Sexual Dysfunction in Turkish Women During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Anxiety and Related Factors

Abstract

Objective: During the pandemic process, the sexual domain may have been affected in women due to the change in the routine, the limitation of freedom, and the psychological destructiveness of helplessness. Since it is not known how long the pandemic will last, it is necessary to clarify the consequences of the strict control measures on women's sexual satisfaction and experiences. Therefore, the current study aimed to evaluate the relationships between the prevalence of Sexual dysfunction (SDF) in women and anxiety and some other factors during the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey.Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study consisted of 520 women of reproductive age (18-49) who were sexually active, were married, and volunteered to participate in the study were included in the sample. We reached the women included in the study via the online questionnaire link. Exclusion criteria were being diagnosed with COVID-19, having a chronic or psychiatric illness, being pregnant or puerperal, breastfeeding, and taking medicine that reduces libido during the previous three months.Results: The mean age of the women was 35.16 ± 5.53 years, 48.3% of them had equal income and expenses, and 77.3% had economic concerns. It was determined that 60.6% of the women had SDF, 55.4% had high state anxiety, and that 67.5% had high trait anxiety. As the state and trait anxiety scores of women increased, the desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction scores of the female sexual function index decreased, while the pain score of the index increased. It was found that the risk for SDF was 4.899 times higher in women who did not have social security, 3.401 times higher in those who were dissatisfied with their marriage, and 2.764 times higher in women with less sexual intercourse due to the pandemic process (OR = 4.899; OR = 3.401; OR = 2.764, respectively).Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that SDF increased, and the frequency of sexual intercourse decreased compared to the pre-pandemic period due to the fear of COVID-19 infection and the high anxiety level brought in by the process. Women who experience the impact of the pandemic more and more every day are especially at risk for poor mental health outcomes.