title: Sexual Closeness Discrepancies: What They Are and Why They Matter for Sexual Well-Being in Romantic Relationships.
abstract: This study examined the impact of sexual closeness on sexual well-being. We developed a nuanced and multifaceted conceptualization of sexual closeness in the form of a constellation of ideal sexual closeness with a partner, actual sexual closeness, and the discrepancy between the two. Data were obtained from a diverse sample of N = 619 participants who took part in the Lives and Relationships Study: A longitudinal survey of men and women in relationships living in the U.S. and Canada. Increases in sexual closeness discrepancies over a period of 1 year predicted concomitant decreases in two indicators of sexual well-being: sexual satisfaction and orgasm frequency evaluations. Decreases in sexual closeness discrepancies resulted in improvement in sexual well-being. Individuals who reported no sexual closeness discrepancies and experienced no changes in sexual closeness discrepancies tended to have the highest levels of sexual well-being. Importantly, sexual closeness discrepancies were robust predictors of sexual well-being, above and beyond individuals' actual sexual closeness, general relationship closeness, and other demographic and relationship characteristics known to be associated with sexual well-being. The present findings demonstrate that how close people feel sexually to their relationship partners is part of a general constellation of factors related to relationship closeness that, only when considered together, sufficiently explain the ways in which experiences of closeness impact sexual well-being in romantic relationships.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, School of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK. d.frost@surrey.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Frost
authors.affiliation: Departments of Women's Studies and Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Sara I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dettmann
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Closeness discrepancies; Orgasm; Self-expansion theory; Sexual satisfaction