Relationship Satisfaction, Sexual Satisfaction, and Attachment Identity Between Heterosexual and Sexual-Minority Females

Background and Purpose:  Sexual and relationship satisfaction are crucial elements of any successful intimate relationship (Collins & van Dulmen, 2006).  Moreover, research has shown that satisfaction is dependent on one’s attachment style, such that persons with secure attachment report higher levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction (Madey & Rodgers, 2009).  Given the substantial role that social workers play in assisting individuals and couples with the well-being of their intimate relationships, it is therefore imperative to better understand these variables in order to preserve those relationships.  Previous studies have indicated that sexual intimacy, or lack thereof, can be a source of dissatisfaction in relationships, which in turn can be traced back to insecure attachment.  Lesbian, bisexual, and queer (LBQ) women who are currently in a committed relationship have received scant attention within this area of research. It was hypothesized that LBQ women would report significantly higher levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction, and thus more secure attachment, than heterosexual women.

Methods:  Heterosexual and LGQ women 18 years and older currently in a committed relationship of at least six months were invited to complete a 55-item online survey of their attachment style, relationship and sexual satisfaction.  The final sample (N = 144) was primary white (75.7%), heterosexual (63.9%), and an average of 32.8 years of age (SD = 9.89).  The average length of relationship among the participants was 8.39 years (SD = 8.41).  Variables were measured using the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS), the Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSS-W), and the Adult Attachment Scale (AAS).  Data were analyzed using t-tests of independent means.

Results:  Rates of relationship satisfaction (t = 0.72, p = 0.48) were not found to be significantly different between LBQ women and heterosexual women, nor were individual styles of attachment (t = -1.02, p = .309); however, rates of sexual satisfaction (t = 2.10, p < 0.05) were found to be significantly higher for heterosexual women compared to their LBQ counterparts.

Implications:  These findings should be interpreted with an abundance of caution.  Although 144 participants is an adequate sample size, the two third-one third split between heterosexual and LBQ women limits the confidence with which the findings can be upheld.  This is especially true in the secondary analysis that excluded bisexual and queer women from the sample, leaving just 28 lesbians in a revised sample of 120.

Despite these seemingly contradictory findings, this research makes important contributions to current knowledge regarding sexuality and attachment.  First, very little literature exists on attachment among lesbians, and virtually none on women who identify as bisexual. No literature exists on the interrelationships between attachment, sexual and relationship satisfaction among LBQ women.  Furthermore, lack of significance of sexual orientation effects on relationship satisfaction is in line with previous research (Sternberg, 1988) given that the majority of participants were in a relationship of 2 or more years.  These results have a direct impact on treating LBQ and heterosexual women’s relationship distress given that relationship length should be taken into account in a clinical setting.