Sexual Communication Discrepancies in Married Individuals

Abstract

Sexual communication brings numerous relational and sexual benefits. However, individuals often do not communicate sexually with their partners, resulting in the potential for sexual communication discrepancies (SCD). Guided by uncertainty reduction theory, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine SCD in married relationships. Results of a cross-sectional survey conducted with 398 married individuals revealed a significant relationship between relational uncertainty and SCD, as well as significant associations between SCD and relational and sexual outcomes. The implications of this study are discussed in the context of sexual communication research and clinical settings.

Keywords:

• Sexual communication discrepancies
• sexual communication
• relational uncertainty

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Notes

1 10 incomplete surveys were removed from the original 431 submissions, as well as 24 submissions with extreme scores.

2 ANOVAs were performed to examine any potentially significant differences in SCD scores based on participants’ biological sex, ethnicity, and education level. No significant differences were found.