Relationship Between Sexual Satisfaction and Mental Health in Married Older Women

The aging population is increasing rapidly; therefore, paying attention to the needs of older people is necessary. Sexual satisfaction, which is needed to feel happy, is often neglected in older women. 

 This study aims to evaluate the relationship between sexual satisfaction and mental health in older women.

In this analytical study with a cross-sectional design, 195 married women aged ≥60 years covered by urban and rural health centers of Guilan, Iran were recruited using a cluster sampling method. A demographic form, the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and a Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire were completed by participants and collected data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22 software using descriptive statistics (frequency, mean, standard deviation, median), and Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman correlation tests.

 There was a significant relationship between sexual satisfaction and mental health in older women (P<0.0001). 51.2%, 27.7% and 21.08% of participants had low, moderate and high sexual satisfaction, respectively. Sexual satisfaction was directly related to monthly income (P<0.0001) and women’s and their husbands’ education (P<0.0001 and 0.006) while it was inversely related to physical illness (P=0.030), medication use (P=0.009), age (P<0.0001), number of children (P=0.022), and duration of marriage (P<0.0001). The median score of mental health in participants was 38 (ranging 24-53) and the percentage of participants with mental problems (79.4%) was higher than those without mental problems (20.6%). 

 Mental health and sexual satisfaction in older women are directly related to each other; therefore, providing effective and appropriate sexual care programs is recommended for them.