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Impact of COVID-19 Related Stress on Sexual Desire and Behavior in a Canadian Sample
Lori A Brotto1, Faith Jabs2, Natalie Brown2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Objectives:
We evaluated various facets of sexual health in Canadians across phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
Online questionnaires every four weeks from April-August 2020.
Results:
Higher COVID-19 stress predicted higher baseline dyadic sexual desire, lower relationship satisfaction, higher desire for solitary sexual behavior, and higher likelihood of experiencing sexual coercion among people with a live-in romantic partner. Dyadic sexual desire and pandemic-related stress both decreased with time, whereas solitary sexual behavior decreased and dyadic sexual behavior increased among participants without a live-in romantic partner.
Conclusions:
Our findings reveal differential impacts of COVID-19 related stress on sexual outcomes.
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