Association between depressed mood and sexual function among mid-aged Paraguayan women

Abstract

Background

Depressive symptoms may affect female mid-life sexuality, whereas sexual problems tend to aggravate depression. Despite this, data assessing this association drawn from mid-aged Paraguayan women are scarce.

Objective

This study aimed to assess the association between depressed mood and the risk of sexual dysfunction during female mid-life.

Methods

Sexually active urban-living women from Asunción, Paraguay (n = 193, aged 40–60 years) were surveyed with the 6-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6), the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10), and a general questionnaire containing personal and partner information. Depressed mood was defined as a total CESD-10 score of 10 or more, and an increased risk for sexual dysfunction as an FSFI-6 total score of 19 or less. The association of depressed mood and an increased risk of sexual dysfunction was evaluated with multivariable Poisson regression.

Results

The mean age (±standard deviation) of surveyed woman was 48.3 ± 6.0 years and 61.1% (n = 118) were perimenopausal and postmenopausal. A total of 21.8% (n = 42) had depressed mood and 28.5% (n = 55) had an increased risk of sexual dysfunction. The final adjusted regression model determined that women with depressed mood were twice as likely to have an increased risk of sexual dysfunction, compared to women with normal mood (adjusted prevalence ratio = 2.14, 95% confidence interval 1.26–3.60). On the other hand, depressed mood was associated with a mean total FSFI-6 score that was 20% lower than that observed among women with normal mood (adjusted incidence rate ratio = 0.80, 95% confidence interval 0.68–0.93).

Conclusion

In this mid-aged Paraguayan female sample there was a significant association between depressed mood and an increased risk of sexual dysfunction.

摘要

背景：抑郁症状可能会影响中年女性性生活, 而性问题也会加剧抑郁。但是, 这两者间的相关性在巴拉圭中年妇女身上的数据很少。

目的：本研究旨在评估女中年抑郁状态与性功能障碍风险之间的关系。

方法：选择在巴拉圭的亚松森城市生活的性活跃妇女（n  = 193, 年龄在40-60岁）, 通过6项女性性功能指数（FSFI-6）量表、10项流行病学研究中心抑郁量表（CESD-10）、以及包含个人和性伴侣信息的一般问卷进行调查。抑郁状态的定义是CESD-10的总分大于等于10分, FSFI-6的总分小于等于19分设为性功能障碍的风险增加。抑郁状态与性功能障碍风险增加之间的关系应用多变量泊松回归进行评估。

结果：被调查妇女的平均年龄为48.3±6.0岁,   61.1％（n = 118）处于围绝经期和绝经后期。共有21.8％（n  = 42）的人有抑郁状态, 28.5％（n  = 55）的女性有性功能障碍增加的风险。调整后的最终回归模型确定, 有抑郁状态的女性患性功能障碍的风险是情绪正常状态女性的两倍（调整患病率= 2.14, 95％置信区间1.26–3.60）。另一方面, 抑郁状态女性的FSFI-6总平均分比情绪正常女性的总平均分低20％（校正后的患病率比= 0.80, 95％置信区间0.68-0.93）。

结论：在本研究的巴拉圭中年女性中, 抑郁状态与性功能障碍风险增加之间存在显着相关性。

Keywords:

• Sexuality
• depressive symptoms
• Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale
• female sexual dysfunction
• female sexual function index
• menopause
• midlife
• Paraguay

Potential conflict of interest

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Source of funding

This research was partially supported by the Sistema de Investigación y Desarrollo and the Vice-Rectorado de Investigación & Postgrado of the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador [grant No. SIU-318–853-2014] (The Omega II, Women’s Health Project 2014) provided to Peter Chedraui.