Sexual Functioning and Eating Disorder Symptoms: Examining the Role of Gender and Internalizing Symptoms in an...

Eating disorders (EDs) are frequently associated with sexual dysfunction; however, research has not tested this relationship while adjusting for the known effects of anxiety and depression on sexual functioning. Furthermore, there is a notable lack of research on sexual functioning problems and ED symptoms among men.

Undergraduate cisgender women (n = 1488) and men (n = 646) completed measures of ED psychopathology and sexual functioning problems. Hierarchical linear regressions predicting sexual functioning problems were conducted separately by gender including BMI, age, sexual attraction, anxiety and depression symptoms in Step 1 and an ED psychopathology variable (e.g., global score, dietary restraint, preoccupation and eating concern, or shape/weight overvaluation) in Step 2.

For women, changes in proportion of the variance in sexual functioning problems when adding global score, dietary restraint, and preoccupation and eating concern to the models were statistically significant, but effect sizes were very small. Change in variance when adding weight and shape overvaluation was not significant. For men, all ED psychopathology variables accounted for significant, but small, changes in the proportion of variance in sexual functioning problems.

Sexual functioning problems observed in women may be better explained by depressive symptomology, as variance explained by ED variables, while statistically significant, was small and likely of lower clinical relevance. Sexual functioning problems in men may be minorly influenced by ED psychopathology, independent of depression and anxiety symptoms. Results suggest the importance of screening for sexual functioning problems and developing interventions that target potential mechanisms related to psychopathology.