Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life

Background: Sexual dysfunction, a potential side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can lead to marital dissatisfaction in remitted depression patients, affecting their quality of life (QOL), and all of these are risk factors for treatment noncompliance. We aimed to estimate...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sravanthi Penubarthi, Shabeeba Z. Kailash, Kailash Sureshkumar, Aarya Krishnan Rajalakshmi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2022-09-01
Series:Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221111954
_version_ 1811337572357505024
author Sravanthi Penubarthi
Shabeeba Z. Kailash
Kailash Sureshkumar
Aarya Krishnan Rajalakshmi
author_facet Sravanthi Penubarthi
Shabeeba Z. Kailash
Kailash Sureshkumar
Aarya Krishnan Rajalakshmi
author_sort Sravanthi Penubarthi
collection DOAJ
description Background: Sexual dysfunction, a potential side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can lead to marital dissatisfaction in remitted depression patients, affecting their quality of life (QOL), and all of these are risk factors for treatment noncompliance. We aimed to estimate the proportion of female sexual dysfunction and its subtypes compared to the general population and correlate it with various factors, including marital satisfaction and QOL, in remitted depressive patients on SSRI treatment. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study assessed 116 women, comprising 58 patients aged 18– to 45 years with rsemitted depression on SSRI monotherapy for a minimum of six weeks and their age-matched comparative group. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assess depression severity and Female Sexual Functional Index, to assess sexual dysfunction. Couple Satisfaction Index and WHOQOL-BREF version were used to assess marital satisfaction and QOL, respectively. Results: In total, 56.89% of the patients had sexual dysfunction, compared to 39.65% in the general population. Exploratory analyses revealed that overall sexual functioning had a significant positive correlation with education (P = .002), marital satisfaction ( P < .001), and QOL ( P < .01), and a significant negative correlation with the age of onset of depression ( P = .004), total marital duration ( P = .02), and duration of current treatment ( P = .02). Conclusion: Sexual dysfunction is common in remitted female depression patients on SSRI treatment, which may further impair their marital satisfaction and QOL. Hence, routine screening for sexual dysfunction is necessary for them.
first_indexed 2024-04-13T17:56:57Z
format Article
id doaj.art-5c9b813ce4c049eb89c43ea2d6b0d4f9
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0253-7176
0975-1564
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-13T17:56:57Z
publishDate 2022-09-01
publisher SAGE Publishing
record_format Article
series Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
spelling doaj.art-5c9b813ce4c049eb89c43ea2d6b0d4f92022-12-22T02:36:26ZengSAGE PublishingIndian Journal of Psychological Medicine0253-71760975-15642022-09-014410.1177/02537176221111954Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of LifeSravanthi Penubarthi0Shabeeba Z. Kailash1Kailash Sureshkumar2Aarya Krishnan Rajalakshmi3 Dept. of Psychiatry, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, India. Dept. of Psychiatry, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States.Background: Sexual dysfunction, a potential side effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can lead to marital dissatisfaction in remitted depression patients, affecting their quality of life (QOL), and all of these are risk factors for treatment noncompliance. We aimed to estimate the proportion of female sexual dysfunction and its subtypes compared to the general population and correlate it with various factors, including marital satisfaction and QOL, in remitted depressive patients on SSRI treatment. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study assessed 116 women, comprising 58 patients aged 18– to 45 years with rsemitted depression on SSRI monotherapy for a minimum of six weeks and their age-matched comparative group. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assess depression severity and Female Sexual Functional Index, to assess sexual dysfunction. Couple Satisfaction Index and WHOQOL-BREF version were used to assess marital satisfaction and QOL, respectively. Results: In total, 56.89% of the patients had sexual dysfunction, compared to 39.65% in the general population. Exploratory analyses revealed that overall sexual functioning had a significant positive correlation with education (P = .002), marital satisfaction ( P < .001), and QOL ( P < .01), and a significant negative correlation with the age of onset of depression ( P = .004), total marital duration ( P = .02), and duration of current treatment ( P = .02). Conclusion: Sexual dysfunction is common in remitted female depression patients on SSRI treatment, which may further impair their marital satisfaction and QOL. Hence, routine screening for sexual dysfunction is necessary for them.https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221111954
spellingShingle Sravanthi Penubarthi
Shabeeba Z. Kailash
Kailash Sureshkumar
Aarya Krishnan Rajalakshmi
Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life
Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine
title Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life
title_full Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life
title_fullStr Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life
title_full_unstemmed Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life
title_short Sexual Dysfunction in Remitted Female Patients with Depression on SSRIs: Associated Factors and Relation to Marital Satisfaction and Quality of Life
title_sort sexual dysfunction in remitted female patients with depression on ssris associated factors and relation to marital satisfaction and quality of life
url https://doi.org/10.1177/02537176221111954
work_keys_str_mv AT sravanthipenubarthi sexualdysfunctioninremittedfemalepatientswithdepressiononssrisassociatedfactorsandrelationtomaritalsatisfactionandqualityoflife
AT shabeebazkailash sexualdysfunctioninremittedfemalepatientswithdepressiononssrisassociatedfactorsandrelationtomaritalsatisfactionandqualityoflife
AT kailashsureshkumar sexualdysfunctioninremittedfemalepatientswithdepressiononssrisassociatedfactorsandrelationtomaritalsatisfactionandqualityoflife
AT aaryakrishnanrajalakshmi sexualdysfunctioninremittedfemalepatientswithdepressiononssrisassociatedfactorsandrelationtomaritalsatisfactionandqualityoflife