A Comparison of Sexual Function, Psychological Status, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Turkish Men within Polygamous and Monogamous Marriages

Abstract

Background: A limited number of studies within the litera-ture have entailed objective evaluations of psychological, sexual, and emotional features of women within polyga-mous marriages. However, there is a lack of studies report-ing these features among polygamous and monogamous men.Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate sociodemo-graphic characteristics, sexual function, and psychological status of polygamously and monogamously married men.Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Methods: The study sample comprised two groups: 35 polygamous and 45 monogamous men in Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. Door-to-door surveys covered sociode-mographic factors and adopted Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and International Index of Erectile Function - Erec-tile Function Domain (IIEF-EFD) scales.Results: Polygamous men showed considerably higher IIEF-EFD scores (p0.05). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of monogamous men for erectile dysfunction and depression were 14.4 (95% CI: 3.1-67.5) and 7.4 (95% CI: 0.9-61.9), respectively. The main reasons for multiple marriages re-ported by polygamous men, in descending order, were: 1) decreased satisfaction of sexual desires by a wife (37.1%); 2) falling in love with the second wife (22.8%); and 3) in-compatibility with the first wife (17.1%). However, 62.9% of them responded negatively to the question: "Would you recommend polygamous marriage to other men?"Conclusion: Our results showed that polygamous men had higher erectile function and lower depression scores than monogamous men. Further studies investigating the effects of polygamy on men's psychosexual function are war-ranted. Additionally, studies that address the perspectives of offspring and women's expectations within polygamous marriages should be conducted