Intimacy and quality of life among sexually dysfunctional men and women

Abstract

This study evaluated the associations between intimacy, quality of life, and sexual dysfunction in men and women. Participants were 145 sexually functional (43 men, 102 women) adults drawn from the general population and 198 sexually dysfunctional (114 men, 84 women) adults who came to a university sexual behavior clinic. All respondents were currently involved in a heterosexual relationship. Respondents completed a series of questionnaires to evaluate the level of intimacy in their relationships, their quality of life, and their level of sexual dysfunction. All aspects of intimacy were lower among sexually dysfunctional men than among sexually functional men for all subgroups of dysfunctionality (premature ejaculation, erectile failure, and lack of sexual desire). Levels of intimacy were less likely to discriminate between functional and dysfunctional women, with functional women only obtaining higher intimacy scores than each of the dysfunctional groups of women (inorgasmia, lack of arousal, lack of sexual desire) for social intimacy and recreational intimacy and, to a lesser extent, for sexual intimacy. Objective levels of quality of life as well as the satisfaction and importance of the quality of life domains were more likely to be lower when sexually dysfunctional women were compared with their functional counterparts than when sexually dysfunctional men were compared with their functional counterparts. The implications of these findings for an understanding of factors that contribute to sexual dysfunction, and the treatment of these disorders, is discussed.