Background And Objectives: Within relationships, sexual motives and stress are independent determinants of psychological health, with notable gendered patterns. However, previous research largely focuses on young adults and different-sex couples. Both sexual motives and levels of stress may be uniquely important to psychological health in midlife, and in potentially different ways for same-sex and different-sex couples. This study examined how the associations between sexual motives, stress, and depressive symptoms differ for midlife men and women in same-sex and different-sex marriages.
Research Design And Methods: Using dyadic data from same-sex and different-sex midlife married couples (N = 830 individuals; 415 couples), we examined the associations of intrinsic (e.g., sex for enjoyment and pleasure) and extrinsic (e.g., sex to please one's spouse) motives for having sex with depressive symptoms and tested whether these associations differed by levels of stress for same-sex and different-sex spouses.
Results: Intrinsic sexual motives were associated with fewer depressive symptoms only for same-sex married couples under high stress. Extrinsic sexual motives were related to greater depressive symptoms for women in low-stress conditions and men in high-stress conditions, and this did not differ for same-sex compared to different-sex marriages.
Discussion And Implications: Results show that the interplay between sexual motives and stress varies for men and women in same-sex and different-sex marriages. These findings underscore the importance of considering both gender and sexuality in studying sexual motives in midlife and suggest sexual motives as a useful treatment focus for protecting the psychological health of midlife married couples.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9960013 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac136 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Female Syrian hamster analyses of bremelanotide, a US FDA approved drug for the treatment of female hypoactive sexual desire disorder.
Neuropharmacology
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most reported sexual dysfunction among premenopausal women worldwide. Bremelanotide, trade name Vyleesi, has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat HSDD. However, despite approval, very little is known about its neurobiological mechanism of action.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutistic individuals have described facing unfair or discriminatory treatment across settings, such as in school and at work. However, there have been few studies examining how widespread or prevalent discrimination is against autistic individuals. We aimed to fill that gap by examining how prevalent or common it is for autistic youth to experience discrimination based on race or ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, and health condition or disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMarriage and Steady Relationships with Women in Men Who Have Sex with Men in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mixed-Method Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.
AIDS Behav
January 2025
Aix Marseille Univ, IRD, Inserm, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale, ISSPAM, Marseille, France.
High HIV prevalence in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) in men who have sex with men (MSM) leads to greater risk for their wives and other steady female partners because of prolonged exposure. To provide insights into the context possibly contributing to the risk of HIV transmission from MSM to women, our mixed-method synthesis about MSM' marriage and steady relationships with cisgender women aimed to: (i) assess the extent of engagement in steady relationships with women and in risky behaviors with these women across SSA's four regions; (ii) explore the underlying dynamics within these relationships by gathering qualitative information. We used quantitative and qualitative data specifically pertaining to related to marriage or other steady relationships with women from a systematic review on men who have sex with both men and women (MSMW) in SSA (PROSPERO-CRD42021237836).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYoung people's preferences and motivations for STI partner notification: observational findings from the 2024 Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll survey.
Sex Health
January 2025
Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; and Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic, Australia; and Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Vic, Australia.
Background Partner notification is an important step in the control of sexually transmissible infections (STIs). STIs remain at high rates among young people and can have serious reproductive consequences if left untreated. This study aimed to determine the preferences and motivations for partner notification among young people in Australia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth-related social control in overweight romantic couples: daily associations with physical activity and affect for targets and agents.
Ann Behav Med
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
Background: Physical activity is essential for health and wellbeing. However, many individuals fail to reach the recommended levels and obesity rates are increasing. Health-related social control refers to strategies employed by 1 person (agent) to influence another person's (target) health behavior.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!