Sexual boredom and sexual desire in long-term relationships: A latent profile analysis

Background: Research suggests a general link between sexual boredom and sexual desire, but its understanding is currently very limited. Aim: To identify distinct (latent) groups of women and men in long-term relationships based on their reported levels of sexual boredom and sexual desire. Methods: Latent profile analysis (LPA) was conducted in an online sample of 1,223 Portuguese participants aged 18-66 years (M = 32.75, SD = 6.11), using indicators of sexual boredom and partner-related, attractive other-related, and solitary sexual desire to categorize participants. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was carried out to explore predictors and correlates of the latent profiles. Outcomes: Sexual boredom was assessed by the Sexual Boredom Scale, while sexual desire was measured using the Sexual Desire Inventory. Results: Compared to women, men reported higher levels of both sexual boredom and sexual desire. LPA indicated three profiles in women and two profiles in men. Among women, P1 was characterized by above average sexual boredom, below average partner-related and attractive-other sexual desire, and very low solitary sexual desire; P2 by below average sexual boredom, attractive other and solitary sexual desire, and by above average partnerrelated sexual desire; and P3 by above average sexual boredom, attractive-other and solitary sexual desire, and below average partner-related sexual desire. In men, P1 was characterized by high sexual boredom, above average partner-related sexual desire, and high attractiveother and solitary sexual desire; and P2 by below average sexual boredom, above average partner-related, attractive-other, and solitary sexual desire. The latent profiles did not differ according to relationship duration. Overall, the sole consistent correlate of the latent categorization was sexual satisfaction. Clinical Implications: In women, above-average levels of sexual boredom were linked to below-average levels of partner-related desire, which suggests likely benefits of helping the couple to minimize, or cope better with, their sexual routines. In men, participants in the two profiles did not differ in partner-related sexual desire, suggesting that clinical interventions dealing with male sexual boredom should also investigate factors beyond the current relationship. Strengths and Limitations: This study explored different facets of sexual desire and used LPA, rendering advantages over previous research. The male sample has lower statistical power then the female sample. Conclusions: Patterns of sexual boredom and sexual desire among individuals in long-term monogamous relationships are distinct and consistently related to sexual satisfaction (in both women and men) and relationship satisfaction (only among women), which has important clinical ramifications