Couples who exhibit a communication pattern known as demand-withdrawal during discussions about sexual conflicts experience lower levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction. Demand-withdrawal occurs when one partner pushes to discuss a problem, while the other disengages from the conversation.
This communication pattern is linked to relationship dissatisfaction and sexual distress
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I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224499.2024.2386997
From the linked article:
A recent study published in The Journal of Sex Research has found that couples who exhibit a communication pattern known as demand-withdrawal during discussions about sexual conflicts experience lower levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction. The study also found that these couples tend to report higher sexual distress and a decline in their relationship satisfaction over time.
While sexual communication has been studied in various ways—such as the frequency and quality of discussions—specific communication patterns during sexual conflicts, like demand-withdrawal, have not received as much attention. Demand-withdrawal communication occurs when one partner pushes to discuss a problem, while the other avoids or disengages from the conversation.
The researchers found that couples who displayed higher levels of demand-withdrawal during their sexual conflict discussions reported lower levels of relationship and sexual satisfaction at the time of the discussion (known as Time 1) and 12 months later (Time 2). These couples also reported higher levels of sexual distress at the time of the discussion, though the effect on sexual distress did not persist 12 months later.
Interestingly, the researchers found that higher levels of demand-withdrawal communication were associated with reduced relationship satisfaction over time. Couples who engaged in more demand-withdrawal behavior during their sexual conflict discussion experienced a decline in their relationship satisfaction over the following year. However, this communication pattern did not predict long-term changes in sexual satisfaction or distress.
Communication is a two-way street. It’s weird they they note that demand-withdrawal hasn’t been studied much. It seems like it would be a major component of conflict avoidance, which has been extensively studied.
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Well, given these conditions:
1) If someone is getting up in your face aggressively and making “demands” that you discuss a matter immediately at their time of choosing, in a heightened emotional state/setting…
2) And you refuse to comply, and want nothing to do with their aggressive demand…
3) And then the relationship supposedly “suffers” because of it… and the two partners are less close afterwards…
THEN…
Did the authors possibly consider:
——————————–
A) The couple is probably highly sexually incompatible anyways, and one partner is pressuring another to do things they don’t want to do.
B) That the relationship should probably not continue under those kinds of abusive conditions!?
C) That the relationship sucks!
I mean, who wants to be with someone like that as a trusted life partner?! I sure don’t want that quality in my partner! But hey: if the authors are masochist-adjacent and want that in their life, and think it’s a good thing… Then… I guess good for them!
(You do you! But that’s not for me!)