Association between Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology and Sexual Activity in Spain: A Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Quarantine

Alejandro Gil-Salmerón, Guillermo F. López-Sánchez, Rubén López-Bueno, Shahina Pardhan, Igor Grabovac and Lee Smith
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Alejandro Gil-Salmerón: International Foundation for Integrated Care, Oxford OX2 6UD, UK
Guillermo F. López-Sánchez: Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Cambridge Campus, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
Rubén López-Bueno: Department of Physical Medicine and Nursing, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Shahina Pardhan: Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, Education, Medicine and Social Care, Cambridge Campus, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
Igor Grabovac: Centre for Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Lee Smith: Centre for Health, Performance and Wellbeing, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Introduction: Evidence on sexual behaviour and COVID-19 shows a change in sexual habits; however, there is no research on the association between mental health and sexual activity. Aim: To examine the relationship between mental health and sexual activity during the quarantine in Spanish adults. Methods: A sample of 305 adults filled out an online questionnaire. Sexual activity was assessed with one question. Anxiety and depression symptoms were assessed using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), respectively. To check associations between levels of both anxiety and depressive symptoms (exposure) and weekly prevalence of sexual activity (outcome), we conducted multiple logistic regression adjusted for control variables (marital status, employment, average household annual income, place of living, pre-COVID-19 sexual activity, current smoking, current alcohol consumption, chronic physical conditions, chronic psychiatric conditions, physical symptoms, and days of confinement). Results: Higher depression level was associated with lower weekly sexual activity in a dose-response fashion in the three implemented models. Participants with higher levels of depression were associated with significantly lower sexual activity in the fully adjusted model (OR: 0.09, 95% CI 0.01–0.61). Mild anxiety-level participants consistently presented significantly lower ORs for lower sexual activity than their minimal-anxiety category counterparts. Particularly, the fully adjusted model showed the lower values (OR: 0.40, 95% CI 0.19–0.84). Conclusion: The results of this study support existing evidence stressing the association between mental health and sexual activity in quarantined adults.

Keywords: COVID-19; lockdown; sexual health; mental health; anxiety; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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