The Relationship between Perfectionism and Sexual Function: A Systematic Review

Perfectaionism is a common personality trait that can affect various aspects of life, especially sexual relationships. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the existing evidence for the relationship between perfectionism and sexual function in studies conducted in Iran and the world.

A comprehensive search of databases such as Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, Science Direct, ProQuest, PsychINFO, IranPsych, Irandoc, SID, and Google Scholar search engine was performed until December 2021 without a time limit. To find studies, we searched for the keywords perfectionism and sexual function in both Persian and English and combined these words with the AND operator. Studies that scored above 15 according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) criteria were included. Data analysis was performed qualitatively.

From the total of 878 articles found in databases, six articles met the inclusion criteria and had moderate quality. Reviewing studies corroborated that, notwithstanding the positive association between general/sexual perfectionism and sexual desire, specific dimensions such as socially prescribed perfectionism, partner-prescribed, and socially prescribed sexual perfectionism, have the utmost unfavorable effect on female sexual function, which means that a higher level of perfectionism ultimately decreases the rate of sexual function in women. In addition, studies suggested that by increasing sexual anxiety and distress levels, perfectionism deteriorates sexual function.

Perfectionism may cause a variety of problems regarding sexual function. However, to clarify the precise role of each dimension of perfectionism on different areas of sexual function, more research must be conducted in this area in various communities and on age groups other than females of reproductive ages.