A holistic approach to psychological sexual problems in women with diabetic husbands

Background: One of negative and influential factor to chronic diseases is creation of sexual problems in the couple's sexual relationship. Sexual health is one of the most important factor in Sexual and marital satisfaction.
Objective: This study aims to compare the relationship between couple burnout, sexual assertiveness, and sexual dysfunctional beliefs in women with diabetic and non-diabetic husbands.
Materials and Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was a causal comparative one. The research plan was derived from the master’s dissertation for family counseling in Shahid Beheshti University which was done during 2011-2012 in Tehran, Iran. Totally 200 participants were included in this study; 100 participants were women with diabetic husbands and the others were women with non-diabetic husbands. These participants were selected by purposeful sampling method. Data were collected using personality traits and demographic characteristics’ questionnaire, couple burnout Measure, Hulbert index of sexual assertiveness and sexual dysfunctional beliefs Questionnaire.
Results: Results of the multi-variable analysis of variance indicated that there was a significant difference between couple burnout, sexual assertiveness, and sexual dysfunctional beliefs in women with diabetic and non-diabetic husbands. Women with non-diabetic husbands had a higher mean score in sexual assertiveness factor compared to women with diabetic husbands, whereas in couple burnout and sexual dysfunctional beliefs factors, women with diabetic husbands had a higher mean score.
Conclusion: It seems that one of the most important factors which influences and increases couple burnout, increases wrong sexual beliefs regarding sexual function, and decreases sexual assertiveness in women is their husbands’ sexual dysfunction. In fact, women whose husbands suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes (which results in sexual dysfunction) have lower sexual assertiveness and higher couple burnout and sexual dysfunctional beliefs compared with other women.