What Theories and Methods From Relationship Research Can Contribute to Sex Research

Abstract

Sexual and relationship satisfaction tend to be closely linked in the context of romantic relationships. Understanding how sexual processes influence relationships and how aspects of the relationship influence a couple's sex life can provide insight into the maintenance of sexual desire and satisfaction over time. In this article, we review how theories and methods that form the foundation for relationship research have made-and will continue to make-sexuality research a stronger, more theoretical, and methodologically sophisticated science. We discuss the key theories that have been used to advance our understanding of who is more likely to be sexually satisfied in relationships, when sex is most satisfying, and how couples can have more satisfying sex lives and relationships. We then provide an overview of dyadic and repeated-measures designs and demonstrate how the use of these types of research methods allows relationship and sexuality researchers to answer novel and nuanced questions about how romantic partners influence each other, as well as how sexual processes unfold in couples' daily lives and over time. Throughout the review, we highlight what we see as fruitful directions for future research at the intersection of sexuality and relationships.

Emotional intimacy and sexual well-being in aging European couples: a cross-cultural mediation analysis

“…Dyadic data are characterized by non-independence of partners' responses (partners are nested within couples)-reflecting the shared reality of living together-which, if not taken into account, results in biased estimates due to underestimated standard errors. The most common approach to dyadic analysis, the Actor-Partner Independence Model (APIM; Kenny et al 2006;Muise et al 2018), enables the distinction between actor effects, or associations between actor's characteristics (e.g., the relationship between a person's beliefs about his/her aging body and sexual satisfaction), and partner effects, or associations between actor's and his/her partner's characteristics (e.g., the relationship between the person's beliefs about his/her aging body and his/her partner's sexual satisfaction). Although APIM can be implemented using various statistical techniques, the current study employed structural equation modeling approach to estimate direct and indirect actor-and partner-specific effects of emotional intimacy on sexual well-being.…”

“…In recent years, researchers in the area of romantic relationships have started to apply dyadic approaches (e.g., Muise et al 2018). In contrast to traditional individual-based approaches, dyadic approaches use the couple as the unit of analysis and allow for a more realistic assessment of (interdependent) perceptions, beliefs and behaviors, including those relevant to aging men's and women's sexual well-being.…”

“…Based on the literature on the associations between emotional closeness and sexual activity and on the advantages of using a dyadic approach (Muise et al 2018), we tested a model in which the frequency of sexual intercourse was hypothesized to mediate the association between the couple's emotional intimacy and sexual well-being. Several points of interest were explored in the model.…”

Successful aging, change in sexual interest and sexual satisfaction in couples from four European Countries

“…Developed originally for studying couples, dyadic analysis has several advantages over the standard (individualized) approach (Muise et al 2018). In brief, dyadic approach takes into account the reality of a couple's shared experiences-the interdependency of the partners' daily practices, ranging from their sexual activity to the dynamics of aging together.…”

Welcome to the 2018 Annual Review of Sex Research; Plus: The Search Begins!

“…Three of the articles focus specifically on sexuality and relationships (long term/romantic/pair-bonds), two areas which seem like natural bedfellows but which are often kept separate. Muise, Maxwell, and Impett (2018) explore the contributions from relationships research to sex research. In so doing, they provide a helpful roadmap to the theories and methods from relationships research that can be fruitfully shared to address new questions about sexuality and shed light on existing ones.…”