Sexual disclosures: connections to relational satisfaction and closeness

This study examines sexual communication by describing the content of sexual disclosures within marital relationships and assessing the association between sexual disclosures and relational outcomes, specifically relational satisfaction and closeness. A survey administered to 293 married individuals (58% female) who had an average age of 40 years (range = 20-73), 13.7 years of marriage (range = 1 month to 54 years), and who reported high levels of relational satisfaction assessed the relation between the content of sexual disclosures and satisfaction and closeness. While sexual disclosures are made infrequently, positive affect and sexual preferences are disclosed more than negative topics and disclosing sexual information is positively related to relationship satisfaction, rρ(280) =.26, p <.001; and closeness, rs(280) =.475, p <.01. Therapists can use these findings to show clients the positive relation between revealing sexual information and relationship satisfaction and closeness, as reported by individuals experiencing relationship satisfaction.