Sex life dissatisfaction contribute to intention toward infidelity among Malaysians: relationship satisfaction as a mediator

Abstract

Background

Intention toward infidelity or extramarital affairs could be caused by sex life dissatisfaction and low relationship satisfaction. Although sex is just a tiny part of a marriage’s relationship, the importance of sex life in a relationship cannot be easily underestimated. Past studies have found some important associations between sex life and relationship satisfaction in determining whether a person would decide to engage in marital infidelity. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanism of the association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity is unexplored in the Malaysian context. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of relationship satisfaction in its direct association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity among Malaysian married individuals.

Method

A total of 292 married individuals (M_age=42.98; SD_age=9.82; 66.4% women; 65.4% Chinese Malaysians, 15.8% Indians Malaysians, 14.7% Others Ethnic Malaysians, and 4.1% Malay Malaysians) participated in the cross-sectional quantitative online survey.

Results

A significant positive association was found between sex life and relationship satisfaction. However, sex life and relationship satisfaction were negatively associated with intention toward infidelity. Meanwhile, relationship satisfaction significantly mediates the link between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity after controlling for the effects of age and gender. These findings support the hypothetical mediating role of relationship satisfaction in the association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity.

Conclusions

This study may fill a knowledge gap in Malaysia about the underlying association among these variables as well as the practical implication of the importance of sex life and relationship satisfaction in determining whether one would engage in extramarital affairs.

Background

Marriages and happy families can serve many positive functions in society. In Malaysia, marriages have increased by 15.4%, from 186,297 cases in 2020 to 214,943 cases in 2021 [1]. However, sadly, not all marriages can last, and some will even end in less than five years (35.4% for men; 37.3% for women), between five and nine years (23.4% for men; 26% for women), between 10 and 14 years (24.7% for men; 16.5% for women), some between 15 and 19 years (9.2% for men; 10.2% for women), or after more than 20 years of marriage (7.3% for men; 10% for women) [2]. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the total number of divorce cases for both Muslim Malaysians and non-Muslim Malaysians increased by an overall 12% from 2018 to 2019 [3].

Some marriage and family counsellors, therapists, and psychologists have suggested that divorce cases have risen steadily over the years in Malaysia and globally due to social change whereby society no longer attaches a stigma to a divorcee, women are becoming more financially independent, and more and more people have begun to accept such phenomenon [4]. Furthermore, there are other basis cited for the increased cases of divorce in Malaysia, for example, infidelity, financial woes, involvement of in-laws, and spouse irresponsibility [2, 4–5]. According to the findings of the Fifth Malaysian Population and Family Survey (2014), 11.8% of Malaysian men and 20.5% of Malaysian women cited marital infidelity (men, 11.8%; women, 20.5%) as the second top cause of divorce [2]. According to Pace, ‘infidelity’ or ‘sexual infidelity’ is a kind of sexual contact with a person other than one’s own spouse, and it usually happens in secret, without the other spouse’s permission [6]. However, infidelity can be both emotional and sexual. Some people also consider infidelity as a kind of betrayal. For example, a person who has committed marital infidelity has violated the terms of marriage, such as loyalty, faithfulness, and trust [6]. Blow and Hartnett [7 as cited in 8] had listed a series of activities which entailed marital infidelity, such as “extramarital relationship”, “having an affair”, “kissing”, “fondling”, “having oral sex”, “internet relationships”, “pornography use”, “cheating”, “friendships”, and “having emotional connections which were beyond friendships”.

According to Drigotas et al., the reasons for infidelity comprised five big categories, namely, (a) sexual satisfaction with an emphasis on searching for sexual variety or due to sexual incompatibility with one’s spouse, (b) emotional satisfaction with regards to a new relationship, (c) social contexts such as physical or psychological proximity, opportunity, or physical separation from current spouse, (d) attitudes-norms such as liberal sexual attitudes reporting a higher tendency towards infidelity, what other people think one should do and/or what other people do that affect oneself and (e) revenge-hostility as a way to get back at a spouse’s betrayal and infidelity [9]. Drigotas et al. also cited the importance of the investment model by Rusbult as a significant predictor of dating infidelity [10, 11]. The investment model stresses that the leading force in any romantic relationship is “commitment”, which includes a psychological bond and an intention to carry on with the relationship [9].

Most importantly, Pace cited ‘sexual dissatisfaction’ as the number one reason for infidelity [6]. This drives home the reasons why this current study is important to married Malaysian individuals since sex life and relationship dissatisfactions affect a spouse’s decision to engage in marital infidelity. The findings of this study will close the existing knowledge gap in the country and help to extend our understanding of sex life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction and intention toward infidelity. Meanwhile, sex life satisfaction can mean contentment with one’s sex life. This is explained as attained sexual gratification when a spouse’s expectations surpass what s/he deserves to receive when the gain/rewards are about equal for both spouses or when each of them perceives equitable treatment [11–12 as cited in 13]. It is also a type of affective response based on one’s intuitive appraisal of the good and bad aspects of one’s erotic relationship [14 as cited in 13].

According to Rokach and Patel, there exists a body of facts that indicates how sex life satisfaction impacts an adult’s relationship stability and contentment. At the same time, attachment orientation (such as securely or insecurely attached when young) may influence how one perceives their romantic relationships [13]. On the other hand, relationship satisfaction is defined as the subjective experience, opinion, and evaluation of one’s relationship with a spouse [15]. It can also be referred to as spousal satisfaction, relationship quality or relationship happiness.

Elsewhere, research conducted in China by Luo and Yu found links among sex life satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and infidelity [16]. For example, they had established that a more open outlook toward extramarital affairs, greater sexual dissatisfaction, and lower marital satisfaction among the respondents contributed to the higher chances of infidelity in their Chinese respondents. Another study by Vowels et al. concurred that higher ratings on relationship satisfaction forecasted a diminished and lower chance of committing infidelity among their respondents. Moreover, infidelity has widespread consequences which impact not only the affected couple alone but also their offspring, relatives, and friends [17]. The negative consequences of marital infidelity are generally agreed to by researchers [18–19].

An investigation in Pakistan by Bilal and Rasool found that sex life satisfaction mediated marital satisfaction, and life satisfaction, whereby the absence of sex life satisfaction in married Pakistani women caused both their lesser level of marital satisfaction and life satisfaction [20]. Also, Gonzalez-Rivera et al. found that women who performed infidelity-related actions on social networks showed less sexual contentment, emotional attachment/connection, and relationship satisfaction but greater uncertainty in relationships [21]. The authors’ research concurred with many literature stating the crucial emotional and sexual needs in any romantic relationship. Once these variables are compromised, individuals will experience ambivalence, which then leads to infidelity on social networks.

Furthermore, most of the literature consistently identified that men tend to have higher intentions toward infidelity as compared to women in general [19–23]. Several pieces of evidence have denoted gender differences in the engagement of different types of infidelity. For example, Scheeren et al. established that more men were usually involved in sexual infidelity while women were involved in emotional infidelity [24]. Regarding the age factor, the results in the literature were mixed, with young men reporting higher infidelity [25] and age-increasing marital infidelity [23–24]. Thus, both gender and age were controlled as covariates, given their established significance as factors that are strongly correlated with intention toward infidelity. In sum, sex life plays a pivotal role in the context of marriage, as its absence can significantly impact relationship satisfaction and further evoke intention toward infidelity. Supported by Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, sexual consummation serves as one of the fundamental components that must not be overlooked in loving relationships [26], contributing to overall relationship satisfaction within marriage. When sexual satisfaction is unmet, it may lead to a decline in relationship satisfaction. This dissatisfaction can, in turn, have far-reaching consequences, including an increased risk of marital infidelity. This phenomenon can be understood through social exchange theory, which posits that individuals evaluate the costs and benefits associated with their relationships [27]. In interpersonal dynamics, individuals seek reciprocity; if they perceive a lack of satisfaction in the relationship and feel that the costs outweigh the benefits, they may become disengaged. Consequently, when individuals believe that their contributions to the marriage are not met with equivalent returns, their commitment may wane, thereby heightening the risk of infidelity.

Although extensive empirical evidence and theoretical support (i.e., triangular theory of love, social exchange theory) have proven the bivariate relationship of sex life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction and intention toward infidelity, the underlying mechanism between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity through relationship satisfaction is unexplored. Therefore, it is plausible to hypothesise that sex life satisfaction may increase relationship satisfaction, which consequently reduces the intention towards infidelity.

Methods

Research design and participants

This study employed a cross-sectional quantitative research design. A total of 292 married individuals (Mage = 42.98; SDage = 9.82; 66.4% women; 65.4% Chinese Malaysians, 15.8% Indians Malaysians, 14.7% Others Ethnic Malaysians, and 4.1% Malay Malaysians) participated in this study. Most of them were employed (74%), 25.7% were unemployed or housewives, and 0.3% were students. The data were collected from February to August 2021.

Research procedure

A purposive online survey method was used to gather the data for the study. An online survey was created using Qualtrics and advertised on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to recruit qualified individuals to participate. Any Malaysian still legally married was set as the inclusion criterion for this study. However, the participants do not necessarily need to be two of the same dyads (married couples). Individuals who fulfilled the enrolment criteria of being married clicked on the survey link on the social media posts. An information sheet with a brief on this study’s objective, participants’ rights and potential benefits, as well as risks, privacy, and confidentiality, was enclosed for the participants’ knowledge or understanding. Besides, consent was obtained from the participants before they proceeded to the survey questions. Moreover, the research ethical guidelines for this study were approved by the UTAR Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (SERC).

Measure

The Satisfaction with Sex Life Scale [28], consisting of 5 items, was used to determine the participants’ sex life satisfaction (e.g., “I am satisfied with my sex life”). They were required to assess on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). A mean score was calculated, with a higher score indicating a higher satisfaction with their sex life. The Cronbach alpha was 0.925 in this study.

Besides, the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) [29] was used to examine the satisfaction of the married couple’s relationship (e.g., “How well does your partner meet your needs?”). RAS consists of 7 items on a 5-point Likert scale of 1 (low satisfaction) to 5 (high satisfaction). A mean score was computed after reversing scores (Items 4 & 7). A higher score indicates a higher satisfaction with their relationship. The Cronbach alpha was 0.851 in this study.

Intention toward Infidelity [30] was used to measure the participants’ intention toward infidelity. The scale consists of a 7-item rating on a 7-point scale ranging from − 3 (Not at all likely) to 3 (Extremely likely). A mean score was computed after reversing the score (Item 3). A higher score indicates a higher tendency toward infidelity. The Cronbach alpha was 0.764 in this study.

Data processing and analysis plan

IBM SPSS 23 and Hayes’ SPSS Macro Process Version 4.0 were used to analyse the results of this study. First, the data were analysed to describe the distribution of the variables. Second, the Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the variables. Lastly, Hayes’ PROCESS Macro [31] for SPSS version 4.0 was used to perform mediation analysis (Model 4) to examine the indirect effect between sex life satisfaction and marital infidelity via relationship satisfaction by controlling the impact of age and gender. The 95% bias-corrected confidence interval (CI) was generated using 10,000 bootstrap samples. A significant indirect effect is detected if both the CIs are in the same direction.

Results

Descriptive statistics

Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics of the variables under the study. Respondents’ sex life and relationship satisfaction scores were 4.53 (SD = 1.38) and 3.81 (0.78), respectively. Concerning intention toward infidelity, respondents scored − 1.28 and a standard deviation of 1.11. The skewness and kurtosis for each variable were within the acceptable range of ± 2, indicating all variables are approximately normally distributed.

Table 1.

Descriptive statistics

Variable	Mean	SD	Range	Skewness	Kurtosis
Sex life satisfaction	4.53	1.38	1–7	− 0.290	0.239
Relationship Satisfaction	3.81	0.78	1–5	− 0.723	0.351
Intention toward infidelity	-1.28	1.11	-3–3	0.607	− 0.548

Note. SD = Standard Deviation

Correlation between variables of the study

The results revealed that sex life, r(290) = − 0.19, p=. 001, and relationship satisfaction, r(290) = − 0.36, p<. 001, are both negatively associated with intention toward infidelity. conversely, higher sex life satisfaction tends to be reported with higher relationship satisfaction, r(290) = 0.51, p<. 001).

Mediating role of relationship satisfaction

The result of this study showed that sex life satisfaction was negatively associated with intention toward infidelity (total effect model), B = − 0.15, SE = 0.05, t = -3.10, p =.002, 95% CI [-0.25, − 0.06]. Moreover, sex life satisfaction became insignificantly associated with intention toward infidelity after controlling for the effects of relationship satisfaction and covariances (gender and age), B = 0.01, SE = 0.05, t = 0.132, p =.895, 95% CI [-0.10, 0.11]. On the contrary, sex life satisfaction was positively linked to relationship satisfaction, B = 0.30, SE = 0.03, t = 9.90, p <.001, 95% CI [0.24, 0.36]. Conversely, relationship satisfaction was linked to lower intention toward marital infidelity, B = − 0.53, SE = 0.09, t = -5.78, p <.001, 95% CI [-0.71, − 0.35]. Gender was significantly associated with intention toward infidelity, B = 0.45, SE = 0.13, t = 3.40, p =.001, with men tending to report higher intention toward infidelity. The indirect effect of sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity via relationship satisfaction was significant, B = − 0.16, SE = 0.03, 95% CI [-0.22, − 0.10]. Figure 1 presents the associations among the variables.

Fig. 1.

A mediation model showing the effect of sex life satisfaction and relationship satisfaction on intention toward infidelity. Note. The values shown are unstandardised coefficients. The total effect was shown in parentheses. **p <.01; ***p <.001

Discussion

This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of relationship satisfaction in its association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity among married individuals in Malaysia. Higher sex life satisfaction was found to be linked to higher relationship satisfaction and lower intention toward infidelity. In addition, relationship satisfaction was found to be significantly associated with intention toward infidelity. Also, the results found relationship satisfaction significantly mediated the association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity.

Firstly, this study discovered a positive association between sex life satisfaction and relationship satisfaction among married individuals in Malaysia. The results are aligned with previous studies [32–36]. For instance, Sternberg’s triangular theory of love supports the importance of sex life satisfaction in determining a strong marriage relationship [26]. Despite sexual satisfaction being only one aspect of relationship satisfaction, Malaysian married individuals often prioritise the quality of their romantic relationships that result from fulfilling sex lives.

Also, this study found a negative association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity among married individuals in Malaysia. This result is consistent with a past study done by Yucel and Gassanov, which found that sex life satisfaction acts as a reward in the relationship, and low sex life satisfaction may increase the chances of a spouse’s intention toward infidelity [37]. According to Shakeriana et al., an individual’s satisfaction with a sex life is important to maintain a marriage as it serves as the couple’s impression of each other [38].

In addition, the results of this study showed that low relationship satisfaction was significantly associated with high intention toward infidelity, which is supported by past studies [24, 39–40]. According to Scheeren et al., dissatisfaction with a partner is the main reason for infidelity [24]. Similarly, McDaniel et al. also found that married and cohabiting couples commit social media-related infidelity out of their lower relationship satisfaction [41].

Meanwhile, the mediating analysis revealed that relationship satisfaction was significantly mediated between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity among married individuals in Malaysia. Particularly, married individuals who reported higher sex life satisfaction tend to experience higher relationship satisfaction, thus the reduced intention toward infidelity among married individuals. Overall, this study’s results provide empirical support to the hypothetical mediation role of relationship satisfaction in the direct association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity. It is therefore imperative to note that intention toward infidelity may not directly be caused by sex life dissatisfaction, but the overall relationship dissatisfaction towards a romantic relationship instead that plays a role in determining a spouse’s intention towards infidelity due to a lack of sex life satisfaction [42]. Sex, as one of the components of marital relationships, has a vital role indeed in promoting relationship satisfaction that eventually upholds the romantic relationship (i.e., commitment) and, in turn, prevents possible extra-marital affairs.

Furthermore, it is important to take note of the role of gender in intention toward infidelity. As evident in this study, male participants were reported to have a higher tendency to engage in infidelity behaviours, which is also supported by most of the literature [19, 22–23]. Despite these facts, it is also necessary to note the underreported cases of women who similarly engaged in infidelity, especially in a socially conservative country like Malaysia. Moreover, some other evidence has shown that different genders may have a different tendency to commit different types of infidelity, although not a focus of this study.

By far, the findings in this study have theoretical and practical implications. Firstly, the findings can contribute to the existing literature by verifying the hypothetical mediation model of relationship satisfaction, specifically to address the gaps in the socially conservative Malaysian context. Secondly, the findings can be useful to government policy and clinical practice. For instance, the results of this study can provide guidelines for marriage and family counsellors to improve interventions in marital relationships. Marital counsellors may also focus on improving relationship satisfaction among married individuals by tackling the phenomenon of intention toward infidelity in the sex life issues among couples.

Regarding its research limitations, this study has not explored other variables correlating with intention toward infidelity. For instance, it only examined the mediating role of relationship satisfaction in the association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity. Therefore, it is recommended that future researchers consider other variables, such as personality traits, when studying intention toward infidelity. Also, the cross-sectional research design could not show a causal relationship between the variables. Hence, future researchers are warranted to conduct longitudinal studies to examine the causal effects of sex life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction and intention toward infidelity. Moreover, the purposive sampling method has limited the generalizability of its results. Therefore, future researchers may consider other sampling methods to minimise this limitation. Lastly, the composition of the participants’ ethnicity may not represent the country’s population ratio, whereby the data of this study were predominantly from Chinese Malaysians, thus limiting the representativeness of the data. Future studies may address this issue by recruiting samples based on the ratio composition of the examined countries’ ethnicities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this study supports the importance of the underlying factor of relationship satisfaction in explaining the association between sex life satisfaction and intention toward infidelity, specifically among married Malaysian individuals. Sex life satisfaction may not be prominent in distracting a married relationship (i.e., intention toward infidelity) without the breakdown of relationship satisfaction. An extra-marital affair could be avoided with a functional sex life and good relationship quality.

Abbreviations

RAS

Relationship Assessment Scale

DOSM

Department of Statistics Malaysia

Author contributions

Contributed to conception and design: S-A.T., S-L.O. Contributed to acquisition of data: S-M.A, P-W.P, X-Y.T. Contributed to analysis and interpretation of data: S-A.T., S-L.O. Drafted and/or revised the article: S-A.T., S-M.A, P-W.P, X-Y.T, S-L.O. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

Not applicable.

Data availability

The raw data, analysis code, and materials used in this study are not openly available but are available upon request to the corresponding author. The data collection and analysis were not pre-registered.

Declarations

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Ethical approval and consent to participate

All methods were carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations. All research protocols were approved by the UTAR Scientific and Ethical Review Committee (Ref: U/SERC/05/2021). Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.