Bidirectional associations between daily subjective stress and sexual desire, arousal, and activity in healthy men and women

Mües, HM, Markert, C, Feneberg, AC, Nater, UM

Abstract

Background: The association between stress and sexuality, both of which are linked to health, is unclear. We examined the feasibility of an ecological momentary assessment study including time-based and event-based measurements in this context (aim 1) and investigated concurrent and time-lagged bidirectional associations between subjective stress and sexual desire/arousal/activity in the daily lives of healthy individuals over 14 days (aim 2). Purpose: The aim of this study was to gain insight into the interplay between stress and sexual experience and behavior while considering potential gender differences. Methods: Between May 2015 and January 2016, 59 heterosexual, healthy men and women in relationships (M = 23.66 years old, SD = 2.86, range: 18-30 years) rated subjective stress, sexual desire, and sexual arousal at 6 fixed timepoints daily as well as after sexual activity. Feasibility was investigated considering dropout rates, missing data, and representativeness of data. Data were analyzed using mixed-effects models. Results: Higher subjective stress was associated with a lower likelihood of concurrent sexual desire and arousal, and occurrences of sexual desire and arousal were associated with lower concurrent subjective stress. Sexual desire and activity were associated with lower subsequent subjective stress, and the latter association was stronger in women than in men. Rates of dropout, missing data, and nonrepresentative data were low. Conclusions: There appear to be bidirectional associations between higher subjective stress and a lower likelihood of concurrent sexual desire and arousal. Sexual desire and sexual activity seem to be associated with lower subsequent subjective stress. The study design appears to be feasible, although the generalizability of the findings is limited. Future studies might explore stress reduction interventions to promote sexual health.