The Impact of Self-Reported Anxiety and Body Ιmage on Female Sexual Function

Abstract

Over the past years, female sexual function and dysfunction has acquired a growing body of research. Some studies have indicated that links may exist among the sexual function of women, their body image and anxiety. The purpose of this study is to examine the direct impact of self-report anxiety and body image on female sexual function but also the potential association of the age, the marital status, the occupation, the education level and the existence of a psychological disorder diagnosis with the self-reported anxiety, the body-esteem and the female sexual function. The sample consisted of sixty women from general population. Three questionnaires were used to measure each variable (Greek version of Zung's Self Anxiety Scale, Body–Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, Female Sexual Function Index GR). The results showed that the correlations among anxiety, body image and sexual function were not statistically significant. From the demographic characteristics, only occupation status was significantly associated with the sexual function which was found significantly greater for private employees compared to university students (p = .001), with the last’s total score in FSFI being below the cutoff point. This result is constant with previous researched which have found women University students at risk of experiencing a sexual dysfunction.