lewandowski, schrage UW-L Journal of Undergraduate Research XIII (2010)

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A Comparison of Relationship Satisfaction and Sexual Satisfaction in

Short-term and Long-term Relationships

Kevin Lewandowski, Tara Schrage

Faculty Sponsor: Lisa Caya, Department of Psychology

significant differences between individuals in short-term and long-term relationships in regards to

relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and sexual conflict. The findings yielded a

statistically significant positive correlation between relationship satisfaction and sexual

satisfaction. The results also found statistically significant negative correlations between sexual

conflict and relationship satisfaction, and sexual conflict and sexual satisfaction. Researchers and

practitioners may want to pay attention to the role of sexual conflict in relationships.

INTRODUCTION

Studies on heterosexual sexual activity indicate that premarital sex in the U.S. has become much more common

Relationship satisfaction refers to the level of contentment individuals feel toward their primary romantic

relationship. Several factors have been found to positively affect relationship satisfaction including equal

distributions of power, commitment, and investment, (Davis, 2000). In addition, Sprecher (2002) measured sexual

satisfaction and relationship satisfaction among 101 undergraduate college couples from a large Midwestern

University. Sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction was found to be correlated positively with relationship

satisfaction, love for partner, and commitment to the relationship (Sprecher, 2002).

Sexual satisfaction is not limited to satisfaction with sexual intercourse. Gulledge, Gulledge, and Stahmann

(2003) found that backrubs/massages, cuddling/holding, kissing on the lips, and kissing on the face were all

positively correlated with relationship satisfaction. All of these levels of intimacy were found to be positively related

with sexual satisfaction. In addition, the participants reported that behaviors like backrubs and massages are

that sexual conflict is negatively related to sexual satisfaction and plays a detrimental role in maintaining an

ongoing, satisfying relationship (Long, et al., 1996).

Although there is research that shows the effects of sexual conflict on relationships, little research has been

done to look at sexual conflict across different levels of relationship length. Long-term and short-term couples differ

in their descriptions of desired characteristics for a partner. Attributes such as dependability and sense of humor

played vital roles for finding a short-term partner whereas traits like good earning capacity and kindness were more

important in a long-term partner (Stewart, Stinnett, & Rosenfeld, 2000). Consequently, individuals in long-term and

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short-term relationships may have different expectations regarding sexual satisfaction and this may be associated

with the level of sexual conflict and overall relationship satisfaction. One aspect of successful long-term

relationships is acceptance toward a partner’s traits (Harvey & Omarzu, 2006) and as a result, long-term couples

different types of “love” (Sternberg, 1986). These findings led to beliefs that the components found in Sternberg’s

triangular love scale will result in differences between short-term and long-term relationships. It was hypothesized

that individuals in long-term relationships would have higher relationship satisfaction than those in short-term

relationships. Additionally, individuals in long-term relationships would have higher sexual satisfaction than those

in short-term relationships. The final hypothesis was that individuals in long-term relationships would experience

lower levels of sexual conflict than those in short-term relationships.

METHODS

The questionnaire was distributed to a random sample stratified by gender to 800 juniors and seniors and

received 149 responses (57 males and 92 females). Due to the under-representation of males in the first distribution

of the survey, the questionnaire was sent to an additional 150 randomly selected males. The participants had a

chance to win three incentives, which included one $100 prize and two $50 dollar prizes for completing the

questionnaire. The final sample was comprised of 81 undergraduate (30 males and 51 females) students who

currently identified being in a heterosexual relationship. Married students and individuals in relationships with

someone not living within 50 miles of themselves were considered in a long-distance relationship and were not used

in this study.

The questionnaire included measures of sexual conflict, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction.

We modified this scale to a 4-item Likert scale in an effort to avoid neutrality. The reliability coefficient for the

Premarital Conflict Scale for our sample was alpha=.92. Finally, a 7-item Likert scale assessed sexual satisfaction

in the relationship with the question “How sexually satisfying is the relationship to you?”(1 = not at all to 7 = very)

(e.g., Sprecher, 2003). This scale has been found to have good reliability (Sprecher, 2003).

RESULTS

The hypothesis that individuals in long-term relationships would have higher relationship satisfaction than those

in short-term relationships was not supported. In addition, individuals in long-term relationships did not report

higher sexual satisfaction levels than those in short-term relationships nor did they experience lower levels of sexual

conflict than those in short-term relationships. In order to conduct these analyses, we performed a tertiary split

major variables of sexual conflict, sexual satisfaction or relationship satisfaction on length of relationship (tertiary

split or self categorization).

Significant associations among the main variables of interest were detected and can be observed in Table 1. A

negative correlation was found for relationship satisfaction and sexual conflict at r(54) = -.31 for individuals in long-

term relationships and was statistically significant at an alpha level of .005. Individuals in long-term relationships

reported a correlation coefficient of -.31, which was statistically significant at an alpha level of .005. In long-term

relationships, there was a lower correlation for relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction (r =.10 ) than for

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short-term relationship (r =.37 ). Although an analysis assessing the difference between the two correlation

coefficients (using a Fisher r-to-z transformation) did not yield a significant result, the difference between the

correlations showed that sexual satisfaction had a larger influence on relationship satisfaction for individuals in

long-term relationships in terms of relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and sexual conflict. Even though

the hypotheses were not supported, we did find some significant correlations between the variables. Relationship

satisfaction and sexual satisfaction showed a positive correlation but there was a weaker correlation for those in

long-term relationships. This finding showed that sexual satisfaction is less related to happiness in long-term

relationships. Sexual satisfaction may be less related to happiness in long-term relationships because they have

found other aspects of their relationships to keep them content such as communication and common interests.

A strong negative correlation was found between relationship satisfaction and sexual conflict. In addition, there

was a strong negative correlation found between sexual satisfaction and sexual conflict, a finding that supports

previous research (Long, Cate, Fehsenfeld, and Williams, 1996).

These results are incompatible to Sternberg’s triangular love scale as cited in “A triangular theory of love”

Some of the items from the relationship satisfaction scale also resulted in confusion. The Likert scale used by

Hendrick ranges from low satisfaction to high satisfaction. This scale is clear for the question “In general, how

satisfied are you with your relationship,” but caused uncertainty with questions such as “how often do you wish you

hadn’t gotten into the relationship?”

In the present study there was also experienced under-representation of short-term relationships. The median

length of the relationships in the research was over a year and a half. A pilot study of general education psychology

students showed that the majority thought an individual was in a long-term relationship prior to a year in duration.

Although short-term relationships were initially defined as six months or less, the skewed response of long-term

relationships required a tertiary split to be performed; this resulted in short-term relationships being defined as one

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to eleven months. The participants were also asked for their interpretation of what type of relationship they were in;

short-term, long-term, or in-between. Out of the 81 participants, only 13 reported thinking that they were in short-

term relationships and 15 said they were in-between. Conversely, 53 participants believed they were in long-term

play a crucial role in adolescent development. In addition, the findings can be used to help explain and perhaps

minimize problems in early dating situations.

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Gulledge, A.K., Gulledge, M.H., & Stahmann, R.F. (2003). Romantic physical affection types and relationship

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Long, E.C., Cate, R.M., Fehsenfeld, D.A., & Williams, K.M. (1996). A longitudinal assessment of a measure of

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