Evidence of a Bidirectional Association Between Daily Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction That Is Moderated by Daily Stress

Abstract

Prior research provides mixed evidence regarding the direction of the association between sexual and marital satisfaction. Whereas some studies suggest a bidirectional association, other studies fail to document one direction or the other. The current investigation used a 12-day diary study of 287 married individuals to clarify the nature of this association. Results from time-lagged mixed modeling revealed a significant positive bidirectional association. Both higher global sexual satisfaction one day and satisfaction with sex that occurred that day predicted higher marital satisfaction the next day; likewise, higher marital satisfaction one day significantly predicted higher global sexual satisfaction the next day and higher satisfaction with sex that occurred the next day. Both associations remained significant after controlling for participant’s gender/sex, neuroticism, attachment insecurity, self-esteem, stress, perceived childhood unpredictability and harshness, age of first intercourse, construal level, age, and length of marriage. We also explored whether these covariates moderated either direction of the association. Daily stress was the most reliable moderator, with three of the four interactions tested remaining significant after Bonferroni corrections. The bidirectional association between global sexual and marital satisfaction and the positive association between satisfaction with sex that occurred that day and marital satisfaction the next day were significantly stronger when individuals experienced high versus low stress. Although the exploratory nature of all moderation analyses suggests they should be replicated before drawing strong conclusions, these findings highlight the importance of sexual satisfaction to marital satisfaction and vice versa and point to the power of stress in strengthening these associations.

Are changes in marital satisfaction sustained and steady, or sporadic and dramatic?

“…Partners’ feelings about their intimate relationships fluctuate in response to evolving circumstances, such as daily stress (Zhao et al, 2022) and financial strains (Masarik et al, 2016). Yet over the last decade, characterizations of marital satisfaction change have largely emphasized stability and steady declines (e.g., Bühler et al, 2021; Karney & Bradbury, 2020).…”

“…There is suggestive evidence that relationship satisfaction does fluctuate, at least across short timescales. Diary studies reveal that satisfaction and commitment fluctuate in response to time-varying stress (Neff & Karney, 2009), sexual satisfaction (Birnbaum et al, 2006;Zhao et al, 2022), and financial strain (Gajos et al, 2022), with individuals who report lower levels of attachment security and trust (Campbell et al, 2005(Campbell et al, , 2010Campbell & Marshall, 2011;Cooper et al, 2018) and higher levels of stress (Zhao et al, 2022) showing greater volatility in their daily and weekly satisfaction ratings. Further, larger fluctuations in satisfaction and commitment have been related to depression (Whitton & Whisman, 2010) and relationship dissolution in dating couples (Arriaga, 2001), over and above initial levels and slopes.…”

Sexual Satisfaction Predicts Future Changes in Relationship Satisfaction and Sexual Frequency: New Insights From Within-Person Associations Over Time

“…First, while we examined the link between sexual and relationship satisfaction at yearly intervals, past longitudinal studies have used different time lags, spanning from two months (e.g., Vowels & Mark, 2020) to 8–10 years (e.g., Quinn-Nilas, 2020). Although the optimal time lags for studying relationship development remain underexamined (Karney & Bradbury, 2020), it could be possible that the link is more bidirectional in shorter time frames (Zhao et al, 2022), but one direction of effect lasts longer than the other over time. Future research using different time lags could be informative in delineating the extent to which the temporal effects of sexual and relationship satisfaction could vary over different time intervals.…”

“…While some studies found that earlier sexual satisfaction predicted subsequent relationship satisfaction but not the reverse (Fallis et al, 2016; Yeh et al, 2006), others showed that earlier relationship satisfaction predicted subsequent sexual satisfaction but not the other way around (Vowels & Mark, 2020). Meanwhile, some studies also found support for bidirectional associations (McNulty et al, 2016; Quinn-Nilas, 2020; Zhao et al, 2022), whereas others found limited evidence for long-term associations in either direction (Byers, 2005; Sprecher, 2002).…”

Men’s weekly household labor and relationship quality during COVID-19 in Canada and Germany: Between-person differences and within-person associations.

“…It seems unlikely that completing more household labor than usual would have any bearing on being more or less satisfied than is typical 1 year later unless the upward deviation in household labor reflects a longer term pattern. Indeed, amidst an increasing recognition that many aspects of couple relations tend to be relatively stable across the long-term (Anderson et al, 2010; Joiner et al, 2024; Proulx et al, 2017), scholars are increasingly interested in how short-term fluctuations in partnership dynamics are associated with fluctuations in quality (e.g., Gajos et al, 2022; Johnson et al, 2022; Zhao et al, 2022). To this aim, daily and weekly diary data have been valuable, but remain rare in studies about household labor (for an exception, see Gordon et al, 2022).…”