The relationship between self-esteem and sexual dysfunction and satisfaction in women

Sexual dysfunction is a common, progressive disorder which is related to age and it affects the quality of life and sexual and interpersonal relationship. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between self-esteem and sexual dysfunction and satisfaction in women who referred to the health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

This cross-sectional (descriptive-analytic) study was done on 120 women referring to the health centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences that met the inclusion criteria. Data collection tools were demographic, GHQ-28, Kovair Smith, and FSFI questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 16).

The overall incidence of sexual dysfunction was 64% and the greatest frequencies were related to pain and sexual satisfaction 37% and 20%, respectively. Also, 90% of the subjects had high self-esteem and the rest 10% had low self-esteem. There was a significant relationship between self-esteem and sexual dysfunction (p<0.05).

The findings of this study showed a significant relationship between self-esteem and sexual dysfunction and satisfaction in women, especially in those with low self-esteem that presented greater sexual dysfunction and satisfaction.