The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Assessment of Sexual Life—Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys among Polish Adults in 2017, 2020 and 2021

Abstract

The study aims to investigate whether assessment of sexual life remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two surveys were conducted among Polish adults aged 18–70 years in June 2020 (n = 2042; perspective of last 2–3 months) and in June 2021 (n = 2418; last 12 months). Data from 2017 (n = 1980) were used as a reference point. Four questions allowed for defining five sexual life assessment profiles (k-means cluster analysis). Their characteristics were presented using 12 variables and 16 factors that contributed to difficulties in sexual life. The 2020 survey showed a temporary increase in the importance of sexual life and the frequency of sexual intercourse. However, the percentage of respondents representing the most favorable profile decreased significantly over the consecutive survey periods (47.1%, 34.2%, and 32.3%, respectively). Pandemic-induced fatigue and stress as well as the permanent presence of others at home were reported as two main factors negatively affecting the frequency of sexual intercourse during the pandemic. Respondents who assessed their sexual life as poor were more likely to consider illness, depression, and low self-esteem as factors negatively impacting their sexual life in 2021 than a year earlier. The results confirmed that as the pandemic drew on, the assessment of sexual life changed compared to the time around the first lockdown.

Is There a Direct Link between Sexual Satisfaction and Restrictions during the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

“…Similarly, the study by Tan et al [40] indicated that stress, fatigue, and low marital satisfaction levels were significant predictors of low sexual activity among Singaporeans. Among Polish participants, a lower frequency of sexual intercourse was related to pandemic-induced fatigue and stress and the permanent presence of others at home [44]. Finally, another study reported an increased risk of sexual dysfunction and depression among Polish adults during the pandemic [32].…”

“…It is also important to note that some other studies reported positive changes in sexual behavior [38][39][40][41][42][43] and higher assessment of sexual satisfaction [42,44] during the COVID-19 pandemic. Arafat et al [38] found that 45% of the respondents from three Asian countries (Bangladesh, India and Nepal) reported that the lockdown impacted their sexual life.…”

“…On the other hand, research during the pandemic indicates that a worsening of sexual well-being was experienced overall by those who were at base more vulnerable to high distress. High distress, anxiety, and depression were predictors of high risk of sexual dysfunction and low sexual satisfaction in numerous studies (e.g., [19,20,24,25,28,29,32,35,36,[39][40][41]43,44,46]). Zhang et al [39] showed that Chinese participants who experienced a high stressful impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their life were likelier to assess the quality of their sex life as worse and to declare a lower frequency of sexual activity.…”

“…Self-reported sexual satisfaction did not change between waves of the COVID-19 pandemic among adults from Canada [18] and China [39]. Furthermore, an increase in sexual satisfaction during the pandemic was found in a large sample of Polish adults [44] and men from Germany [42]. Since the evidence is not conclusive on whether lockdown-related restrictions affect sexual life negatively or positively, more research is needed to explain the sexual behavior changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Female Sexual Function Index and Female Behavioral Changes: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Thailand

“…Acute stress, which manifests itself throughout the period of social isolation, may affect patients’ sexual performance issues. It has been established that stress from social isolation is the fundamental cause of sexual dysfunction [ 30 ].…”