SCOUP News
Even if the effects of using Internet pornography use are still debated, it is a common sexual activity for an increasing number of individuals. Does pornography use a problematic sexual activity for everybody? A recent study, conducted by researchers from the SCOUP team, examined if different profiles of pornography use emerge. The profiles were created using three dimensions of a problematic pornography use: (1) compulsivity toward pornography, (2) intensity of efforts to access pornography, and (3) associated emotional distress. Our researchers also examined the associations between these obtained profiles and the pornography viewing time as well as various indicators of sexual well-being. To answer the research questions, a convenience sample of 830 adults was recruited to complete online questionnaires.
What did we find?
Results suggest the three following profiles: (1) the recreational profile, presenting low scores on the three dimensions of problematic pornography use and including 75% of the sample, (2) the highly distressed noncompulsive profile, reporting high scores on the emotional distress, and including 13% of the sample, and (3) the compulsive profile, reporting high scores on compulsivity and efforts to access pornography and including 12% of the sample. Only individuals in the compulsive profile report using pornography significantly more often than the individuals in the two other profiles. Individuals in the recreational profile do not report negative effects on their sexual well-being whereas individuals in the highly distressed noncompulsive profile and those in the compulsive profile report negative effects on many indicators of their sexual well-being.
These profiles highlight that pornography use is not problematic for most users, but that it can become problematic for one quarter of individuals while being associated with negative effects on sexual well-being.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Blais-Lecours, S., Labadie, C., Bergeron, S., Sabourin, S., & Godbout, N. (2017). Profiles of cyberpornography use and sexual well-being in adults. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14, 78-85. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.10.016
What happens to a couple after the disclosure of a sexual abuse to a partner?
The denunciation movements of recent years have raised questions among many couples. What happens to couples where one partner reveals a history of sexual abuse? Researchers from the SCOUP team have recently looked into this issue, more specifically when the disclosure concerns a sexual abuse experienced during childhood. We aimed to document the responses received from the partner during the unveiling of a sexual abuse during childhood, as perceived by the survivor, as well as to examine the associations between these responses and the sexual and relationship satisfaction of both partners. To do this, we sent online questionnaires to 70 couples in the general population, in which one of them had experienced this trauma, and had revealed it to their spouse.
What did we find?
We found that most partners' responses were perceived by the survivors as being supportive, that is, they showed emotional support (94.3%) or tangible help (67.1%). A minority of survivors had perceived harmful responses, such as stigmatization (41.4%) and blame (14.3%). However, we noted that for half of the survivors, the supportive responses were accompanied by blame responses and/or stigmatization.
In addition, analyzes revealed that emotional support responses, as perceived by the survivor, were associated with greater sexual satisfaction for both partners, whereas stigmatizing responses were associated with lower relationship satisfaction for both partners.
These results suggest that survivors can receive both supportive and harmful responses from their partners. Emotional support seems to have a positive impact on the sexual satisfaction of both partners, while stigma has a negative impact on their relationship satisfaction. Hence, supportive responses are beneficial not only for the survivors having disclosed a sexual abuse experience, but also for their partners.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
de Montigny Gauthier, L., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.P., Rellini, A., Godbout, N., Charbonneau-Lefebvre, V., Desjardins, F., & Bergeron, S. (2018). The risks of telling: A dyadic perspective on romantic partners’ responses to child sexual abuse disclosures and their associations with sexual and relationship satisfaction. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. doi: 10.1111/jmft.12345
Childhood maltreatment, which includes all form of abuse and neglect such as physical, psychological, and sexual, affects an important proportion of the population, with around 40% of adults who report at least one type of maltreatment in childhood. In adulthood, childhood maltreatment may affect the functioning of couple relationships in several ways and many studies showed that childhood maltreatment is associated with lower couple and sexual satisfaction.
A recent study conducted in our laboratory looked at what may explain the link between childhood maltreatment and the development of couple and sexual dissatisfaction. In this study, we wanted to know if difficulties in some components of intimacy could explain the association between childhood maltreatment and couple and sexual satisfaction.
To answer this question, we recruited 365 couples in the community for a longitudinal study in which childhood maltreatment and intimacy were measured at time 1 and couple and sexual satisfaction 6 months later.
What did we find?
Our results confirm findings of past studies, whereby childhood maltreatment is not associated with the victim’s capacity to disclose to a romantic partner in terms of quantity of disclosures.
What is interesting is that victims perceived their partner to be less disclosing and less empathically responsive. We also found that it is this effect on the perception of the partner’s empathic response that explains the couple and sexual dissatisfaction 6 months later.
Our results suggest using couple interventions specifically targeting intimacy, but especially the partner’s empathic responses, to improve the romantic relationships of childhood maltreatment survivors.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Rellini, A. H., Godbout, N., Sabourin, S., & Bergeron, S. (2019). Intimacy mediates the relation between maltreatment in childhood and sexual and relationship satisfaction in Adulthood: A dyadic longitudinal analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(3), 803-814. doi: 10.1007/s10508-018-1309-1
It is now recognized that sexual difficulties are common in the context of infertility, but factors related to these difficulties remain unknown. Research conducted in Katherine Péloquin's lab looked at sexual difficulties in women and couples involved in fertility treatment. More specifically, this research examined the links between attachment insecurities (attachment-related anxiety and avoidance) among couples and their sexual functioning (sexual problems and sexual dissatisfaction). To do this, 88 women and 45 couples in fertility treatment completed questionnaires on attachment and adult sexual functioning (desire, arousal, erection, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and sexual pain).
What did we find?
We found that just over half of women would experience sexual difficulties (e.g, low desire, difficulty with arousal, dissatisfaction) during fertility treatment, whereas over one quarter of men experience these difficulties.
Our results also show that attachment insecurity is related to sexual functions in men and women. In fact, avoidance of intimacy in women (discomfort with intimacy and emotional distance) is associated with more sexual dissatisfaction and pain during sex. In men, anxiety over abandonment (doubts as to one’s personal value and fear of being rejected by the partner) is linked to erectile difficulties and difficulties in reaching orgasm, whereas avoidance of intimacy is linked to difficulties in achieving orgasm for their female partner.
For more details, we invite you to consult the full article:
Purcell-Lévesque, C., Brassard, A., Carranza-Mamane, B., & Péloquin, K. (2019). Attachment and sexual functioning in women and men seeking fertility treatment. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 40(3), 202-210. https://doi.org/10.1080/0167482X.2018.1471462.
A recent study conducted in Katherine Péloquin’s Couples and Relationships Research Lab, in collaboration with Audrey Brassard, has investigated the effectiveness of a group intervention for couples in fertility treatment. We wanted to know if a psychological intervention offered in a group format would reduce the negative impacts of fertility treatments in these couples, would reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms, and would increase these couples’ quality of life. In order to achieve this goal, 29 couples completed questionnaires about the psychological, relational and sexual consequences of fertility treatment before and after the group intervention.
What did we find?
This research supports the preliminary efficacy of the intervention...
• To reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression,
• To increase the quality of life, and
• To strengthen the relationship of men and women participating in the group.
We are continuing our work to establish the effectiveness of this new intervention!
For more details, we invite you to consult the full article:
Arpin, V., Brassard, A., El Amiri, S. & Péloquin, K. (2019): Testing a New Group Intervention for Couples Seeking Fertility Treatment: Acceptability and Proof of Concept, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2018.1526836
A recent study conducted in the Couples and Relationships Research Lab, led by Katherine Péloquin, have examined the role of self and partner blaming to explain psychological and relationship adjustment in couples presenting a fertility problem. This study used a dyadic approach to explore the links between blaming oneself and one’s partner and their symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as couple satisfaction. A total of 279 couples with fertility problems were recruited by their gynaecologist at their first visit in two fertility clinics in Montreal, and were questioned about the extent to which they blamed themselves and their partner for the couple’s fertility problems.
What did we find?
Feeling responsible: The results show blaming oneself for the couple's fertility problems is associated with more symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as lower relationship satisfaction.
In addition, when women feel responsible for the fertility problems, their partner also reports more depressive and anxious symptoms.
Blaming the partner: Women's tendency to blame their partner was associated with their own higher depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as to their lower relationship satisfaction. Moreover, when women blamed their partner, he also reported lower relationship satisfaction.
For more details, we invite you to consult the full article:
Péloquin, K., Brassard, A., Arpin, V., Sabourin, S., & Wright, J. (2018). Whose’ fault is it? Blame predicting psychological adjustment and couple satisfaction in couples seeking fertility treatment. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 39(1), 64-72. doi:10.1080/0167482X.2017.1289369
A recent study conducted by Natacha Godbout and Marie-Ève Daspe, members of the SCOUP team, in collaboration with the University of Victoria, examined childhood maltreatment caused by father and mother figures, and the presence of insecure attachment (fear of abandonment and avoidance of intimacy) as they predict symptoms related to borderline personality (BPRS).
We worked with 954 adult participants who completed surveys regarding parental maltreatment during childhood, attachment security, and trauma-related symptoms
What were the results?
We found differences in how maltreatment caused by the father or mother figure affect men and women. Both sources of maltreatment were directly associated with BPRS in women, whereas in men, only maltreatment from the father figure was directly related to BPRS. In women, maltreatment from the father figure was indirectly associated with BPRS for women who display fear of abandonment but not for those who display avoidance of intimacy. In men, maltreatment from the mother figure was indirectly associated with BPRS for those who display fear of abandonment but not for those who display avoidance of intimacy.
Our findings suggest that father-to-daughter and mother-to-son maltreatment are predictors of symptoms related to borderline personality, through the development of insecure attachment. These results highlight the importance of providing therapeutic interventions that are trauma- and attachment-focused, as well as gender-sensitive, for patients suffering from borderline symptoms.
If you would like to know more about this study, we invite you to read the full paper:
Godbout, N., Daspe, M.-E., Runtz, M., Cyr, G., et Briere, J. (2019). Childhood maltreatment, attachment, and borderline personality-related symptoms: Gender-specific structural equation models. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 11(1), 90-98. Open access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000403
A recent study conducted by Natacha Godbout and Marie-Ève Daspe, members of the SCOUP team, examined the associations between early exposure to violence, perpetration of relationship violence, and relationship satisfaction. These associations were examined during the critical time of adolescence/emerging adulthood were individuals form their first understanding of romantic relationships.
This study began at Time 1 with 1,252 adolescents who completed surveys concerning exposure to family violence, attachment, perpetrated relationship violence and relationship satisfaction. At Time 2, three years later, 234 participants completed a follow up survey.
What were the results?
We found that early exposure to family violence predicts later relationship violence both directly and indirectly. Indeed, participants who had been exposed to violence reported increased fear of abandonment, which in turn, was associated with relationship violence. Our results also highlighted that becoming more avoidant of intimacy was associated with experiencing more relationship distress.
Our findings suggest that the experience of early violence is an important factor to consider when dealing with relationship violence. Findings also support the importance of addressing attachment insecurities like fear of abandonment and avoidance of intimacy, in order to help young adults live more satisfying, violence free romantic relationships.
If you would like to know more about this study, we invite you to read the full paper:
Godbout, N., Daspe, M.-È., Lussier, Y., Sabourin, S., Dutton, D., & Hébert, M. (2017). Early exposure to violence, relationship violence, and relationship satisfaction in adolescents and emerging adults: The role of romantic attachment. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(2), 127-137. Epub 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000136
An ongoing study conducted by the Trauma and Couple Research and Intervention Unit (TRACE) led by Natacha Godbout focuses on the realities of adults who consult graduate interns in clinical sexology, in various settings through the province of Quebec. This article explored the role of mindfulness and dissociative symptoms, in the link uniting the accumulation of interpersonal trauma in childhood and depressive symptoms in adulthood.
A total of 234 adults who consulted an intern in clinical sexology for sexual and/or relational difficulties completed questionnaires at the beginning of their therapeutic process which assessed their experiences of childhood trauma, mindfulness disposition, dissociative and depressive symptoms.
What were the results?
We found a strong link between experiences of childhood cumulative trauma and depressive symptoms in adulthood, where victims of cumulative trauma reported more depressive symptoms than non-victims. On the other hand, results showed that the higher dissociative symptoms and lower disposition toward mindfulness in victims of cumulative trauma both acted as mechanisms explaining their increased levels of depressive symptoms. Thus, mindfulness seems to be a key variable to reduce depressive symptoms.
Overall, our findings suggest that focusing on mindfulness could reduce depressive symptoms in clients seeking treatment for sexual and/or relational difficulties, particularly survivors of childhood cumulative trauma.
If you would like to know more about this study, we invite you to read the full paper:
Bolduc, R., Bigras, N., Daspe, M. È., Hébert, M., & Godbout, N. (2018). Childhood cumulative trauma and depressive symptoms in adulthood: The role of mindfulness and dissociation. Mindfulness, 9(5), 1594-1603.
Two recent studies by Marie-Ève Daspe, Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, and Yvan Lussier, members of the SCOUP team, examined associations between Facebook use, Facebook jealousy and intimate partner violence perpetration among adolescents and young adults.
In the first study, 1 508 adolescents and young adults involved in a romantic relationship completed online questionnaires to assess Facebook use, Facebook jealousy–triggered by content related to partner–and intimate partner violence perpetration.
In the second study, 46 couples aged between 14 and 25 completed questionnaires to examine associations between Facebook jealousy and intimate partner violence perpetration from a dyadic perspective, using data from both romantic partners.
What did we find?
Our results showed that a greater Facebook use is associated with more Facebook jealousy, which in turn is associated with intimate partner violence perpetration.
We however found that Facebook jealousy is linked to intimate partner violence perpetration only when both partners show high levels of Facebook jealousy. This could lead to more heated arguments that escalate into violent behaviors.
Our results suggest that Facebook jealousy is a risk factor for intimate partner violence perpetration, particularly in couples in which both partners are prone to experience jealousy. Our findings highlight the importance of sensitizing youth about their use of social media and their potential impact on romantic relationships.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
Daspe, M.-È., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Lussier, Y., & Sabourin, S. (2018). Facebook use, Facebook jealousy, and intimate partner violence perpetration. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 21(9), 549-555.
A recent study conducted by Marie-Ève Daspe, Marie-Pier Vaillancourt-Morel, and Yvan Lussier, members of the SCOUP team, examined the associations between the frequency of pornography use, perceived lack of control over pornography use, and relationship and sexual satisfaction.
A total of 1 036 participants aged between 18 and 55 and involved in a romantic relationship completed online questionnaires about pornography use and relationship functioning.
What were the results?
We found that frequency of pornography use is associated with perceived lack of control over pornography use (i.e., difficulty controlling a strong urge, even in inappropriate moments, and trouble stopping or decreasing this behavior). Participants who reported a higher frequency of pornography use reported a greater feeling of losing control over this behavior.
Our results also showed that the frequency of pornography use and perceived lack of control are more strongly associated when relationship and sexual satisfaction are low than when relationship and sexual satisfaction are high.
These findings suggest that relationship and sexual dissatisfaction puts the individuals at risk of having a sense of loss of control over their use of pornography. This could be explained by a use of pornography as a means to cope with distress and negative emotions triggered by this dissatisfaction.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
Daspe, M.-È., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Lussier, Y., Sabourin, S., & Ferron, A. (2018). When pornography use feels out of control: The moderation effect of relationship and sexual satisfaction. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 44(4), 343-353. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2017.1405301
Sexual self-efficacy, which is defined by the belief in one’s ability to engage in desired and to refuse unwanted sexual activities and handle a sexual context appropriately, is an important aspect of adolescents’ development. Poor sexual self-efficacy may place adolescents at risk for negative sexual experiences, pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. Even if we know childhood sexual abuse may affect adolescents’ sexuality, how it may affect adolescents’ sexual self-efficacy remains understudied.
One of our recent study looked at the negative effects of child sexual abuse severity on sexual self-efficacy in adolescence. In this study, we wanted to know if silencing the self attitudes in romantic relationship – the tendencies to inhibit their needs – could explain the association between child sexual abuse severity and adolescent sexual self-efficacy.
This study is part of a larger research project in which 1078 adolescents were recruited for a longitudinal study in which child sexual abuse was measured at Time 1, silencing the self 6 months later and sexual self-efficacy one year and a half later.
What did we find?
The major finding is that silencing the self attitudes and behaviors in intimate relationships played a mediational role in the negative association between child sexual abuse severity and sexual self-efficacy in adolescents. Thus, the tendencies of child sexual abuse survivors to silence what they want or need in their romantic relationships is related to their difficulties to be confident in their ability to be assertive in sexual situations.
Trauma theories can help understand these associations as child sexual abuse may hinder the appropriate development of victims’ construction of self. Prevention and intervention programs that target the enhancement of an integrated sense of self in intimate relationships may help to promote assertive strategies in sexual situations.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Bergeron, S., Blais, M., & Hébert, M. (2019). Longitudinal associations between childhood sexual abuse, silencing the self, and sexual self-efficacy in adolescents. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 48(7), 2125-2135. doi: 10.1007/s10508-019-01494-z
A recent study conducted in our lab examined heterosexual, cisgender (HC), and sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents’ pornography use characteristics. This study was performed as part of an ongoing bi-center Canadian longitudinal study on adolescents’ sexual health funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (principal investigators: Dr. Bergeron and Dr. Dion).
The ease of access to pornography has made its use common among teenagers. Although SGM teens may be more prone to use pornography to search for sexual orientation-related information or because of the scarcity of potential romantic or sexual partners, relatively little attention has been paid to their pornography use characteristics. In this study, we examined and compared SGM and HC adolescents’ lifetime pornography use, age at first pornography use, and frequency of pornography use in the past three months. We worked with more than 2800 adolescents attending ninth grade. We asked them to complete an anonymous questionnaire about their sexual health, including questions about their pornography use.
What did we find?
According to our results, 88% of HC boys, 78% of SGM boys, 54% of SGM girls, 39% of HC girls, and 29% of SGM non-binary individuals reported having ever viewed pornography by the age of 14. SGM girls indicated a significantly younger age at first pornography use (12.3 years on average) than HC girls (12.9 years on average). However, this difference was not significant among boys, as they started to watch pornography at the age of 11.6-11.9 years on average. SGM boys reported the highest frequency of pornography use with using it many times per week. In contrast, HC girls reported the lowest frequency of pornography use with using it less than once a month.
In sum, approximately two-thirds of teenagers had gained their first experience with pornography by the age of 14 years, and 52% reported using it once a week or more often in the past three months. These results indicate that pornography use may play an important role in both HC and SGM adolescents’ sexual development. SGM and HC boys’ pornography use characteristics showed similarities, whereas SGM and HC girls’ patterns of use presented some differences. Gender-based differences concerning pornography use seem to be robust regardless of SGM status. Also, our findings suggest that information about the normative sexuality of SGM people may be lacking in current sexual education curricula; therefore, SGM teens may try to find information in pornographic materials.
If you would like to know more about this study, we invite you to read the full paper:
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M. P., Girouard, A., Štulhofer, A., Dion, J., & Bergeron, S. (2020). A Large-Scale Comparison of Canadian Sexual/Gender Minority and Heterosexual, Cisgender Adolescents’ Pornography Use Characteristics. Journal of Sexual Medicine, 17(6), 1156-1167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.02.009
Funding: This work was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the SCOUP Team—Sexuality and Couples—Fonds de recherche du Québec, Société et Culture awarded to B. Bőthe, and a grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research awarded to S. Bergeron and J. Dion.
A recent study has examined oversexualization and its relational implications. While hypersexualization of minors has often caught public attention in Quebec and Canada, oversexualization rather applies to young adults. This phenomenon is characterized by attitudes and behaviors that are strongly influenced by sexualized messages conveyed in the media, an objectified appearance, and a tendency towards seductive interpersonal relationships. This study builds around the following question: How are oversexualized behaviors associated with romantic attachment and intimacy? To answer this question, 494 women and 93 men aged between 18 and 29 completed a series of online questionnaires assessing oversexualization, romantic attachment, and intimacy.
What are the results?
Regarding attachment, results show that attachment-related anxiety is associated with overinvestment in one’s sexual appearance, sexual self-objectification, and performance-based sexuality. This last association appears stronger for men. Attachment-related avoidance is associated with seduction and lower meaningfulness of sexuality. Regarding intimacy, sexualized language is related to a perception of higher emotional, social, sexual, and recreational intimacy. Meaningfulness of sexuality is associated to a greater sense of intimacy on all dimensions. Conversely, sexual self-objectification is related to lower recreational intimacy (i.e., shared activities with one’s partner), seductive attitude is related to lower emotional intimacy, and overinvestment in one’s sexualized appearance is related to lower sexual intimacy.
Overall, the associations among oversexualized behaviors and many aspects of intimate relationships were found, that can vary according to gender.
To learn more about this topic, read the full article:
Brassard, A., Perron-Laplante, J., Lachapelle, É., de Pierrepont, C., & Péloquin, K. (2018). Oversexualization among emerging adults: Preliminary associations with romantic attachment and intimacy. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 27(3), 235–247. doi: 10.3138/cjhs.2017-0031
A growing body of research suggests that childhood neglect is associated with a range of psychological and interpersonal difficulties in adulthood including insecure attachment style, difficulty in developing and maintaining relationships, loneliness, social isolation and low self-esteem. However, we know little about how victims navigate their sexuality. A recent study by Noémie Bigras, a postdoctoral fellow and Myriam Bosisio, Ph.D student in our lab and colleagues from the team SCOUP, examined the associations between childhood neglect, identity impairment and sexual disturbances in adulthood paying particular attention to the potential mediating role of identity difficulties in the relationship between childhood neglect and sexual disturbances. Moreover, since child sexual abuse has frequently been found to be associated with sexual difficulties, we controlled for this type of interpersonal trauma and hypothesized that childhood neglect (CN) would contribute, above and beyond child sexual abuse (CSA), to sexual disturbances.
To do so, 374 adults from the community were recruited and answered online questionnaires about their childhood, psychological adjustment and sexual and relational functioning.
What did we find?
Childhood neglect was more prevalent in our sample than what is generally found in previous research. Main analyses revealed that childhood neglect was associated with more identity impairment, which in turn, was associated with greater sexual concerns and dysfunctional sexual behaviors. The association between childhood neglect and sexuality was significant above and beyond the presence of CSA, showing that not only sexual traumas were associated with impaired sexuality in adulthood. As sexual behaviors and affects are likely to be influenced by relationship status, we controlled for its effect. As expected based on previous studies, results showed that being single was associated with more dysfunctional sexual behaviors.
Results highlight the relevance of addressing identity difficulties in people who experienced childhood neglect and are struggling with sexual difficulties. The results also suggest the importance of investigating not only the presence of sexual trauma, but also a history of neglect when people have sexual problems. Fostering a greater sense of self in therapy could help men and women to more easily recognize their sexual preferences and boundaries, claim their right for sexual pleasure, gain enough confidence to communicate their sexual needs and interests and potentially diminishing the presence of sexual disturbances.
For more details, we invite you to read the full paper:
Bigras, N., Bosisio, M., Daspe, M.-E., & Godbout, N. (2020). Who am I and what do I need? Identity difficulties as a mechanism of the link between childhood neglect and adult sexual disturbances. International Journal of Sexual Health. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2020.1796881
Our study focused on the influence of attachment in couples’ interactions surrounding sexual intercourse when women suffer from provoked vestibulodynia (persistent pain at the entrance of the vagina during intercourse). We wanted to know whether attachment-related insecurities (fear of intimacy, fear of losing one’s partner, etc.) would be related to the way partners react to genito-pelvic pain, but also whether these insecurities would affect women’s perception of their partner’s reactions. We therefore recruited 125 couples, in which women had received a diagnosis of provoked vestibulodynia, to complete questionnaires on attachment insecurities, partner’s typical responses to pain (hostility, comforting, etc.), women’s perceptions of these responses, and measures of relational and sexual well-being.
And what did we find?
Our results show that the more women with pain are preoccupied with being abandoned by their partners or are uncomfortable with intimacy, the more they perceive their partner as being hostile or as ignoring them when they express pain during sexual activities. We also find that partners who have more fear of abandonment also report being more hostile towards their spouse when they express pain, while those who report more discomfort with intimacy report initiating positive exchanges less often (e.g. kissing, reassuring, etc.) in this context. These attachment-related issues in both members of the couple are in turn associated with more sexual distress and poorer relationship and sexual satisfaction, both in women with provoked vestibulodynia and in their partner.
Overall, these results demonstrate that attachment insecurities are associated to the way couples perceive one-another and interact, which in turn is linked to the couple’s adjustment to genito-pelvic pain. Attachment-related issues could therefore be a treatment target for couples who wish to undergo couples’ therapy for genito-pelvic pain!
For more details, we invite you to consult the complete article:
Charbonneau-Lefebvre, V., Rosen, N. O., Bosisio, M., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., & Bergeron, S. (2020). An attachment perspective on partner responses to genito-pelvic pain and their associations with relationship and sexual outcomes. The Journal of Sex Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1761936
It is recognized that couple therapy reduces relationship distress, but to this day, no studies examined the effect of couple therapy on romantic disengagement. Romantic disengagement is defined as “the process of emotional uncoupling, commonly referred to as growing apart from one’s partner, or feeling indifferent toward them” (Barry, Lawrence & Langer, 2008). A study conducted in Katherine Peloquin’s Couples and Relationships Research Lab has investigated romantic disengagement in couples undergoing therapy. Questionnaires were filled by 163 mixed-sex/gender couples on two occasions, at the start of therapy and at follow-up 15 weeks later. This allowed to measure the evolution of romantic disengagement for both partners over the course of therapy. Attachment insecurities (anxiety and avoidance) were also assessed to evaluate their role in the evolution of romantic disengagement over the course of therapy.
What did we find?
Our results show that for both partners, romantic disengagement diminished significatively between the intake at the start of therapy and the follow-up, 15 weeks later, which means that couple therapy may enable both partners to feel less emotional detachment towards their partner.
Regarding attachment, results differed between men and women. Men with attachment-related avoidance (discomfort with intimacy and emotional distance) reported higher romantic disengagement at follow-up than those who reported lower avoidance. Moreover, men whose partner presented higher attachment-related anxiety (doubts as to one’s personal value and fear of being rejected by the partner) also reported higher romantic disengagement at follow-up, compared to men whose partner reported lower attachment-related anxiety.
These results therefore suggest that couple therapy could be effective to reduce both partners’ romantic disengagement. However, since the findings showed that men presented higher romantic disengagement at follow-up when they or their partner presented higher attachment-related insecurities, the authors suggest addressing attachment styles in both partners in couple therapy in order to reduce their level of romantic disengagement.
For more details, we invite you to consult the full article:
Callaci, M., Vaillancourt-Morel, M.-P., Labonté, T., Brassard, A., Tremblay, N., & Péloquin, K. (2020) Attachment Insecurities Predicting Romantic Disengagement Over the Course of Couple Therapy in a naturalistic setting. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice.
It is now recognized that sexual well-being is associated with relationship quality and quality of life. As such, sexual difficulties are a frequent reason for seeking relationship therapy. To this date, however, little is known about the sexual well-being of these couples. A study conducted in Katherine Péloquin’s lab looked at the sexual well-being of these couples. More specifically, this research explored the sexual problems they experience, their sexual satisfaction and examined the contribution of both partners’ dyadic adjustment and sexual problems on their sexual satisfaction. To do this, 298 mixedsex couples seeking relationship therapy completed questionnaires on dyadic adjustment, sexual satisfaction and sexual functioning (desire, arousal, erection, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction).
What did we find?
We found that 30% of couples seeking therapy had at least one of the two partners who experienced a sexual problem that is clinically significant. This statistic is a lot more than what we can find in the general population. Low sexual desire was the most frequently reported sexual problem for both men (26%) and women (54%). These couples also reported lower levels of sexual satisfaction than couples in the general population. Finally, women reported more sexual problems and lower sexual satisfaction than their partners.
Our results show that dyadic adjustment and sexual problems are associated with sexual satisfaction. More specifically, a sexual problem in one partner was associated to lower sexual satisfaction in both partners. A lower dyadic adjustment in a partner was also associated with that individual's sexual satisfaction, but not that of their partner. Finally, we found that both partners report higher sexual satisfaction when they both report a sexual problem or when neither of them report a sexual problem. Conversely, they are both more sexually dissatisfied when there is discrepancy in both partners’ sexual functioning. Overall, these results highlight the importance for couple therapists to directly assess and treat sexual well-being difficulties as they are common in couples with relationships problems and they do not appear to be the result of relationship dissatisfaction only.
For more details, we invite you to read the full article:
Péloquin, K., Byers, E. S., Callaci, M., & Tremblay, N. (2019). Sexual portrait of couples seeking relationship therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45(1), 120-133. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12328
Hypersexuality is defined as sexual urges, fantasies, and behaviors that the individual tries to control unsuccessfully, resulting in significant distress and impairment in different areas of functioning, such as work or personal relationships. Emotion regulation and intimacy problems are important characteristics related to hypersexuality. However, previous scientific studies have not examined whether emotion regulation and intimacy problems may result in higher levels of hypersexuality, or rather, higher levels of hypersexuality might lead to worse emotion regulation and intimacy in couples. A recent study conducted in our laboratory examined the longitudinal associations between each partner’s emotion dysregulation, physical (i.e., partnered sexual frequency) and relationship intimacy, and hypersexuality. As part of a larger longitudinal project in our lab, we recruited 265 couples. We asked them to complete online surveys independently about their sexuality at baseline and six months later.
What did we find?
Results showed that both men and women who experienced more emotion regulation problems also engaged in more hypersexual behaviors six months later. Moreover, women's higher levels of hypersexuality resulted in their lower relationship intimacy six months later. Our findings highlighted that individuals experiencing difficulties regulating their negative emotions might use sexual activities to cope with these unpleasant feelings and emotions. However, engaging in sexual activities to cope with emotions might provide only short-term soothing and could lead to higher levels of hypersexuality in the long run. Moreover, when partnered individuals seek help for their hypersexuality, the relationship should be considered a potentially affected area of functioning, as the treatment-seeking individual may feel less connected to their partner. Their partner may also feel distressed and experience feelings of loss and betrayal as a result of discovering their significant other's hypersexuality. Thus, therapists working with individuals with hypersexuality should dedicate more attention to the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies (e.g., self-compassion). These emotion regulation strategies may help individuals cope with negative feelings and contribute to the improvement of couples’ relationship intimacy.
If you would like to know more about this study, we invite you to read the full paper:
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M-P., & Bergeron, S. Hypersexuality in mixed-sex couples: A dyadic longitudinal study (2021). Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1-12. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-021-01959-0
Funding: This work was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the SCOUP Team – Sexuality and Couples – Fonds de recherche du Québec, Société et Culture and by the Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students (PBEEE) awarded by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement Supérieur (MEES) to awarded to B. Bőthe.
Pornography use is common in couples and it may play important roles in their sexual wellbeing. However, little is known about whether different pornography use motivations (e.g., watching pornography to learn about sexual activities or viewing it to cope with negative emotions) may play different roles in couples' sexual wellbeing. A recent study conducted in our laboratory examined the associations between each partner's individual and partnered pornography use frequency, a set of pornography use motivations, and sexual wellbeing (including sexual satisfaction, sexual function, sexual distress, and the frequency of partnered sexual activities). As part of a larger longitudinal project in our lab, we recruited 265 couples. We asked couples to complete an online survey independently about their sexuality, including questions about pornography use.
What did we find?
Men using pornography out of curiosity and learning about sexual activities reported greater sexual satisfaction, sexual function, lower sexual distress, and higher partnered sexual frequency. At the same time, men using pornography to cope with negative emotions and stress had lower levels of sexual function and greater sexual distress. Women using pornography more frequently with their partners reported better sexual function and lower sexual distress. Additionally, women’s higher individual pornography use frequency was associated with more partnered sexual activities.
Our findings highlighted that examining partners’ pornography use motivations as well as their individual and partnered pornography use frequency may provide a better and more nuanced understanding of pornography use’s association with couples’ sexual wellbeing than examining the mere frequency of pornography use. As sexual curiosity motivation was related to sexual wellbeing and the frequency of partnered sexual activities, more attention should be paid to pornography literacy programs in sexual education. Moreover, therapists working with couples reporting sexual problems could dedicate more attention to identifying not only partners' frequency of pornography use, but their pornography use motivations as well, as men’s pornography use to cope with negative emotions may reflect underlying difficulties in dealing with negative emotions. Thus, promoting more adaptive emotion regulation strategies (e.g., mindfulness) may be beneficial for couples improving their sexual wellbeing.
If you would like to know more about this study, we invite you to read the full paper:
Bőthe, B., Vaillancourt-Morel, M. P., & Bergeron, S. (2021). Associations between pornography use frequency, pornography use motivations, and sexual wellbeing in couples. The Journal of Sex Research, 1-15. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00224499.2021.1893261
Funding: This work was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the SCOUP Team – Sexuality and Couples – Fonds de recherche du Québec, Société et Culture awarded to B. Bőthe and by the Merit Scholarship Program for Foreign Students (PBEEE) awarded by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement Supérieur (MEES) to B. Bőthe.
Infertility and fertility treatments have been linked to many adverse psychological outcomes, including anxiety and depression. However, few studies have assessed the relationship between emotion regulation processes (such as distress tolerance) and psychological adjustment of couples faced with a fertility problem. A study conducted at the Couples and Relationships Research Laboratory examined the association between distress tolerance – i.e. the ability to experience and withstand negative psychological states – and anxiety and depression symptoms in 182 couples enrolled in fertility treatment. Couples completed online questionnaires measuring their ability to tolerate distress, their infertility-related quality of life, and their anxiety and depression symptoms.
What did we find?
Our results showed that low distress tolerance was positively associated with anxiety and depression symptoms in men and women undergoing fertility treatment. In other words, individuals who had difficulty tolerating negative emotions were more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression in the context of infertility.
However, among both men and women in our sample, high distress tolerance was positively associated with their partner's anxiety symptoms. This suggests individuals coupled with a partner who tolerates and accepts unpleasant emotions were more likely to experience anxiety symptoms.
These results suggest that fostering distress tolerance in individuals undergoing fertility treatment may help them adapt to this life stressor, but that it also may be associated with partner anxiety. Therefore, measuring couples’ ability to tolerate distress when enrolling in fertility treatment could help identify those at risk of experiencing more anxiety and depression during their fertility journey. In future studies, it would also be important to identify other emotion regulation skills that may promote healthy personal adjustment, and positive dyadic adjustment to infertility and its treatments.
For more details, we invite you to consult the full poster:
Jacmin-Park, S., Jean, M., Hébert, E., Beaulieu, N., Rossi, M., Rosen, N. O., Brassard, A., Bergeron, S., Péloquin, K. (2021, June). The association between distress tolerance and anxiety and depression in couples seeking fertility treatment. Poster presented at the 82nd Canadian Psychological Association Convention, Online.
Our study investigated the association between cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma (cumulative childhood trauma, CCT) (e.g., violence, neglect, bullying) and parenting stress levels in couples who had just had a new child. Parenting stress represents the gap perceived by parents between their own resources and the demands of their children. Documented mainly in mothers, this subject deserves to be studied further in a sample of couples. Relying on the Self-Trauma model (Briere, 1996), we were interested in the role of altered self-capacities as explanatory mechanisms in the association between CCT and parenting stress. Self-capacities refer to affect dysregulation, identity disturbances, and the tendency to be involved in interpersonal conflict. The main objective of this study was to determine: 1) Do parents who have experienced CCT report more stress? 2) Do altered self-capacities explain this greater vulnerability to parenting stress?
A sample of 421 mixed-gender couples was recruited from the general population using random selection, in collaboration with the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (QPIP). Parents answered online questionnaires during the first months following the birth of their new child.
What do the results say?
The results first confirm that the more a parent has experienced a high number of childhood interpersonal traumas, the higher their parenting stress is during the first months postpartum. Our results then show that altered self-capacities partially explain this association between parents' CCT and their parenting stress. Specifically, CCT is linked to more difficulty regulating one's emotions, a less stable and less well-defined identity, and more conflicts with others. In return, emotional and identity difficulties are associated with an increase in parenting stress, both in mothers and fathers. In addition, mothers' tendency to be involved in interpersonal conflicts explained the link between her own CCT experience and her partner's parenting stress.
These results show that self-capacities, via different pathways, explain how CCT affects parenting stress within the couple. It therefore appears relevant to target self-capacities in CCT survivors in order to prevent high levels of parenting stress and increase their well-being during the postpartum period.
For more details, we invite you to consult the complete article:
Rassart, C. A., Paradis, A., Bergeron, S., & Godbout, N. (2022). Cumulative childhood interpersonal trauma and parenting stress: The role of self-capacities disturbances among couples welcoming a newborn. Child Abuse & Neglect, 129, 105638.
Funding: This work was funded by doctoral fellowships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Société et Culture, granted to Camille Andrée Rassart, by Insight grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, granted to Natacha Godbout, and finally by a Research Scholar grant from the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé, granted to Natacha Godbout.
Did you know that attachment and sexual motives are associated with emotions during sexual activity?
Previous studies have shown that attachment insecurities (i.e., anxiety, avoidance) are associated with lower sexual well-being. However, we don’t know much about how attachment insecurity contributes to both partner’s emotions during sexual activity. Noémie Beaulieu, a student in the couples’ research laboratory of Katherine Péloquin therefore investigated if sexual motives (i.e., attachment, caregiving) could partly explain the associations between attachment insecurities and emotions during sexual activities. Two types of sexual motives were investigated : attachment motives (e.g., to feel reassured about my relationship) and caregiving motives (e.g., to please my partner). To that end, 149 Canadian who had been in their relationship for an average of 9 years completed short surveys for 21 consecutive days.
What did we find?
• Individuals higher in attachment avoidance endorsed less caregiving sexual motives, which were associated with more negative emotional experiences.
• Individuals higher in attachment anxiety endorsed more attachment sexual motives, which were associated with their own and their partner’s more negative emotional experiences.
• Individuals higher in attachment anxiety also endorsed more caregiving sexual motives, which were associated with their own and their partner’s more positive emotional experiences.
These results suggest that attachment drives why individuals engage in sexual activities and in return, these sexual motives influence how individuals and their partner feel during sexual activities. Individuals with attachment insecurity and their partner tend to report lower sexual well-being, partly because their sexual motives are driven by their attachment insecurities.
For more details, we invite you to consult the full article:
Beaulieu, N., Brassard, A., Bergeron, S., & Péloquin, K. (2022). Why do you have sex and does it make you feel better? Integrating attachment theory, sexual motives, and sexual well-being in long-term couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221108759
Research shows that sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction are closely related and are important components of the overall quality of a couple's relationship. Several studies have found that the ways partners interact with each other contribute to the quality of the relationship. For example, intimacy (when partners open up and are responsive to each other) is an essential ingredient for sexual and relational well-being. A recent study conducted in Katherine Péloquin’s Couples and Relationships Research Lab aimed to better understand how intimacy and relationship quality relate to each other over time in long-term couples. Specifically, the research team investigated the links between intimacy, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction in 145 mixed-sex couples. Participants completed online questionnaires 3 times over a 13-month period.
To better understand how partners’ interactions may contribute to relationship quality, researchers examined the contribution of intimacy behaviors to sexual and relationship satisfaction, but also the contribution of sexual and relationship satisfaction to intimacy behaviors over time.
What did we find?
Briefly…
• Intimacy behaviors (opening up to one's partner, feeling heard and validated, and responding empathetically to each other's self-disclosures) are linked to higher sexual and relational satisfaction among couples over time. This supports the idea that the ways partners interact with each other can contribute to their relationship quality.
• Conversely, higher levels of sexual and relational satisfaction would also promote intimacy behaviors within the couple. This could suggest that feeling good about one’s relationship, in general and in terms of sexuality, helps to establish a climate of trust and closeness that is favorable to self-disclosure and responsiveness towards one’s partner.
To learn more, we invite you to read the full article:
Beaulieu, N., Bergeron, S., Brassard, A., Byers, S. et Péloquin, K. (2022). Toward an integrative model of intimacy, sexual satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction: a prospective study in long-term couples, The Journal of Sex Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2022.2129557
