ResearchGender differences in sexual desire: How do emotional and relationship factors determine sexual desire according to gender?☆
Section snippets
Participants
A total of 205 men and 237 women from the Portuguese population participated in the study (Table 1 for demographics). Participants were also divided according to high desire and low desire group. Groups were stipulated according to the participants’ response about sexual desire frequency (International index of erectile function [IIEF]; Rosen et al., 1997; female sexual function index [FSFI]; Rosen et al., 2000). Answers inferior to 3 (“few times”; “never”) were considered as low sexual desire
Sexual desire and gender
To evaluate the effect of gender on sexual desire (participants without a partner were excluded), we conducted an ANCOVA (demographic dimensions as covariates). Analyses indicated a statistical significant main effect for gender [F (1,398) = 88.353, P < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.18]. Post-hoc comparisons showed that men (M = 4.53, SD = 0.07) presented significantly higher levels of sexual desire than women (M = 3.62, SD = 0.07).
Psychopathology
To assess the effect of gender (men/women), group (high/low desire) and gender × group
Discussion
This study assessed the role of psychopathology, emotions during sexual activity, and dyadic adjustment, as a function of gender and sexual desire.
Regarding psychopathology, we found a significant main effect for gender. Women reported higher levels of overall psychopathology, with the exception of psychoticism. Since these emotional problems are often related to deficient sexual desire (Segraves, 2002), excepting for psychoticism (Carvalho and Nobre, 2010), the presence of higher levels of
Disclosure of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest concerning this article.
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2019, Sexual MedicineCitation Excerpt :Another factor that might influence female sexual behavior in later life is longevity; on average, women live longer than men, and many may find it difficult to find a partner after the loss of a spouse or partner. The reason for this difficulty has not been systematically evaluated but appears to be multidimensional, with biological, cultural, and psychological factors playing roles.49 Aging is associated with a range of biological and physiological changes to the human body, including a loss of skeletal muscle mass,50 a decline in circulating levels of the principal androgen and sex hormone testosterone,51 as well as a reduction in peak bone mass.52
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2018, Journal of Sexual MedicineCitation Excerpt :For women,22,23 ATs during sexual activity were the best predictors of sexual desire (eg, lack of erotic thoughts, failure and disengagement feelings, and passivity perceptions during sex). Sex comparisons highlighted the predominance of hurt emotions during sexual activity in women, whereas men reported more shame and fear.20,21 The SMQ also was found to distinguish between clinical (with sexual dysfunctions) and sexually healthy samples in many studies.12,15,24–30
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2018, Journal of Sexual MedicineCitation Excerpt :For emotions triggered by sexual thoughts, we also found, in line with Ansong and Punwaney36 and Carvalho and Nobre,104,105 a significant effect of fear on sexual desire and a significant model explaining 12.70% of the variance. Sexual desire in men appears to be strongly influenced by emotions, as in women, even if with some gender peculiarities.104,105 Men grow up dealing with strong stereotypic messages about machismo and virility based mainly on “performance issues.”106,107
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Également en version française dans ce numéro : Carvalho J, Nobre P. Différences de genre et désir sexuel. Comment les facteurs émotionnels et relationnels déterminent-ils le désir sexuel selon le genre ?