Predictive role of demographic and psychological factors in sexual satisfaction of women after 40 years

Sexual satisfaction is a key factor in the quality of married life that is influenced by different factors in different periods. Although sexual satisfaction has been considered in many studies, the role of psychological and demographic variables in maintaining sexual satisfaction in women after the age of 40 is not very clear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the predictive role of demographic and psychological factors affecting sexual satisfaction in women after 40 years. The present study was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. 365 healthy women in the age range of 40 to 65 years completed a battery of validated questionnaires that included demographic questionnaire, Sexual Satisfaction Scale (1981), Mindfulness Scale (2006) and body image concern scale (2005). Pearson correlation, multivariate regression and independent t-test were used to analyze the research data. The results of Pearson correlation showed that the relationship between age (r = -0.208, P <0.001), duration of marital life (r = -0.264, P <0.001), mindfulness (r = 0.425, P <0.001) and concern about body image (r = 0.297, P <0.001) is significant with sexual satisfaction. Multiple linear regression results showed that duration of marital life (B = -0.58, P <0.001), mindfulness (B = 0.503, P <0.001) and body image concern (B = -0.237, P <0.001) can predict sexual satisfaction and explain 29.8% of the variance of female sexual satisfaction. Independent t-test also showed that sexual satisfaction in non-postmenopausal women was significantly higher than postmenopausal women (P <0.01). The present study showed that sexual satisfaction in women after 40 years of age has a significant relationship with psychological factors (i.e., mindfulness and body image). It is suggested that counselors and psychologists in the field of sexuality use the findings of this study in designing therapeutic interventions to promote the sexual satisfaction of women after the age of 40.