Publication:

Sexual functioning, desire, and satisfaction in women with TBI and healthy controls

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can substantially alter many areas of a person’s life and there has been little research published regarding sexual functioning in women with TBI. Methods. A total of 58 women (29 with TBI and 29 healthy controls) from Neiva, Colombia, participated. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in sociodemographic characteristics. All 58 women completed the Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQoL), Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI), Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI), and the Sexual Satisfaction Index (ISS). Results. Women with TBI scored statistically significantly lower on the SQoL (𝑝 < 0.001), FSFI subscales of desire (𝑝 < 0.05), arousal (𝑝 < 0.05), lubrication (𝑝 < 0.05), orgasm (𝑝 < 0.05), and satisfaction (𝑝 < 0.05), and the ISS (𝑝 < 0.001) than healthy controls. Multiple linear regressions revealed that age was negatively associated with some sexuality measures, while months since the TBI incident were positively associated with these variables. Conclusion. These results disclose that women with TBI do not fare as well as controls in these measures of sexual functioning and were less sexually satisfied. Future research is required to further understand the impact of TBI on sexual function and satisfaction to inform for rehabilitation programs.