Changes in Sexuality and Quality of Couple Relationship During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is heavily influencing people’s general well-being worldwide. Since its outbreak, many studies have explored the population’s general psychological well-being, while only a few studies have addressed how the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown are affecting sexuality. Sexual health, an important aspect of general well-being, has relevant consequences on people’s daily lives. Although it is well known that distress can affect sexuality, and it is possible to speculate that the outbreak’s psychological outcomes are affecting the population’s sexual life; recent literature does not explore couples’ sexuality and their relationship quality during the lockdown. The present preliminary research aimed to understand if the Italian population’s sexuality has changed, and if so, how it had changed since the spread of COVID-19, and which variables were influencing couples’ relationship quality during the COVID-19 lockdown. A questionnaire reserved especially for cohabiting couples was designed and distributed online from April 11 to May 5, 2020, the 5th and 8th weeks, respectively, after the start of the lockdown. Of the 124 respondents who completed the online survey, 73% were females. Despite the pandemic’s psychological consequences, when asked directly, most couples responded that they did not perceive any differences in their sexuality. However, some female participants did report a decrease in pleasure, satisfaction, desire, and arousal. The main reasons behind the changes in sexuality in women, therefore, appear to be worry, lack of privacy, and stress. Even when participants seemed to show high levels of resilience, the negative aspects of lockdown could affect their quality of sexual life. This study needs to be completed using qualitative data from online focus groups that have investigated how sexual life has changed and the main needs of couples. All the same, our results will serve to better address population needs and experiences, and provide ad hoc interventions during this unprecedented time of crisis.

Psychological Impact During the First Outbreak of COVID-19 in Italy

“…However, few studies investigated whether these negative feelings affect sexuality during a pandemic. In line with our results, Panzeri et al (17) showed that the negative aspects of lockdown can affect the quality of sexual life, while Luetke et al (18) showed that Americans experienced more conflict in their romantic partnerships, owing to changes in their intimate and sexual lives. Sexual health is an important parameter for well-being because it impacts our psychological and emotional state.…”

Together Against COVID-19 Concerns: The Role of the Dyadic Coping Process for Partners’ Psychological Well-Being During the Pandemic

“…These results highlight how COVID-19 concerns significantly threaten individuals’ psychological well-being, in terms of energy, mental health, and social functioning, confirming our first hypothesis (H1). The COVID-19 situation may have induced intense feelings of concern, due to the seriousness of the health emergency, the consequent economic crisis, job instability, and uncertainty about the future ( Ferrucci et al, 2020 ; Mazza et al, 2020 ; Pagnini et al, 2020 ; Rossi et al, 2020 ), also in couples ( Günther-Bel et al, 2020 ; Panzeri et al, 2020 ; Rapelli et al, 2020 ). These concerns, likely amplified by stressors related to the virus containment measures (e.g., prolonged co-habitation, lack of formal and informal support networks, etc.…”

COVID-19 et sexualités : l’émergence d’un nouveau paradigme des sexualités

“…On note des disparités sur le volume des publications. Si les équipes des États-Unis de l’Inde ou de la Chine ont produit le plus grand nombre d’articles ( n > 20), on comprend moins aisément pourquoi les équipes françaises n’ont publié qu’un seul article ( Landry et al, 2020 ) alors que les équipes italiennes ( Caruso et al, 2020 , Panzeri et al, 2020 ) et espagnoles, pays dans lesquels la pandémie s’est développée de façon comparable à celle de la France, en ont publié beaucoup plus. D’autres études ont été publiées au Royaume-Uni ( Jacob et al, 2020 ) ou en Pologne ( Fuchs et al, 2020 ).…”