Impact of an HPV diagnosis on the psychosexual sphere

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the psychosexual impact of being diagnosed with human papillomavirus (HPV). A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the anxiety and depression levels and sexual functions in women with and without HPV between March and May 2021. Beck anxiety inventory (BAI), the Beck depression inventory (BDI), and the Libido scoring system scales (LSSS) were used as scales. A total of 575 respondents were included; 292 (50.2%) HPV-negative, and 283 (49.8%) HPV-positive, of whom 170 (60,1%) had high risk HPV genotypes 16/18 and 113 (39,9%) had non-16/18 high risk HPV-positive patients. There was no significant association between HPV-negative and HPV-positive patients in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. While 21.6% of the HPV-positive group experienced masturbation, it was 15.1% in the HPV-negative group (p=0.044). While severe depression was 4.9% in HPV-positive women, this rate was 1.4% in HPV-negative women (p=0.002). The present study showed that being diagnosed with HPV made a significant difference in sexual function, except for sexual interest, but increased anxiety and depression scores. Sexual dysfunction following an HPV diagnosis cannot be explained solely by depression and anxiety.