Ta ble 3: R E S U L T S (C O N T.) GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ORGASMIC FUNCTIONING AND SEXUAL SATISFACTION Hillary L. Perlman 1, B.S., Kyle R. Stephenson 1, B.S., Rebecca Bauerkemper 1, Eve Andrews 1, & Cindy M. Meston, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin I N T R O D U C T I O N  Recent research suggests that, for women, sexual functioning is weakly related to subjective outcomes such as sexual satisfaction and distress 1,2,3.  Poor sexual functioning is less likely to result in negative subjective outcomes when women are satisfied with their relationships overall, suggesting that relationship satisfaction may buffer against the negative subjective effects of sexual problems in some cases 4.  We are aware of no study that directly tests for gender differences in the interaction between sexual functioning and relationship satisfaction in predicting sexual satisfaction.  Men tend to place a higher emphasis on sexual activity than do women 5. As such, sexual problems may lower men’s sexual satisfaction regardless of their satisfaction with the overall relationship. A I M  To test for gender differences in the relationship between orgasmic functioning, relationship satisfaction, and sexual satisfaction. M E T H O D S  303 undergraduate participants currently in exclusive, sexually-active romantic relationships (see Table 1) PARTICIPANTS MEASURES  The Orgasm subscale of the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) modified for use with men and women.  A validated measure of orgasmic functioning  The Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS)  A validated measure of relationship satisfaction  The Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSS-W) modified for use with men and women  A validated measure of sexual satisfaction  Linear regression analyses were run testing orgasmic functioning, attachment style, relationship functioning, and their interactions as predictors of sexual satisfaction.  Interactions were interpreted using median splits.  All independent variables and interactions were significant predictors of satisfaction. Specifically of note, relationship satisfaction moderated the association between orgasmic functioning and sexual satisfaction such that those with higher relationship satisfaction showed a smaller decrease in sexual satisfaction in response to poor orgasmic functioning. However, this effect was relatively weak (see Table 2).  The 3-way interaction between orgasmic functioning, gender, and relationship satisfaction was significant such that relationship satisfaction moderated the association between orgasmic functioning and sexual satisfaction more strongly for women than for men. For women, poor orgasmic functioning was associated with decreases in sexual satisfaction only in the context of an unsatisfying relationship. For men, poor orgasmic functioning was associated with decreases in sexual satisfaction regardless of their satisfaction with the overall relationship (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Geographic Characteristics of the Participant Sample: Number of Participants by State 3-way interactions between orgasmic functioning, gender, and relationship functioning ABREVIATIONS: RS: Relationship Satisfaction; FSFI; Female Sexual Functioning Inventory, RAS: Relationship Assessment Scale; SSS-W: Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women; β: Beta; SE: Standard Error Gender X Relationship Satisfaction X Orgasm Functioning as Predictors of Sexual Satisfaction Table 2: R E F E R E N C E S The Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Texas is funded by Grant Number 5 RO1 HD from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to Cindy M. Meston. R E F E R E N C E S 1. Ferenidou F, et al (2007). Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5, Hays R, et al (2008). Journal of Sexual Medicine, 5, King M, Holt V, & Nazareth I (2007). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, Oberg K & Fugl-Meyer K (2005). Journal of Sexual Medicine, 2, Oliver, M.B. & Hyde, J.S. (1993). Psychological Bulletin, 114, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS C O N C L U S I O N  Satisfaction with the overall relationship seems to serve as a buffer against the negative subjective effects of poor orgasmic functioning for women, but not for men.  These findings suggest that sexual satisfaction may be more strongly tied to sexual functioning for men, whereas this link may be moderated by other factors for women.  As such, effective treatment of orgasm dysfunction may differ by gender.  Interventions that target relationship functioning may be effective in raising the sexual satisfaction of anorgasmic women, while treatment of the symptoms themselves may be necessary for men with orgasm difficulties (premature or retarded ejaculation). R E S U L T S Participants N303 Age (yr) Mean 20.5 yrs SD 2.3 yrs Range Gender (F/M) 235/68 (77.5% F) Ethnicity Caucasian 58.50% Other 41.50% Sexual Preference (%) Heterosexual 286 (94.5%) Homosexual/Bisexual 17 (5.50%) Note: some percentages may not total 100 because of rounding All participants reported being in exclusive, sexually-active romantic relationships Demographic Characteristics of the Participant Sample Table 1: Sexual problems may lead to larger drops in sexual satisfaction for men than for women. ANALYSES Predictors  BSESig. Orgasmic Functioning * Gender *** Relationship Satisfaction ** Orgasm X Gender * Orgasm X Relationship Satisfaction ** Gender X Relationship Satisfaction * Gender X Orgasm X Relationship Satisfaction ** F (7, 303)22.80 *** R *p<.05; ** p<.01; *** p<.001 Note: All analyses were performed using centered values Fig 1: