TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual and relational differences in desire for touch in romantic relationships
AU - Jakubiak, Brittany K.
AU - Fuentes, Julian D.
AU - Feeney, Brooke C.
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research (Study 2) was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (BCS1650477) awarded to the third author.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - Although touch is common in romantic relationships and is generally beneficial, people differ in the extent to which they desire to give and receive touch. The current research identified individual and relationship characteristics that predict overall desire for touch and unique desire for overtly affectionate versus indirectly affectionate forms of touch. In both a sample of dating, engaged, and married individuals (Study 1) and a dyadic sample of married couples (Study 2), the strongest predictors of overall desire for touch were sex (being female) and high relationship quality (actor and partner). Attachment avoidance also predicted lower desire for touch overall (Study 1), and actor and partner attachment avoidance predicted lower desire for indirectly affectionate touch, in particular (Study 2). Finally, greater psychological distress predicted greater desire for indirectly affectionate touch in both studies. This novel descriptive information about desire for touch provides a foundation for future intervention work.
AB - Although touch is common in romantic relationships and is generally beneficial, people differ in the extent to which they desire to give and receive touch. The current research identified individual and relationship characteristics that predict overall desire for touch and unique desire for overtly affectionate versus indirectly affectionate forms of touch. In both a sample of dating, engaged, and married individuals (Study 1) and a dyadic sample of married couples (Study 2), the strongest predictors of overall desire for touch were sex (being female) and high relationship quality (actor and partner). Attachment avoidance also predicted lower desire for touch overall (Study 1), and actor and partner attachment avoidance predicted lower desire for indirectly affectionate touch, in particular (Study 2). Finally, greater psychological distress predicted greater desire for indirectly affectionate touch in both studies. This novel descriptive information about desire for touch provides a foundation for future intervention work.
KW - Affection
KW - attachment
KW - individual differences
KW - romantic relationships
KW - touch
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U2 - 10.1177/02654075211003331
DO - 10.1177/02654075211003331
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85103111817
SN - 0265-4075
VL - 38
SP - 2029
EP - 2052
JO - Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
JF - Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
IS - 7
ER -