The Impact of Sexual Consent on Sexual and Relationship Well-Being in Chinese Romantic Relationships

High-quality sexual relationships significantly contribute to the development and maintenance of romantic relationships, with effective sexual communication playing a crucial role. In particular, how partners communicate and feel about sexual consent is essential for sexual and relationship well-being. There is limited research on sexual consent within established romantic relationships, and existing findings are mixed. Our research addresses this gap through three studies using cross-sectional, dyadic, and dyadic daily diary methods conducted in China. In Study 1 (N = 392 adult individuals in romantic relationships), individuals who felt higher internal consent and used more explicit-verbal cues to consent to sex during their most recent sexual encounter experienced greater sexual and relationship satisfaction. These effects extended to individuals' partners in Study 2 (N = 235 mixed-gender adult couples). Internal and explicit-verbal consent were associated with higher sexual satisfaction for both partners, while implicit-nonverbal consent was only associated with an individual's own sexual satisfaction. Study 3 (N = 103 mixed-gender adult couples), a 21-day dyadic diary study, confirmed that daily internal and explicit-verbal consent were linked to both partners' daily sexual and relationship satisfaction. However, daily passive consent was associated with lower daily sexual satisfaction for both partners and was associated with increased daily sexual distress for the person who provided passive consent. Our research highlights the critical role of internal consent and explicit-verbal consent communication for promoting sexual and relationship well-being.