work in a widely held view within the field: sexual addiction often develops during young adulthood, precisely the stage of life when many people are in college. This makes campus counseling centers a potentially important, and currently underused, point of early identification.

Despite this, college counselors have historically had limited tools designed specifically for this population. The research team set out to test whether an existing screening instrument, one already validated in other contexts, could serve this need effectively.

Testing a Practical Screening Tool

The tool at the center of this study is called PATHOS, a brief screening questionnaire originally developed by Patrick Carnes and colleagues in 2012. PATHOS was designed to be a quick, accessible way for clinicians to flag individuals who may need a more thorough evaluation for sexual addiction, without requiring the time and depth of a full diagnostic assessment.

To explore how PATHOS might function within a college population specifically, the researchers collected data from 379 undergraduate students. Rather than treating this as a definitive diagnostic study, the team approached it as a preliminary exploration, a first step toward understanding whether this tool has real utility for campus counselors working with young adults.

What the Data Revealed

The results pointed to a pattern worth taking seriously. Among the students surveyed, 21.2 percent of males and 6.7 percent of females endorsed three or more items on the PATHOS questionnaire, a threshold suggesting a need for further assessment.

Numbers like these matter because they put a concrete figure on something that has often been discussed anecdotally. A meaningful portion of the college population, particularly young men, may be showing early signs consistent with sexual addiction, often well before they encounter treatment or even language to describe what they are experiencing.

A Call for Careful, Continued Research

The authors were thoughtful about the limitations of a preliminary study like this one. Their findings were framed not as a final word, but as a foundation, and the research team explicitly highlighted the need for additional research on college populations moving forward.

That kind of scientific caution matters. A single study, especially one exploring a new application of an existing tool, raises important questions rather than settling them. Does the PATHOS threshold used here hold up in larger and more diverse college samples? Do these early risk indicators predict later, more serious patterns of sexual addiction? Would earlier identification change the course of someone's life if paired with the right support?

Why This Research Matters

If sexual addiction genuinely takes root during young adulthood, then college campuses represent a significant opportunity for early identification and intervention, one that the field has only begun to explore. A simple, well validated screening tool that campus counselors can use with confidence could make a meaningful difference in getting students connected to help sooner rather than later.

This kind of practical, applied research complements the larger scientific questions AFAR supports, from genetic origins to psychometric validation. Understanding not just what sexual addiction is, but when and how it first begins to show up, is essential to building effective prevention and treatment across the lifespan.

Help Expand Research Like This

AFAR is committed to supporting research that identifies sexual addiction earlier and reaches populations that have historically been overlooked, including young adults and college students. Studies like this one help pave the way toward more effective prevention and earlier support for those who need it.

If you would like to support AFAR's continued investment in this kind of research, consider making a donation today.

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Source: Cashwell, C. S., Giordano, A. L., Lewis, T. F., Wachtel, K. A., & Bartley, J. L. (2015). Using the PATHOS Questionnaire for Screening Sexual Addiction Among College Students: A Preliminary Exploration. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 22(2), 154-166.