Adult attachment, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction: A study of married couples

Abstract

The goal of this research was to extend prior work on adult attachment and sexuality, which has tended to focus on samples of adolescents and undergraduate students. A Canadian sample of 116 married couples aged 21–75 years completed self‐report measures of adult attachment, marital, and sexual satisfaction. Results revealed that participants with higher levels of anxiety and avoidance reported lower levels of sexual satisfaction at the individual level. Individuals with more avoidant spouses also reported lower levels of sexual satisfaction. Furthermore, the relationship between sexual and marital satisfaction was stronger for more anxiously attached individuals and those with more anxiously attached spouses. These results suggest that attachment is linked in theoretically predictable ways to marital and sexual satisfaction.

Attachment, Sexual Assertiveness, and Sexual Outcomes in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: A Mediation Model

“…These results are similar to the ones found in community sample studies (Birnbaum, 2007;Butzer & Campbell, 2008;Davis et al, 2006;Fricker & Moore, 2002) as well as in studies of clinically distressed couples (Brassard et al, 2012). Many reasons can explain why anxiously attached women with PVD are less satisfied with their sexual experiences.…”

“…Correlational studies already show that attachment anxiety is associated with poorer sexual experiences (Birnbaum, 2007;Brassard, Peloquin, Dupuy, Wright, & Shaver, 2012;Butzer & Campbell, 2008;Costa & Brody, 2011;Davis et al, 2006;Gentzler & Kerns, 2004) and greater sex-related worries (Birnbaum et al, 2006;Davis et al, 2006). Two studies using a dyadic approach have shown interesting partner effects indicating that an individual's attachment can predict their partner's sexual outcome (Brassard et al, 2012;Butzer & Campbell, 2008). More specifically, Brassard et al (2012) found that men's attachment anxiety was associated with higher sexual dissatisfaction in women.…”

“…Research has begun to show that avoidant attachment is also associated with a tendency to be less assertive sexually and to comply with unwanted sex, although motivation underlying this behavior would be different (Gentzler & Kerns, 2004;Impett & Peplau, 2002). Evidence shows that individuals higher in avoidant attachment report less sex-related pleasure (Birnbaum et al, 2006;Tracy, Shaver, Albino, & Cooper, 2003), are more likely to manifest aversive sexual affects and cognitions (Birnbaum, 2007;Birnbaum et al, 2006), and are generally less satisfied with their sexual interactions (Brassard et al, 2012;Butzer & Campbell, 2008;Davis et al, 2006;Fricker & Moore, 2002). Further, two dyadic studies indicated that partners of individuals with higher attachment avoidance report lower sexual satisfaction (Brassard et al, 2012;Butzer & Campbell, 2008).…”

Apego em casais com um filho com Autismo

“…No casal 3, que descreveu mais expectativas em relação a retomar a conjugalidade e trouxe mais queixas nesse sentido, o aspecto sexual e de romantismo foi bastante enfocado. De fato, existem estudos que relacionam o apego com a sexualidade (BUTZER;CAMPBELL, 2008;HOLMES, 2007;BRASSARD;SHAVER;LUSSIER, 2007). Esses estudos ressaltam que o contato físico íntimo é importante na infância e na vida adulta: para a criança, no desenvolvimento do vínculo de apego inicial e para os parceiros românticos a busca da proximidade ocorre também através da atração sexual.…”

Model Of Significant Other In Young Adults With Different Romantic Attachment Style

“…Furthermore, albeit numerous studies on influence of one's attachment patterns on relationship quality were conducted (e.g., Butzer & Campbell, 2008;Towler & Stuhlmacher, 2013), exists the dyadic perspective which reflects classic ideas of internal working models origin: the dimensions of avoidance and anxiety (basic parameters for two-dimensional model of individual differences of romantic attachment) in oneself and his/ her romantic partner are interrelated. The attachment insecurity indicators and its' perception in couples members are related with relationship satisfaction (Molero et al, 2016).…”