An Explanatory Model of Sexual Satisfaction in Adults with a Same-Sex Partner: An Analysis Based on Gender Differences

Abstract

This study aimed to develop an explanatory model of sexual satisfaction in same-sex attracted individuals with a partner, based on personal and interpersonal variables. The participants were 410 men (mean age = 29.24, SD = 9.84) and 410 women (mean age = 29, SD = 8.57) who maintained a relationship with another person of the same sex. Internalized homophobia was considered as a personal variable, and as interpersonal variables, the dimensions of attachment (anxiety and avoidance), sexual functioning, dyadic adjustment, relationship satisfaction, the components of the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction, the number of sexual costs and the number of sexual rewards were considered. The degree to which sexual satisfaction was related to these variables was examined separately, for both men and women, through multiple linear regression models within the framework of structural equation models. The results indicated that sexual satisfaction is associated in a negative sense with internalized homophobia, the number of sexual costs, anxiety, and avoidance, and in a positive sense with the remaining variables. Relational variables were more relevant in the explanation of sexual satisfaction. The clinical implications are discussed.

Study of Sexual Satisfaction in Different Typologies of Adherence to the Sexual Double Standard

“…The interpersonal variable relationship satisfaction was the main predictor of sexual satisfaction in all the models, and was the only predictor in the woman-favorable typology in men in both sexual behavior areas and in the egalitarian typology in women in SF area, which confirms the results published in former studies ( Byers, 2005 ; Sánchez-Fuentes et al, 2015 ; Sánchez-Fuentes and Santos-Iglesias, 2016 ; Calvillo et al, 2020a ). As relationship satisfaction is a component of the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction ( Lawrance and Byers, 1995 ), higher relationship satisfaction levels imply more sexual satisfaction for partners ( Haavio-Mannila and Kontula, 2003 ; Byers, 2005 ).…”

“…Sexual interest diminished as age increased ( Gott and Hinchliff, 2003 ), as did frequency of sexual activity, while sexual dysfunctions increased ( Addis et al, 2006 ; Sierra et al, 2012 ; Arcos-Romero and Sierra, 2019 ). All these sexuality aspects have been associated with sexual satisfaction ( Badcock et al, 2014 ; Sánchez-Fuentes et al, 2014 , 2016 ; Thomas et al, 2015 ; Calvillo et al, 2018 , 2020a ). Nevertheless, the weight of age in explaining sexual satisfaction was far from significant, and was not relevant for any cases of the men with the woman-favorable typology in both areas, and with the man-favorable typology in SS, nor for the women with the egalitarian typology in SF and SS.…”

“…Sexual satisfaction does not depend only on one’s own sexual relationships, but also on other personal, interpersonal, and socio-cultural factors ( Sánchez-Fuentes et al, 2014 ; Calvillo et al, 2018 ); that is, studying it requires multicomponent models. For that purpose, Henderson et al (2009) ; Sánchez-Fuentes et al (2016) , and Calvillo et al (2020a) based their works on the Ecological Theory of Human Development ( Bronfenbrenner, 1994 ), which conceives personal development as the result of the interaction of individuals with the environmental contexts in which they live and socialize. The most relevant factors in these models for explaining sexual satisfaction are those of the personal and interpersonal kind ( Sánchez-Fuentes et al, 2014 ; Calvillo et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Of the interpersonal factors, relationship satisfaction has been demonstrated to be the most important one as a determining factor of sexual satisfaction ( Byers, 2005 ; Sánchez-Fuentes et al, 2015 ; Sánchez-Fuentes and Santos-Iglesias, 2016 ; Calvillo et al, 2020a ).…”

The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Sexual Attitudes, Sexual Assertiveness, and Sexual Functioning in Men and Women

“…As limitations of the study, despite the large sample, participants were selected by non-probabilistic quota sampling, which limits the generalization of the results to the general population. Furthermore, the study was conducted exclusively with heterosexual participants, so other studies about the experience of abuse in samples with different sexual orientations and with sexual minorities are necessary [84][85][86]. Finally, it would be interesting for future studies to bear in mind the intensity of the abuse suffered, not only examining the dichotomy presence/absence of abuse as in this study.…”