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Couple Communication Behaviors During Sexual and Nonsexual Discussions and Their Association with Relationship Satisfaction

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Abstract

The quality of communication between romantic partners has consistently been found to be associated with relationship well-being and stability. Studies on sexual and nonsexual communication, however, have typically assessed communication skills and behaviors using self-report measures. The use of observational methods has several advantages, including the ability to capture and allow for the independent coding of both partners’ communication behaviors. With few exceptions, research applying observational methods has not distinguished between sexual and nonsexual communication behaviors. In the present study, we asked 126 young, mixed-sex couples to engage in sexual and nonsexual conflict discussions. The two 7-min discussions were videotaped and rated by trained coders on nine behavioral dimensions using an adaptation of the specific affect coding system (Gottman & Krokoff, 1989) and the system for coding interactions and family functioning (Lindahl & Malik, 2001). Coder ratings applied to the discussion as a whole. Analyses included factor analysis on the behavioral dimensions and multilevel modeling incorporating the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). We found significant differences in how couples interacted during the two discussions, with more positive (affectionate and validating) and less negative behaviors during sexual discussions as compared to nonsexual discussions. In both women and men, expressions of positivity during the two types of conflict discussions were associated with higher relationship satisfaction. Gender differences were found in the association between negative behaviors during sexual discussions and relationship satisfaction, with men but not women’s negative behaviors being associated with lower relationship satisfaction. These findings point at distinct qualities of sexual communication and its association with couples’ relational well-being and contribute to a better scientific understanding, with clinical relevance, of sexual and nonsexual communication.

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Notes

  1. The choice for a 3-year mark is consistent with findings suggesting the ‘honeymoon effect’ for newlywed couples wears off after about 30 months (Lorber et al., 2015).

  2. As part of the first visit, blood samples were taken, the findings of which are presented elsewhere (Roels et al., 2021).

  3. These and all other analyses were conducted using SPSS 25.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).

  4. We accounted for multiple testing using the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure, which decreases the false discovery rate (Benjamini & Hochberg, 1995). Using this procedure, all of the statistically significant values from our findings remained significant.

  5. We tested for distinguishability as part of all APIM analyses, to allow us to assess whether the variable of interest (in this case, gender) indeed had an impact, instead of assuming such differences would exist. Not all previous studies on dyadic processes have tested for distinguishability in relation to gender and explored gender moderations regardless. The current approach has the advantage of evaluating actor/partner effects independently of gender, allowing for the test of interactions with gender, but not starting with assumptions about gender differences. Furthermore, testing for gender-related interaction effects in the absence of evidence for indistinguishability increases the number of tests being carried out and the likelihood of spurious results.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Grants from the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO; G0C8216N) and KU Leuven/University of Leuven (C14/16/076) to Erick Janssen (PI). The authors wish to thank Daisy Mechelmans and Linde Bastanie, Annelien Cordonnier, Ans Cornelissen, Merel de Bie, Victor Guillaume Antoine Honée, and Laura Michiels for their help with data collection, Maarten Jackers, Zita Leenaerts, Sanne Nieuwenhuis, and Kelly van den Heuvel for their help with coding, and Kristof Vansteelandt for his help with the analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosciences, Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, KU Leuven, University of Leuven, Campus St-Rafaël, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Rick Roels & Erick Janssen

  2. Department of Psychiatry, UPC KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Rick Roels

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Uzma S. Rehman

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA

    Jackson A. Goodnight

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  4. Erick Janssen
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Contributions

Conceptualization, R.R., U.R., E.J.; Methodology, R.R., U.R., E.J.; Formal Analysis, R.R., U.R., J.G.; Investigation, R.R.; Writing—Original Draft, R.R.; Writing—Review and Editing, R.R., U.R., J.G., E.J.; Funding Acquisition, E.J.; Supervision, U.R. and E.J.

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Correspondence to Rick Roels.

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Roels, R., Rehman, U.S., Goodnight, J.A. et al. Couple Communication Behaviors During Sexual and Nonsexual Discussions and Their Association with Relationship Satisfaction. Arch Sex Behav 51, 1541–1557 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02204-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02204-4

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