The assumption has been that having multiple sex partners creates or masks anxiety, depression and creates higher rates of alcohol and drug abuse. New research says those assumptions are false.
Researchers now say that the correlation between drug abuse and sexual behavior is not clear, according to Psychology Today. There is no way to prove that those with depression are "self-medicating," or if because of multiple sex partners, they feel excessive shame (like females would from a societal "double standard" dictating their expressed sexuality is wrong).
Prior psychological disorders were taken into account for the male and female subjects. According to the study, "the odds of developing substance dependence increased virtually linearly with the number of sex partners." For women, the increase was pronounced, but in total, depression and anxiety did not increase with the number of sexual partners; "the mental health effects were limited to substance use."
The researchers also noted that people in situations with drugs and alcohol may have access to more partners (living a "riskier" lifestyle), so it might be possible that the lifestyle is what creates the potential for substance abuse and not the number of partners.
