COUPLE’S ORGASM AS A DYADIC EXPERIENCE: A SCOPING REVIEW OF DYADIC DATA

Orgasm is associated with greater sexual and relational wellbeing within couples’ relationships. In a partnered sexual context, this dimension of the sexual response has been mainly studied from an individualistic perspective, with few studies adopting a dyadic approach. We conducted a scoping review to analyse and synthesize dyadic data on orgasm (ie, orgasm frequency and quality) within couples’ relationships.

Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a database search was conducted on EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Scielo databases using key terms related to orgasm and dyadic.

A total of 280 articles were identified and 19 fulfilled eligibility criteria and were included in the review. All studies sampled couples using a dyadic design. Most studies were conducted in North America and employed cross-sectional designs. The studies predominantly sampled mixed-gender/sex heterosexual couples, and all participants were cisgender. Dyadic models aiming to understand the impact of orgasm (dys)function in sexual satisfaction demonstrated a better fit over individual ones. Furthermore, orgasm was consistently associated with one’s own and partner’s greater sexual satisfaction. The importance attached to one’s own and partners’ orgasm was positively related to both partners’ sexual and relationship satisfaction. Studies indicated a consistent discrepancy between cis men’s and cis women’s orgasm frequencies, supporting the orgasm gap phenomenon. However, studies indicated that overall orgasm consistency was more important for sexual satisfaction than similar orgasm consistencies between partners. Regarding intrapersonal determinants, men’s higher narcissistic traits and attachment anxiety were positively correlated with higher self-affirmation sexual motives, which in turn was linked with lower orgasmic frequency. Compassion and mindfulness, including sexual mindfulness, were positively linked to orgasm frequency in both women and men.

Future research should focus on orgasm as a dyadic experience, include gender-sex minorities and adopt daily and dyadic longitudinal designs to capture the uniqueness of each orgasm as it unfolds in couples’ daily lives. This review showed the importance of considering orgasm within partnered sexual relationships from a dyadic perspective, supporting the relevance of intra- and interpersonal determinants on orgasm and its influence on own and partner’s wellbeing.

No conflicts of interest.