A network analysis of female sexual function: comparing symptom networks in women with decreased, increased, and stable sexual desire

Gunst, Annika; Werner, Marlene; Waldorp, Lourens J.; Laan, Ellen; Källström, Marianne; Jern, Patrick

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-34138-8

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(51 reference statements)

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“…The decrease in the average number of sexual intercourses, during an extreme stress period, depends on several variables. 23,24 People's priorities have certainly changed, and sexual arousal and relationship status are influenced by the surrounding environment. Inevitably, women tend to decrease sexual activity during this period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Sexual Function and Quality of Life Analysis During the Social Distancing Measures in a Group of Italian Reproductive-Age Women

Schiavi

Spina

Zullo

et al. 2020

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

139

170

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Background: The beginning of 2020 was characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The world governments have adopted restrictive measures to reduce the spread of infection. These measures could affect the sexual function and quality of life of women living with their partner. Aim: The aim is to assess the impact of the social distancing measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual function and quality of life of noninfected reproductive-age women, living with their sexual partner. Methods: Observational analysis on sexually active women, living with their partner, and without COVID-19 infection was performed. The population previously answered FSFI, FSDS, and SF-36 questionnaires. 4 weeks after the introduction of the restrictive measures, these women were invited to complete the same questionnaires by e-mail for an evaluation during the COVID-19 outbreak. Main Outcome Measures: The primary endpoint was the assessment of the women's sex function change during the social restriction period, by analyzing the FSFI and FSDS questionnaires. The secondary endpoint was the evaluation of the impact on the quality of life calculated by the SF-36 questionnaire. Results: 89 patients were considered. The median age was 39 (28e50) years. Mean sexual intercourses/month decreased from 6.3 ± 1.9 to 2.3 ± 1.8, mean difference: À3.9 ± 1.2. FSFI decreased significantly (29.2 ± 4.2 vs 19.2 ± 3.3, mean difference: À9.7 ± 2.6) and FSDS increased significantly (9.3 ± 5.5 vs 20.1 ± 5.2, mean difference: 10.8 ± 3.4). The SF-36 showed a significant change from 82.2 ± 10.2 to 64.2 ± 11.8 4 weeks after the introduction of the restrictive measures; mean difference: À17.8 ± 6.7. The univariable analysis identified working outside the home, university educational level, and parity !1 as predictive factors of lower FSFI. In multivariable analysis, working outside the home and combination of working outside the home þ university educational level þ parity !1 were the independent factors of a lower FSFI. Clinical Implication: The negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic period on sexual function and quality of life in women shows how acute stress might affect the psychological state. Thus, psychological or sexual support could be useful. Strengths and Limitations: To our knowledge, this study is the first that analyzes the change in sexual activity in women during the COVID-19 outbreak period. The limitations were the low number of the analyzed participants, psychological tests were not included, and no data were collected on masturbation, self-heroism, solitary, and nonpenetrative sex. Conclusion:The COVID-19 epidemic and the restrictive social distancing measures have negatively influenced the sexual function and quality of life in not-infected reproductive-age women who live with their sexual partners.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Sexual Function and Quality of Life Analysis During the Social Distancing Measures in a Group of Italian Reproductive-Age Women

Schiavi

Spina

Zullo

et al. 2020

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

139

170

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Second, the findings may indicate that nodes identified in the clusters around frailty for each sex group can potentially constitute useful intervention points that should be prioritized. Network studies suggest that stronger connections between traits/symptoms in a network can be expected to lead to more changes (owing to traits/symptoms affecting each other) [ 77 ]. In particular, a cluster may pinpoint a group of nodes that can be easily influenced when a node included in the cluster changes state [ 77 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging network analysis to determine sex differences in factors associated with frailty among older adults living alone

2023

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Background Frailty is a complex geriatric syndrome typically characterized by multiple underlying etiological factors. We determined the contributing factors, by sex, using a network analysis. Methods The study sample consisted of a cross-sectional cohort of community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 65 years living alone in a Korean city (N = 1,037). Frailty was assessed via the Korean Frailty Index. Participants were assessed for sociodemographic, health-related, mental and cognitive, and social characteristics. Mixed graphical models including all variables were estimated using the R-package mgm discretely by sex. We also used the Walktrap cluster algorithm to identify differences in the network structure in terms of connectivity around frailty between the sex groups for further insights. Results In both the networks for males and females, frailty correlated most strongly with nutritional status, presence of complex chronic disease, and self-efficacy, and exhibited proximity to decreased sleep quality and loneliness. However, frailty showed an association with suicidal ideation and the number of falls per year only in males, whereas it showed an association with functional disabilities only in females. The overall network connectivity around frailty was stronger with dense interactions (more edges) in the network for females than for males. Conclusions The results signify the need for sex-group customized multi-domain assessments and interventions for the prevention and improvement of frailty among community-dwelling older adults.

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“…Increased stress, depression, anxiety, and dissatisfaction are known to significantly affect mental health [15,16]. However, the decline in the frequency of sexual intercourse secondary to stress depends on certain factors [17,18]. In such times, individuals' priorities are changed, and sexual arousal and relationship status are certainly affected by stressful situations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Sexual Function Before and After COVID-19 Infection in Female Patients

Nawaz¹,

Rivera²,

Vinayak³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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IntroductionAmple data regarding the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) on the pulmonary, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems are available. However, its impact on sexual performance is understudied. In this study, we will determine the impact of COVID-19 on the sexual performance of females. MethodsThis longitudinal study was conducted in the COVID-19 unit of a tertiary care hospital in Pakistan from June 2020 to March 2021. We enrolled 300 female patients admitted to the hospital due to severe COVID-19. Patients' female sexual function index (FSFI) scale was assessed at the time of discharge. Participants were asked to answer the question based on their sexual performance before they contracted COVID-19. They were asked to return after 60 days, where FSFI was assessed again. ResultsThe mean FSFI score for participants before COVID-19 was significantly higher compared to the score 60 days after discharge (28.16 ± 1.9 vs. 24.43 ± 2.5; p-value: <0.0001). Participants who had FSFI score more than 26 were significantly higher before COVID-19 (72.5% vs. 51.0%; p-value: <0.0001). ConclusionThere is a significant decline in sexual function of females, who had contracted COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 survivors should be counseled properly about the impact on the sexual function when discussing long-term complications of COVID-19.

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A network analysis of female sexual function: comparing symptom networks in women with decreased, increased, and stable sexual desire

Cited by 9 publications

References 50 publications

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Sexual Function and Quality of Life Analysis During the Social Distancing Measures in a Group of Italian Reproductive-Age Women

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Sexual Function and Quality of Life Analysis During the Social Distancing Measures in a Group of Italian Reproductive-Age Women

Leveraging network analysis to determine sex differences in factors associated with frailty among older adults living alone

Comparison of Sexual Function Before and After COVID-19 Infection in Female Patients

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