Sexual dysfunction among women with Schizophrenia-A cross sectional study from India

Sexual dysfunction among women usually has a multifactorial etiology and is also difficult to study in cultures where open discussions about sexuality are not common. Not much is known about sexual function in women with schizophrenia even though it may have a significant impact on their quality of life and maybe influenced by several factors.

This study aimed to assess the frequency and nature of sexual dysfunction in women with schizophrenia and study its association with marital quality, illness, treatment, and socio-demographic factors.

This was a cross sectional, hospital-based study conducted among 63 women with schizophrenia attending the outpatient services of a tertiary care psychiatric hospital. Sexual dysfunction was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Side effects of medications, psychopathology, and marital quality were assessed using standard scales.

Among the 63 women assessed, 44 (70%) reported sexual dysfunction. Impaired desire was reported by all women, impaired arousal by 58 (92.1%), poor lubrication by 30 (47.6%), impaired orgasm by 48(76.2%) poor satisfaction by 44(69.8%) and pain by 23(36.5%). Poor Marital quality ('p' value-0.001), higher scores on general psychopathology of the Positive and Negative symptoms scale of schizophrenia (PANSS) ('p' value-0.049) and side effects such as weight gain, menstrual disturbances, galactorrohea and dry vagina were significantly associated with Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) in univariate analysis. However, multivariate analysis found marital quality alone to be significantly related to FSD.