bims-chumac 2020-07-12 papers

bims-chumac

Biomed News

on Context effects on human mate choice

Issue of 2020–07–12
eight papers selected by
Jay Dixit, Storytelling.NYC

Spousal Support and Relationship Happiness in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Their Spouses.
Kiss and Makeup? Examining the Co-occurrence of Conflict and Sex.
Do Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Attitudes and Knowledge Predict Men and Women's Adult Sexual Partnerships?
What Does Research Tell Us About Women's Experiences, Motives and Perceptions of Masturbation Within a Relationship Context?: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.
Pursuit of Harmony: Relational and Individual Predictors of Sexual Passion Expression.
Narcissistic and dependent behaviors in the Battle of the Sexes game.
Experiences of liking versus ideas about liking.
Female Sexual Satisfaction and Sexual Identity.

Can J Diabetes. 2020 May 18. pii: S1499-2671(20)30132-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Spousal Support and Relationship Happiness in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Their Spouses.

Marie-France Lafontaine, Claude Bélanger, Stéphanie Jolin, Stéphane Sabourin, Arie Nouwen.

   OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the perceptions of spousal support self-efficacy in terms of dietary self-care and relationship happiness.
METHODS: Forty-six couples, in which only one spouse has type 2 diabetes, completed questionnaires on perceptions of spousal support self-efficacy and relationship happiness.
RESULTS: Using an actor‒partner interdependence model, we found that, when persons with type 2 diabetes were more confident in their spouse's ability to provide them with support regarding their dietary self-care, they reported more relationship happiness. We also found that, when their spouse without diabetes was more confident in their own abilities to provide such support to their partner, they reported more relationship happiness. However, the person with diabetes' confidence in their spouse's support abilities and the spouse's confidence in their own support abilities were not associated with the other partner's relationship happiness.
CONCLUSIONS: This study offers a unique dyadic perspective on the determinants of happiness for couples in which one spouse has type 2 diabetes. The perceived quality of spousal support appears to be associated with relationship happiness in committed couples managing diabetes, regardless of the actual support received or provided.

Keywords:  actor‒partner interdependence model; auto-efficacité du soutien conjugal; auto-soins en matière d’alimentation; bonheur dans la relation; diabète de type 2; dietary self-care; modèle d’interdépendance acteur-partenaire; relationship happiness; spousal support self-efficacy; type 2 diabetes

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcjd.2020.05.006
Arch Sex Behav. 2020 Jul 10.

Kiss and Makeup? Examining the Co-occurrence of Conflict and Sex.

Jessica A Maxwell, Andrea L Meltzer.

  Although conflict and sex frequently occur in relationships, little research has examined their interconnectedness. Some evidence suggests their co-occurrence can benefit relationships, whereas other evidence suggests the opposite. We sought to clarify such contrasting evidence by conducting a dyadic daily-diary study of 107 newlywed couples that included a 6-month follow-up assessment. Although conflict (operationalized as one partner doing something the other did not like) was unassociated with the likelihood of sex on a given day, it predicted a lower likelihood the following day. Moreover, despite the fact that sex co-occurring with (vs. occurring independent of) conflict was less enjoyable, it partially reduced the negative effects of conflict on both spouses' daily relationship quality. The extent to which sex and conflict co-occurred was unassociated with intimates' changes in marital satisfaction 6 months later. The implications of engaging in post-conflict sex are nuanced: although such sex is less enjoyable, it temporarily buffers relationship quality in that moment.

Keywords:  Conflict; Daily diary; Makeup sex; Marriage; Sex

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01779-8
J Adolesc Health. 2020 Jul 07. pii: S1054-139X(20)30292-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Do Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Attitudes and Knowledge Predict Men and Women's Adult Sexual Partnerships?

Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Vanessa Wanner Lang, Sarah R Hayford.

   PURPOSE: Adolescence is a key stage for forming knowledge and attitudes about sex and reproduction that may have long-term implications for adult sexual behaviors. Gender differences in experiences and socialization processes may affect the links between adolescent characteristics and adult behaviors.
METHODS: By following adolescent virgins aged 15 years and older from wave I through wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 4,152), we test whether adolescent boys' and girls' knowledge about, and attitudes toward, sex and reproduction influence the number of lifetime different-sex sexual partners and the likelihood of having concurrent sexual partners in adulthood, using negative binomial regression and logistic regression, respectively. Models are run separately by gender.
RESULTS: Men and women who reported greater physical benefits of sex as adolescents reported more lifetime different-sex sexual partners and were more likely to have concurrent sexual partners in adulthood. For women, adolescent perceptions of more social costs to sex were linked to fewer lifetime sexual partners, whereas greater birth control confidence was linked to more sexual partners. Women who more strongly felt that avoiding sexually transmitted infections was a hassle during adolescence were less likely to have concurrent sexual partners as adults, and men who were more knowledgeable about condoms during adolescence were more likely to have concurrent sexual partners.
CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent knowledge and attitudes about sex, contraception, and reproduction have implications for adult sexual behavior, but different aspects emerge as salient for men and women.

Keywords:  Adolescence; Attitudes; Contraception; Gender; Sexual partnerships

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.05.035
J Sex Marital Ther. 2020 Jul 06. 1-34

What Does Research Tell Us About Women's Experiences, Motives and Perceptions of Masturbation Within a Relationship Context?: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.

Dilan Kılıç Onar, Heather Armstrong, Cynthia A Graham.

This systematic review provides an overview of what qualitative research has revealed about partner-related factors around women's masturbation and explores how these factors relate to women's behavior, perceptions, and motives toward masturbation. Eleven studies were identified and secondary thematic analysis was used for synthesis. Women's perceptions often focus on the (potential) negative influences of masturbation on current or future relationships. Motivations some women reported for masturbating due to partner-related factors were diverse. Findings suggested that some women modify their masturbation behavior when in a relationship. The implications of these findings for sexual health educators and clinicians are discussed.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2020.1781722
Arch Sex Behav. 2020 Jul 05.

Pursuit of Harmony: Relational and Individual Predictors of Sexual Passion Expression.

Nathan D Leonhardt, Dean M Busby, Chanae Valdez.

  Harmonious, obsessive, and inhibited sexual passion comprise the Triadic Model of Sexual Passion. Research has shown that together they play an important role in sexual and relationship satisfaction. Little is known, however, about the factors that predict the likelihood of having these types of passion expression. Using a Mechanical Turk sample of 1414 individuals, we estimated structural equation models to evaluate how relationship factors (i.e., relationship length, sexual desire, sexual drive) and individual factors (i.e., attachment style, childhood abuse, personality) predict the three constructs from the Triadic Model of Sexual Passion. In general, those with higher sexual desire, secure attachment, no childhood abuse, and low impulsivity and shyness were most likely to report optimal sexual passion (higher harmonious, lower inhibited, and lower obsessive sexual passion). By better understanding how these factors predict sexual passion expression, couples may have an increased likelihood of experiencing harmonious sexual passion in their sexual relationships.

Keywords:  Attachment; Sexual abuse; Sexual desire; Triadic model of sexual passion

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01769-w
Personal Disord. 2020 Jul 06.

Narcissistic and dependent behaviors in the Battle of the Sexes game.

Lauren Simon, Lawrence Ian Reed.

We used the 2-person, 2-choice Battle of the Sexes game to model dominant and submissive behaviors in individuals with narcissistic and dependent traits in an online sample. In the Battle of the Sexes, participants share an interest in coordinating an outcome (either A or B). However, one player prefers they coordinate on Outcome A, whereas the other prefers they both coordinate on Outcome B. When provoked by a preemptive commitment (Experiment 1), we found that narcissistic traits were positively associated with dominant behavior, whereas dependent traits were positively associated with submissive behavior. In contrast, we found no association between either narcissistic or dependent traits and behavior in a condition without a preemptive commitment (Experiment 2). These findings are consistent with an interpersonal conceptualization of narcissistic and dependent personality disorders, though only when responding to provocation. These findings support the idea that narcissistic and dependent traits can be successfully modeled using economic games. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000437
Behav Brain Sci. 2020 Jun 19. 43 e136

Experiences of liking versus ideas about liking.

Alison Ledgerwood, Paul W Eastwick, Bertram Gawronski.

We leverage the notion that abstraction enables prediction to generate novel insights and hypotheses for the literatures on attitudes and mate preferences. We suggest that ideas about liking (e.g., evaluations of categories or overall traits) are more abstract than experiences of liking (e.g., evaluations of particular exemplars), and that ideas about liking may facilitate mental travel beyond the here-and-now.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X19003145
J Sex Res. 2020 Jul 09. 1-11

Female Sexual Satisfaction and Sexual Identity.

Laura L Holt, Y Barry Chung, Erick Janssen, Zoë D Peterson.

This study addressed three goals related to better understanding the factors that contribute to female sexual satisfaction: (a) exploring differences in factors that contribute to perceptions of sexual satisfaction among women with varying sexual identities, (b) evaluating an existing measure of sexual satisfaction among women with diverse sexual identities, and (c) developing potential items for a future expanded measure of the factors contributing to sexual satisfaction. Participants were 996 heterosexual women, 333 bisexual women, and 204 lesbians. They completed an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire, an item measuring sexual satisfaction, an open-ended question about factors contributing to sexual satisfaction, the newly-developed Potential Sexual Satisfaction Factors, and the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSSS). A multinomial regression, an internal consistency analysis, and qualitative analyses were performed to examine the three research questions. Several important differences in factors related to sexual satisfaction were found as a function of sexual identity. In particular, several of the factors that contributed to bisexual women's sexual satisfaction were different than those that contributed to heterosexual and lesbian women's satisfaction. These findings point to the importance of considering sexual identity when researching sexual satisfaction and when providing interventions to improve sexual satisfaction.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1784827