A Qualitative Comparison of Young Women's Maintained versus Decreased Sexual Desire in Longer-Term Relationships

Sexual Satisfaction Mediates the Effects of the Quality of Dyadic Sexual Communication on the Degree of Perceived Sexual Desire Discrepancy

Difficulties related to sexual desire discrepancy are among the most common complaints in people seeking help in therapy. The aims of the current study were to test a mediation model using a bootstrapping procedure where the quality of the dyadic sexual communication plays a key role in increasing or diminishing the degree of perceived sexual desire discrepancy through sexual satisfaction. An online survey was administered through social media to N = 369 participants involved in a romantic relationship, measuring the quality of dyadic sexual communication, sexual satisfaction, the degree of the perceived sexual desire discrepancy, and a series of relevant covariates. As expected, the mediation model showed that a better quality of dyadic sexual communication is related to a lower degree of perceived sexual desire discrepancy through increased sexual satisfaction (β = -0.17, SE = 0.05, [95% CI = -0.27, -0.07]). The effect held over and above the effect of the relevant covariates. The theoretical and practical implications of the present study are discussed.

Dyadic Sexual Desire in Romantic Relationships: The Dyadic Interactions Affecting Dyadic Sexual Desire Model

In most theoretical models, sexual desire for one's partner is predominantly conceptualized from an individual perspective. There is, however, a growing body of empirical evidence on the dyadic aspects of sexual desire. That evidence is as yet not well-integrated into theoretical conceptualizations of sexual desire. Aiming to fill this gap, we present the Dyadic Interactions Affecting DyadIC Sexual desire model (DIADICS), a new conceptual model inspired by systems theory that describes how dyadic interactions between partners influence dyadic sexual desire in romantic relationships. After defining dyadic sexual desire, we discuss (1) the structure of dyadic interactions, (2) their content, and (3) the process through which they affect dyadic sexual desire in a romantic relationship. Thereafter, we review theoretical, clinical, and empirical insights underscoring the relation between dyadic interactions and (dyadic) sexual desire, use DIADICS as a framework for understanding fluctuations in dyadic sexual desire in long-term relationships, and conclude by discussing implications of DIADICS for research and clinical practice.

The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Sex Therapy on Improving Sexual Desire Disorder, Sexual Distress, Sexual Self-Disclosure and Sexual Function in Women: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Sexual desire disorder is the most common form of sexual dysfunction among women and is associated with problems like sexual distress and reduced sexual self-disclosure. As a result, this RCT study was conducted with 70 reproductive-age women in the form of 4 weekly group educational sessions. Compared to the control group, the mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral sex therapy (MBCST) intervention significantly improved sexual -desire, -distress, self-disclosure and -function immediately, 4 and 12 weeks after the educational sessions were completed in the intervention group (p < 0.001). Overall, our findings underscore the significance of the MBCST intervention on improving sexual dysfunction among women.Trial registration number: Iranian registry of clinical trials. IRCT Id: IRCT20160808029255N4.Trial registration date: 17th September 2018.Date of first patient's enrollment: 19th September 2018.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2021.2008075.

I Want You to Want Me: A Qualitative Analysis of Heterosexual Men's Desire to Feel Desired in Intimate Relationships

Current sexual scripts for heterosexual relationships in the Western world stipulate that men should be the ones to initiate sexual activity, push to the next level of physical intimacy, and to desire women (and not be desirable themselves). However, there is building evidence that sexual scripts and gender roles are not only limited, they may be evolving and shifting over time. The purpose of the current study was to explore the degree to which feeling desired is considered important to heterosexual men in intimate relationships as well as how heterosexual men feel desired by their partners. Three hundred men between the ages of 18 and 65 were recruited from the online platform Reddit. Using Thematic Analysis, we determined that the vast majority of men in this study felt that feeling desired was very important to their sexual experiences. Men in this study listed several ways they felt desired, many that fell outside of traditional gender roles such as romantic, non-sexual touch and having women initiate sexual activity. The findings add to a growing body of literature which suggests traditional sexual scripts for heterosexual men may be limiting and not accurate for all men's sexual experiences.

A Systematic Review on Sexual Boredom

BACKGROUND

Empirical data on sexual boredom are scarce and unsystematized, contrasting with the literature on general boredom.

AIM

The aim of this review of literature is to verify how sexual boredom is defined in previous research and which relationships were found with sexual functioning, relationship dynamics, or gender.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted in EBSCO, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases for papers published until August 2020. Search terms used were "sexual boredom" or "sexual tedium" or "sexual indifference" or "sexual monotony" or a combination of "boredom" and "sexual activity" or "intercourse". This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines.

OUTCOMES

Articles were grouped in general boredom and sexuality research and in sexual boredom research.

RESULTS

This review consists of 43 articles, of which 31 are quantitative studies, 8 are qualitative studies, and 4 are mixed-method studies. Studies concerning general boredom and sexuality include research on diverse aspects of sexual behavior, namely solitary sexual behavior, extra-dyadic sex, compulsive sexual behavior, and risky sexual behavior. Sexual boredom research included papers regarding personality, sexual response, and varied aspects of sexual behavior.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Findings suggest sexual boredom is related with sexual response, sexual satisfaction, and hypersexuality, which renders clinical relevance. Sexual boredom impacts well-being, and further research should focus on exploring potential mechanisms underpinning this sexual problem.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

To the authors' knowledge, this is the only existing systematic review of sexual boredom and allowed identifying key features of sexual boredom and related aspects. However, because most studies are correlational, and several do not use comprehensive measures of sexual boredom, no causal relationships were identified.

CONCLUSION

This review indicates the construct of sexual boredom includes individual, relationship, and societal aspects. However, no definition of sexual boredom includes these, and current knowledge does not allow formulating a model or a theory of sexual boredom. de Oliveira L, Carvalho J, Nobre P. A Systematic Review on Sexual Boredom. J Sex Med 2021;18:565-581.

Perceptions of sexual boredom in a community sample

This study explored the definitions of sexual boredom in a large community sample of Portuguese individuals. A thematic analysis of written responses to the question "What is sexual boredom for you?" was conducted with 653 participants aged 18 to 75 (M = 33.14; SD = 9.01) of multiple genders, sexual orientations, and relationship types. Three main themes were identified: definitions of sexual boredom, predisposing and maintenance factors of sexual boredom, and managing of sexual boredom. Sexual monotony, sexual desire, and hedonic value stand out as defining features of sexual boredom. Findings suggest the need of a multidimensional measure of sexual boredom.

Strategies for Mitigating Sexual Desire Discrepancy in Relationships

Sexual desire discrepancy, when one member of a couple experiences more or less sexual desire relative to their partner, is among the main reasons for couples to seek therapy. A great deal of prior research has examined the complexity of sexual desire and the role of sexual desire discrepancy in long-term relationships, but little research has specifically examined strategies used to mitigate sexual desire discrepancy when it arises. Thus, the purpose of the present mixed methods study was to identify the strategies that individuals in long-term relationships use during times of desire discrepancy and to address whether the use of specific strategies influenced sexual and relationship satisfaction and sexual desire. We collected data from 229 participants and our thematic content analysis produced 17 strategies, divided into five main groups (disengagement, communication, engagement in activity alone, engagement in other activity with partner, and have sex anyway). Specific strategies were associated with sexual and relationship satisfaction but not with sexual desire. Specifically, partnered strategies were associated with higher levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction compared to individual strategies. Additionally, participants who reported that their strategies were very helpful had higher levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction compared to participants who found them somewhat helpful followed by not at all helpful. These results have implications for clinicians, educators, and researchers and highlight the importance of using effective strategies to deal with desire discrepancy and communicating about them in relationships. The use of effective strategies can have implications for overall couple well-being.

Couples' Sexual Communication and Dimensions of Sexual Function: A Meta-Analysis

Research and clinical data have shown that couples with sexual problems report a lack of sexual communication. However, no published meta-analyses have evaluated the relationship between sexual communication and sexual function. This meta-analysis examines the correlation between couples' sexual communication and dimension of sexual function across 48 studies. Sexual communication was positively associated with sexual desire (r = .16), sexual arousal (r = .21), lubrication (r = .17), orgasm (r = .23), erectile function (r = .19), less pain (r = .12), and overall sexual function (r = .35). The effect sizes for sexual desire (r = .21; r = .12) and orgasm (r = .26; r = .16) were higher for women than for men. For overall sexual function, studies with married participants (r = .47) had a larger effect size than studies with participants with multiple relationship types (r = .31) or than studies with dating participants (r = .11). Effect sizes were larger for studies conducted outside of the United States (r = .39) compared to studies conducted in the United States (r = .12). We discuss the importance of addressing the relationship between sexual communication and sexual function, as well as future directions for research in this area.

The Relational and Bodily Experiences Theory of Sexual Desire in Women

We review the theory and research on women's sexual desire and present a theory that incorporates internalized representations of relational and bodily experiences into our understanding of the full range of desire in women. To this end, we move away from the current tendency to focus on low sexual desire in women and instead consider desire on a spectrum or continuum from absent or diminished to high desire across multiple sexual orientations, including heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian. We review definitions of sexual desire, as well as the epidemiology and etiology of hypoactive sexual desire, the most prevalent sexual complaint in women, including the biological, psychological, and relationship correlates of inhibited sexual desire. Subsequently, we examine the research on highly sexual women, who tend to experience high levels of sexual desire, sexual agency, and sexual esteem, and distinguish between high sexual desire and hypersexuality. We introduce two important constructs that are integrated into the Relational and Bodily Experiences Theory (RBET) of sexual desire in women: attachment and sexual body self-representations, suggesting that women's internalized representations of self and other that stem from childhood and their capacity to embody their sexual bodies are integral to our understanding of the phenomenology of sexual desire in women. RBET calls for further research into the links between attachment, sexual body self-representations, and desire, and suggests that clinical interventions for sexual desire difficulties in women should emphasize internalized working models of relationships (i.e., attachment) and integrate bodily based approaches.

Male Sexual Desire: An Overview of Biological, Psychological, Sexual, Relational, and Cultural Factors Influencing Desire

INTRODUCTION

The literature showed the need for a better understanding of the male sexual response, which has historically been considered as simpler and more mechanistic compared with that in women.

AIM

To examine the literature on biopsychosocial factors associated with the level of sexual desire in men and discuss some interesting directions for future research.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was conducted.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

169 articles published in Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCO, and Cochrane Library about male sexual desire and related biopsychosocial factors.

RESULTS

We found a lack of multidimensional studies on male sexual desire. Most existing research has focused on hypoactive sexual desire disorder in coupled heterosexual men. Biological factors play important roles in the level of sexual desire, but they are insufficient to explain the male sexual response. Psychological, relational, and sexual factors (eg depression, anxiety, emotions, attraction, conflicts, communication, sexual functioning, distress, satisfaction) are involved in the development/maintenance of lack of sexual interest in men. Cultural influence is also relevant, with cognitive factors linked to gender roles and sexual scripts of masculinity identified as important predictors of low sexual desire.

CONCLUSION

Male sexual desire is characterized by an interplay among biological, psychological, sexual, relational, and cultural elements. This interplay merits further study to better understand how sexual desire works and how treatments for low sexual interest could be improved. Nimbi FM,Tripodi F, Rossi R, et al. Male Sexual Desire: An Overview of Biological, Psychological, Sexual, Relational, and Cultural Factors Influencing Desire. Sex Med Rev 2020;8:59-91.

Maintaining Sexual Desire in Long-Term Relationships: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Model

The most universally experienced sexual response is sexual desire. Though research on this topic has increased in recent years, low and high desire are still problematized in clinical settings and the broader culture. However, despite knowledge that sexual desire ebbs and flows both within and between individuals, and that problems with sexual desire are strongly linked to problems with relationships, there is a critical gap in understanding the factors that contribute to maintaining sexual desire in the context of relationships. This article offers a systematic review of the literature to provide researchers, educators, clinicians, and the broader public with an overview and a conceptual model of nonclinical sexual desire in long-term relationships. First, we systematically identified peer-reviewed, English-language articles that focused on the maintenance of sexual desire in the context of nonclinical romantic relationships. Second, we reviewed a total of 64 articles that met inclusion criteria and synthesized them into factors using a socioecological framework categorized as individual, interpersonal, and societal in nature. These findings are used to build a conceptual model of maintaining sexual desire in long-term relationships. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the existing research and suggest clear directions for future research.

A Model of Female Sexual Desire: Internalized Working Models of Parent-Child Relationships and Sexual Body Self-Representations

The etiology of low female sexual desire, the most prevalent sexual complaint in women, is multi-determined, implicating biological and psychological factors, including women's early parent-child relationships and bodily self-representations. The current study evaluated a model that hypothesized that sexual body self-representations (sexual subjectivity, self-objectification, genital self-image) explain (i.e., mediate) the relation between internalized working models of parent-child relationships (attachment, separation-individuation, parental identification) and sexual desire in heterosexual women. We recruited 614 young, heterosexual women (M = 25.5 years, SD = 4.63) through social media. The women completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used. The hypotheses were supported in that the relation between internalized working models of parent-child relationships (attachment and separation-individuation) and sexual desire was mediated by sexual body self-representations (sexual body esteem, self-objectification, genital self-image). However, parental identification was not related significantly to sexual body self-representations or sexual desire in the model. Current findings demonstrated that understanding female sexual desire necessitates considering women's internalized working models of early parent-child relationships and their experiences of their bodies in a sexual context. Treatment of low or absent desire in women would benefit from modalities that emphasize early parent-child relationships as well as interventions that foster mind-body integration.