THE SEXUALITY OF WOMEN IN PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE MARRIAGES - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY

To examine female sexuality in physically abusive marriages, this study compared 60 abused women with a demographically matched sample of nonabused women in distressed marriages (aged 19-29). The physically abused women reported significantly lower levels of intimacy and compatibility in their marriages. In addition, abused women were found to evince a more traditional sex-role ideology, a greater negative or erotophobic disposition toward sex, and a stronger avoidance of sex than did nonabused women. Also, as compared to nonabused women in distressed marriages, the abused women rated themselves as having a lower degree of sexual assertiveness, arousability, and satisfaction. Despite these findings, the abused women reported a significantly greater frequency of sexual intercourse in their marriages than did the nonabused women.