Sexual Functioning, Relationship Satisfaction, and Psychological Distress among Survivors of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a pervasive public health problem, with higher rates being reported in women (i.e., 1 in 5) compared to men (i.e., 1 in 71; Black et al., 2011). Negative consequences of sexual assault include the development of maladaptive posttraumatic cognitions and changes in sexual self-schema (Blain, Galovski, & Peterson, 2011). Few studies have examined sexual functioning, relationship satisfaction, and aspects of psychological distress among sexual assault survivors. Our present study was to examine the associations between couples’ satisfaction, sexual functioning, and depressive and PTSD symptom severity among survivors of sexual assault. We hypothesized that there would be a negative relationship between depression and sexual dysfunction and a negative relationship between PTSD and sexual dysfunction. Participants were university students who reported prior history of sexual assault. The presented study was conducted by creating an online survey: using the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI), The Couples' Satisfaction Index (CSI-16), The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist 5 (PLC-5). Preliminary results based on 38 participants, show a positive correlation between Depression and PTSD symptoms (r = 0.82, p < .01). Further, depression was negatively associated with lubrication (r = - 0.43, p = .01), orgasm (r = -0.45, p = .01). Also, there was a positive correlation between couples satisfaction and sexual functioning (r = 0.45, p < 0.05). Findings demonstrate meaningful relationships between depressive symptoms and aspects of sexual functioning. Additional research is warranted to elucidate the nature of these associations.