Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Michael P. Electronic mail should be sent via Internet to mpcarey syr. The influence of interpersonal communication on sexual adjustment in cohabiting heterosexual couples was investigated.
Most theoretical models of human sexuality emphasize the importance of interpersonal communication in maintaining sexual adjustment. Two studies have examined directly the relationship between communication and sexual adjustment. Perlman and Abramson reported no relationship between sexual satisfaction and a self-report measure of sexual communication whereas Metz and Dwyer used self- and partner-report ratings to learn that couples in which the man had a sexual dysfunction were characterized by conflict avoidant men.
However, the psychometric properties of communication measures in these studies were not adequately addressed, limiting confidence in their findings. Agreement refers to the concordance between their reported preferences. These are, essentially, measures of understanding. A more important limitation of the SII is that the perceptual accuracy scales contribute to the summary scale of sexual dis satisfaction. The confounding of these constructs renders investigation of their association with the SII problematic.
Thus, extant research provides little evidence regarding the role of sexual communication. Among the many unanswered questions, six motivated our inquiry. First, is sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships associated with better communication? Rosen and Leiblum emphasize compatible scripts, suggesting the importance of agreement. Third, do understanding and agreement contribute any unique variance to the estimation of sexual adjustment? The importance of each would receive additional support if a competing variable could not account for its association with sexual satisfaction.
Individual characteristics, such as erotophilia i. The influence of age, marital status, number of previous partners, education, and other variables remains unclear. Fourth, will convergent and discriminant correlational evidence support the association of sexual adjustment with co-orientation variables?
