Sexual satisfaction is an important indicator of sexual health and is strongly associated with relationship satisfaction. However, research exploring lay definitions of sexual satisfaction has been scarce. We present thematic analysis of written responses of 449 women and 311 men to the question “How would you define sexual satisfaction?” The participants were heterosexual individuals with a mean age of 36.05 years (SD = 8.34) involved in a committed exclusive relationship. In this exploratory study, two main themes were identified: personal sexual well-being and dyadic processes. The first theme focuses on the positive aspects of individual sexual experience, such as pleasure, positive feelings, arousal, sexual openness, and orgasm. The second theme emphasizes relational dimensions, such as mutuality, romance, expression of feelings, creativity, acting out desires, and frequency of sexual activity. Our results highlight that mutual pleasure is a crucial component of sexual satisfaction and that sexual satisfaction derives from positive sexual experiences and not from the absence of conflict or dysfunction. The findings support definitions and models of sexual satisfaction that focus on positive sexual outcomes and the use of measures that incorporate items linked to personal and dyadic sexual rewards for both men and women.

Researchers have demonstrated that several dimensions of sexual functioning (e.g., sexual desire, arousal, orgasm) are associated with the sexual satisfaction of individuals in a committed mixed-sex (male–female) relationship. We extended this research by comparing a dyadic model that included both own (i.e., actor effect) and partner (i.e., partner effect) domains of sexual functioning to an individual model that included only actor effects. Participants were 124 mixed-sex couples who completed online measures of sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction. Data analysis using the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM) and structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that the dyadic model had a better fit than the individual model. Women’s sexual desire and orgasm and men’s erectile functioning were significant positive predictors of both own and partner’s sexual satisfaction. These results are discussed in terms of the importance of taking a dyadic approach to research and clinical work related to sexual satisfaction.

Introduction: There is a lack of theoretical and empirical knowledge on how sexual desire functions and interacts in a relationship. Aim: To present an overview of the current conceptualization and operationalization of sexual desire discrepancy (SDD), providing clinical recommendations on behalf of the European Society of Sexual Medicine. Methods: A comprehensive Pubmed, Web of Science, Medline, and Cochrane search was performed. Consensus was guided by a critical reflection on selected literature on SDD and by interactive discussions between expert psychologists, both clinicians and researchers. Main Outcome Measure: Several aspects have been investigated including the definition and operationalization of SDD and the conditions under which treatment is required. Results: Because the literature on SDD is scarce and complicated, it is precocious to make solid statements on SDD. Hence, no recommendations as per the Oxford 2011 Levels of Evidence criteria were possible. However, specific statements on this topic, summarizing the ESSM position, were provided. This resulted in an opnion-based rather than evidence-based position statement. Following suggestions were made on how to treat couples who are distressed by SDD: (i) normalize and depathologize variation in sexual desire; (ii) educate about the natural course of sexual desire; (iii) emphasize the dyadic, age-related, and relative nature of SDD; (iv) challenge the myth of spontaneous sexual desire; (v) promote open sexual communication; (vi) assist in developing joint sexual scripts that are mutually satisfying in addition to search for personal sexual needs; (vii) deal with relationship issues and unmet relationship needs; and (viii) stimulate self-differentiation. Conclusion: More research is needed on the conceptualization and underlying mechanisms of SDD to develop clinical guidelines to treat couples with SDD.

Introduction: Sexual pleasure is a central aspect of human sexuality; however, no validated measurements exist that assess sexual pleasure. We present a preliminary validation study of the psychometric properties of a Sexual Pleasure Scale (SPS), based on the three items developed by Sanchez, Crocker and Boike to measure sexual pleasure. The SPS is a brief and easy-to-implement instrument that assesses the extent of sexual pleasure experienced from sexual relationships, sexual activities, and sexual intimacy. Aim: To assess the validity of the SPS in a subgroup of patients diagnosed with sexual dysfunction (n = 89) and a non-clinical community sample (n = 188) of Portuguese men and women. Methods: We provide an initial examination of the reliability (eg, Cronbach α), convergent validity (eg, with measurements of sexual satisfaction), and divergent validity (eg, with measurements of body satisfaction) of the SPS. Main Outcome Measures: The survey included a sociodemographic questionnaire and a set of questionnaires to test the psychometric properties of the SPS. Results: The reliability study showed a high Cronbach value (α = 0.94). Convergent validity of the SPS with the measurements described showed mostly moderate to high statistically significant positive correlations, whereas the criterion-related validity showed the expected low non-significant correlation. The results also showed that the SPS shows strong sensitivity to discriminate people with from those without sexual problems. Conclusion: Results from the clinical population indicate that the SPS has good psychometric qualities and is a reliable measurement of sexual pleasure with applicability in clinical practice and clinical research but shows little variability within the community sample.