Evaluating the quality of romantic relationships and sexual satisfaction according to the attachment theory

It is known that the attachment style that individuals establish with their parents in the early stages of life affects their romantic relationships and sexual life in adulthood. In the literature, the number of studies examining general attachment style together with perceived romantic relationship quality and sexual satisfaction is quite limited. In this direction, the current research aimed to determine whether individuals' perceived romantic relationship quality and sexual satisfaction differ according to their attachment style. The study included 293 volunteer participants aged 18-88, who were already in a romantic relationship and defined their sexual identity as heterosexual. Participants were reached online via Google Forms. Before the data were collected, consent was obtained from each participant to voluntarily participate in the study through the Informed Consent Form. Personal Information Form, Three-Dimensional Attachment Style Scale, Perceived Romantic Relationship Quality Scale, and Golombok-Rust Sexual Satisfaction Scale were used to measure the variables of interest in the study. In the analysis of the research data, Independent Groups t-test and ANOVA methods were used in order to compare the variables according to the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants. Pearson Correlation Analysis and regression analyzes were applied to examine the relationship between the research variables. The research findings showed that there is a positive relationship between sexual satisfaction and perceived romantic relationship quality, and the perceived romantic relationship quality of securely attached individuals is higher than insecurely attached individuals. Perceived romantic relationship quality was found to be the only significant predictor of women's sexual satisfaction, and perceived romantic relationship quality, secure attachment, and avoidant attachment as significant predictors of men's sexual satisfaction. The results of the study showed that while the sexual satisfaction of women did not differ according to their attachment styles, the sexual satisfaction of securely attached men was higher than that of non-securely attached men. The findings were discussed within the framework of the relevant literature and some suggestions were presented.