Mindfulness and daily sexual function: a dyadic diary study.

Summary

Higher levels of sexual mindfulness can enhance personal daily sexual function, according to a study involving 141 couples over 28 days. Participants reported their sexual experiences through the Monash Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire. Results showed that individuals with greater baseline sexual mindfulness experienced improved daily sexual function, while partner effects were not observed. This suggests that fostering mindfulness in sex therapy could be beneficial for individual sexual health without negatively impacting partners, highlighting the importance of present-moment awareness in intimate relationships.

Abstract

Difficulties with sexual function are common with implications for couples' psychological and relationship well-being. Sexual mindfulness (ie, non-judgmental present-moment awareness during sexual activity) has been positively linked to sexual function in cross-sectional studies, but associations in the context of couples' daily lives are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine if higher levels of baseline sexual mindfulness predict one's own and one's partner's daily sexual function. In a dyadic daily diary study, an inclusive sample of 141 couples completed a measure of sexual mindfulness at baseline and reported on their sexual function daily, on days of sexual activity, for 28 days. Daily sexual function was assessed with the Monash Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire. Higher sexual mindfulness at baseline was associated with one's own, but not one's partner's, higher daily sexual function. Targeting sexual mindfulness in sex therapy may promote an individual's own daily sexual function. This study employed a daily diary assessment of sexual function, which reduces recall biases and promotes ecological validity. We were limited by not having a daily measure of sexual mindfulness, rather we focused on a trait-like assessment of sexual mindfulness. Sexual mindfulness may support present-moment awareness in day-to-day sexual interactions, thus promoting daily sexual function. This may be largely an individual process, as there were no partner effects, although it is relevant that higher sexual mindfulness was not associated with drawbacks for partner sexual function. These findings provide empirical support for mindfulness therapies for sexual function.

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