Global self-esteem and sexual self-esteem as predictors of sexual communication in intimate relationships.(Report)

Abstract: The goal of the present study was to examine the possible links between global self-esteem and sexual self-esteem, and their links to sexual communication in relationships. It was hypothesized that while there is a positive relationship between global self-esteem and communication in intimate relationships, sexual self-esteem will be a unique predictor of communication. Analyses of the responses of 74 individuals indicated that sexual self-esteem is a distinct, although contributing, aspect of global self-esteem and that sexual communication differs from general communication. Furthermore, while it was found that high levels of both global and sexual self-esteem predicted a higher ability to communicate about satisfying sexual behaviours with a partner, hierarchical regressions demonstrated that sexual self-esteem was a unique predictor of sexual communication over and above the contribution of global self-esteem. These results suggest that global self-esteem may be too broad a construct to predict one's ability to discuss sexual needs with a partner, and that future research may benefit from using measures of sexual self-esteem when researching sexual communication in intimate relationships.

Introduction

Research has shown that higher levels of communication between partners are associated with higher levels of relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction (Cupach & Comstock, 1990; MacNeil & Byers, 1997; Wheeless, Wheeless, & Baus, 1984). MacNeil and Byers (2005) showed that sexual self-disclosure, one aspect of communication with a partner, enhances sexual satisfaction in dating couples and that the sexes show both similarities and differences in prospective pathways between sexual self-disclosure and sexual satisfaction. Given the importance of communication in sexual satisfaction in couples, the factors associated with a person's ability to communicate with a partner about sexuality are of interest as these are not well understood. Global self-esteem (Ferroni & Taffe, 1997; Larson, Anderson, Holman & Niemann, 1998) and sexual self-esteem (Rosenfeld, 2004) are thought to reflect characteristics that facilitate sexual communication within relationships. However, greater clarity is needed about the relation between global self-esteem and sexual self-esteem and about the relation of each measure to sexual communication in relationships. The present study explores these themes.

Background

The literature defines global self-esteem as "a positive or negative attitude toward the self" (Rosenberg, 1965, p. 30) and researchers have identified it as an essential component for healthy sexual functioning (Hally & Pollack, 1993) and an integral part of one's personal self (Branden, 1969). Sexual self-esteem, defined as "[one's] affective reactions to [their] subjective appraisals of [their] sexual thoughts, feelings, and behaviours" (Zeanah & Schwarz, 1996, p. 3) has been viewed as separate from, although a contributing component of, global self-esteem.

Individuals with high global self-esteem are thought to value their health, their lives, their mental and physical abilities, and their childbearing potential (Keeling, 1987). High global self-esteem in turn may translate into a greater likelihood of verbal and nonverbal communication, including communication about safer sex, satisfying sex, and related topics. For example, some researchers have shown a positive relationship between global self-esteem and contraceptive use, such that people with high global self-esteem were more likely to use some form of contraception during sexual intercourse compared to those with lower self-esteem. (Adler & Hendrick, 1991; Ethier et al., 2006; Holmbeck et al., 1994). However, Adler and Hendrick (1991) showed a similar association for high sexual self-esteem which they attributed to the fact that a person with high sexual self-esteem would be more accepting of themselves sexually and thus able to think about and prepare in advance for sexual interactions. This notion is similar to that advanced by Keeling (1987) in relation to global self-esteem which again raises the question of the association of global self-esteem and sexual self-esteem.

This type of question has been raised in other areas of personality and social psychology. For example, Dutton and Brown (1997) asked "... whether people's reactions to success and failure are guided more by their global self-esteem level or by their more specific beliefs about their abilities and attributes" (p. 139). They concluded that global self-esteem predicted emotional reactions and specific self-views predicted cognitive reactions. With respect to the current study, this example reflects our parallel use of terminology: global self-esteem for measures that assess a broader sense of self, and sexual self-esteem to reflect a person's self-view in the more specific domain of sexuality.