Associations Between Childhood Maltreatment, Fluctuations and Discrepancies in Partners’ Sexual Desire and Distress: A Dyadic Daily Diary Study

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with persistent difficulties in adult sexual relationships and functioning. Sexual desire and distress are frequent concerns in clinical settings and studies have shown that CM is linked to lower sexual desire, higher sexual distress, and challenges affecting romantic partners. Most prior studies relied on retrospective reports, overlooking daily fluctuations and discrepancies in sexual desire and distress that could reveal how CM shapes couples' sexual dynamics. This study examined how CM is associated with mean levels, daily fluctuations, and discrepancies in partner-focused sexual desire (PFSD) and distress within couples. A convenience sample of 327 community couples completed daily self-report measures over 35 days. Results of an actor-partner interdependence model showed that a person's CM was related to lower mean level and lower day-to-day variability in their own PFSD, and higher mean level and higher day-to-day variability in their own sexual distress. Moreover, a person's CM was related to higher mean level of their partner's sexual desire and to higher discrepancy in sexual distress between partners. These findings underscore the value of examining daily fluctuations in sexual desire and distress to understand how CM may shape couples' sexual dynamics, highlighting the complex nature of couples' sexual experiences.