İmran Gökçen YILMAZ KARAMAN, Harun Olcay SONKURT, Gülcan GÜLEÇ

Marital adjustment and sexual satisfaction in married couples with sexual functioning disorders: A comparative study evaluating patients and their partners

Objective: Sexual satisfaction is a predictor of marital satisfaction, and marital satisfaction is a predictor of sexual satisfaction. This study was an evaluation of the quality of this relationship in Turkish women and men with diagnosed sexual dysfunction (SD). Method: A total of 65 married couples in which at least 1 partner had diagnosed SD and who had presented at the Eskişehir Osmangazi University Faculty of Medicine Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic were enrolled in the study. Data were collected using a sociodemographic and clinical data form, the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), and the Birtchnell Marital Partner Evaluation Scale (BMPES). The participants were divided into 4 groups according to gender and the presence of SD: SD+ female (n=44), SD- female (n=14), SD+ male (n=23), and SD- male (n=35). Results: Comparison of the men and women who were SD+ revealed that the BMPES directiveness subscale scores were higher among the males, whereas the detachment and dependency scores were lower. When compared with their SD- partners, the males also had higher BMPES directiveness scores and lower detachment scores. Analysis of the SD+ and SD- female group findings indicated a significant difference only in the GRISS vaginismus subdimension. Among the men, those who were SD+ had higher total GRISS scores than those who were SD-. Correlations between marital adjustment and sexual satisfaction scores demonstrated a significant relationship between dependency and reliability, and dependency and the total GRISS score in the SD+ male group. The SD+ male group responses indicated that a perception of the female partner as dependent was associated with a higher quality sex life and greater sexual satisfaction, in addition to a high reliability score. Conclusion: Gender and other significant complexities are important considerations for clinicians evaluating sexual satisfaction and marital adjustment in couples with SD. Marital adjustment problems should be examined in couples with SD, and sexual problems should be examined in couples with marital adjustment problems.

PDF

___

1. Gulec G. The Family and the Marriage In: Yenilmez Ç (editor). Family Structure and Relationships. First ed. Eskişehir: Anadolu Üniversitesi; 2012, 62-75.

2. Safak Ozturk C, Arkar H. Associations between the marital adjustment and sexual satisfaction in married couples. Literature Symposium 2014; 1:16-24..

3. Erdogan Taycan S, Cepik Kuruoglu A. Examining the associations between the marital adjustment and attachment styles, temperament and character traits. Turk Psikiyatri Derg 2014; 25:9-18.

4. Gadassi R, Bar-Nahum LE, Newhouse S, Anderson R, Heiman JR, Rafaeli E, et al. Perceived partner responsiveness mediates the association between sexual and marital satisfaction: A daily diary study in newlywed couples. Arch Sex Behav 2016; 45:109-120.

5. McNulty JK, Wenner CA, Fisher TD. Longitudinal associations among relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and frequency of sex in early marriage. Arch Sex Behav 2016; 45:85- 97.[CrossRef]

6. Teimourpour N, Bidokhti NM, Pourshahbaz A, Ehsan HB. Sexual desire in Iranian female university students: role of marital satisfaction and sex guilt. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci 2014; 8:64..

7. Hartman LM. The interface between sexual dysfunction and marital conflict. Am J Psychiatry 1980; 137:576-579.[CrossRef]

8. Lewis RW, Fugl‐Meyer KS, Bosch R, Fugl‐Meyer AR, Laumann EO, Lizza E, et al. Epidemiology/risk factors of sexual dysfunction. J Sex Med 2004; 1:35-39.[CrossRef]

9. Amidu N, Owiredu WK, Gyasi-Sarpong CK, Woode E, Quaye L. Sexual dysfunction among married couples living in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana. BMC Urol 2011; 11:3.[CrossRef]

10. Monga M, Alexandrescu B, Katz SE, Stein M, Ganiats T. Impact of infertility on quality of life, marital adjustment, and sexual function. Urology 2004; 63:126-130.[CrossRef]

11. Garden FH, Bontke CF, Hoffman M. Sexual functioning and marital adjustment after traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil 1990; 5:52-59.[CrossRef]

12. Trudel G, Goldfarb MR. Marital and sexual functioning and dysfunctioning, depression and anxiety. Sexologies 2010; 19:137- 142.[CrossRef]

13. Eristiren P, Incesu C, Yetkin N, Alpay N. The association between psychiatric comorbidity and marriage in women applying for the sexual and marriage therapy Dusunen Adam The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences 2001; 14:132-141.

14. Safak Ozturk C, Arkar H, Gokdag C. Are personality traits effective in marital adjustment in couples with sexual dysfunction? The mediating effect of sexual satisfaction. Turk Psikiyatri Derg 2020; 31:259-268.[CrossRef]

15. Woody JD, D'souza HJ, Crain DD. Sexual functioning in clinical couples: Discriminant validity of the sexual interaction system scale, Am J Fam Ther 1994; 22:291-302.[CrossRef]

16. Bhugra D, De Silva P. Sexual dysfunction across cultures. Int Rev Psychiatry 1993; 5:243-252.[CrossRef]

17. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Ed., (DSM-5). Koroglu E (Trans. Ed.) Ankara: Hekimler Yayin Birligi, 2013

18. Rust J, Golombok S. The GRISS: a psychometric instrument for the assessment of sexual dysfunction. Arch Sex Behav 1986; 15:157-165.[CrossRef]

19. Karlidere T, Bozkurt A, Yetkin S, Doruk A, Sutcigil L, Ozmenler KN, et al. Is there a gender difference in infertile couples without an axis I psychiatric disorder in the context of emotional symptoms, social support, and sexual function? Turk Psikiyatri Derg 2007; 18:311-322.

20. Tugrul C, Oztan N, Kabakcı E. Standardization study of the Golombok-Rust sexual satisfaction inventory. Turk Psikiyatri Derg 1993; 4:83-88.

21. Kabakci E, Tugrul C, Oztan N. Birtchnell marital partner evaluation scale: Validity and reliability study. Turkish Journal of Psychology 1993; 8:31-37.

22. Birtchnell J. The assessment of the marital relationship by questionnaire. Sex Marital Ther 1988; 3:57-70.[CrossRef]

23. Fisher WA, Rosen RC, Eardley I, Sand M, Goldstein I. Sexual experience of female partners of men with erectile dysfunction: The Female Experience of Men's Attitudes to Life Events and Sexuality (FEMALES) Study, J Sex Med 2005; 2:675-684.[CrossRef]

24. Borg C, Peters ML, Schultz WW, de Jong PJ. Vaginismus: heightened harm avoidance and pain catastrophizing cognitions. J Sex Med 2012; 9:558-567.[CrossRef]

25. Leonhardt ND, Willoughby BJ, Busby DM, Yorgason JB, Holmes EK. The significance of the female orgasm: A nationally representative, dyadic study of newlyweds' orgasm experience. J Sex Med 2018; 15:1140-1148.[CrossRef]

26. Turkseven A, Soylemez I, Dursun P. The association between sexual dysfunctions and marital adjustment. Kriz Dergisi 2020; 28:9-20.

27. Sanchez DT, Fetterolf JC, Rudman LA. Eroticizing inequality in the United States: The consequences and determinants of traditional gender role adherence in intimate relationships. J Sex Res 2012; 49:168-183.[CrossRef]

28. Regan PC, Lakhanpal S, Anguiano C. Relationship outcomes in Indian-American love-based and arranged marriages. Psychologic Rep 2012; 110:915-924.[CrossRef]

29. Nawaz S, Javeed S, Haneef A, Tasaur B, Khalid I. Perceived social support and marital satisfaction among love and arranged marriage couples. Int J Acad Res Reflect 2014; 2:41-50.

30. Xiaohe X, Whyte MK. Love matches and arranged marriages: a Chinese replication. J Marriage Fam 1990; 52:709-722.[CrossRef]

31. Nulufer Erbil R. Relationship between sexual myths and sexual function of women. Int J Caring Sci 2019; 12:1570-1579.

32. Dogan S, Saracoglu GV. Evaluation of sexual knowledge, marital characteristics, sexual functioning and satisfaction in women with lifelong vaginismus. Trakya Univ Tıp Fak Derg 2009; 26: 151-158.

33. Tomlinson J, Fernandes L, Wylie K. An e‐mail and telephone helpline for sexual problems–results of a 2‐year survey of men’s sexual concerns. Int J Clin Pract 2011; 65:1085-1091.[CrossRef]