Between Harm and Desire: A Cross-Lagged Study of Psychological Intimate Partner Violence, Coercive and Controlling Behaviors and Sexual Satisfaction

Psychological intimate partner violence (PIPV) and coercive and controlling behaviors (CCB) are highly prevalent in the general population. Considering couples' sexual and relational wellbeing are closely intertwined, it is surprising that no study has examined the temporal associations between PIPV and CCB, and couples' sexual satisfaction. This study examined the dyadic associations between PIPV, CCB and sexual satisfaction over time, and explored gender differences. A community sample of 406 mixed-sex couples completed measures of PIPV, CCB and sexual satisfaction at two time-points, one year apart. An autoregressive cross-lagged model following the actor-partner interdependence framework was tested. Results revealed small actor effects, indicating that higher PIPV perpetration in women and higher CCB perpetration in men at T1 were related to their own higher sexual satisfaction at T2. A medium partner effect showed that men's PIPV perpetration at T1 was linked to lower sexual satisfaction in their partner at T2. Large autoregressive effects indicated that PIPV, CCB, and sexual satisfaction were stable over time. Small partner effects revealed that higher sexual satisfaction in participants at T1 was related to higher sexual satisfaction in their partner at T2. Findings underscore the complex associations linking PIPV, CCB, and sexual satisfaction in couples.