The mediating role of caregiving dimensions in relationship between attachment dimensions and sexual satisfaction in couples during the family life cycles

Establish and keeping intimate relations, is one of the significant developmental tasks in adulthood that governed by systems: attachment, caregiving, and sex. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of caregiving dimensions in relationship between attachment dimensions and sexual satisfaction in couples, during the family life cycles. In this descriptive correlational study, a sample of 244 couples (488 people) who at least one of them had academicals education, and they dwelled in Tehran in 2017, were selected by Accessible and Snowball Sampling Method from Shahid Beheshti University and marrieds’ dormitory of Shahid Beheshti, Imam Sadiq, Tarbiat Modares and Amir Kabir Universities and completed Caregiving Questionnaire (Kunce & shaver, 1994), Larson’s Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (Larson, Anderson, Holman, & Niemann, 1998), and Relationship Scales Questionnaire (Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). The data analyzed by Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Path Analysis. The results showed different meaningful relationships (P<0.01) between sexual satisfaction, attachment dimensions and caregiving dimensions in 3 stages of family life cycles including Initiate, New Couple (without children) and Families with Young Children. Results also indicated the most significant relationships (P<0.01) in New Couples (without children) Cycle. Therefore, it can be concluded that the family life cycles can affect the relationship between attachment, caregiving, and sexual systems. Then a part of differences exists in previous findings could be explained with it. Therefore, couple therapists need to pay attention to current family life cycle in designing their interventions to improve sexual satisfaction, efficient caregiving, and secure attachment.