The Role of Psychopathological and Personality Covariates in Orgasmic Difficulties: A Prospective Longitudinal Evaluation in a Cohort of Women from Age 30 to 50
Open accessAbstract
Introduction There are little published data on the prevalence of orgasmic difficulties in representative samples and no longitudinal data on the subject. In addition, our knowledge of the factors, which increase or protect against the risk of orgasmic difficulties, is still rudimentary. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the cumulative incidence rate and longitudinal course of orgasmic difficulties from age 30 to age 50, and the role of psychopathological and personality covariates in a representative population cohort of women. Methods Semi-structured interviews with single-item questions on sexual problems in general as well as on orgasmic difficulties were conducted. Psychopathological covariates were from the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised and personality characteristics from the Freiburg Personality Inventory. Coping resources were measured by the scales of mastery and self-esteem. Main outcome measures One-year prevalences of orgasmic difficulties, associations with psychopathological and personality covariates as well as coping resources were the main outcome measures. Results Orgasmic difficulties were reported annually by 7.4% to 13.5% of the women with a mean of 10.0% and a cumulative risk of 27.3% from age 30 to 50. No relation between age and the prevalence of orgasmic difficulties could be demonstrated. Psychopathological covariates such as depression, psychoticism, interpersonal sensitivity, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and somatization were moderately a…
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The greatest significant risk factor for female sexual dysfunction is mental health deterioration.
“The greatest significant risk factor for female sexual dysfunction is mental health deterioration (Basson & Gilks, 2018, Blycker, 2023;Leeners et al., 2014).”
From “Your Addiction, her Sexual Suffering”—A Qualitative Inquiry into the Effects of Compulsive Sexual Behaviors on Intimate Female Partners (2025) · cites this paper as Leeners et al., 2014
Psychological variables, including stimulus meaning, mood, and cognition, as well as relationship context, have been found to impact sexual arousal and desire in women.
“Additionally, psychological variables, including stimulus meaning, mood, and cognition, as well as relationship context, have been found to impact sexual arousal and desire in women (Brotto et al., 2011;Laan & Both, 2011;Leeners et al., 2014;Nowak et al., 2023).”
From “Your Addiction, her Sexual Suffering”—A Qualitative Inquiry into the Effects of Compulsive Sexual Behaviors on Intimate Female Partners (2025) · cites this paper as Leeners et al., 2014
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“The greatest significant risk factor for female sexual dysfunction is mental health deterioration (Basson & Gilks, 2018, Blycker, 2023; Leeners et al., 2014).”
- Authors
- Leeners, B., Hengartner, M. P., Rössler, W., Ajdacic-Gross, V., & Angst, J.
- Affiliations
- University Hospital Zurich (CH)
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics , Zurich , Switzerland
- Corresponding author
- Leeners, Brigitte
- Venue
- The Journal of Sexual Medicine
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2014-12-01
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 2928-2937
- ISSN
- 1743-6095 (ISSN-L)
- 1743-6109
- OpenAlex
- W1549531447
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 1.78
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- Locations
- The Journal of Sexual Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften digital collection (Zurich University of Applied Sciences) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- female sexual dysfunction, prevalence, cumulative incidence, psychopathology, personality traits, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, somatization, psychoticism, coping resources, self-esteem, mastery, women's sexual health
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety, Depression, Emotions, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Middle Aged, Orgasm, Personality, Personality Disorders, Prospective Studies, Self Concept, Cohort Studies, Prevalence, Women's Health, Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological
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