1. Understanding Sexual Intimacy in Marriage RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Jaci Rolffs and Erika Lawrence, The University of Iowa
Funded by grants from the Centers for Disease Control and The University of Iowa
INTRODUCTION
The majority of research on sexual intimacy focuses on frequency or satisfaction
Little is known about the quality of couples’ sexual relationships , which influences frequency & satisfaction
We examined the quality of sexual relationships as a multi-faceted phenomenon (frequency, who initiates, concerns, difficulties, sensual behaviors, satisfaction…)
METHOD
103 couples recruited via marriage licenses
Median annual joint income: $30,001– $40,000
Mean age: husbands = (3.55), wives = (3.67)
Sexuality Section of the Relationship Quality Interview (RQI; Lawrence et al., in press): a semi-structured individual interview. Interviewers make ratings based on spousal perceptions & behavioral indicators.
Data collected twice: at 3 mos. and 7 yrs. of marriage
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The quality of couples’ sexual relationship declines over the first 7 years of marriage
More than half of couples report concerns with their sexual relationships at the beginning of their marriages
The % of husbands with sexual concerns drops dramatically (20%) over time, yet husbands’ satisfaction with their sexual relationships declines over this same time period
The % of couples engaging in sensual behaviors declines by 20% over 7 years
Future researchers should examine the impact of relationship constructs (support, emotional intimacy) as predictors of the quality of couples’ sexual relationships
3 Months of Marriage
7 Years of Marriage
Ratings Based on
Husband Interviews
Ratings Based on Wife Interviews
Ratings Based on Husband Interviews
Sexual satisfaction
Not at all/A little bit 3% 7%
23.1%
24.6%
Somewhat
44%
53%
42.3%
47.4%
Very/Extremely
40%
34.6%
28.1%
Concerns about sexual relationship
54.4%
50.5%
34.2%
55.6%
Engage in touching, sensual behaviors
100%
97%a
92.2%
87.7%a
Sensual behaviors typically lead to sex
25.3%
18.4%
27.5%
48.1%
Engage in touching, sensual behaviors after sex
79.4%
86.7%
65.4%
Quality of couple’s sexual relationship (Interviewer ratings: means and SDs, 1-9 scale)
6.82 (1.28)b
6.73 (1.26)c
5.81 (1.88)b
5.71 (1.78)c
aWives’ scores differed significantly across time, X2(1) = 8.32, p<.005. bHusbands’ scores differed significantly across time, t(51) = 4.30, p<.001. cWives’ scores differed significantly across time, t(55) = 3.51, p<.005. ***p<.005; ****p<.001