Links Between Depressive Symptoms, Sexual Communication, and Sexual Satisfaction Across Three Years

Abstract

Guided by a relational developmental systems perspective, stress generation hypothesis, and gender relations theory, this thesis examined two major research questions: (1) What are the longitudinal associations between self-reported depression symptoms, sexual communication, and sexual satisfaction? and (2) Are there gender differences in the associations between depression, sexual communication, and sexual satisfaction? To accomplish this goal, three waves of longitudinal data gathered from 959 participants in the German Family Panel (pairfam), a multi-disciplinary study with annual survey data collected from a national sample, were analyzed using multiple-group cross-lagged panel models. The results showed depressive symptoms predicted lower sexual communication and sexual satisfaction in the future, but neither sexual communication nor satisfaction predicted future depressive symptoms. Sexual communication and satisfaction reinforced each other over time; higher sexual communication predicted higher sexual satisfaction and sexual satisfaction predicted more frequent sexual communication. Whether the participant was male or female did not moderate any associations in the model. These results highlight the linked nature of individual mental health and couple sexuality and points to the importance of targeting individual mental health as a key method to prevent negative sexual outcomes.