Sexual assertiveness in women with and without substance-dependent partners: a comparative study

ABSTRACT

Sexual assertiveness is one of the main issues in the sexual relationships between couples. Since substance dependence might disrupt this relationship, the present cross-sectional study was conducted to assess and compare sexual assertiveness in women with and without substance-dependent partners living in Tehran, Iran. To assess sexual assertiveness, the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness was used. The data then were compared between the study samples. Logistic regression analysis was performed. In all 300 women with and without substance-dependent partners entered into the study. The mean age of women was 37.31 ± 8.79 and 32.70 ± 7.24 years respectively. The mean score of sexual assertiveness was 50.66 ± 14.31 in the women with substance-dependent partners and 58.42 ± 13.86 in those with non-substance-dependent partners (P < .001). In addition, sexual assertiveness differed significantly among subgroups of women having a partner using different types of substances (P = .039). The risk of lower assertiveness for women with substance-dependent partners was 2.2 times more than women with non-substance-dependent partners (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.28–3.70; P = .004). Indeed, the partner’s substance dependency is an issue that is worthy of attention in sexual and marital counseling. Perhaps sexual assertiveness can be improved in women with substance-dependent partners through the implementation of appropriate interventions, such as educational and counseling programs.

KEYWORDS:

• Assertiveness
• sexual behavior
• spouse
• substance-related disorders

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).