Exploring relationships among communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction

This study examined relationships among couple communication and sexual satisfaction in predicting marital satisfaction. The sample consisted of 387 married couples living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Regression analyses demonstrated that communication and sexual satisfaction independently predict marital satisfaction and that there is a significant interaction among communication and sexual satisfaction in predicting marital satisfaction. Exploration of this interaction revealed that if couples are successful at communicating constructively, sexual satisfaction fails to contribute to marital satisfaction. However, if couples have difficulty communicating, if they are also satisfied in their sexual relationship, they will evidence greater marital satisfaction. Thus, sexual satisfaction may act as a buffer for poor communication in impacting marital satisfaction. Clinical implications and future directions for research are outlined.