Relation between Sexual Self-Concept and Sexual Distress in Women with Multiple Sclerosis Who Referred To Shahid Sadoughi Hospital of Yazd In 2017

The prevalence of sexual disorders is high among women with multiple sclerosis in the world. Sexual dysfunction is considered as one of the effective psychological factors on self-concept sexual function. The present study was conducted to evaluate the relation between sexual self-concept and sexual distress in women with multiple sclerosis.

The present descriptive correlational study was conducted on 115 married women with multiple sclerosis who were selected using convenient sampling method. Study population for the present study contained all the married women with multiple sclerosis who referred to ShahidSadoughi Hospital of Yazd in 2017. Data gathering tools were multi-dimensional sexual self-concept questionnaire and revised female sexual distress scale by DeRogatis. Achieved data were analyzed using independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients.

Results showed that the mean scores of positive, negative, situational sexual self-concept were respectively 94.62 ± 30.30, 29.57 ± 10.89, and 36.91 ± 12.58 and the mean score of sexual distress was 13.82 ± 13.18. Furthermore, a reverse significant relation existed between the positive sexual self-concept of the married women and their sexual distress (p < 0.05) and a direct significant relation existed between the negative sexual self-concept and sexual distress (p < 0.05); but no significant relation was found between situational sexual self-concept and sexual distress (p > 0.05).

Results of the present study showed that married women with multiple sclerosis who had a positive sexual self-concept would experience less sexual distress. Therefore, sexual self-concept could be a predictor of sexual distress in women.