Sexual communication and sexual self-disclosure in intimate relationships: associations with the frequency and consequences of sexual compliance

Abstract

Sexual compliance refers to consenting to sexual activity despite a lack of desire. Prior research has identified both positive and negative consequences of sexual compliance, with notable gender-related differences. Understanding when sexual compliance is beneficial or harmful requires investigating various aspects of sexual relationships. The current study aimed to investigate how sexual communication and sexual self-disclosure are associated with frequency and perceived consequences of sexual compliance, while also exploring the potential moderating role of gender. The sample consisted of 1,279 participants, who were recruited through a postal invitation to an online survey. Participants were aged from 18 to 64 and were in an intimate relationship with at least one partner. Statistical analyses were conducted with independent samples t-tests, Spearman’s rank-order correlations, Pearson’s two-tailed correlations, and two separate multiple linear regression models. The findings revealed that greater comfort with sexual communication was linked to more positive and fewer negative consequences of sexual compliance, with stronger associations observed in women compared to men. Sexual self-disclosure did not independently contribute to the variance in the perceived consequences of sexual compliance. No significant associations were found between sexual communication, sexual self-disclosure, and the frequency of sexual compliance, which indicates that these factors do not directly impact the frequency in this sample. These results underscore the importance of dyadic sexual communication in shaping the perceived consequences of sexual compliance. Future research should further investigate how the dyadic context and evolution of sexual communication, particularly as relationship progress in duration, are associated with the perceived consequences of sexual compliance in intimate relationships.