Department of Psychology, York University.
Departments of Psychology & Neuroscience, and Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dalhousie University.
J Sex Res. 2021 Nov-Dec;58(9):1118-1129. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2021.1884179. Epub 2021 Mar 3.
People's beliefs about how to maintain sexual satisfaction have been associated with how they navigate sexual differences, but research has yet to explore the consequences of these beliefs for couples facing a distressing sexual issue. The current research extends past work on sexual growth beliefs (i.e., the view that sexual satisfaction requires continuous effort to maintain) and sexual destiny beliefs (i.e., the view that sexual satisfaction is the result of natural sexual compatibility with a partner) to couples for whom these beliefs might be especially consequential - those coping with sexual dysfunction. In a dyadic longitudinal study of 97 couples coping with women's clinically significant low desire and arousal, we tested how sexual growth and destiny beliefs are associated with sexual, relationship, and personal well-being. We found that endorsing greater sexual growth beliefs was associated with higher sexual desire for both partners, whereas, with some exceptions, endorsing greater sexual destiny beliefs was linked to lower sexual desire and relationship satisfaction, more conflict, and more depressive and anxious symptoms. However, these effects did not persist one year later. Our findings highlight the implications of sexual growth and destiny beliefs for both couple members when navigating a chronic sexual difficulty.
人们对维持性满足感的信念与他们如何应对性差异有关，但研究尚未探讨这些信念对面临令人痛苦的性问题的夫妇的影响。本研究扩展了以往关于性成长信念（即认为性满足需要不断努力维持）和性命运信念（即认为性满足是与伴侣自然的性相容性的结果）的研究，这些信念可能对那些应对性功能障碍的夫妇尤其重要。在一项针对 97 对女性临床显著低欲望和唤起的夫妇的对偶纵向研究中，我们测试了性成长和命运信念与性、关系和个人幸福感的关系。我们发现，对更大的性成长信念的认可与双方更高的性欲望有关，而对更大的性命运信念的认可则与较低的性欲望和关系满意度、更多的冲突以及更多的抑郁和焦虑症状有关。然而，这些影响在一年后并没有持续。我们的研究结果强调了性成长和命运信念在夫妇应对慢性性困难时对双方的影响。
