The role of sexual communication in the relationship between emotion regulation and sexual functioning in women: The impact of age and relationship status

IF 5.3 1区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology Pub Date : 2024-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100482

Giorgio Falgares , Giulia Costanzo , Lilybeth Fontanesi , Maria Cristina Verrocchio , Franco Bin , Daniela Marchetti

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate sexual communication as a mechanism involved in the link between emotion regulation and sexual functioning in a sample of adult women, also testing the moderating role of relationship status and age in this association.

Method

1344 sexually active cisgender women (aged 18–57, M = 27.34; SD= 6.484) were recruited from March 30, 2021, to April 12, 2021, through an online survey. From the initial sample, 1280 women were retained and included in the analysis. Participants were asked to respond to three self-report questionnaires: the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Communication subscale of the Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSS-W), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI).

Results

We found that sexual communication mediated the link between emotion regulation abilities and female sexual functioning. Moreover, we found that age, but not relationship status, moderated the association between emotion regulation and sexual communication, so that older women with difficulties in emotion regulation processes showed worse sexual communication abilities as compared to younger women.

Conclusions

According to this study's results, clinicians and sexual therapists should carefully consider emotion regulation abilities and sexual communication as crucial factors in promoting women's sexual well-being.

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性交流在女性情绪调节和性功能之间关系中的作用：年龄和关系状况的影响

本研究的目的是在成年女性样本中调查性交流作为情绪调节和性功能之间联系的一种机制，同时检验关系状态和年龄在这种联系中的调节作用。2021 年 3 月 30 日至 2021 年 4 月 12 日，通过在线调查招募了 1344 名性活跃的顺性别女性（年龄在 18-57 岁之间，=27.34；SD=6.484）。从最初的样本中，保留了 1280 名女性并将其纳入分析。参与者被要求回答三份自我报告问卷：情绪调节困难量表（DERS）、女性性满意度量表（SSS-W）分量表和女性性功能指数（FSFI）。我们发现，性交流在情绪调节能力和女性性功能之间起到了中介作用。此外，我们还发现年龄（而非关系状况）调节了情绪调节与性交流之间的关系，因此与年轻女性相比，在情绪调节过程中遇到困难的老年女性的性交流能力更差。根据这项研究的结果，临床医生和性治疗师应仔细考虑情绪调节能力和性交流，将其作为促进女性性健康的关键因素。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL-

CiteScore

10.70

自引率

5.70%

发文量

审稿时长

33 days

期刊介绍： The International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology is dedicated to publishing manuscripts with a strong emphasis on both basic and applied research, encompassing experimental, clinical, and theoretical contributions that advance the fields of Clinical and Health Psychology. With a focus on four core domains—clinical psychology and psychotherapy, psychopathology, health psychology, and clinical neurosciences—the IJCHP seeks to provide a comprehensive platform for scholarly discourse and innovation. The journal accepts Original Articles (empirical studies) and Review Articles. Manuscripts submitted to IJCHP should be original and not previously published or under consideration elsewhere. All signing authors must unanimously agree on the submitted version of the manuscript. By submitting their work, authors agree to transfer their copyrights to the Journal for the duration of the editorial process.