Sexual excitation and inhibition, and distress in depressed and non-depressed women

Background: The dual control model has relatively independent excitatory and inhibitory systems and that the occurrence of sexual arousal depends on the relative activation of sexual excitation (SE) and sexual inhibition (SI).

Method: Cross section design was used to assess sexual excitation and inhibition and distress, in the comparative study of depressed women and non-depressed women who were accompanying the patients. Sexual excitation and sexual inhibition inventory and Distress symptom inventory were used to collect data from the two groups. The depressive women had depressive symptoms such as tension, irritability, lack of concentration, crying spells, terminal insomnia, etc. Demographic variables such as age, religion, income, education, number of children, occupation and condom usage, were collected from the two groups of women.
Statistics – Percentage and t-test were used to compare the groups on sexual function. Results indicated significant differences between depressed and non-depressed women in sexual excitation and sexual inhibition as well as distress.

Conclusion: These two groups significantly differ in sexual excitation and sexual inhibition as well as distress. But the depressed women had greater interference with arousal and greater sexual inhibition and had extreme distress. The finding could help clinicians to develop treatment strategy to prevent sexual dysfunction based on the current findings