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Open research questions in Marriage and Sexual Relationships

153 gap statements mined from Marriage and Sexual Relationships papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,367 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • One group particularly badly impacted by COVID-19 containment, and at risk of sexual and mental health consequences as a result, comprised gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men -- many of whom were more likely to live alone, to have had multiple partners before the epidemic, and some of whom were lacking in peer support for their mental health.

    In pursuit of intimacy: lived experiences of intimacy among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men during COVID-19 · 2026 · DOI

  • Primary interpretation is limited to the strongly reliable marital-fidelity indicator and the comparatively better-supported seriousness indicator.

    Marital Fidelity and Digital Infidelity in a UAE University-Affiliated Sample: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Study · 2026 · DOI

  • The article identifies a need to examine the development of family relations in society. The study highlights the importance of considering the social aspects of family relations in democratic countries undergoing the transition from industrial to post-industrial societies.

    The Family Sphere of People's Life in the System of Social Relations · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that there is a lack of research on the experiences of China's gay youth in the context of migration and mobility.

    Liuxue (‘Studying Abroad’): A Pathway to Sexual Freedom for China’s Gay Youth? · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the experiences of queer individuals in small towns and rural areas.

    ‘Marriage Fraud’? Reflections on Marriage of Older Queer Men in Shanghai · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research can explore the use of flipped classrooms, role play, and social justice prompts in counselor education. The connection between family counseling education and democracy, activism, mutual aid, and collective care can be further examined. The author's approach can be applied to other areas of counselor education and practice.

    Queering Couple and Family Counseling in Taiwan: Questions for the First Day of Teaching and Beyond · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in the literature on queer, trans-affirming, anti-oppression, and experiential pedagogical approaches in counselor education. The connection between family counseling education and democracy, activism, mutual aid, and collective care is underexplored.

    Queering Couple and Family Counseling in Taiwan: Questions for the First Day of Teaching and Beyond · 2026 · DOI

  • The results highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of the complexities of open relationships.

    An Overview of Open Relationship Behaviors among Homosexual (Gay) Individuals Using Online Dating Applications · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies six themes of challenges experienced by polyamorous individuals, including stigma and discrimination, the need to engage in self-work, and logistical challenges. The study notes that polyamorous individuals report many of the same intrapersonal and interpersonal challenges as monogamous individuals, as well as unique challenges stemming from having multiple intimate partners.

    “It Brought a Lot of Underlying Insecurity to the Foreground”: An Exploratory Investigation into the Challenges of Polyamory · 2026 · DOI

  • Administrative and evidentiary issues may still lead to disputes. The lack of clear regulations on the legal status of transgender individuals in Indonesia creates uncertainty. The study's findings may be challenged by different interpretations of the Civil Code.

    Kedudukan Ahli Waris Transgender dalam Sistem Hukum Waris Perdata di Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

  • The Civil Code does not explicitly regulate the legal status and inheritance rights of transgender heirs. There is a lack of clear regulations on the legal status of transgender individuals in Indonesia.

    Kedudukan Ahli Waris Transgender dalam Sistem Hukum Waris Perdata di Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to address the methodological limitations of prior studies, such as inflated error variance in repeated measures designs.

    A Dress Is (Still) Not a Yes: How Even Simple Key Presses Reveal Sexually Aroused Men’s Overreliance on Global Cues in the Context of Sexual Flirting · 2026 · DOI

  • Given past literature and the close links between sexual and relationship satisfaction (Byers, 2005), this is surprising and warrants further investigation.

    Sexual Fantasies Across Solitary and Partnered Contexts: Exploring Eroticism/Nurturance and Fantasy Target · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the literature on stigma management research, which has largely overlooked the experiences of single women. The study highlights the need for more research on the experiences of single women in African contexts. The study notes that the African context is underrepresented in psychological research.

    A qualitative exploration of how never-married, childless single career women cope with singlism in Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

  • Platform designers should also consider developing interaction mechanisms that better accommodate diverse relationship goals rather than assuming that all users primarily seek marriage. In addition, reducing excessive comparison cues and optimizing interface designs that encourage healthy communication may help alleviate emotional fatigue and improve users’ relationship experiences.

    Constructing intimacy in algorithm mediated online dating: experiences of Chinese young adults · 2026 · DOI

  • This study is motivated by the gap between the normative provisions of PAB collection and the actual realization in the field, as well as the limited research integrating positive PAB law with fiqh siyasah.

    PELAKSANAAN PAJAK ALAT BERAT PERSPEKTIF SIYASAH TANFIDZIYYAH (STUDI DI BADAN PENDAPATAN DAERAH PROVINSI LAMPUNG) · 2026 · DOI

  • The system must operate stealthily, avoiding detection by abusers. The need to jointly reason about who is using the phone (identity) and what they are doing (action). The challenge of detecting IPI-related actions, which involves additional human-centered considerations.

    Towards On-Device Evidence Gathering for Intimate Partner Infiltration: A Feasibility Study for Joint Identity-Action Detection · 2026 · DOI

  • Pain as a pleasurable experience has also been regarded in the context of sadomasochistic (SM) interest, albeit quantitative empirical evidence is scarce.

    Gaining the Upper Hand? Further Evidence of Pain as a Pleasurable Experience and the Unexpected Relationship Between Sadomasochistic Sexual Preference and Chronic Pain · 2026 · DOI

  • Swingers, in particular, are an under-recognised sexual-health risk group that services struggle to reach.

    ‘If trust breaks, everything ends’: stigma, risk and the cultural production of care in an Indonesian partner-swapping community · 2026 · DOI

  • Based on the foregoing analysis, the following recommendations are proposed: A. For the Judiciary i. Consistent Application: Lower courts should consistently apply the principles established in Dr. Faryal Maqsood, treating Section 2(iia) DMMA as an independent ground for dissolution and requiring wives' initiative for khula.

    Breaking the Silence: Unauthorized Polygamy as a Ground for Divorce. A Critical Analysis of Section 6 MFLO 1961 and Section 2(iia) DMMA in Light of Dr. Faryal Maqsood v. Khurram Shahzad Durrani (PLD 2025 SC 262) · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate how these practices vary across different cultural contexts. Explore the impact of these practices on long-term relationship stability and satisfaction.

    How Do People Maintain Consensual Non-Monogamy? An International Development and Validation of the Multiple Relationships Maintenance Scale · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigate the role of unobserved confounders that could affect partner preferences and relationship interests among asexual individuals. Explore how asexuality intersects with other sexual orientations in shaping relationship preferences.

    What Do Asexual Women Want? A Propensity Score Matching Study of Preferred Relationship Options and Ideal Partner Preferences · 2026 · DOI

  • The study used a convenience sample of adult German-speaking participants, - The sample size was limited to 284 participants, - The study only examined heterosexual…

    A Dress Is (Still) Not a Yes: How Even Simple Key Presses Reveal Sexually Aroused Men’s Overreliance on Global Cues in the Context of Sexual Flirting · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the impact of relationship length on sexual fantasy content, - Examining the role of power dynamics in shaping sexual fantasy content, - Exploring the relationship between sexual fantasy and sexual satisfaction in different…

    Sexual Fantasies Across Solitary and Partnered Contexts: Exploring Eroticism/Nurturance and Fantasy Target · 2026 · DOI

  • Exploring other technical tools to address the full spectrum of IPV - Investigating the efficacy of AID in different scenarios and contexts - Developing more advanced methods to jointly reason about who is using the phone and what they…

    Towards On-Device Evidence Gathering for Intimate Partner Infiltration: A Feasibility Study for Joint Identity-Action Detection · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Marriage and Sexual Relationships

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The study notes that there is a lack of research on the experiences of China's gay youth in the context of migration and mobility (“Liuxue (‘Studying Abroad’): A Pathway to Sexual Freedom for China’s Gay Youth?”, 2026); (2) Future research can explore the use of flipped classrooms, role play, and social justice prompts in counselor education (“Queering Couple and Family Counseling in Taiwan: Questions for the First Day of…”, 2026); (3) The lack of clear regulations on the legal status of transgender individuals in Indonesia creates uncertainty (“Kedudukan Ahli Waris Transgender dalam Sistem Hukum Waris Perdata di Indonesia”, 2026); (4) Pain as a pleasurable experience has also been regarded in the context of sadomasochistic (SM) interest, albeit quantitative empirical evidence is scarce (“Gaining the Upper Hand? Further Evidence of Pain as a Pleasurable Experience…”, 2026). 153 gap statements have been mined from Marriage and Sexual Relationships papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,367 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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