Sexual satisfaction in premarital relationships: Associations with satisfaction, love, commitment, and stability

TLDR

This investigation focused on how sexual satisfaction is associated with relationship quality and stability in premarital couples. Using longitudinal data from heterosexual dating couples, I examined how sexual satisfaction related to relationship satisfaction, love, commitment, and stability over several years. Sexual satisfaction consistently correlated positively with relationship satisfaction, love, and commitment for both genders, with stronger links for men, and changes in sexual satisfaction predicted concurrent changes in these variables and showed some association with relationship stability.

Abstract

This investigation focused on how sexual satisfaction is associated with relationship quality and stability in premarital couples. With data collected at multiple times over several years from a sample of heterosexual couples (who were all dating at Time 1), I examined how sexual satisfaction was associated with relationship satisfaction, love, commitment, and stability. At each wave of the study, sexual satisfaction was associated positively with relationship satisfaction, love, and commitment for both men and women. In addition, change in sexual satisfaction between Time 1 and Time 2 was associated with change over the same period in relationship satisfaction, love, and commitment. Furthermore, some evidence was found that sexual satisfaction was associated with relationship stability. Overall, sexual satisfaction had stronger links with relationship quality for men than for women.