A Dyadic Longitudinal Study of Child Maltreatment and Sexual Well-Being in Adult Couples: The Buffering Effect of a Satisfying Relationship

ABSTRACT

This study examined the contribution of child maltreatment (CM) to trajectories of couples’ sexual well-being, and whether relationship satisfaction moderates these associations. Using a sample of 269 mixed-sex couples followed over one year, dyadic latent growth curve models showed both actor and partner effects. In terms of actor effects, women’s emotional neglect was associated with lower initial levels of sexual satisfaction, and most types of women’s CM were related to a sharper decrease over time in sexual satisfaction. Men and women’s emotional abuse and neglect, and women’s sexual abuse, were associated with lower initial levels of sexual function. Men and women’s emotional neglect and women’s emotional abuse were related to higher initial levels of sexual distress. Women’s sexual abuse was associated with a steeper increase in sexual distress. In terms of partner effects, women’s emotional neglect was associated with lower initial levels of partner sexual satisfaction, and women’s emotional abuse and neglect, with lower initial levels of partner sexual function. Greater relationship satisfaction buffered some of these negative effects. Given that sexual well-being requires a context in which the individual feels safe, all forms of CM may affect sexual well-being, although a satisfying relationship may buffer some of these effects.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mylène Desrosiers for her assistance with data collection.

Data Deposition

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, MPVM, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to Sophie Bergeron, and a grant from the Harrison McCain Foundation to E. Sandra Byers.