Study reveals childhood maltreatment affects sexual health in couples, indicating the need for tailored interventions.
The present study examined couples’ childhood maltreatment (CM) profiles and their associations with both partners’ sexual health over one year. Participants were 885 couples ( M age = 31.22) who completed measures of CM (baseline) and sexual satisfaction, distress and function (baseline, 6- and 12-months). Dyadic latent profile analyses yielded five profiles: Partner 1 Neglected , Low CM , Partner 2 Physically Abused , Partner 2 Sexually Abused , and Partner 1 Sexually Abused . Initial levels of sexual satisfaction, distress and function showed the greatest sexual health in Low CM and the worst in Partner 1 Neglected . Decreases in sexual satisfaction were steeper in Partner 1 Sexually Abused than Low CM ; sexual distress decreased for Low CM and increased for Partner 1 Neglected and Partner 2 Sexually Abused ; decreases in sexual function were steeper in Partner 1 Neglected and Partner 2 Sexually Abused than Low CM . Profiles involving greater CM are associated with worse sexual health.
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Bergeron et al. (2025) studied this question.
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