Abstract
This study was conducted to better understand why socially anxious individuals experience less sexual satisfaction in their
intimate partnerships than nonanxious individuals, a relationship that has been well documented in previous research. Effective
communication between partners is an important predictor of relationship satisfaction. Sexual communication, an important
aspect of communication between romantic partners, is especially sensitive for couples given the vulnerability inherent in
being open about sexual issues. Because socially anxious individuals characteristically report fear of evaluation or scrutiny
by others, we hypothesized that the process of building intimacy by sharing personal information about oneself with one’s
partner, including when this information relates to one’s sexuality and/or the sexual domain of the relationship, would be
particularly difficult for socially anxious individuals. The present study examined fear of intimacy and sexual communication
as potential mediators of the relationship between higher social anxiety and lower sexual satisfaction. Self-report data were
collected from 115 undergraduate students and their partners in monogamous, heterosexual, committed relationships of at least
3 months duration. Multilevel path modeling revealed that higher social anxiety predicted higher fear of intimacy, which predicted
lower satisfaction with open sexual communication, which, in turn, predicted lower sexual satisfaction. Additionally, there
was evidence of mediation as there were significant indirect effects of the antecedent variables on sexual satisfaction. The
path model had excellent fit. Implications for social anxiety, intimate relationships, and couples therapy are discussed.
intimate partnerships than nonanxious individuals, a relationship that has been well documented in previous research. Effective
communication between partners is an important predictor of relationship satisfaction. Sexual communication, an important
aspect of communication between romantic partners, is especially sensitive for couples given the vulnerability inherent in
being open about sexual issues. Because socially anxious individuals characteristically report fear of evaluation or scrutiny
by others, we hypothesized that the process of building intimacy by sharing personal information about oneself with one’s
partner, including when this information relates to one’s sexuality and/or the sexual domain of the relationship, would be
particularly difficult for socially anxious individuals. The present study examined fear of intimacy and sexual communication
as potential mediators of the relationship between higher social anxiety and lower sexual satisfaction. Self-report data were
collected from 115 undergraduate students and their partners in monogamous, heterosexual, committed relationships of at least
3 months duration. Multilevel path modeling revealed that higher social anxiety predicted higher fear of intimacy, which predicted
lower satisfaction with open sexual communication, which, in turn, predicted lower sexual satisfaction. Additionally, there
was evidence of mediation as there were significant indirect effects of the antecedent variables on sexual satisfaction. The
path model had excellent fit. Implications for social anxiety, intimate relationships, and couples therapy are discussed.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-11
- DOI 10.1007/s10508-012-9929-3
- Authors
- Jennifer L. Montesi, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North Thirteenth St., Philadelphia, PA 19122-6085, USA
- Bradley T. Conner, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North Thirteenth St., Philadelphia, PA 19122-6085, USA
- Elizabeth A. Gordon, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North Thirteenth St., Philadelphia, PA 19122-6085, USA
- Robert L. Fauber, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North Thirteenth St., Philadelphia, PA 19122-6085, USA
- Kevin H. Kim, Department of Psychology in Education, University of Pittsburgh School of Education, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Richard G. Heimberg, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 North Thirteenth St., Philadelphia, PA 19122-6085, USA
- Journal Archives of Sexual Behavior
- Online ISSN 1573-2800
- Print ISSN 0004-0002