Sexuality Examined Through the Lens of Attachment Theory: Attachment, Caregiving, and Sexual Satisfaction

Abstract

Attachment researchers have proposed that the attachment, caregiving, and sexual behavioral systems are interrelated in adult love relationships (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007 ). This study examined whether aspects of partners' caregiving (proximity, sensitivity, control, compulsive caregiving) mediated the association between their attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance) and each other's sexual satisfaction in two samples of committed couples (Study 1: 126 cohabiting or married couples from the general community; Study 2: 55 clinically distressed couples). Partners completed the Experiences in Close Relationships measure (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998 ), the Caregiving Questionnaire (Kunce & Shaver, 1994 ), and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction (Lawrance & Byers, 1998 ). Path analyses based on the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) revealed that caregiving proximity mediated the association between low attachment avoidance and partners' sexual satisfaction in distressed and nondistressed couples. Sensitivity mediated this association in nondistressed couples only. Control mediated the association between men's insecurities (attachment-related avoidance and anxiety) and their partners' low sexual satisfaction in nondistressed couples. Attachment anxiety predicted compulsive caregiving, but this caregiving dimension was not a significant mediator. These results are discussed in light of attachment theory and their implications for treating distressed couples.

Perceiving that one's partner is supportive moderates the associations among attachment insecurity and psychosexual variables

“…Other studies have also found notable gender differences pertaining to the link between avoidance and sexual adjustment. For instance, avoidance was related to sexual dissatisfaction in men but not in women in a sample of clinically distressed couples (Brassard et al, 2012), and caregiving control reported by the partner (i.e., support aimed at solving problems for the partner while minimizing opportunities for the partner to solve problems on his/her own, Kunce & Shaver, 1994) predicted higher sexual satisfaction in men, but lower sexual satisfaction in women (Péloquin et al, 2014). This later finding appears to suggest that partner involvement (whether through sensitive or insensitive support) is related to better sexual adjustment in men.…”

“…Individuals high on attachment avoidance tend to dislike or even avoid sexuality altogether (Brassard, Shaver, & Lussier, 2007;Tracy et al, 2003), and tend to prefer uncommitted, emotion-less or solitary sexual activity (Bogaert & Sadava, 2002). Unsurprisingly, both anxiety and avoidance are related to lower sexual satisfaction in community and clinical samples (Butzer & Campbell, 2008;Little, McNulty, & Russell, 2010;Péloquin, Brassard, Lafontaine, & Shaver, 2014), and to poorer sexual functioning, including lower sexual arousal and pleasure, as well as sexual pain (Birnbaum, 2007;Brassard, Dupuy, Bergeron, & Shaver, in press;Granot, Zisman-Ilani, Ram, Goldstick, & Yovell, 2010).…”

Emotion dysregulation and hypersexuality: review and clinical implications

“…It has been estimated that approximately 15%À20% of marital vitality and satisfaction is attributable to good sexual functioning in the relationship; when sexual behavior becomes problematic, it has a disproportionate impact on relationship satisfaction as it has been reported that sexual problems account for 50%À70% of distress in relationships (McCarthy, 2003;Woolley, 2006). P eloquin, Brassard, Delisle, andB edard (2013) reported evidence that engaging in sexual intercourse was associated with both attachment style and current caregiving pattern, thus expanding the scope of attachment to include the attachment relationship with a specific intimate partner, and demonstrating that attachment may be a critical factor in understanding dysregulated emotions and hypersexuality or inappropriate sexual behavior in the context of couple relationships. This brings us to the relevance of interpersonal context to ER .…”

Considering Attachment and Partner Perceptions in the Prediction of Physical and Emotional Sexual Satisfaction

“…Indeed, both attachment anxiety and avoidances are associated with greater dissatisfaction with sexual interactions [21,22,23], and more negative affect concerning sexual experiences [15,24,25]. In their systematic review of the literature examining attachment and sexual functioning for this journal, Stefanou and McCabe [4] concluded that across studies that focused on a variety of satisfaction and functioning measures, attachment insecurity (avoidance and anxiety) was consistently associated with decreased reports of global evaluations of sexual satisfaction across relationship types (e.g., dating, married).…”