(078) Assessing Women's Sexual Well-being in the Context of Relationship Status and Nonconsensual Sexual Experience History

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Being involved in a romantic relationship has consistently been associated with better general well-being and life satisfaction, relational and sexual satisfaction, and sexual function. Research indicates that these relationships also buffer women against negative mental and sexual health outcomes after traumatic experiences. Regardless of quality, the presence of a romantic relationship is associated with better general and sexual outcomes for women. Though it has been well established that romantic relationships are positively associated with better sexual and general well-being for heterosexual individuals, the influence of relationship status on other important indicators of sexual well-being has received significantly less attention. Research has not assessed sexual well-being by self-schemas and sexual excitation and inhibition propensities. Given the associations of sexual schemas and sexual excitation and inhibition with sexual function and satisfaction, these two constructs are important to consider when evaluating sexual well-being for women. Additionally, it is imperative to consider nonconsensual sexual experiences (NSEs) when evaluating women’s sexual well-being as 20% of women in the U.S. experience an NSE in their lifetime. NSEs are known to negatively impact sexual excitation and inhibition, self-schemas, and sexual and general well-being. Objective The current study expands upon existing research on sexual well-being by including measures of excitation and inhibition and sexual schemas as well as considering participants’ NSE history. Filling these gaps in the extant literature could prove important for understanding the combined effects of relationship status and NSE history on women’s sexual well-being. Methods The data for the current study was taken from a larger assessment of female sexuality in February and July of 2016. Data from 1152 women was analyzed in the current study. The women completed assessments of previous consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences using the Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences Inventory, sexual excitation and inhibition using the Sexual Excitation and Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women, sexual self-schemas using the Sexual Self-Schema Scale and relationship status. Results The results from an ANOVA and subsequent independent t-test pairwise comparisons indicate significant differences in sexual schemas and excitation and inhibition propensities across various relationship statuses (p values < 0.05). After Bonferroni corrections, there were a few significant findings. Women in married or cohabitating relationships report significantly more conservative/embarrassed sexual self-schemas than single women. Single women with NSE histories also reported significantly lower scores on the “setting” excitation subscale of the SESII-W compared to single women with no NSE histories. Conclusions The results indicate that women conceptualize their sexual schemas and experience facilitators and inhibitors of arousal differently across various relationship statuses. Consistent with previous literature, married and cohabitating women reported more conservative/embarrassed self-schemas. Interestingly, single women with an NSE history reported that sex in novel or public settings was less activating for their sexual arousal than the sexual setting for women with no NSE histories. These findings highlight the importance of considering relationship status and NSE history when examining sexual well-being, sexual self-schemas, and sexual excitation and inhibition. Disclosure No