Research on marital sexual dissatisfaction : a review for counsellors
Date
1983
Authors
Clements, Joanne Dorothy
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Abstract
The present review is intended to bring together recently published journal research articles in the field of marital sexual dissatisfaction. Once gathered the articles were then evaluated against standards of good research. Analysis of the studies in this way revealed weaknesses in the field of marital sexual research across studies-namely, nonrandom, biased sampling, failure to report fully on research procedures and instruments, use of unvalidated questionnaires, and inattention to error reducing procedures.
The cumulation of studies suggested that while sexual interaction does not depend ultimately on a couple's nonsexual relationship, several studies indicated a correlation between the two variables. Several specific intrapersonal aspects were noted to be related to sexual difficulty and dysfunction in marriage. This review also found that sexual satisfaction was influenced by different factors for males versus females. Recommendations to counsellors also included information on frequency of intercourse and sexual dissatisfaction reported in the collected studies. The importance of various sexual activities to sexual satisfaction was explored as well.
The review closed with a summary of the findings and recommendations to counsellors involved in sexual therapy. Suggestions for further research in the field were also presented.