Sensation-seeking congruence in couples as a determinant of marital adjustment: a partial replication and extension

The present study is a replication of an earlier one. There were 30 dysfunctional couples and 30 control couples matched with the clinic couples on age and education. Both partners independently took the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS) and the Locke Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (MAQ). Control couples were significantly higher on the MAQ (better marital adjustment). Correlations between partners in the control couples were higher than those between partners in the dysfunctional couples on the SSS Total and Boredom Susceptibility scales, which replicated previous findings. Female partners of males who scored high on the SSS were more likely to initiate the contact for treatment than partners of low male sensation seekers. Female partners of low male sensation seekers and the low males themselves tended to report that sex between them was only tolerable or "disgusting," whereas female partners of high sensation seekers and their mates tended to report sex as pleasurable and apparently sought therapy for other reasons. Congruence on sensation seeking is an important factor in marital adjustment.