Infidelity and emotional manipulation: evolutionary correlates of coerced first sexual intercourse in Chinese dating relationships

Abstract

Sexual coercion is an important research problem which has been investigated within evolutionary perspectives. This study aims to explore the evolutionary correlates of coerced first sexual intercourse (CFSI) in Chinese dating relationships. Total 895 Chinese college students from 7 universities in 5 cities who are currently in a dating relationship attended the study, in which 162 (18%) participants experienced CFSI. Specific hypotheses derived from sperm competition theory have been tested. We hypothesized that 1) men’s CFSI is related positively to his partner’s perceived infidelities, and 2) men’s CFSI is related positively to their mate retention behaviors (behaviors designed to prevent a partner’s infidelity, like emotional manipulation in this study). The results from 69 male participants (self-reports) significantly supported the hypothesis 1 and the results from 93 female participants (partner-reports) marginally supported the hypothesis 1 and significantly supported hypothesis 2. The limitations of this study and the future directions for research on sexual coercion in intimate relationships will be addressed.