Correlation Between Sexual Satisfaction and Self-esteem and Stress in Women of Reproductive Age

Abstract

Introduction: Marital satisfaction is one of the factors affecting quality of life, quality of sexual relations, and interpersonal relationships. Aim: To determine the relationship between marital satisfactions, perceived stress, and self-esteem among reproductive age women in Jahrom City, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 women who attended Women’s Healthcare Clinic of Jahrom, Iran from June to December 2017. The tools used were Larsson sexual satisfaction questionnaire, Cohen’s perceived stress scale, and Rosenberg self-esteem questionnaire. Data were analysed using ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Spearman test. Results: The mean age of women was 29.55±6.68 years. In addition, 3(1%), 27(9%), 138(46%) and 132(44%) of subjects showed zero, low, moderate, and high levels of sexual satisfaction. There was a significant correlation between sexual satisfaction with self-esteem (p<0.05) and stress (p<0.05). In addition, positive significant correlations were found between sexual satisfaction with the women’s education (p<0.05 r=0.22), spouses’ education (p=0.003 r=0.17), Husband Employment status (p=0.04 r=0.11), and family income levels (p=0.03 r=0.12). Conclusion: There were significant correlations between marital satisfaction, self-esteem and stress. Sexual satisfaction improved in individuals with high self-esteem whereas it decreased with increasing stress levels. Therefore, health planners should adopt strategies to increase self-esteem and reduce stress in reproductive age women.

Keywords

• marital satisfaction
• self-esteem
• stress
• women