Is it the sex, the romance, or the living together? The differential impact of past sexual, romantic, and cohabitation histories on current relationship functioning.

Busby, Dean M.; Willoughby, Brian J.; McDonald, Melissa

doi:10.1037/cfp0000117

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…It could well be that those who were having more casual sex had attitudes that were less supportive of commitment in relationships or they were less able to sustain relationships. Some research has indicated that the total number of sexual partners was associated with negative attitudes about relationships and both variables were associated with relationship instability (Busby et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A closer look at attachment, sexuality, and couple relationships

Busby

Hanna‐Walker

Yorgason

2020

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

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In this study, the relationships between attachment patterns and relationship outcomes were explored through the mechanism of sexuality with two large samples from the U.S. In the first sample ( N = 4,834), the associations between insecure attachment patterns, the number of committed and casual sexual partners, timing of sexual debut, and relationship status were explored. In the second sample, a nationally representative sample of recently married couples ( N = 4212), an actor–partner model was used to explore the associations with attachment on the number of sexual partners and sexual timing and their subsequent influence on relationship and sexual satisfaction over two time points. The results indicated that, for Sample 1, insecure attachment was associated with both the number of casual and committed sexual partners and an increased likelihood of being single for men and women. For Sample 2, the actor–partner measures of attachment were associated with relationship and sexual satisfaction over two time points but had weak associations with the number of sexual partners and sexual timing.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A closer look at attachment, sexuality, and couple relationships

Busby

Hanna‐Walker

Yorgason

2020

Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

Self Cite

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“…For many, there are different levels of expectations and purposes between cohabiting and marriage as well as an incongruence with the construct of marriage which can make the choice to live together more appealing. Busby et al (2019) determined further risk in the lack of conversation, as well as the casualness of dating and sex within partnerships, which were more often affiliated with cohabiting than with marriage. Horowitz et al (2019) looked at levels of trust and satisfaction amongst partnerships determining that these factors are higher for married versus cohabiting relationships; they found 74% of those married versus 58% of those cohabiting believe their partner has their best interest, and that 68% of those married believe their partner always tells the truth versus 54% of those cohabiting.…”

Section: Risks Of Cohabitingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Factors that often influence the decision to live together included sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, commitment, relationship stability, relationship attitudes, and communication (Busby et al, 2019 ). These elements of a relationship are recommended to be at the forefront for discussion before officially moving in together, however it is very possible for people to move in without any consideration or conversation of any of these issues.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Though perception of cohabitation is improving and numbers of those living together (without marriage) are increasing, it is important to acknowledge that cohabitation has been linked to negative relationship outcomes. Busby et al ( 2019 ) found this to be especially true when the cohabiting does not have the goal of marriage as marriage can represent a shared and articulated goal. Busby et al ( 2019 ) realized that the more clearly the goals, wants, needs, and commitment are communicated, the more successful the cohabitation will be.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Busby et al ( 2019 ) found this to be especially true when the cohabiting does not have the goal of marriage as marriage can represent a shared and articulated goal. Busby et al ( 2019 ) realized that the more clearly the goals, wants, needs, and commitment are communicated, the more successful the cohabitation will be. Without this, partners who cohabit may experience higher levels of conflict which contributes to relational problems.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pre-Cohabitation Conversations for Relationships: Recommended Questions for Discussion

Brown

Schmidt²,

Morrow³

et al. 2021

Contemp Fam Ther

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Moving in together is an important transition in a relationship. For many, it is often a shift to the next phase of the relationship indicating higher levels of commitment. Whether the partners are married, plans to get married, or marriage is not part of their future, there are important conversations to be had prior to this transition. As such, this article presents recommended pre-cohabitation conversations with question prompts for partners to explore prior to moving in together. To best understand the dynamics of cohabiting that informed the questions, a review of the literature on cohabitation is presented. Additionally, race and culture, religion, and sexual and gender identity will be highlighted as essential conversation considerations especially as the majority of the literature is centered around white, hetero, and monogamous relationships. Created by a group of couple and family therapy graduate trainees based on the literature and their own personal and professional experiences, the pre-cohabitation conversations are organized into three categories-relationship negotiations, household rules, and communication. These conversations are recommended to be used both by therapists with their clients as well as for direct use by partners following the questions presented within. The topics represent a comprehensive range of relationship issues including consideration of unique issues as presented in the literature with the goal of aiding partners in successful management of their transition to a shared living space.

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