Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study examined the impact of general and sexual communication on couples’ overall and sexual satisfaction. Data were collected from 116 heterosexual, monogamous couples in relationships of at least three months’ duration. Open sexual communication accounted for unique variance in both sexual and overall relationship satisfaction; general communication effectiveness did so only for overall satisfaction. The relationship between open sexual communication and overall satisfaction was stronger for males, and the relationship between open sexual communication and sexual satisfaction was stronger for couples who had been together longer. The three-way interaction of open sexual communication, relationship length, and gender significantly predicted overall relationship satisfaction but not sexual satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction mediated the relationship between open sexual communication and overall satisfaction.

Keywords

communication couples intimacy relationship satisfaction romantic relationships self-disclosure sexual communication sexual satisfaction

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Altman, I. , & Taylor, D.A. ( 1973). Social penetration: The development of interpersonal relationships. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Banmen, J. , & Vogel, N.A. ( 1985). The relationship between marital quality and interpersonal sexual self-disclosure. Family Therapy, 12, 45-58.

Byers, E.S. , & Demmons, S. ( 1999). Sexual satisfaction and sexual self-disclosure within dating relationships. Journal of Sex Research, 36, 180-189.

Carrere, S. , & Gottman, J.M. ( 1999). Predicting divorce among newlyweds from the first three minutes of a marital conflict discussion. Family Process, 38, 293-301.

Christensen, A. , & Shenk, J.L. ( 1991). Communication, conflict, and psychological distance in nondistressed, clinic, and divorcing couples. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 458-463.

Cupach, W.R. , & Comstock, J. ( 1988). Satisfaction with sexual communication in marriage: Links to sexual satisfaction and dyadic adjustment. In D. O’Hair & B. Patterson (Eds.), Advances in interpersonal communication research: A Proceedings of the WSCA Convention (pp. 185-197). Las Cruces, NM: Communication Resources Center of New Mexico State University.

Cupach, W.R. , & Comstock, J. ( 1990). Satisfaction with sexual communication in marriage: Links to sexual satisfaction and dyadic adjustment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 179-186.

Cupach, W.R. , & Metts, S. ( 1991). Sexuality and communication in close relationships. In K. McKinney & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Sexuality in close relationships (pp. 93-110). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Eldridge, K.A. , Lawrence, E. , & Christensen, A. (1999). Research methods with couples . In P. C. Kendall , J. N. Butcher , & G. N. Holmbeck (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology 2nd edn., (pp. 681-699). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

10.

Hendrick, S.S. ( 1988). A generic measure of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50, 93-98.

11.

Hudson, W.W. , Harrison, D.F. , & Crosscup, P.C. (1981). A short-form scale to measure sexual discord in dyadic relationships. The Journal of Sex Research, 17, 157-174.

12.

Lawrance, K. , & Byers, E.S. ( 1995). Sexual satisfaction in long-term heterosexual relationships: The interpersonal exchange model of sexual satisfaction. Personal Relationships, 2, 267-285.

13.

Litzinger, S. , & Gordon, K.C. ( 2005). Exploring relationships among communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy , 31, 409-424.

14.

LoPiccolo, J. , & LoPiccolo, L. ( 1978). Handbook of sex therapy. New York, NY: Plenum.

15.

MacNeil, S. , & Byers, E.S. ( 1997). The relationships between sexual problems, communication and sexual satisfaction. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality , 6, 277-283.

16.

MacNeil, S. , & Byers, E.S. ( 2005). Dyadic assessment of sexual self-disclosure and sexual satisfaction in heterosexual dating couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 169-181.

17.

McNulty, J.K. , & Fisher, T.D. ( 2008). Gender differences in response to sexual expectancies and changes in sexual frequency: A short-term longitudinal study of sexual satisfaction in newly married couples, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 37, 229-240.

18.

Masters, W.H. , Johnson, V.E. , & Kolodny, R. ( 1986). Sex and human loving. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.

19.

Meeks, B.S. , Hendrick, S.S. , & Hendrick, C. ( 1998). Self-disclosure, love, and relationship satisfaction . Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 755-773.

20.

Metts, S. , & Cupach, W.R. ( 1989). The role of communication in human sexuality. In K. McKinney & S. Sprecher (Eds.), Human sexuality: The societal and interpersonal context (pp. 139-161). Norwood, NJ: Ablex .

21.

Navran, L. ( 1967). Communication and adjustment in marriage. Family Process, 6, 173-184.

22.

Okami, P. , & Shackelford, T.K. (2001). Human sex differences in sexual psychology and behavior. Annual Review of Sex Research , 12, 186-241.

23.

Peplau, L.A. ( 2003). Human sexuality: How do men and women differ? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12, 37-40.

24.

Perlman, S. , & Abramson, P. ( 1982). Sexual satisfaction among married and cohabiting individuals . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 458-460.

25.

Raudenbush, S.W. , & Bryk, A.S. ( 2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods 2nd edn. Thousand Oaks : Sage Publications.

26.

Schnarch, D. ( 1997). Passionate marriage: Keeping love and intimacy alive in committed relationships. New York, NY: Owl Books.

27.

Snell, Jr., W. E. , Belk, S.S. , Papini, D.R. , & Clark, S. ( 1989). Development and validation of the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale. Annals of Sex Research, 2, 307-334.

28.

Spanier, G.B. ( 1976). Measuring dyadic adjustment: New scales for assessing the quality of marriage and similar dyads. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 15-28.

29.

Spanier, G.B. ( 1989). Dyadic Adjustment Scale manual. North Towanda, NY Multi-Health Systems.

30.

Sprecher, S. ( 2006). Sexuality in close relationships. In P. Noller & J. A. Feeney (Eds.), Close relationships: Functions, forms, and processes (pp. 267-284). Hove, UK: Psychology Press/ Taylor & Francis.

31.

Wheeless, L.R. , Wheeless, V.W. , & Baus, R.D. ( 1984). Sexual communication, communication satisfaction, and solidarity in the developmental stages of intimate relationships. Western Journal of Speech Communication, 48, 217-230.

32.

Zimmer, D. ( 1983). Interaction patterns and communication skills in sexually distressed, maritally distressed, and normal couples: Two experimental studies . Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 9, 251-265.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

30.98 MB

The specific importance of communicating about sex to couples’ sexual and overall relationship satisfaction

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References

Supplementary Material