Sexual Desire and Body Image. Gender Differences and Correlations before and during COVID-19 Lockdown

Clemente Cedro, Carmela Mento, Maria Cristina Piccolo, Fiammetta Iannuzzo, Amelia Rizzo, Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello and Gianluca Pandolfo
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Clemente Cedro: Department of Biomedical, Dental and Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University Hospital “G. Martino”, 98124 Messina, Italy
Carmela Mento: Department of Biomedical, Dental and Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University Hospital “G. Martino”, 98124 Messina, Italy
Maria Cristina Piccolo: Provincial Health Agency 5, 98123 Messina, Italy
Fiammetta Iannuzzo: Department of Biomedical, Dental and Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University Hospital “G. Martino”, 98124 Messina, Italy
Amelia Rizzo: Psychiatry Unit, University Hospital “G. Martino”, 98124 Messina, Italy
Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello: Department of Biomedical, Dental and Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University Hospital “G. Martino”, 98124 Messina, Italy
Gianluca Pandolfo: Department of Biomedical, Dental and Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University Hospital “G. Martino”, 98124 Messina, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: Recent literature has extensively examined sexual behavior during lockdown due to COVID-19. However, there are no recent studies that have considered the relationship between body image quality, sexual arousability, and sexual anxiety. The present study has two main objectives: (1) to examine gender differences in bodily and sexual experience; and (2) the comparison of bodily and sexual experience, before and during the COVID-19 lockdown. A total of 301 adult subjects (161 women and 140 men) aged between 16 and 73 years (Mean = 37.4; S.D. = 10.3) participated in the study. Data on biographical information were collected via an online panel. The Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) and the Sexual Arousability Inventory (SAI) were used for the assessment. Univariate ANOVA showed worse scores for women, compared with men, in terms of body image avoidance, depersonalization, overall severity of body image quality, sexual arousability, and sexual anxiety dimensions. When compared against time, only women showed significant correlations between the function of sexual arousal and all parameters concerning body image alteration. Interestingly, these correlations were weak and sporadic before lockdown, but strong and numerous during lockdown. This finding suggests that the impact of COVID-19 restrictions affected the female population more, with a profound repercussion on self-image and sexual and mental well-being.

Keywords: women; COVID-19; sexuality; body image (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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