The negative relationship between stress and sexual satisfaction is one that has not been studied extensively when it comes to the differences between non-cohabitating, cohabitating, and married couples. It is important to understand how stress may affect sexual satisfaction in different groups so that each group can develop the proper coping mechanisms to defend against the damage stress can cause. The present study examined whether married couples would report more sexual satisfaction before and after a stress- induced priming task due to more effective coping strategies compared to non- cohabitating and cohabitating couples. Men and women in sexually active, monogamous relationships completed surveys about a self-report stress measure, sexual satisfaction, and individual and dyadic coping strategies. No significant difference was found for participants\u27 self-reported sexual satisfaction or stress levels before and after a stress prime regardless of their living situation and coping abilities. Although not the original purpose of the study, we did find a correlation between individual coping and overall stress and between dyadic coping and sexual satisfaction. This highlights the importance for both individual and dyadic coping mechanisms in everyday relationships --Document
