Predictors of sexual assertiveness in a sample of Iranian married women of reproductive age

Sexual assertiveness and explicit conversations about sex between couples are influenced by variety of individual, cultural, and social factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of sexual assertiveness in a sample of Iranian married women of reproductive age. In this cross-sectional study, 276 married women of reproductive age participated from October 2018 to March 2019. Sampling was done in two stages. Data were collected using demographic questionnaires, Hulbert sexual assertiveness scale, and Spanier dyadic adjustment scale. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models via ENTER method through SPSS (version 25) software were performed. The mean age of participants was 31.44 years old with the mean marriage duration of 119.59 months. The mean score of participants' sexual assertiveness was 57.31. The results of the multivariate regression model showed that marital adjustment (B = 0.46, SE = 0.06, beta = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.35, 0.57) was the only significant predictors of sexual assertiveness explaining 30% of the variance, in married women of reproductive age. Due to important predictive role of marital adjustment, more attention should be given to couples adjustment to improve sexual assertiveness. In addition, this model explained only 30% of the variance in the concept of sexual assertiveness, so it is necessary to identify other factors affecting women's sexual assertiveness.