Perceived Partner Responsiveness Mediates the Association Between Sexual and Marital Satisfaction: A Daily Diary Study in Newlywed Couples

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Web End = Arch Sex Behav (2016) 45:109120 DOI 10.1007/s10508-014-0448-2

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Web End = Perceived Partner Responsiveness Mediates the Association Between Sexual and Marital Satisfaction: A Daily Diary Study in Newlywed Couples

Reuma Gadassi Lior Eadan Bar-Nahum

Sarah Newhouse Ragnar Anderson

Julia R. Heiman Eshkol Rafaeli Erick Janssen

Received: 1 July 2013 / Revised: 8 November 2014 / Accepted: 21 November 2014 / Published online: 14 February 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015

Abstract Sexualityisanintegralpartofintimaterelationships, yet surprisingly little is known about how and for whom sexuality matters. The present research investigated the interplay of sexual and non-sexual factors that contribute to relationship satisfaction. Specically, we tested the hypothesis that the association between sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction is mediated by a non-sexual factornamely, perceived partner responsiveness(PPR).Additionally,we testedthe role of gender asa possible moderator of thismediated association. Thirty-four newlywedcouplescompleteddiarieswitheachspousereporting their sexual satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and PPR every day for 30 days. We tested our predictions at both the person level(i.e., the mean level across 30 days) and the daily level. At the person level, we found that sexual satisfaction and PPR separately predicted marital satisfaction. Moreover, the effect of sexualsatisfactiononmaritalsatisfactionwaspartiallymediated byPPR.Nogenderdifferencesemergedatthislevel.Atthedaily level, we found similar support for partial mediation. However, at this level, gender did serve as a moderator. The stronger

mediationfoundforwomenwasdrivenbyastrongerassociation between sexual satisfaction and PPR for women than for men. ThisstudyjoinsagrowingliteraturehighlightingtheroleofPPR in dyadic relationships.

Keywords Perceived partner responsiveness

Sexual satisfaction Marital satisfaction Daily diaries

Introduction

Sexual satisfaction is an affective response arising from the subjective evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of ones sexual relationship (Lawrance & Byers, 1995). As such, it is related to, yet distinct from, momentary sexual pleasure (e.g., orgasm). It is also related to, yet distinct from, broader relationship satisfactioni.e., the affective response arising from the subjective evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of ones relationship, overall.

Both cross-sectional studies (e.g., Butzer & Campbell, 2008; Cupach & Comstock, 1990; Dundon & Rellini, 2010; Litzinger &Gordon,2005)andlongitudinalones(e.g.,Byers,2005;Fisher & McNulty, 2008; Sprecher, 2002; Yeh, Lorenz, Wickrama, Conger,&Elder,2006)havedocumentedanassociationbetween sexualaspectsofrelationshipsandthestabilityandsatisfactionof these relationships. Yet, as prominent writers on...