PS-1-12 Attachment Insecurity and Sexual and Relational Experiences in Saudi-Arabian Women: The Role of Perceived Partner Responsiveness and Sexual Assertiveness

Abstract

Both attachment and intimacy play an important role in shaping sexual and relational experiences. Yet, their interrelation has rarely been investigated in the context of sexual problems. The present study aimed to examine the link between attachment orientation and sexual function, distress, satisfaction and relational satisfaction, and to explore whether this link can be explained by two important aspects of (sexual) intimacy, namely perceived partner responsiveness (PPR) and sexual assertiveness. A sample of 50 heterosexual women with sexual problems and 50 control women without problems, completed an Arabic version of measures of attachment orientation, sexual assertiveness, perceived partner responsiveness, relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress, and sexual function. We found that both attachment anxiety and sexual refusal showed a significant association with level of sexual function, sexual distress, and sexual satisfaction in the clinical group. No mediating effects of sexual refusal were found. In the control group, sexual function, sexual distress, and sexual satisfaction were predicted by attachment avoidance. Level of sexual function was also predicted by sexual initiation. Perceived partner responsiveness fully mediated the association between attachment anxiety and relational satisfaction in the clinical group, while, in the control group, the link between attachment avoidance and relational satisfaction was only partially mediated by perceived partner responsiveness.