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Key points
- Wives were found more likely to report feelings of depression than their husbands.
- Wives who were depressed did not have husbands who were less sexually satisfied.
- Husbands who were depressed had wives who were less sexually satisfied.
- Although depression and anxiety were negatively related to sexual satisfaction, stress was not.
A friend recently disclosed that she was coping with anxiety while her husband was coping with depression. She also revealed that, as a couple, they were both dissatisfied with their sex life.
Sexual satisfaction is defined as contentment with the sexual aspects of intimate relationships and is correlated with physical and psychological well-being (Karakose et al., 2023). Many partners manage feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress, in one or both members of the couple.
In recent research published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, researchers Karakose and colleagues investigated the relationships among depression, anxiety, and stress and sexual satisfaction. The authors hypothesized that individuals’ sexual satisfaction might be related to their own as well as their partner’s feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Methodology
The researchers recruited 102 heterosexual married couples from Turkey with an average age of 30 years old. The couples were required to be in first marriage and to be married for less than five years. Most of the couples did not have children. Both members of the couple responded to measures assessing depression, anxiety, stress, and sexual satisfaction. Individuals who were currently in therapy were excluded from the sample.
Findings
Wives’ depression scores were higher on average than their husbands’, but no significant differences were found between wives and husbands on anxiety, stress, or sexual satisfaction. Further, the researchers found gender differences in the associations among the variables. For men, depression and stress were negatively correlated with sexual satisfaction, but anxiety was not related to sexual satisfaction. For women, depression and anxiety were negatively related to their sexual satisfaction, but stress was not related to sexual satisfaction.
It was also the case that husbands who reported more depressed feelings had wives who were less sexually satisfied. However, wives who reported more depressed feelings did not have husbands who were less sexually satisfied. The authors interpreted the findings to suggest that wives may have “put their partners’ needs above their own” or felt it was “part of their role…to make their husbands sexually happy.”
Limitations
The authors acknowledge that the findings are correlational, rendering it impossible to discern, for example, whether depression causes sexual dissatisfaction. It is also possible that the findings may not apply to same-sex couples or to couples from other cultural backgrounds. The results may also differ for couples coping with clinical depression or diagnosed anxiety disorders.
The authors hope that the results of the research may help therapists to develop interventions or to educate couples seeking marital therapy about the relationships among depression, anxiety, stress, and sexual satisfaction.
References
Karakose, S., Urs, M., Marshall, J. E., & Ledermann, T. (2023). Depression, anxiety, stress, and sexual satisfaction in couples. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 49(6), 616-629.
