Comparison of Personality Characteristics and Sexual Satisfaction among Couples with Marital Infidelity and Normal Couples

Attitudes towards marital infidelity and unfaithfulness could be considered among the most complex and painful emotional problems among couples. The objective of this study was to compare of personality characteristics and sexual satisfaction among couples with marital infidelity and normal couples.

This study was of descriptive design with a causal-comparative method. The statistical population of the study included all couples who had come to a counseling clinic in District 3 of Tehran from May to November 2018 due to marital infidelity. Convenience sampling method was used and 120 participants, 30 couples, were selected: 30 couples with a history of marital infidelity and 30 couples in the control group. Data were collected using Neo Five personality traits and sexual satisfaction questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance via SPSS software version 22.

The mean (SD) score of marital satisfaction in the group with a history of marital infidelity was 56.9 (10.5) which was lower than the control group: (14.4) 72.8, P<0.001. In the groupwith a history of marital infidelity, the scores of components of personality traits including neurosis 37.1 (4.6), extraversion 36.7 (4.3), openness to experience 39.3 (4.1) were higher than neurosis 32.7 (4.6), extraversion 33.7 (4.3), and openness to experience 35.1 (4.1) in the control group, P<0.001. The components of consensus 36.6 (5.1) and conscientiousness 37.6 (5.7) 37.6 in the normal group were higher than consensus 32.1 (5.1) and conscientiousness 33.6 (6.3) in the group with history of maritalinfidelity, P<0.001.

The study showed that sexual satisfaction was lower among couples who had a history of marital infidelity, while prevalence of personality traits including neurosis, extraversion and openness to experience was higher than normal couples