544
Views
25
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

The Role of Trait-Affect, Depression, and Anxiety in Women With Sexual Dysfunction: A Pilot Study

&
Pages 436-452 | Published online: 05 Apr 2013
 

Abstract

Despite the increasing number of studies, it is not yet clear how emotions affect sexual response in women with and without sexual problems. The aim of this study was to explore the relation among trait-affect, depression, anxiety, and sexual functioning. Participants were 237 women: 167 without sexual problems, 37 with low levels of sexual functioning, and 17 with sexual dysfunction. Participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Female Sexual Function Index. Results showed that women with sexual problems presented lower levels of positive trait-affect in comparison with women without sexual problems. Mediation analysis indicated that depression mediated 44% of the total effect of positive trait-affect and 83% of the total effect of negative trait-affect on sexual functioning. Moreover, anxiety (Brief Symptom Inventory subscale) mediated 18% of the total effect of positive trait-affect on sexual functioning and 61% of the total effect of negative trait-affect on sexual functioning. These results may help explain the high comorbidity among sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety, and raise the hypothesis that trait-affect may act as a common vulnerability factor for these clinical conditions.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank G. Santos, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal, for making possible the collection of the clinical sample. They also thank A. Gomes, J. Almeida, P. Costa, S. Vilarinho, L. Fonseca, J. Teixeira, P. Abrantes, for the suggestions and help in sample collection. Last, they thank participants who volunteered to participate in the study.

Notes

The term trait-affect is used to differentiate it from state-affect.

Log in via your institution

Log in to Taylor & Francis Online

PDF download + Online access

  • 48 hours access to article PDF & online version
  • Article PDF can be downloaded
  • Article PDF can be printed
USD 53.00 Add to cart

Issue Purchase

  • 30 days online access to complete issue
  • Article PDFs can be downloaded
  • Article PDFs can be printed
USD 193.00 Add to cart

* Local tax will be added as applicable

Related Research

People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.

Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.

Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.