Antecedents and Consequences of the Perceived Threat of Sexual Communication: A Test of the Relational Turbulence Model

Abstract

This study applied the relational turbulence model to understand the dynamics of sexual communication between romantic partners. We conducted a cross-sectional, dyadic study in which both partners from 85 sexually active couples completed questionnaires about their romantic characteristics, sexual communication, and perceptions of their sexual relationship. Results showed that (a) relational uncertainty and interference from partners were positively associated with the perceived threat of sexual communication; (b) perceived threat of sexual communication was positively associated with both sexual topic avoidance and indirect communication about sexual intimacy; (c) both sexual topic avoidance and indirect sexual communication were negatively associated with sexual satisfaction for females, whereas only sexual topic avoidance was negatively associated with sexual satisfaction for males; and (d) for males only, there was a direct negative association between the perceived threat of sexual communication and sexual satisfaction. Our findings highlight the implications of relational turbulence for predicting cognitive and communicative reactions to sexual intimacy.

Keywords:

• Relational Turbulence
• Relational Uncertainty
• Sexual Communication
• Topic Avoidance

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Anna Pennisi for her help with data collection.

Notes

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer A. Theiss

Jennifer A. Theiss (PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 2005) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Rutgers University.

Roi Estlein

Roi Estlein (PhD, Rutgers University, 2013) is a Research Associate in the School of Psychology at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya and a Postdoctoral Associate in the School of Social Work at University of Haifa, Israel.