Sexual script flexibility and sexual well-being in long-term couples: a dyadic longitudinal study

Background Couples in long-term relationships often face sexual challenges (eg, sexual response difficulties) that may disrupt their typical sexual routine or sexual script. Individuals with more rigid sexual scripts (eg, sex must include penile-vaginal intercourse) may struggle to navigate their sexual difficulties, potentially resulting in lower sexual well-being for themselves and their partners. Aim In a dyadic longitudinal study, we examined whether individuals' greater sexual script flexibility when coping with recent sexual challenges was associated with their own and their partner's greater sexual well-being (ie, dyadic sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, low sexual distress). Methods Seventy-four mixed- and same-gender/sex couples in long-term relationships completed online surveys about sexual script flexibility and facets of sexual well-being at baseline and 4 months later. Dyadic data were treated as indistinguishable and analyzed using multilevel modeling guided by the actor-partner interdependence model. Outcomes Self-report measures of dyadic sexual desire (Sexual Desire Inventory-2), sexual satisfaction (Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction), and sexual distress (Sexual Distress Scale-Short Form) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results Cross-sectional results showed that when individuals reported greater sexual script flexibility in response to recent sexual challenges, they and their partners reported greater sexual satisfaction. Individuals' greater sexual script flexibility was also linked to their own greater dyadic sexual desire and lower sexual distress. Unexpectedly, individuals' greater sexual script flexibility was associated with their partner's lower dyadic sexual desire at baseline and their own lower dyadic sexual desire 4 months later. No other associations were found between sexual script flexibility and sexual outcomes 4 months later and there were no interactions between individuals' gender and sexual script flexibility for the cross-sectional models. Clinical Implications The cross-sectional associations between sexual script flexibility and sexual well-being provides some support for the idea that modifying rigid sexual scripts in sex and couple therapy may promote contemporaneous sexual well-being. Strengths and Limitations This is the first dyadic study, to our knowledge, to assess the assumed benefits of greater sexual script flexibility for couples' sexual well-being. The relatively small and homogeneous sample of community couples who had largely intact sexual well-being limits generalizability. Conclusion Findings provide preliminary evidence of cross-sectional links between sexual script flexibility and sexual well-being for individuals and couples, lending empirical support to the convention of promoting sexual script flexibility to help couples cope with sexual challenges. The mixed findings for the association between sexual script flexibility and dyadic sexual desire warrant additional study and replication.