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. 2024 Nov 30;10(23):e40798.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e40798. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.

Genital self-image and sexual distress in married women with and without sexual intimate partner violence experience in Iran

Maryam Farjamfar  1 , Zeinab Hamzehgardeshi  2 , Afsaneh Keramat  3 , Masoud Yunesian  4   5 , Mina Malary  6
Affiliations

Genital self-image and sexual distress in married women with and without sexual intimate partner violence experience in Iran

Maryam Farjamfar et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Objectives: The impact of sexual intimate partner violence (SIPV) on female genital self-image and sexual distress is not well understood. We aimed to assess whether women with and without SIPV experiences differed in terms ofgenital self-image and sexual distress.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among married, reproductive-age women registered at healthcare centers in Amol, northern Iran. A total of 722 eligible women completed the survey between March and June 2022. Genital self-image and sexual distress were measured using the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R), respectively.

Results: Overall, 28.7 % of the women reported experiencing SIPV. Independent t-tests revealed significant differences between the SIPV and non-SIPV groups in mean FGSIS and FSDS-R scores (21.18 ± 3.92 vs. 21.91 ± 3.76, p = 0.002 and 13.18 ± 11.45 vs. 7.54 ± 9.75, p < 0.001, respectively). In multivariate regression analysis, income satisfaction remained independently associated with both FGSIS and FSDS-R scores. Age and having a child were associated with FGSIS, while SIPV experience was only associated with FSDS-R.

Conclusion: Women with SIPV experiences had lower mean FGSIS scores and higher mean FSDS-R scores than those without such experiences. However, in multivariate analysis, only the FSDS-R score remained significantly associated with SIPV experience.

Keywords: Genital self-image; Intimate partner violence; Sexual distress; Sexual violence; Women.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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