Sexual Satisfaction Plays Major Role In Psychogical Well-Being Of Women

A study at the Women's Health Program at Monash University in Australia explored the links between sexual satisfaction and other aspects of mental health, particularly "well-being" and "vitality."  Don't shy off there, boomers... the research included women aged 20 to 65!

A total of 295 Australian women (20 to 65 years old) were subjects in the study, conducted by Dr. Sonia Davison and her colleagues at Monash University.  They identified themselves as being sexually satisfied or sexually dissatisfied and were further divided into pre-menopausal and post-menopausal groups.  There were an equal number of women in the four groups.

The women were asked questions about their general sexual activity and responded to psychological surveys about their physical and mental health.  On psychological scales of "well-being" and "vitality," those women who reported they were sexually satisfied scored significantly higher than the sexually dissatisfied women; the difference was greater, however, in the post-menopausal groups than the pre-menopausal groups.

It is of interest to note that 90 percent of the women in the study reported sexual activity with a partner and that the partner initiated sex at least 50 percent of the time.  Also, the frequency of sexual activity was unaffected by whether or not women were sexually satisfied, indicating that women may still be conforming to partner expectations. The most common sexual problems identified among the sexually dissatisfied women were those related to consensual sexuality.

The study was published today in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

via EurekAlert  Photo credit: College Magazine

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