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1、RESEARCH ARTICLESatisfaction guaranteed?How individual,partner,and relationship factors impactsexual satisfaction within partnershipsJulia Velten*,Ju rgen MargrafMental Health Research and Treatment Center,Ruhr-Universita t Bochum,Bochum,Germany*julia.veltenrub.deAbstractWithin committed relationshi
2、ps,a wide range of factors may challenge or facilitate sexualsatisfaction.The aim of this study was to clarify which individual,partner-,and partner-ship-related aspects of a sexual relationship are crucial for the prediction of sexual satis-faction.The study included data of a representative sample
3、 of 964 couples from thegeneral population.The actor-partner interdependence model was used to estimate actorand partner effects.Overall,predictors explained 57%of outcome variance.Actor effectswere found for sexual function,sexual distress,frequency of sexual activity,desire dis-crepancy,sexual ini
4、tiative,sexual communication,sociosexual orientation,masturbation,and life satisfaction.Gender-specific partner effects were found for sexual function andsexual distress.Neither age,nor relationship duration were significant predictors.Todeepen our understanding of sexual satisfaction,it is necessar
5、y to take quantitative andqualitative aspects of sexual relationships into account and to consider actor-,partner-,and relationship-related predictors.IntroductionCountless myths surround sexual satisfaction.Mass media suggest that multiple or simulta-neous orgasms,large penis size,or hour-long tant
6、ric sex are needed for women or men to feelsexually satisfied.While research has already falsified some of these myths(e.g.,penis size)1,and has pointed out a number of variables that are correlated to sexual satisfaction 24,thequestion of which factors actually matter when it comes to a satisfying
7、sexual life still remainsunanswered.Sexual satisfaction has been defined as the evaluation of positive and negativedimensions of ones sexual relationship 5.These dimensions may include personal experi-ences(e.g.,how often one reaches orgasm during sex),the experiences of the sexual partner(e.g.,how
8、consistently a partner has an erection during sex),or relationship-related aspects ofsexuality(e.g.,how often a couple has sex or how openly sexual matters are discussed).Anappropriate way to quantify which aspects of a sexual relationship contribute most to a satisfy-ing sexual life is to consider
9、a wide range of potential predictors,to use dyadic couples data,and to choose a data analysis technique that allows for estimation of the predictive value ofactor-,partner-,and relationship-related factors 2,6,7.PLOS ONE|DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0172855February 23,20171/17a1111111111a1111111111a1111
10、111111a1111111111a1111111111OPENACCESSCitation:VeltenJ,MargrafJ(2017)Satisfactionguaranteed?Howindividual,partner,andrelationshipfactorsimpactsexualsatisfactionwithinpartnerships.PLoSONE12(2):e0172855.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0172855Editor:AngelM.Foster,UniversityofOttawa,CANADAReceived:June27,2016A
11、ccepted:February12,2017Published:February23,2017Copyright:2017Velten,Margraf.ThisisanopenaccessarticledistributedunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttributionLicense,whichpermitsunrestricteduse,distribution,andreproductioninanymedium,providedtheoriginalauthorandsourcearecredited.DataAvailabilityState
12、ment:AllrelevantdataarewithinthepaperanditsSupportingInformationfiles.Funding:WegratefullyacknowledgefundingbytheAlexandervonHumboldtProfessorshipawardedtoJu rgenMargrafbytheAlexandervonHumboldt-Foundation.Competinginterests:Theauthorshavedeclaredthatnocompetinginterestsexist.Dyadic approach to sexu
13、al satisfactionMost studies that have investigated sexual satisfaction have done so with samples of individu-als,not couples.However,in order to investigate sexual satisfaction,it is crucial to take intoaccount the interpersonal context in which a substantial part of sexual activity happens 5.Couple
14、s data enables researchers to use a dyadic data analysis approach that estimates actoreffects(i.e.,an actors own scores on predictor variables)and partner effects(i.e.,a partnersscores on predictor variables)on outcome variables such as sexual satisfaction 8.Of the 197studies on sexual satisfaction
15、that were reviewed by Sanchez-Fuentes and colleagues 4,only24 studies included non-clinical couples data and none of them used a sample selected to berepresentative for the general population.Most of the reviewed couples-studies focused on cer-tain target-populations,for example pregnant women 9 or
16、cancer survivors 10 and theirpartners,and investigated the impact of their specific life situation on sexual satisfaction.Oth-ers used relatively small,convenience samples 11,12.Even though these studies may providevaluable insight into the relation between sexual satisfaction and,for example,coping
17、 with aserious medical condition,the generalizability of their findings is limited.An additional short-coming of previous research on sexual satisfaction is that most predic-tors,such as sexual communication 11 or sexual function 13 have been examined in relativeisolation,without taking other possib
18、le predictors into consideration 6.To our knowledge,this is the first study to overcome limitations of previous studies thatused convenience samples,restricted their sample to certain age groups or target populationsor investigated certain predictor variables in isolation 6.To investigate the relati
19、ve signifi-cance of different of sexuality-related factors of sexual satisfaction,our study includes wide-ranging predictors,namely sexual function and distress,frequency of sexual activities alone orwith a partner as well as sexual desire discrepancy,sexual communication,and sociosexualattitudes.Th
20、ese factors were selected to represent both quantitative and qualitative aspects of asexual relationship,and to estimate the relevance of personal sexual attitudes and solitary sex-ual behaviors in comparison to factors that require a sexual partner.In addition to these sexu-ality related factors,we
21、 included life satisfaction to control for a more general well-being,andother predictors(i.e.,passage of time,household income)were included to control for and toinvestigate their relevance for sexual satisfaction on an exploratory basis.Sexual function and sexual distressSexual function is positive
22、ly correlated to sexual satisfaction in women and men 1315.Sex-ual desire,arousal,and orgasm consistency are associated with greater satisfaction 16.Con-versely,lack of vaginal lubrication,erectile dysfunction,early ejaculation,inability to reachorgasm,and pain during intercourse are associated with
23、 lower sexual satisfaction 13,17.Moreover,preliminary evidence suggests that certain aspects of a partners sexual function(e.g.,low sexual desire)may be also relevant for an actors sexual satisfaction 2.Two of themost commonly used instruments for sexual functionthe Female Sexual Function Index18 an
24、d the International Index of Erectile Function 19have been criticized for not assess-ing personal distress related to sexual problems 20.Assessing distress is crucial in identifyingclinically relevant sexual dysfunctions 21 and in determining how sexual function(or thelack thereof)is experienced and
25、 evaluated by the individual.Sexual frequency and sexual communicationGreater frequency of sexual activity is related to greater sexual satisfaction in women and men22.The difference between the desired and the actual sexual frequency has been called sexualdesire discrepancy 23.Greater desire discre
26、pancy is associated with lower relationshipSatisfaction guaranteed?PLOS ONE|DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0172855February 23,20172/17satisfaction 23,a variable that is strongly correlated to sexual satisfaction 24.In anotherstudy,in which desire discrepancy was defined as the difference in desire between
27、 sexual part-ners,low discrepancy was positively related to both relationship and sexual satisfaction 25.Indating partnerships,men tend to initiate sex almost twice as often as women 26.Sexual satis-faction is associated with more frequent sexual initiation in both genders and less frequentnegative
28、response to a partners initiation in women 26.How the balance of sexual initiativebetween partners influences sexual satisfaction has not been established.However,Lau et al.27 reported that the belief that the husband should always initiate sexual interactions wasassociated with lower sexual satisfa
29、ction in both spouses.Being able to openly express sexualwishes or to communicate sexual concerns with a partner is associated with greater sexual sat-isfaction 28.In a study of 220 married couples,indirectness of communication about sexualintimacy was associated with lower sexual satisfaction 7.Soc
30、iosexual orientation and solitary sexual behaviorSociosexual orientation has been described as the willingness to engage in sex outside of exclu-sive,committed relationships 29.In a student sample,sociosexuality was not significantlycorrelated to sexual satisfaction 30.It is,however,not yet establis
31、hed how sociosexual orien-tation influences sexual satisfaction within committed partnerships.It is not unlikely that overthe course of long-term relationships,a positive attitude towards casual sex may contribute tomore extramarital involvement and/or lower sexual satisfaction within the partnershi
32、p.Theeffects of solitary sexual behavior on sexual satisfaction within partnerships may be diverse.Women that had never reached orgasm through self-stimulation reported lower sexual satis-faction compared to women who had had this experience 31.More frequent masturbationwas,however,related to lower
33、sexual satisfaction in women and men 32.Other potential predictorsPassage of time(i.e.,age or relationship duration)is negatively correlated to sexual frequency33 and older participants tend to have lower levels of sexual function 34.The relationshipbetween passage of time and sexual satisfaction ma
34、y be less pronounced.However,Liu 35reported a small and negative effect of relationship duration on the perceived quality of maritalsex.The effect of the duration of a relationship on sexual satisfaction may also be gender-spe-cific.Compared to men,womens sexual satisfaction may be more strongly rel
35、ated to relation-ship duration 36.To investigate passage of time in unison with other sexuality-relatedpredictors may be useful to clarify its relative contribution to a satisfying sexual life.Satisfaction with life has been defined as a global assessment of a persons quality of life37,p.478.Young,m
36、arried individuals reported greater levels of life satisfaction compared totheir unmarried counterparts 38.Life satisfaction is related to other aspects of general well-being 39,and may also be associated to sexual satisfaction.Using factor-analysis,Fugl-Meyeret al.40 found that sexual satisfaction
37、was closely related to satisfaction in other areas of life,namely satisfaction with the ability to care for themselves,as well as satisfaction with partner-ship and family life.Taken together,these facets of satisfaction explained more than 50%ofgeneral life satisfaction.Few studies have been conduc
38、ted to assess the influence of socioeconomic factors on sexualsatisfaction 6.In one study by Rainer and Smith 41,household income was unrelated tosexual satisfaction.In another study,income was negatively related to sexual satisfaction inmen 42.The authors offer two possible explanations for these f
39、indings:Men with highincome might have more access to extramarital affairs or might have extraordinarily highexpectations for their sexual fulfillment.Both factors may lower satisfaction within theirSatisfaction guaranteed?PLOS ONE|DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0172855February 23,20173/17current partners
40、hips.However,higher socioeconomic status is also associated with bettermental and physical health 43,44,which are correlated with higher sexual function 45,avariable closely related to sexual satisfaction.To date,there is no consensus on how householdincome as well as an individuals personal contrib
41、ution to this income may relate to sexualsatisfaction.The aim of the present study was to investigate which aspects of sexual relationships con-tribute most to sexual satisfaction.Based on the findings summarized above,we hypothesizedthe following actor effects:Sexual function and sexual frequency w
42、ould be positive predictorsof sexual satisfaction;whereas sexual distress,desire discrepancy,sociosexual orientation andmasturbation would be negatively predictive of sexual satisfaction.We further hypothesizedthat sexual communication would have a positive impact on actors sexual satisfaction,andth
43、at,taken together with the other predictors,passage of time(i.e.,relationship duration andage)would not be predictive of actors sexual satisfaction.Because previous evidence was lim-ited,partner effects were only hypothesized for sexual functionwe expected that high sexualfunctioning in partners wou
44、ld be associated with greater actor sexual satisfaction.Additionalpredictors(e.g.,sexual initiative,life satisfaction,income,and proportion of own income)were included on an exploratory basis.MethodsParticipantsIn total,964 couples(N=1928 individuals)completed a survey about relationships and sexual
45、-ity.Table 1 gives an overview of the sample characteristics.In our sample,men were significantly older than women,t(1922)=-4.72,p .001.Signifi-cant gender differences were also found for college education,2=53.34(2),p .001,withmore men than women having a college degree;and occupation,2=495.71(4),p
46、 .001,with men more likely to be working full-time or retired.Ninety-eight percent(n=950)of thecouples were in a heterosexual relationship.The remaining two percent included 9(0.9%)male-male and 5(0.5%)female-female couples.ProcedureComputer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted for screening
47、 purposes and to gatherparticipants informed consent.The study aimed to include a representative sample of the Ger-man adult population.To accomplish representativeness,the sample was drawn from the resi-dential population aged 18 years and above that was accessible via landline or mobile phones.Lan
48、dline telephone numbers were chosen based on regional stratification while mobile phonenumbers were stratified by providers.A within household random-sampling technique wasused to facilitate random selection of individuals and to minimize sampling bias.During the telephone screening,it was assessed
49、if the respective household member was ina steady relationship.If the person answered affirmatively,the interviewer asked if he or shewould be willing to participate in a study on relationship factors and sexuality together withhis or her partner.After receiving detailed information about the survey
50、,informed consent ofboth partners was obtained verbally.Participants were insured that they could withdraw theirconsent at any given point(i.e.,by not returning their questionnaires or by not finishing theironline survey)without negative consequences.To increase response rates and ensure repre-senta