Sexual desire and relationship functioning: the effects of marital satisfaction and power.

The present study examined the association among marital satisfaction, marital power, and sexual desire in a sample of 60 community couples. We predicted that marital satisfaction would be positively correlated with sexual desire and that this association would be moderated by marital power, such that marital satisfaction would be more strongly correlated with sexual desire among individuals who perceive themselves as having less power in their relationship. Results indicated that marital satisfaction was significantly associated with sexual desire, but there was no evidence for the moderating effects of various forms of marital power.