Female sexual function as a predictor of well-being

Abstract

Introduction : The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the WHO-5 Well-Being Index and variables from the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in a large-scale sample of partnered and single women. Methods : Based on the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk test on six claims of FSFI, a non-parametric statistical analysis was used. Results : Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. The sample included 635 female participants, aged 18 to 89 years. There was a strong link between all the six FSFI claims with marital status and number of sexual partners. The group of women who were involved in sexual intercourse in the previous 4 weeks shows higher life satisfaction (n=366; 50-100%) compared to the group (n=37; 0-49%) who were not involved in sexual intercourse in the previous 4 weeks. Even though the frequency of sexual functioning according to FSFI scores did not differ between the two groups (χ2 (1)=0.101, p=0.750), they did differ in the quality of sexual experience. Conclusions : These results extend previous findings by confirming a strong relationship between sexual well-being and overall life satisfaction within individuals. They confirm the importance of sexual satisfaction in shaping the overall quality of life not only for men but also for women. Uvod: Svrha ovog istraživanja bila je procijeniti odnos između WHO-5 indeksa blagostanja i varijabli iz Indeksa ženske seksualne funkcije (FSFI) na velikom uzorku žena s i bez partnera. Metode: Na temelju Kolmogorov-Smirnov i Shapiro-Wilk testa na šest tvrdnji Indeksa ženske seksualne funkcije korištena je neparametarska statistička analiza. Rezultati: Statistička značajnost je postavljena na p<0,05. Uzorak je obuhvatio 635 ispitanica u dobi od 18 do 89 godina. Postojala je snažna veza između svih šest tvrdnji Indeksa ženske seksualne funkcije s bračnim statusom i brojem seksualnih partnera. Grupa žena koje je imala spolne odnose u prethodna 4 tjedna pokazuje veće zadovoljstvo životom (n = 366; 50-100%) u odnosu na skupinu (n = 37; 0-49%) koja nije imala spolne odnose u prethodna 4 tjedna. Iako se učestalost seksualnog funkcioniranja prema rezultatima Indeksa nije razlikovala između dviju skupina (χ2 (1) = 0,101, p = 0,750), postojala je razlika u kvaliteti seksualnog iskustva. Zaključci: Ovi rezultati proširuju prethodne rezultate potvrđujući snažnu vezu između seksualnog blagostanja i ukupnog zadovoljstva životom kod pojedinaca. Oni potvrđuju važnost seksualnog blagostanja u oblikovanju ukupne kvalitete života ne samo za muškarce, nego i za žene.