A multicenter study of the relationship between the compulsory time spent at home and sexual functioning

To investigate how sexual life is affected by the increase in the amount of time spent at home due to the restrictions of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the relationships among depression, anxiety, amount of stress, and sexuality.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in two cities, Istanbul (metropolitan city) and Rize (city in a rural area). All data were collected face to face in the gynecology outpatient clinics from patients who came in for benign gynecologic reasons or a check-up. The questionnaire comprised a sociodemographic form, the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX) Scale, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale.

A total of 459 participants took part in the study. Around half of the participants were living in an urban area. There was a statistically significant increase in weekly sexual intercourse frequency for both groups. Sexual desire and arousal scores were significantly higher in the rural groups. There was a significant decrease in sexual pleasure within urban groups. Depression, anxiety, and stress scores were significantly higher in urban groups. There was no statistically significant difference in ASEX total scores between groups.

This study suggests that even though the rate of COVID-19 and restrictions did not differ between the compared areas, the lockdown may have had a greater effect on the sexual pleasure of women in urban areas.