Efecto de la infidelidad en el deseo y satisfacción sexual en parejas adultas.

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the effect of infidelity on sexual desire and satisfaction in adult couples through a literature review. Infidelity creates complex experiences within romantic relationships because it undermines various aspects of emotional well-being through its impact, significantly influencing sexual desire and satisfaction while affecting the couple’s bond. Evidence indicates that infidelity affects a couple’s intimacy and alters sexual desire in a wide variety of ways: most commonly, the betrayed partner feels that sexual desire decreases, although some react with increased sexual activity or experience significant conflicts in their sexual relationship. These changes depend on factors such as the role each partner plays in the relationship, attachment style, gender, the motivations behind the betrayal, and the emotional resources available to cope with it, creating a reciprocal relationship in which sexual dissatisfaction can lead to infidelity and, in turn, infidelity gradually erodes trust, emotional closeness, and sexual well-being. Although the emotional impact of infidelity has been extensively studied, relatively little is known about how the sexual desire of the betrayed partner evolves over time; therefore, further studies are needed to examine this process in the short, medium, and long term, while also taking into account diverse cultural realities, sexual orientations, and life stages, with a special focus on the Latin American context.