Sexual destiny and growth beliefs,yuan beliefs,approach sexual motives,and sexual communication in Chinese heterosexual adults

Abstract

The current research examined the relationships between sexual implicit (destiny and growth) beliefs and yuan beliefs. This research also examined the association between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication satisfaction through the mediating role of sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex. Results showed that sexual destiny and growth beliefs were positively related to yuan beliefs. Sexual destiny and growth beliefs were also associated with sexual communication satisfaction through the mediating effects of sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex. Specifically, high levels of sexual destiny and growth beliefs were associated with high levels of motivation to fulfill a partner’s sexual needs and high levels of inclination to emphasize/express emotional value for a partner during sex; these were also associated with high levels of sexual communication satisfaction. The findings suggest that sexual implicit beliefs may overlap with yuan beliefs, and sexual implicit beliefs and approach sexual motives are important for sexual communication in romantic relationships.

Keywords

Implicit theories sexual communication sexual destiny beliefs sexual growth beliefs sexual motives

In Chinese culture, yuan (缘) indicates that destiny will tie people together (Chang & Holt, 1991; Goodwin & Findlay, 1997; Yang & Ho, 1988), and Chinese people may deeply believe that yuan (缘) is particularly important during the whole period of relationship development (Chang & Holt, 1991). In addition, Chinese people’s attitudes toward sexuality have been changing over the years (Jeffreys & Yu, 2015; Yeung & Hu, 2016; Zhang & Beck, 1999); however, little is known about whether yuan beliefs are associated with their perception about their sex life, how Chinese people’s perceptions about sexuality could affect their sexual and relationship outcomes, and what they may tend to do to maintain their relationship when sexual incompatibilities occur. Sexual implicit (destiny and growth) beliefs capture an individual’s beliefs about whether the quality of their sex life can be changed and how it may affect the relationship outcomes; moreover, these beliefs have proven to be an important factor that influences individuals’ sexual and relationship quality (Maxwell et al., 2017). Therefore, the current research aimed to test the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and yuan beliefs. This research also aimed to examine the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication and the mechanism (i.e., the mediating role of approach sexual motives) underlying this association based on a sample of Chinese heterosexual adults. The conceptual mediation model is presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

The conceptual mediation model. Sexual implicit beliefs include sexual destiny beliefs and sexual growth beliefs. Sexual motives include sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex.

Implicit theories

Implicit theories and yuan beliefs

People hold different theories about their personal attributes, which can be conceptualized into entity and incremental theory. Entity theory represents people’s beliefs that several traits are fixed and cannot change, whereas incremental theory depicts people’s beliefs that some traits are malleable and can change. Further, people who hold different implicit theories (i.e., beliefs about themselves) may be led to pursue different goals. In other words, implicit theories may provide an approach for understanding individuals’ motivations (Dweck & Leggett, 1988). Derived from the entity and incremental theory, implicit theories in romantic relationships include beliefs that a romantic relationship is destined (entity theory) or grown (incremental theory). Destiny beliefs in romantic relationships imply that the beliefs of individuals that relationships are fixed and that the success of a relationship is determined from the beginning, depending on whether one finds an ideal partner. Conversely, growth beliefs in romantic relationships capture the perspective that relationships change and develop and that the success of a relationship is determined by individuals’ efforts to overcome obstacles (Knee, 1998; Mattingly et al., 2019).

In Chinese culture, there is a similar concept—“yuan” (缘)—that originated from the Buddhist and Confucian philosophy, which represents the beliefs of Chinese people regarding their relationships, and one of its primary tenets is that destiny will tie people together and it can shape individuals’ further interactional activities (Chang & Holt, 1991; Goodwin & Findlay, 1997; Yang & Ho, 1988). Specifically, Chinese people believe that yuan can facilitate people to meet each other and that the success of a relationship depends on whether two people have yuan (you yuan, 有缘) (Chang & Holt, 1991). This description may overlap with the destiny beliefs in romantic relationships to some extent. In addition, if Chinese people believe that yuan does exist in a relationship, they tend to consider the relationship as good and are more likely to value the relationship and interact more with their partner (Chang & Holt, 1991). Further, when conflicts occur, Chinese people may prefer to make efforts to resolve these conflicts rather than end the relationship, as they tend to believe that forming a relationship is not easy and they should cherish this yuan (xi-yuan, 惜缘) (Chang & Holt, 1991). In this regard, these beliefs seem to overlap with the descriptions of growth beliefs in romantic relationships to some extent. Finally, only when the relationship has changed beyond repair will Chinese people choose to end it and attribute this to the relationship not having yuan (wu yuan, 无缘) (Chang & Holt, 1991). In sum, yuan may be an important source of cultural wisdom that can be used as psychological adjustment for handling interpersonal conflicts (Hsu & Hwang, 2016) and maintain harmony and stability in Chinese social relationships (Mann & Cheng, 2012). However, although there may be an overlap between the implicit theories in a romantic relationship and yuan beliefs, few studies have been conducted to explore the relationship between Chinese people’s implicit theories and yuan beliefs.

Implicit theories and sexuality

In the domain of sexuality, sexual implicit theories include sexual destiny and sexual growth beliefs, which capture the individuals’ beliefs about whether the quality of their sex life is malleable and its association with their relationship outcomes. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of sexual destiny beliefs believe that the quality of their sex life determines the success of their relationship. They believe that they should share high levels of sexual compatibility (e.g., similar sexual beliefs, sexual preferences, needs, or desires) with their partner. However, when sexual incompatibilities occur, they may assume that the challenges cannot be solved and that their relationship will eventually end. Conversely, individuals with higher levels of sexual growth beliefs consider the quality of their sex life to be malleable and that it can be improved over time. Even when faced with sexual challenges, these individuals believe that they can overcome difficulties through effort (Maxwell et al., 2017).

A series of studies have been conducted to explore how individuals’ sexual implicit beliefs affect their sexual and relationship outcomes by examining cross-sectional, longitudinal, dyadic, and experimental data. These studies found that sexual growth beliefs were positively associated with the quality of sex and relationship, whereas the effects of sexual destiny beliefs were complex and depended on the sexual compatibility between partners (Maxwell et al., 2017). Other sexual domains on implicit beliefs demonstrated that adult women from the United States, aged 21 to 75 years, who held the beliefs that sexual desire is stable and unchanging (vs. fluid and malleable), reported more maladaptive coping strategies when experiencing a sexual desire problem (Sutherland & Rehman, 2018). Men and women from the United States (M_a_ge = 30.2 years) who believed that sexual attraction was fixed (vs. fluid and malleable) were more likely to exit or neglect the sexual challenge and were more likely to end a relationship (Bohns et al., 2015). However, Chinese people’s sexual implicit beliefs are underexplored.

Chinese people’s attitudes toward sexuality have been changing over the years. In traditional Chinese culture, engaging in sex for recreational purposes was considered taboo (Chi et al., 2015; Hong et al., 1993; Pan, 1994), and Chinese people’s attitudes toward sex started changing with the implementation of the economic reforms of the 1980s (Jeffreys & Yu, 2015; Yeung & Hu, 2016; Zhang & Beck, 1999). Now, young Chinese people are increasingly focused on their sexual values, practices, and identities (Jeffreys & Yu, 2015, pp. 45–46), prioritizing individual autonomy and self-expression in relationships (Yeung & Hu, 2016) and seeking a high-quality sex life (Zhang & Beck, 1999). Moreover, Chinese people are willing to please a partner and maintain a relationship by having sex, and when engaging in sex, both Chinese and American young people reported that they hope to please their partner and maintain their relationship (Tang et al., 2012).

In sum, although Chinese people may deeply endorse yuan beliefs and perceive sexuality differently than was done previously, their sexual implicit beliefs and its association with yuan beliefs are underexplored. Additionally, for a further understanding of the application of implicit theories to sexual domains, it may be valuable to deeply investigate sexual implicit theories and their influence on people’ sexuality. Among these, communicating sexual issues with a partner has been proven to be important to the quality of sex and relationship (Anderson et al., 2016; Jones et al., 2018; Rancourt et al., 2016). However, whether Chinese people’s sexual destiny and growth beliefs are associated with their sexual communication with a partner is also underexplored.

Sexual communication

Sexual communication generally involves individuals’ discussions about various sexual issues with a partner and is a multidimensional construct, which includes diverse behaviors and perspectives about sex (Harris et al., 2014). Studies have revealed that sexual communication was associated with higher sexual satisfaction, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction (Anderson et al., 2016; Jones et al., 2018; Rancourt et al., 2016). Sexual communication satisfaction captures individuals’ satisfaction with communication about sexual behaviors with a partner, communication about which sexual behaviors are satisfying, satisfaction derived from what is communicated by certain sexual behaviors, and the willingness or ability to communicate about sex with a partner (Wheeless et al., 1984). Sexual communication satisfaction was found to be an important factor that was associated with sexual satisfaction and the quality of marital relationships (Blunt-Vinti et al., 2019; Cupach & Comstock, 1990). Therefore, exploring the factors associated with sexual communication may be valuable for improving the sexual and relationship quality. However, the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication as well as the mechanism underlying this relationship are underexplored. Given that people with different implicit theories about themselves may pursue different goals (Dweck & Leggett, 1988), little is known about whether people who hold more sexual destiny/growth beliefs are motivated to make their partner happy and enhance the intimacy in a relationship and, in turn, be more likely to communicate sexual issues with their partner.

Sexual motives

Two systems organize behavior: the behavioral approach and behavioral inhibition systems (Gray, 1987). High approach system sensitivity reflects a higher inclination to engage in goal-directed efforts and gain more positive outcomes, whereas high inhibition system sensitivity reflects higher proneness to avoid negative outcomes (Carver & White, 1994; Gray, 1987). Accordingly, one’s motivational processes can be classified into approach (appetitive) and avoidance (aversive) tendencies (Carver et al., 2000; Elliot & Covington, 2001). This approach-avoidance framework has been used to explain social motives (Gable, 2006), academic achievement (Elliot & Church, 1997), romantic relationships (Impett et al., 2010), and human sexual behaviors (Cooper et al., 1998, 2008; Impett et al., 2005).

Approach sexual motives reflect individuals engaging in sex to pursue more positive outcomes, such as to improve their or their partner’s pleasure or to enhance the intimacy in a relationship; conversely, avoidance sexual motives reflect individuals engaging in sex to avoid negative outcomes, such as to release their own negative feelings, to avoid their partner’s depression, or to resolve conflicts in a relationship (Cooper et al., 2008; Impett et al., 2005). Higher levels of approach sexual motives have been associated with higher levels of sexual desire, sexual autonomy, sexual intimacy, and sexual satisfaction (Gewirtz-Meydan & Finzi-Dottan, 2018; Jodouin et al., 2019; Muise et al., 2017; Sanchez et al., 2011). These positive associations were confirmed by longitudinal studies (Impett et al., 2005; Muise et al., 2017; Muise, Impett, & Desmarais, 2013). Conversely, higher levels of avoidance sexual motives have been associated with more relationship conflicts, lower relationship well-being, and lower sexual functioning (Impett et al., 2005; Rosen et al., 2015).

Considering the significant effects of approach sexual motives on sex and relationship, this study focused on two approach sexual motives—sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex. First, sexual communal motives represent the individuals’ motives or inclinations to respond to a partner’s sexual needs noncontingently (Muise & Impett, 2016; Muise, Impett, Kogan, & Desmarais, 2013). Individuals with higher levels of sexual communal motives hold a genuine desire to improve their partner’s sexual pleasure and satisfaction (Muise & Impett, 2016). Individuals in heterosexual relationships, mostly Caucasians aged 23 to 60 years, who were motivated to meet a partner’s sexual needs reported experiencing and maintaining higher levels of daily sexual desire over 4 months (Muise, Impett, Kogan, & Desmarais, 2013). Even when their own sexual desire was low, Europeans aged 18 to 64 years were found to be willing to fulfill their partner’s sexual needs, leading to both partners having higher levels of sexual and relationship quality (Day et al., 2015). Notably, Muise et al. (2016) emphasized that an effective way for individuals to fulfill their partner’s sexual needs is by communicating more about sexual issues with their partner. Indeed, individuals with higher levels of sexual communal motives feel more open to their partner’s sexual preferences and perceive fewer barriers in communicating about sexual likes and dislikes with their partner, promoting sexual benefits in the relationship (Muise & Impett, 2016).

Second, the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex represents individuals who value their partner’s emotions during sex and are more inclined to express their feelings to their partner during sex (Hill & Preston, 1996). College students from the United States who have stronger motivation to express emotional value for a partner are emotionally sensitive and more caring about the feelings of others (Hill & Preston, 1996). They prefer to express sexual intimacy in an affectionate and reassuring manner and emphasize the importance of a partner staying “in love” with them (Hill, 1997). These individuals with higher levels of this motivation also reported having strong sexual desire, engaged more frequently in penile-vaginal, oral-genital, and penile-anal intercourse, and were more likely to engage in romantic sexual behaviors (Hill & Preston, 1996). Furthermore, heterosexual newlywed men from the United States who were motivated to focus on their partner during sex led to both partners feeling more understood, valued, and validated (Jodouin et al., 2019).

In sum, approach sexual motives (e.g., the motivation to fulfill a partner’s sexual needs and emphasize/express emotional value for a partner) may be common in a romantic relationship and can positively affect sex and relationships. However, their association with sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication is underexplored.

The present research

First, given that yuan beliefs may correspond to sexual implicit beliefs, a construct study was conducted to test the relationships between these beliefs. Second, although there are considerable effects of sexual implicit theories on sexuality and relationships, little is known about their relationship with sexual communication and the mechanism underlying this relationship (i.e., the mediating effect of approach sexual motives). Finally, studies concerning these variables have generally been conducted on Western samples, and there are insufficient investigations based on Chinese samples. Therefore, a main study aimed to explore the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication and the mediating role of sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner underlying this relationship based on a Chinese sample.

Construct study

Given that the descriptions of yuan may overlap with sexual implicit (destiny and growth) beliefs, this study aimed to test the relationship between yuan beliefs and sexual implicit beliefs.¹

Methods

Participants and procedure

All data were collected through a Chinese professional survey platform, Wenjuanxing (www.sojump.com). Participants were recruited from the platform’s database, which included individuals from different provinces of China and different professions (e.g., managers, workers, students). Individuals were invited to participate in the study, and those who were interested could click on the link to complete the survey. The purpose of the study (i.e., this study aims to measure your perception of romantic relationships and sex life) and the inclusion criteria (i.e., participants were required to be at least 18 years old, be involved in a romantic relationship, and have had sexual relations with their partner) for selecting participants were presented. After the participants provided their informed consent, they completed items regarding demographics and the main study variables. In addition, attention was tested, and 16 participants who failed the test were not recruited.

In total, 219 participants aged 19 to 57 years (M = 32.4, SD = 6.6) were recruited; 51.6% (n = 113) were men and 48.4% (n = 106) were women. Altogether, 90.0% (n = 197) of the participants had been in their current romantic relationship for over 1 year. Participants who completed the survey were paid about $0.76 (US dollars).

Measures

Demographic information

Participants reported their age, education level, sexual orientation, relationship status, and relationship duration.

Sexual implicit beliefs

Sexual implicit beliefs were measured with Maxwell et al.’s (2017) development and adaptation of Knee et al.’s (2003) Implicit Theories of Relationships Scale. This scale includes 24 items that measure individuals’ implicit beliefs about their sex life: 11 items for sexual destiny beliefs (e.g., “Couples who experience sexual incompatibilities in their relationship will inevitably break up”) and 13 items for sexual growth beliefs (e.g., “Sexual satisfaction often fluctuates over the course of a relationship”). Participants were asked to assess their agreement with these statements on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). Specifically, higher levels of sexual destiny beliefs indicate that participants believe that the quality of their sex life determines whether their relationship is successful. Sexual compatibility is determined at the beginning and sexual incompatibilities will eventually lead to the termination of a relationship. Conversely, participants with higher levels of sexual growth beliefs believe that the quality of their sexual lives is malleable; even if facing sexual challenges, they believe that they can overcome them through efforts. Cronbach’s αs for the sexual destiny and sexual growth subscales were .78 and .79, respectively.

Sexual implicit beliefs and the relation to yuan

Participants were asked to assess their agreement with the same statements of sexual destiny and growth beliefs with a modified response on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = is not at all associated with yuan to 7 = is completely associated with yuan). A higher score indicates that individuals agree that there is a closer connection between sexual destiny/growth beliefs and yuan. Cronbach’s αs for the modified sexual destiny and sexual growth subscales were .86 and .94, respectively.

Beliefs in yuan

According to Sprecher and Toromorn (2002), beliefs in yuan were assessed with 7 items derived from Goodwin and Findlay (1997) and Knee (1998). These 7 items measure individuals’ beliefs in fate and yuan when assessing a relationship. Sample items include, “A relationship is something that develops outside human control.” Participants assessed their agreement with these statements on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). A higher score indicates that participants are more likely to believe that a relationship depends on fate and yuan. Cronbach’s α for this scale was .74.

Results and discussion

Descriptive statistics and correlations between study variables are shown in Table 1. Specifically, individuals’ yuan beliefs were positively correlated with sexual destiny beliefs and insignificantly correlated with sexual growth beliefs. In other words, individuals who hold more yuan beliefs reported higher levels of sexual destiny beliefs. Regarding sexual implicit beliefs and the relation to yuan, both the statements of sexual destiny and growth beliefs are evaluated as being more related to yuan beliefs (M = 47.77 against the total score of 77 and 53.35 against 98, respectively), and they are also positively correlated with yuan beliefs. Therefore, this may be evidence to support the idea that yuan beliefs overlap the descriptions of sexual destiny and growth beliefs to some extent.

Table 1.
Descriptive statistics and correlations between main study variables (n = 219).

1 2 3 4 5 M SD

1. Yuan beliefs — .47^ −.01 .32^ .25^ 8.82 3.68

2. Sexual destiny beliefs — .33^ .32^ .24^ 49.84 8.67

3. Sexual growth beliefs — .09 .01 75.87 7.01

4. Sexual destiny beliefs and the relation to yuan — .54^** 47.77 11.58

5. Sexual growth beliefs and the relation to yuan — 53.35 17.29

^** p < .01.

Main study

This study aimed to examine the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication as well as the mediating role of sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner underlying such a relationship.

Methods

Participants and procedure

Altogether, 637 participants aged 18 to 65 years (M = 28.9, SD = 6.2) were recruited; 40.2% (n = 256) were men and 59.8% (n = 381) were women. Of the sample, 88.4% (n = 563) of the participants had been in their current romantic relationship for over 1 year. Participants who completed the survey were paid about $2.12 (US dollars). The survey procedure is consistent with that of the construct study. In addition, 34 participants who failed the attention test were not recruited.

Measures

Demographic information

The demographic information measured in this study was consistent with that of the construct study.

Sexual implicit beliefs

The sexual implicit beliefs measured in this study were consistent with that in the construct study. We tested the construct of the two subscales, which is presented in the Appendix. Cronbach’s αs for the sexual destiny and sexual growth subscales were .79 and .80, respectively.

Approach sexual motives

First, sexual communal motives were measured with the scale that Muise, Impett, Kogan and Desmarais (2013) adapted from Mills et al.’s (2004) communal strength measure. This scale includes 6 items that measure individuals’ motivations to meet the sexual needs of a partner. Sample items include, “How far would you be willing to go to meet your partner’s sexual needs?” Participants were asked to assess their agreement with these items on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree). A higher score indicates that participants were more willing to satisfy their partner’s sexual needs noncontingently. The model fit indices of the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for this scale were revealed to be adequate: χ² = 32.92; df = 9; χ²/df = 3.66; SRMR = 0.04; RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.07 [0.04–0.09]; CFI = 0.97, TLI = .95. Cronbach’s α for this scale was .72. Second, motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex was assessed with a subscale derived from The Affective and Motivational Orientation Related to Erotic Arousal Questionnaire (Hill & Preston, 1996). This subscale includes 8 items assessing individuals’ tendency to be emotionally sensitive and concerned about a partner’s feelings and the inclination to express emotional feelings to a partner. Sample items include, “Sharing affection and love during sexual intercourse is one of the most intense and rewarding ways of expressing my concern for my partner.” Participants were asked to assess their agreement with these items on a 6-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree). A higher score indicates that the participant values expressing emotions to a partner when engaging in sex. The model fit indices of the CFA for this scale were revealed to be adequate: χ² = 47.66; df = 20; χ²/df = 2.38; SRMR = 0.03; RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.05 [0.03–0.06]; CFI = 0.97, TLI = .96. Cronbach’s α for this scale was .80.

Sexual communication satisfaction

Sexual communication satisfaction was assessed with a scale derived from Wheeless et al. (1984). This scale includes 22 items assessing individuals’ satisfaction with sexual communication. Sample items include, “I tell my partner when I am especially sexually satisfied.” Participants assessed their agreement with these statements on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree). A higher score indicates that participants have high levels of satisfaction with sexual communication. The model fit indices of the CFA for this scale were revealed to be adequate: χ² = 596.42; df = 206; χ²/df = 2.90; SRMR = 0.06; RMSEA [90% CI] = 0.05 [0.04–0.06]; CFI = 0.91, TLI = .90. Cronbach’s α for this scale was .93.

Statistical analyses

To assess the mediation model (see Figure 1), structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using SPSS Amos version 24.0, with maximum likelihood. The model fit indices included: 1) a χ² (chi-squared)/df (degrees of freedom) value, 2) the Steiger-Lind root–mean–square error of approximation (RMSEA), 3) the standardized root–mean–square residual (SRMR), 4) and the comparative fit index (CFI).

Results and discussion

The descriptive statistics of all variables are shown in Table 2. Men (n = 256) reported higher levels of sexual destiny beliefs (F = 4.49, p = .034, η2 p = .007), sexual growth beliefs (F = 10.54, p = .001, η2 p = .016), sexual communal motives (F = 79.67, p < .001, η2 p = .111), and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex (F = 7.45, p = .007, η2 p = .012) than did women (n = 381). No significant difference in sexual communication satisfaction (F = .85, p = .358, η2 p = .001) existed between men and women. For different education levels, sexual growth beliefs (F = 8.23, p < .001, η2 p = .025) and sexual communication satisfaction (F = 6.53, p = .002, η2 p = .020) demonstrated significant differences (for sexual growth beliefs, M _{high school diploma or less} = 5.47, M _{undergraduate degree} = 5.92, M _{advanced degree} = 6.06; for sexual communication satisfaction, M _{high school diploma or less} = 5.01, M_{undergraduate degree} = 5.56, M _{advanced degree} = 5.75). For sexual orientation, relationship status, and relationship length, no significant differences were found. In addition, in this study, participants’ sexual destiny (M = 4.42) and sexual growth scores (M = 5.93) were slightly higher than those found in Maxwell et al.’s (2017) study 1–5 (for sexual destiny scores: t_study1 = −18.82, p < .001; t_study2 = −21.31, p < .001; t_study3 = −3.11, p = .003; t_study4 = −16.44, p < .001; t_study5 = −12.46, p < .001; for sexual growth scores: t_study1 = −3.51, p < .001; t_study2 = −2.39, p = .017; t_study3 = −6.19, p < .001; t_study4 = −4.92, p < .001; t_study5 = −7.48, p < .001).

Table 2.
Descriptive statistics (n = 637).

n (%) M SD

Age 28.86 6.23

Education High school diploma or less 18 (2.9)

Undergraduate degree 537 (84.3)

Advanced degree 82 (12.9)

Sexual orientation Heterosexual 618 (97.0)

Lesbian/Gay 3 (0.5)

Bisexual 13 (2.0)

Other 3 (0.5)

Relationship status In love but not living together 201 (31.6)

Cohabiting 133 (20.9)

Married 303 (47.6)

Relationship duration Less than 1 year 74 (11.6)

1–4 years 314 (49.3)

More than 4 years 249 (39.1)

Sexual destiny beliefs 35.34 7.17

Sexual growth beliefs 65.22 6.23

Sexual communal motives 28.48 3.60

Motivation to express value for a partner 40.57 4.57

Sexual communication satisfaction 122.50 17.87

The correlations between the main study variables showed that first, sexual destiny and growth beliefs were both positively correlated with sexual communication satisfaction (r = .18, p < .001; r = .49, p < .001, respectively). Second, sexual destiny and growth beliefs were positively correlated with sexual communal motives (r = .24, p < .001; r = .47, p < .001, respectively) and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex (r = .33, p < .001; r = .66, p < .001, respectively). Third, sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner were both positively correlated with sexual communication satisfaction (r = .40, p < .001; r = .51, p < .001, respectively). In addition, sexual destiny beliefs were positively correlated with sexual growth belief (r = .18, p < .001).

To test whether sexual implicit beliefs and sexual motives have a linear relationship, we examined the multicollinearity indices. The variance inflation factor (VIF) and tolerance (the reciprocal of VIF) are the two most commonly used indicators for such an analysis. Generally, the value of VIF should be smaller than 4, which can be considered stringent but common (or a more lenient criterion should be at least less than 5.0) (David Garson, 2016; Hair et al., 2010). Conversely, if a VIF value exceeds 4.0 or the tolerance is less than 0.2, there is a problem with multicollinearity among the independent variables (Hair et al., 2010). In addition, when PLS-SEM results are reported and collinearity issues are considered, a VIF value of less than 3 is ideal (Hair et al., 2019; Ringle et al., 2015). In this study, the analysis showed that all predictors had acceptable tolerance (tolerance = .474–.883) and variance inflation factors (VIF = 1.133–2.109).

For the mediation analysis, the final indices of model fit were revealed to be adequate: χ² = 490.10; df = 179; p < .001; χ²/df = 2.74; SRMR = 0.05; RMSEA = 0.05; CFI = 0.93. First, sexual growth beliefs were associated with higher levels of sexual communication satisfaction, whereas sexual destiny beliefs were not directly associated with sexual communication satisfaction. Second, both sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex played significant mediating roles in the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication satisfaction. Specifically, both sexual destiny and sexual growth beliefs were associated with higher levels of sexual communal motives and motivations to express emotional value for a partner during sex, which were associated with higher levels of sexual communication satisfaction. Details are presented in Figure 2 and Table 3.

Figure 2.
The mediation model. The results of the mediation analysis with the sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner mediating the relationship between sexual destiny beliefs and growth beliefs with sexual communication satisfaction. ^p < .05, ^p < .01, ^p < .001.

Table 3.
Path analysis of direct and indirect effects (n = 637).

Direct effects Indirect effects

B (SE) β (SE) B (SE) [95% CI] β (SE) [95% CI]

SD → SCS −.02 (.05) −.02 (.07)

SD → MEVP → SCS .07 (.04) [.02, .15]^* .07 (.04) [.02, .14]^*

SD → SCM → SCS .03 (.02) [.006, .06]^* .03 (.02) [.006, .06]^*

SG → SCS .27 (.11)^* .22 (.12)^*

SG → MEVP → SCS .28 (.14) [.09, .52]^* .22 (.11) [.07, .40]^*

SG → SCM → SCS .14 (.07) [.03, .27]^* .11 (.05) [.02, .20]^*

Note. SE = standard error; CI = confidence interval; SD = sexual destiny beliefs; SG = sexual growth beliefs; SCM = sexual communal motives; MEVP = motivation to express value for a partner during sex; SCS = sexual communication satisfaction. The coefficients of SG → SCM → SCS was significantly greater than that of SD → SCM → SCS (β = .08; SE = .05; p = .033), and that of SG → MEVP → SCS was significantly greater than that of SD → MEVP → SCS (β = .11; SE = .08; p = .03). ^p < .05.

Notably, an item parceling technique was used in this study, as parceling is warranted when the researchers’ goal is to model the effects of a latent variable at a general level (Little et al., 2002). It can mitigate the effects of coarsely categorized and non-normally distributed item-level data on model fit; moreover, a model that fits well and accurately represents the relationships among the variables should be noted (Bandalos, 2002). Therefore, we conducted the SEM on both the individual items and item parcels. In addition, as we mentioned above, both the sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex capture an individual’s motivation to enhance intimacy between partners or gain more pleasure from sex and relationships. Therefore, we allowed the error terms of the two sexual motives to be correlated.

Moreover, given that sexual destiny beliefs were positively correlated with sexual growth beliefs and showed the same effect as sexual growth beliefs, we further examined the independent contribution of sexual destiny beliefs to sexual motives and sexual communication satisfaction with the impact of sexual growth belief removed as the first step in a stepwise regression. In sum, with the effect of sexual growth beliefs removed, the effect of sexual destiny beliefs on sexual communal motives, the motivation to express emotional value for a partner, and sexual communication satisfaction was still significant. The details are shown in Table 4.

Table 4.
Stepwise regression for sexual destiny and growth beliefs (n = 637).

Outcomes Model β R² ΔR² F

Sexual communal motives 2 Sexual growth .44^ .22 .027 102.28^*

Sexual destiny .17^* .24

Motivation to express value for a partner 2 Sexual growth .62^* .43 .045 289.80^*

Sexual destiny .22^* .48

Sexual communication satisfaction 2 Sexual growth .48^* .24 .009 107.28^*

Sexual destiny .10^ .25

^ p < .01.

^*** p < .001.

General discussion

The current research examined the relationships between sexual implicit (destiny and growth) beliefs and yuan beliefs. This research also examined the association between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication satisfaction through the mediating role of sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex. Results showed that sexual destiny beliefs were positively correlated with yuan beliefs and that both sexual destiny and growth beliefs were positively associated with sexual communication satisfaction through sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex.

First, individuals who believe that the quality of sex in a relationship is malleable and can be improved over time through effort, and that experiencing sexual difficulties is common reported being more willing to fulfill a partner’s sexual needs. They also reported emphasizing the affection and emotional closeness between partners as well as being willing to express these feelings to a partner during sex; in turn, they reported higher levels of sexual communication satisfaction with a partner. These results reflect previous findings that revealed that sexual growth beliefs and approach sexual motives were associated with several positive sexual and relationship outcomes (Gewirtz-Meydan & Finzi-Dottan, 2018; Maxwell et al., 2017; Muise et al., 2017; Sanchez et al., 2011). Further, this study also extends previous studies by illustrating the mediating effect of sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex underlying the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication. Indeed, individuals endorsing more growth beliefs regarding relationships and sex life believe that a relationship should be formed through investment and sharing and hold a more companionate and passionate love (involving devotion to a relationship) style (Maxwell et al., 2017; Reznik, 2015). Therefore, it is also reasonable to assume that if individuals believe that the quality of their sex life can be improved through efforts, they may be more willing to fulfill their partner’s sexual needs and emphasize closeness between partners and, accordingly, they may experience more positive sexual or relationship outcomes.

Second, individuals who believe that the quality of their sex life is determined at the beginning and measure the success of a relationship and that experiencing sexual incompatibilities signals a bad relationship reported higher levels of sexual communal motives and the motivation to express emotional value for a partner, which were associated with higher levels of sexual communication satisfaction. This finding may be counterintuitive; however, it is possible that no severe sexual incompatibilities occurred in a relationship, that is, individuals may be generally satisfied with their relationship. That is, the effects of sexual destiny beliefs on sex and relationships are sensitive to the sexual compatibility between couples (Maxwell et al., 2017) and, when no relationship difficulties occur, destiny beliefs in relationships may not demonstrate problematic effects (Lemay Jr. & Venaglia, 2016). Furthermore, as we found in the construct study, some descriptions of sexual destiny beliefs (e.g., a passionate sex life is a sign that two partners are meant to be) overlap with yuan (e.g., potential relationship partners are either compatible or not) to some extent and, if one believes that two people have yuan (有缘), they may consider their relationship to be good (Chang & Holt, 1991). In this study, participants may believe that their current relationship has yuan and are satisfied with it. Therefore, sexual destiny beliefs were not associated with negative outcomes, and perhaps this is also why we found that sexual destiny beliefs were positively correlated with sexual growth beliefs; however, this should be verified in future studies. Moreover, when sexual incompatibilities occur in a relationship, the xi-yuan belief—that—people should cherish their relationship—may drive Chinese people to engage in efforts to overcome the challenges, as they believe that yuan is not easy to achieve (Chang & Holt, 1991). Maxwell et al. (2017) also found that, although highly endorsing sexual destiny beliefs, individuals from Canada also value sex in their relationship and have higher intentions to engage in sex more frequently and, even when experiencing sexual disagreements, they may also be likely to keep sex passionate and satisfying and be willing to make sexual changes if their partner requests them. In sum, although we used yuan beliefs to explain the positive effects of sexual destiny beliefs, more studies should be conducted to further clarify the relationship between yuan beliefs and sexual implicit beliefs.

This study first tested the relationships between Chinese people’s yuan beliefs and sexual implicit beliefs, and the findings may contribute to the literature on yuan beliefs. In other words, yuan beliefs may not only influence Chinese people’s development of a relationship but could also be related to their perceptions of sexuality. The current study also examined the association between sexual implicit beliefs, approach sexual motives, and sexual communication. The findings verified and extended previous findings of the effects of sexual implicit beliefs on several sex and relationship outcomes. In addition, in line with the notion that people with different theories about themselves are led to pursue different goals, in this study, individuals’ implicit theories about their sex life were associated with their approach sexual motives. The positive association between approach sexual motives and sexual communication also add to the literature on approach sexual motives regarding their effects on several sex and relationship outcomes. Furthermore, the mediating effects of approach sexual motives found in this study may promote individuals to more deeply understand the mechanism underlying the relationship between sexual implicit beliefs and sexual communication, which also highlights the important role that approach sexual motives play in people’s sex life. Furthermore, the current findings regarding factors that are associated with sexual communication may also add to the literature on sexual communication experiences; that is, the current findings may provide individuals with a more comprehensive understanding of the factors associated with sexual communication at conscious level so that they may improve their sexual communication skills and quality. This, in turn, may allow them to engage in better sexual communication and sexual experiences with a partner.

The findings are also informative for sex and relationship therapy and education. First, considering that the effects of sexual growth beliefs were greater than those of sexual destiny beliefs, therapists and counselors could encourage individuals to hold more sexual growth beliefs in a romantic relationship; by endorsing more sexual-growth-related beliefs, individuals may experience more sexual and relationship benefits. Second, the effects of sexual destiny beliefs may imply that, despite challenges, those individuals who highly endorse sexual destiny beliefs are still motivated to improve the quality of their relationship; therefore, if an individual’s endorsement of sexual destiny beliefs is stubborn, therapists and counselors could encourage them to focus more on the positive aspects of a relationship and put more efforts in maintaining and improving their relationship rather than considering ending the relationship as their first option. Third, the positive effects of sexual communal motives and motivation to express emotional value for a partner during sex may suggest that individuals could pay more attention to and adopt those sexual motivations and behaviors that determine positive outcomes, such as making a partner feel happy and being valued, as well as strategies that could enhance the closeness and intimacy of a relationship.

Limitations and future directions

This study had several limitations. First, the scales used in this research were developed for Western cultures, and although these scales had acceptable construct validity in this study, more studies based on Chinese samples may be needed to further test the validity of these scales. Second, the cross-sectional and correlational nature of this study prevents us from drawing causal conclusions. The relationships between sexual implicit beliefs, sexual motives, and sexual communication may be bidirectional. Experimental and longitudinal studies should be conducted to gain insights into the causal relationship between these variables. Future studies should also conduct in-depth interviews to elucidate individuals’ deep beliefs about their sexual lives, whether yuan beliefs are associated with their perceptions about their sex life, and what efforts they exert to improve the quality of sex and their relationships. Investigating these may also help understand the mechanisms of the positive relationship between sexual destiny and growth beliefs. Third, our survey was conducted online; it is possible that individuals interested in the subject of the study had a satisfying relationship and were more willing to participate as compared to others. Therefore, future studies should investigate couples who have diverse relationship characteristics. Moreover, in the main study, the mean age of the participants was 28.9, 97.2% had a bachelor’s degree or above, and 97% were heterosexual; thus, the study sample may not be sufficiently representative, and future studies should consider samples with diverse demographics. Fourth, the current study did not consider the influence of other relationship factors (e.g., relationship length and well-being) and collected data from only one partner in the relationship; the dyadic nature of romantic relationships should not be ignored, as sexuality involves both partners. Finally, we did not deeply distinguish between participants’ idealistic and practical beliefs; therefore, we did not know whether participants’ implicit beliefs are merely theoretical or if they apply them in their relationship, as Chinese adults hold both idealistic (e.g., their partner will be perfect) and practical (e.g., love and passion are important for maintaining a marriage) beliefs toward love and relationships as compared to Americans (Sprecher, & Toromorn, 2002). Furthermore, we only focused on the associations between sexual implicit beliefs, approach sexual motives, and sexual communication. In this regard, avoidance sexual motives (e.g., engaging in sex to avoid upsetting a partner) and other aspects of sexuality (e.g., condom use, pornography use, extradyadic sexual behaviors, and unsafe sex behaviors) should be examined in future studies.

Supplemental material

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-spr-10.1177_02654075211038624 - Sexual destiny and growth beliefs, yuan beliefs, approach sexual motives, and sexual communication in Chinese heterosexual adults

Supplemental Material, sj-pdf-1-spr-10.1177_02654075211038624 for Sexual destiny and growth beliefs, yuan beliefs, approach sexual motives, and sexual communication in Chinese heterosexual adults by Ting Wu and Yong Zheng in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships

	1	2	3	4	5	M	SD
1. Yuan beliefs	—	.47^**	−.01	.32^**	.25^**	8.82	3.68
2. Sexual destiny beliefs		—	.33^**	.32^**	.24^**	49.84	8.67
3. Sexual growth beliefs			—	.09	.01	75.87	7.01
4. Sexual destiny beliefs and the relation to yuan				—	.54^**	47.77	11.58
5. Sexual growth beliefs and the relation to yuan					—	53.35	17.29

		n (%)	M	SD
Age			28.86	6.23
Education	High school diploma or less	18 (2.9)
	Undergraduate degree	537 (84.3)
	Advanced degree	82 (12.9)
Sexual orientation	Heterosexual	618 (97.0)
	Lesbian/Gay	3 (0.5)
	Bisexual	13 (2.0)
	Other	3 (0.5)
Relationship status	In love but not living together	201 (31.6)
	Cohabiting	133 (20.9)
	Married	303 (47.6)
Relationship duration	Less than 1 year	74 (11.6)
	1–4 years	314 (49.3)
	More than 4 years	249 (39.1)
Sexual destiny beliefs			35.34	7.17
Sexual growth beliefs			65.22	6.23
Sexual communal motives		28.48	3.60
Motivation to express value for a partner		40.57	4.57
Sexual communication satisfaction		122.50	17.87

	Direct effects	Indirect effects
SD → SCS	−.02 (.05)	−.02 (.07)
SD → MEVP → SCS			.07 (.04) [.02, .15]^*	.07 (.04) [.02, .14]^*
SD → SCM → SCS			.03 (.02) [.006, .06]^*	.03 (.02) [.006, .06]^*
SG → SCS	.27 (.11)^*	.22 (.12)^*
SG → MEVP → SCS			.28 (.14) [.09, .52]^*	.22 (.11) [.07, .40]^*
SG → SCM → SCS			.14 (.07) [.03, .27]^*	.11 (.05) [.02, .20]^*

Outcomes	Model		β	R²	ΔR²	F
Sexual communal motives	2	Sexual growth	.44^***	.22	.027	102.28^***
Sexual destiny	.17^***	.24
Motivation to express value for a partner	2	Sexual growth	.62^***	.43	.045	289.80^***
Sexual destiny	.22^***	.48
Sexual communication satisfaction	2	Sexual growth	.48^***	.24	.009	107.28^***
Sexual destiny	.10^**	.25

Footnotes

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (SWU1709106), China.

ORCID iDS

Ting Wu

Yong Zheng

Supplemental material

Supplemental material for this article is available online.

Open research statement

As part of IARR’s encouragement of open research practices, the authors have provided the following information: This research was not pre-registered. The data used in the research are not available.

Note

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	Direct effects		Indirect effects
	B (SE)	β (SE)	B (SE) [95% CI]	β (SE) [95% CI]
SD → SCS	−.02 (.05)	−.02 (.07)
SD → MEVP → SCS			.07 (.04) [.02, .15]^*	.07 (.04) [.02, .14]^*
SD → SCM → SCS			.03 (.02) [.006, .06]^*	.03 (.02) [.006, .06]^*
SG → SCS	.27 (.11)^*	.22 (.12)^*
SG → MEVP → SCS			.28 (.14) [.09, .52]^*	.22 (.11) [.07, .40]^*
SG → SCM → SCS			.14 (.07) [.03, .27]^*	.11 (.05) [.02, .20]^*