Relationship Satisfaction and Sexual Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study of Individuals in Long-Term Relationships‪.‬

Both therapists and the general public see the quality of a couple's romantic relationship and the quality of their sex life as linked (Sprecher, 1998; Wincze & Carey, 2001). In fact, researchers consistently have shown that there is a strong positive association between relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction (e.g., Haavio-Mannila & Kontula, 1997; Purnine & Carey, 1997). Authors often make implicit assumptions about the direction of this relationship to inform theory and practice. However, there has been little research investigating whether there is a causal relationship between the two variables and, if so, its direction. The Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction proposes that relationship quality affects sexual satisfaction (Lawrance & Byers, 1995). In keeping with this view, partners' experiences of unresolved conflicts, not feeling loved, and emotional distance have been shown to be associated with lower sexual satisfaction (Davidson & Darling, 1988; Schenk, Pfrang, & Rausche, 1983). In addition, MacNeil and Byers (2005) found that relationship satisfaction partially mediates the association between self-disclosure and sexual satisfaction. The authors interpreted this finding as indicating that self-disclosure leads to greater relationship satisfaction, which in turn leads to higher sexual satisfaction. Further, O'Leary and Arias (1983) found that marital therapy that focused on nonsexual relationship issues resulted in significant increases in sexual satisfaction.