TY - JOUR
T1 - Associations between New Mothers’ Partner-Oriented Sexual Values and Sexual Distress in the Transition to Parenthood
AU - Huberman, Jackie S.
AU - Allsop, David B.
AU - Rosen, Natalie O.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Women commonly experience heightened sexual distress in pregnancy and postpartum, and there is limited knowledge of protective factors. Women report declines in the importance of sexuality during this time, suggesting that valuing sexuality could be a relevant individual difference factor. It may be particularly protective for women to feel successful in living in line with their sexual values. In a longitudinal study, we examined associations between the extent to which women valued their role as a sexual partner, and their success living in line with this partner-oriented sexual value, with their sexual distress. Women (N = 367) reported the importance of their role as a sexual partner, success living according to this value, and sexual distress during pregnancy (18–20 weeks) and at 3, 6, 12 and 24-months postpartum. More strongly valuing one’s role as a sexual partner was associated with more sexual distress, both between-person (i.e., across women) and within-person (i.e., variation within women over time). Above and beyond these effects, greater success at living in line with one’s partner-oriented sexual value was associated with less sexual distress. Finding ways to live in line with one’s sexual values may protect against sexual distress for new mothers in the transition to parenthood.
AB - Women commonly experience heightened sexual distress in pregnancy and postpartum, and there is limited knowledge of protective factors. Women report declines in the importance of sexuality during this time, suggesting that valuing sexuality could be a relevant individual difference factor. It may be particularly protective for women to feel successful in living in line with their sexual values. In a longitudinal study, we examined associations between the extent to which women valued their role as a sexual partner, and their success living in line with this partner-oriented sexual value, with their sexual distress. Women (N = 367) reported the importance of their role as a sexual partner, success living according to this value, and sexual distress during pregnancy (18–20 weeks) and at 3, 6, 12 and 24-months postpartum. More strongly valuing one’s role as a sexual partner was associated with more sexual distress, both between-person (i.e., across women) and within-person (i.e., variation within women over time). Above and beyond these effects, greater success at living in line with one’s partner-oriented sexual value was associated with less sexual distress. Finding ways to live in line with one’s sexual values may protect against sexual distress for new mothers in the transition to parenthood.
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U2 - 10.1080/00224499.2022.2089969
DO - 10.1080/00224499.2022.2089969
M3 - Article
C2 - 35731509
AN - SCOPUS:85132755758
SN - 0022-4499
VL - 60
SP - 1259
EP - 1268
JO - Journal of Sex Research
JF - Journal of Sex Research
IS - 9
ER -